I have been checking out this forum since before my surgery. I just want to acknowledge the great service you are all doing for each other.
I had PSA tests done in 2007, 2009, 2010 and they were all around 1.4. Then, for some reason, my primary MD forgot to order it with my regular annual lab tests in 2011 and 2012. I, being a healthcare professional, also forgot to remind him about
it. Given my age - now 66 - I should have been paying better attention. So I accept some of the blame. So in Nov 2013 I finally had it tested after complaining of some slight urinary issues. He also did a DRE and noted a small irregularity on the left lobe. He referred me to a Urologist. I scheduled an appointment and went in to see the Uro several weeks later. He was the one that said, "Oh, your PSA is elevated." My primary never notified me. It was up to 7.7. The Uro said I should schedule to come back for a biopsy. Had that done on 12/13/13. Found out on 12/20 that all 5 cores on the left side had cancer with Gleason 4+3=7. All five cores from the right lobe were clear. He only does classic traditional radical prostatectomy but another Uro there had been doing daVinci Robotic surgery for over 10 years, so I went to see him on 12/26. Then I saw a RadOncologist on 12/27 who offered me 2 months of hormone therapy followed by 10 weeks of Rad, followed by 2 more months of hormones.
I chose the surgery thinking to eliminate a long treatment period, and I was very naive about
how urinary incontinence and ED would affect me post-op. I had to wait 6 weeks post-biopsy to have the surgery, which was done on 1-28-14. Surgeon said I could be off work for 6 weeks. Plenty of time I thought. Catheter was in place 10 days - removed 2/7/14.
Nothing I read about
the urinary incontinence experienced by others adequately prepared me for the total and complete loss of control. It was debilitating psychologically and led to many nearly sleepless nights. It was really quite demoralizing. My wife tried her best to understand - God bless her! But I was angry, depressed, anxious. I emailed my Urologist letting him know. He sent back brief responses that what I was experiencing was to be expected, but if I faithfully did the Kegel exercises things would get better slowly. I could expect to regain sufficient (not total) control by 3 to 6 months post-op. "What?! I have to go back to work 3-10 wearing a large Depends because I can't even stand up without peeing out the contents of my bladder almost immediately!"
Well, today I am 5 weeks post-op and I have to admit that I am getting used to having a wet diaper on. But Instead of changing it 6 or 7 times a day, it's down to 3 changes a day. I've learned to live with the incontinence and to keep the diaper drier I go to the bathroom every time I stand up, whether it's been 15 minutes or 2 hours since my last visit. I can now control emptying my bladder for maybe the first 45 seconds after I get up and start walking. That is usually enough time to get to the bathroom. This is progress. I hate to admit it. I can go to the store shopping with my wife and know that as long as I also control my fluid intake before leaving that I will be OK out in public for at least several hours. It is unnerving to feel small releases of pee every 30 seconds or so, and I wonder how that is going to feel when I am at work (I work for a hospital as a clinical applications analyst and trainer in the IT dept. I no longer do patient care) I frequently have to walk quite a distance around the hospital making rounds to deal with trouble issues and can be on my feet for an hour or more.
My question, for those of you that read this long post to here - how soon after surgery did you return to work? Were you still incontinent then, or did you wait until you had more control?
Post Edited (mccartm2) : 3/3/2014 8:58:11 PM (GMT-7)