can I drive my car home after a radical retropublic prostectomy?

I think I tapped into a mother lode of priceless feedback here. You guys are the best!

Thanks to "Forum Moderator" for your practical-minded comments on some points, and thanks to those who explained about the hospital has to discharge me, I don't decide when. And that it's going to be during business hours. And the legal niceties about the hospital wants a clearly defined handoff, out of the wheelchair into my ride's car. I'll have to reschedule the ride home from the hospital -- yesterday I asked a friend to pick me up at 8pm, so that ain't gonna work.

Re Mel's note to Prat, you are one funny guy, Mel. I burst out laughing. (Please don't anyone even remotely consider driving themselves home after the big day! Very bad idea for lots of reasons!)

Pratoman wrote, "I think we as a group have done a good deed here."

Indeed you all have, no doubt about it! Like I said at the top, you guys are the best! One "serious" aspect about this is it's important that now and then someone (this example with me for instance) asks a question which is, to most, patently ludicrous on its face. And yet, you all gave me the benefit of the doubt, realized I was in fact actually considering it -- I was -- so some of you gently responded, some of you provided good hard facts (I could lose my insurance, illegal to drive with those painkilling drugs in me), some of you made funny, and some of you gave me the blunt tongue-lashing I deserved (Bill, this is crazy talk!!). Better to allow "stupid" questions now and then, than have prostate forum contributors self-censoring an important question they really need an answer to, but are afraid to ask at the risk of being held up to ridicule. Me, I don't mind some ridicule now and then, know I sometimes deserve it. What are good friends for? So it's good I asked. And it's good you men answered!

Yup, everyone did a very good deed here. I thank you from my heart.

Bill Positive

Hey Mel --

I'll withdraw the word "ridicule" as not the right word for what I meant. This website encourages honest, sincere communication. Every question asked is a good question. I've never seen any ridicule on HW.

When I started this thread, "can I drive my car home after a radical retropublic prostatectomy?" I thought it sounded a bit like a crazy question, but I needed to ask it anyway cause I was, in fact, interested in possibly driving my car there, and driving it back home 1-2 days later post-surgery. Not going to be doing that.

Clearly I hadn't yet thought it through -- nobody in their right mind is going to go driving a car around 24-48 hours after being heavily sedated and having just had major surgery, not to mention it would probably invalidate my insurance, there were much better options ... have a friend pick me up, take a cab, etc. So I asked my question, figuring I'd get some friendly ribbing over it (which I did). I also got my question answered, so I'm happy. My post also seemingly prompted a great conversation still going on over on Halbert's post, "Planning for post treatment." It's all good.

I especially appreciated the very pointed valuable feedback I got from you, ChrisR, and Pratoman:

-- "To summarize: that's crazy talk!"

-- "What Mel said . . . what kind of question is this anyway . . ."

-- "I have to say it Bill, I think you're nuts to even consider this. Brave, but nuts. lol Hope things go well though."

_______________________

Thinking about it now, I realize my asking my question reveals how shook up I truly am about having this major surgery coming up fast, a week from this Monday. Not a stretch to say it's affecting (effecting?) my thinking. The good conversation it started means it was a valuable question.

Wasn't it you who asked Pratoman about -- why don't you drive a car around after your surgery and then post here what it was like? something like that.

Cracked me and others up.

Bill Positive
____________________

70 years in this body I've only just recently
properly appreciated -- better late than never!
Prostate biopsy procedure late July 2014
Diagnosed Prostate Cancer early August 2014
Prostate nodule 7/2014, 6 /2014, 4/2014

PSA history:
1/08 4.6
4/08 6.4
7/08 3.5
12/09 2.5
2/11 4.4
4/12 3.2
4/14 5.4
8/14 5.1
9/3/14 4.9
10/13/14 5.7
12/17/14 4.3

CT & bone scan 8/12/2014 negative
MRI at Hopkins 12/5/2014 "Impression: Large volume,
non-organ confined disease with extraprostatic
disease present. Dominant nodule 3/4" x 1/4" x 3/4",
and,
(from my surgeon),

"The MRI of your prostate suggests that you have a
large cancer with likely extension beyond the prostate.
The molecular tests that we did on your cancer show
that your cancer is more likely to cause you harm because
of the loss of a gene."

1st Pathology Report (8/1/2014) on 7/28/14 biopsy
4 cores Gleason 6 (3+3), 69%, 75%, 100%, 100%
2 cores Gleason 7 (3+4), 66%, 88%

1st Second Opinion Pathology Report (8/26/2014) on 7/28/14 biopsy
6 cores Gleason 6 (3+3), 77%, 77%, 78%, 78%, 95%, 95%

2nd Second Opinion (or 3rd overall) Pathology Report (9/12/2014, Jonathan Epstein, Johns Hopkins) on 7/28/2014 biopsy.
6 cores Gleason 6 (3+3),
A. prostatic adenocarcinoma, 90%, 80%
B. prostatic adenocarcinoma, 90%, 90% ("perineural invasion identified in this case")
C. prostatic adenocarcinoma, 90%, 90%