Decision made, glad that part is over

This has been an emotional roller coaster as I'm certain everybody here can attest to and have been through (or going through.) The road has taken a few twists and turns as I have discussed my situation with various health care professionals.

Initially I was going to get a second path opinion from Bostwick Labs but to make a long story short, chose to have the slides sent to MD Anderson instead for the second opinion. I was also going to seek a fourth opinion from the VA chief urologist and a local RO, but after our consultation yesterday with Dr. John W Davis (Associate Professor, Department of Urology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX), I'm finished with getting any more opinions.

Dr. Davis went into great detail about the pros and cons of radiation vs. surgery - he said they are reviewing the data from a new study involving about 1,000 surgery and 1,000 radiation patients. (The study needs peer review before it's published.) My takeaway from our ~30 minute discussion (my head was swimming in facts and study results) was that radiation and surgery have intersecting outcomes, i.e., they both have good results.

At no point did I ever sense that he was skewing or biasing toward one modality which I greatly appreciated. For my particular situation, he recommended brachytherapy or surgery. He started doing robot RALPs in 2004 and says he's done about 2,000 of them to date. I thought it was interesting that he said experience is critical for proper placement of the seeds and they have one of the best Docs in the country at MD Anderson.

He said I would be a candidate for brachytherapy assuming my pelvic bone structure would be conducive for a straight shot at implanting the seeds. Apparently some men have bones that block necessary access for seed implantation.

For me, I chose RALP with Dr. Davis at the console :) My MRI/pre-op stuff is scheduled for Feb 24 (my prostrate needs time to heal from the biopsy) and the RALP is scheduled for March 2. I have peace with my decision and dear wife is extremely happy now that we have a plan of action.

Question for those that have had RALP - we will have to drive about 4.5 hours to get to/from MD Anderson so I was planning on staying at the adjunct Rotary House International hotel on the MD Anderson property for healing post surgery. If I have the surgery on March 2, will I be in good shape for a 4.5 hour car ride on March 11? Do you think I should extend two or three more days? (this place books up quickly)

Glad you made your decision. That is the most difficult part.

It's difficult to say on the travel part but after 9 days you should be able to deal with it. So difficult to say for sure and a lot of ifs and buts. Still I've heard of guys doing that. Hoping that means you're not the one doing the driving. Passenger for 4 hours yes, driving, no.

Keep us updated on your progress.
Andrew

I concur, if the catheter is out and you are not driving, you should be ok. A couple of suggestions
Bring an inflatable doughnut to sit on in the car.
Plan on making multiple piss stops (see what I did there? I.e. Pit stops)
Bring some extra pads with you just i case
Wear loose fitting clothing,

Good luck and congrats on a decision, and cooking a fine institution to get your care.

for the record, I live about 2 hrs drive from where I'm going to have RALP, and I'm planning on riding home whenever I'm released (24 hrs post surgery probably) catheter and all. Several guys here said that shouldn't be a big issue if I have a donut cushion.

Congratulations on the decision. It doesn't get better than MD Anderson.

- Allen

I think once the catheter is removed you should be able to travel the time you mentioned. I had my catheter after six days and while I didn't travel I could have done so. You will need to plan on stops. Best of luck to you. I know the relief that comes with making the decision that is best for you.

Thanks again guys for the encouragement. Last night I had my first good night of sleep in several days, I finally feel rested - yea.