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First post ..in the weeds with this

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Posted 5/28/2016 6:02 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks again for all the great information and caring replies.....as I asked in the "other" forum ....what about ME taking care of MYSELF after surgery? My urologist said it I had Dr. Patel in Orlando do it I could drive up there...3-4 hour drive...have the surgery and be 1 night in hospital....then I could drive back 3-4 hour to my place here on Pine Island ,near Ft. Myers. Really?? once I`m home , assuming my wife is in a facility for 4-6 weeks , can I feed the 2 cats ...feed myself ...do the wash ...maintain by myself?? no help in my situation ...so can I care for myself after RP?? Thanks in advance David
Posted 5/28/2016 6:21 PM (GMT 0)
Personally, I wasn't ready to drive anywhere the day after surgery. It was 2 hrs drive home for me, with my wife driving. I didn't do my own driving anywhere until I had the catheter out..a week. It all depends, I suppose, on how much pain meds they put you on.
Posted 5/29/2016 2:11 AM (GMT 0)
Dr. Patel sees new patients on Wednesdays, he is in surgery the other 4 days. I had a hard time getting someone to call me back the first day I was calling him so I went on his web site and they had a place where you could ask for someone to call you. I filled that out and got a call back 10 minutes later.

It was a 3-4 week wait to get an appointment to see him and another 4 week wait to have the surgery but prostate cancer is very slow growing so no worry. They set the surgery date on my first visit. I went in June to see him and had the surgery in July.

Celebration Health, the hospital he works out of, has a love seat in each room that converts into a twin bed. They encouraged my wife to stay in the room over night with me.

I live about 2 hours from the hospital. When I had my surgery, Patel wanted me to stay near by while I had the catheter in just in case I had any problems, about 1 week. If I lived 1 hour away, he would have let me go home. I stayed in a motel across the street from the hospital. It had a seperate bedroom, kitchen, a hide-a-bed in the living room where my wife slept and a tv in both rooms. My wife made our meals every day. I was on a low fat bland diet. A Pubix grocery store is near by. It was great. Once the cath was removed, I came home the next day, stopping once an hour on the drive home to get out of the car and walk around, doctors orders!

You will not be driving until the catheter is removed. You will be up and walking a few hours after surgery and walking every hour or two from then on to prevent blood clots and to exercise. You have to drink a lot if water at first so I brought a case of water with me to the hotel.

If you have any other questions about Dr. Patel or the surgery, my email is available by clicking on either my name "Big Mac" or the envelope to the left.
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Bill from Florida cool
Posted 5/29/2016 7:54 AM (GMT 0)
No. One needs help after they are home. It's the smallest things that people who have help take for granted. The very, very smallest things become huge and tiring alone. Go to the kitchen and get a meal. Go back to your recliner to eat it. Realize that you forgot silverware. Have to get up to go get silverware. Drop the fork. Have to get another because you can't reach the floor from the recliner. Have to get up out of recliner again to get another fork. By this time it's been 40 minutes worth of working and you haven't begun to eat. When you do...After a few bites you reach for your drink and it's not there. So you look over and see it 5 feet away sitting on another counter top. All the while the first fork you dropped is still on the floor. So...you eat. You have to eat. Screw the milk. Then...it's time to get up again to take your plate to the kitchen. You have to open the fridge door to get the gallon of milk out in order to pour the glass of milk back into the jug. You drop the lid to the gallon of mile on the floor. Now...2 things on the floor. And...you're tired and sore from all if the getting up and down from trying to eat.

And so it goes. The first night home from the hospital I "got stuck" getting into bed. One foot was planted firmly on the floor while the other leg was half way onto the bed. I laid back on the bed wondering how I was going to get either up out of bed or get on into bed.

EVERYTHING becomes larger. EVERYTHING, no matter how small...becomes a job unto itself. "Honey, will you hand me a fork please" becomes a 5 minute job. People don't realize...helplessness until they've been there.

I've read on here where guys seem to runnin' around the house doin this and that...how they did it without help is beyond me.

So...people may just be different. It may also have something to do with the fact that I really do not believe my sutures were tight when I left the hospital. I was never right that whole week. We couldn't even get me into the truck leaving the hospital. One nurse and my bug brother were trying to load me. Ended up having to get a car to sit down in rather than the pickup to climb up into

I don't see how they do this without some kind of help. I was cathed for 22 days. I ended up having to pay for someone to come in.

Help, to me...is the single one most important thing on the list of things to have. Every thing else was a luxury item.
Posted 5/29/2016 8:07 AM (GMT 0)
My point being...without help, it becomes almost an impossibility to rest. One is almost always having to stay moving just for the basic human needs of survival. And...that wears one down. Just having anyone to hand you something you forgot is huge. We don't realize how much we move when we're healthy. And the reason you don't see "help" on people's "need to have" list is because they're unaware....They've not experienced not having it. They believe they're doing most of it on their own...but the reality is they're not.

Pay someone to stay with you. Have them lined up before the surgery.

Post Edited (island time) : 5/29/2016 2:26:02 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/3/2016 12:48 AM (GMT 0)
wanted you all to know I decided on my treatment ....considering my home problems with caregiving, I`m going with IGRT with the initial Lupron shot and 45 rad treatments starting in Oct. to be wrapped up by mid Dec. ( insurance)....The Rad doc. said 5 weeks ...and then I could decide to continue the last 4 weeks ....or opt for the HDR therapy - 2 treatments ....he described it in detail and it sounded pretty weird ....may have to think about that over the summer. But I got the 6 month Lupron shot today and we are good to go to NC and will return Oct 3rd and get staged for the Rad treatments. Thank you all for the great information and understanding through this nasty stage of decision .....I can at least move forward now and look toward the future....I like the Doc. and that`s half the battle . Thanks again for all the compassionate help .......will be here quietly reading and learning ....David ...out of the weeds !
Posted 6/3/2016 1:39 AM (GMT 0)
Good for you, you've made a decision that works for you, in your life. And that, my friend, is the biggest, most difficult part of this.

Keep us posted, keep participating. Tomorrow or next week, some newcomer will come in who 'tells your story'. And you'll be there for him. And that's why I keep coming around.
Posted 6/3/2016 5:16 AM (GMT 0)
If near Sarasota, at least get a free no obligation quote from Dr Dattoli. Send your records and he will discuss with you a plan for your particular version of PC, for as long as you need. I was very impressed with the whole process and level of proffessionalism throughout.
Posted 6/3/2016 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Guys ...will be staying close by ....Fauntleroy-I`m about 2 hours south of Sarasota....with my life situation caring for my wife 24-7 ...my options are somewhat limited. So for with the mega search on it all and the help from the forum , I feel good about my beginning of treatment ...yesterday with a 6 month shot of Lupron .....dang sore arm today . I would like to know some about the HDR or Boost rads ....the doctor said I could choose to do that at the 5 week mark....2 sessions ....and eliminate the last 4 weeks of regular rads ,IGRT,,,,,,the HDR did`nt sound like much fun to say the least ....and he said I would NOT be out for the whole thing.....I think I will start a new POST with that subject in mind....
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