RARP surgery peeps -- would you mind answering some questions for me?

1) Yes. I never regained continence after surgery and radiation. I have had an artificial sphincter installed which helps somewhat. I still use two or three pads a day.

2) Not sure how to score this one. I used trimix for three years with so-so results. I received an implant at the same time as the artificial sphincter. No complaints about the implant but if the sphincter worked better the implant would see more use.

3) After surgery the flaccid penis rides a bit lower and more tucked into the body. But with proper rehab there is very little difference before and after in the erect member. The back end of the erection chambers slot into the pubic bone and the mechanical support for an erect penis does not depend on any of the urinary plumbing. So, no.

4) Funny word, regret. Wouldn't have minded if things had worked out differently but, in the sense you are probably asking about, no, I don't regret my surgery.

Four no's.
Stoped using pads at about eight weeks. Still take 5 mg of Cialis / Tadafil every other day. It might be more psychological

Edit. Just noticed signature is gone. Surgery was back in Feb 2015. 63 at the time Gleason 3+4=7. Nerves on both sides spared. Recovery pretty easy. PSA undetectable do far.

Post Edited (JoeInBucks) : 4/29/2017 4:47:47 PM (GMT-6)

F8,
Why are you like that?

Why do you preach "my choice was better than your choice".

This isn't the first time, it's all the time!

You know, you disappeared for quite sometime, now I am going to go now that you are back. You can try to talk all the newbies into having radiation without my opinion.

By the way, in a couple of weeks, I'll be Bill from the Bay Area, I hope we don't run into each other out there

Bill from Florida

1. No, I was dry from day 1
2. Yes, however it is improving
3. No shortening
4. No regrets

On the subject of surgical side effects, which is something we go around and around about in here, I recall when I was working through my decision process, one of the things I was told to do was to ask my doctor about his individual record and stats. The idea was that there are wide variations in the side effect profiles, depending on the individual surgeon.

What my surgeon told me, on that subject, is that there are (his opinion), quite a few variables that play in to the prevalence and severity of surgical side effects. As I recall the conversation, among the factors he listed were (in no particular order):
1. Patient general health.
2. Individual anatomy (the Prostate is difficult to get to for anyone, and there is a bell curve of difficulty)
3. Prostate size
4. Surgical judgement (how "wide" does the surgeon have to cut)
5. Tumor location (Apical tumors or swelling makes incontinence more likely)
6. Nerve damage (somewhat inevitable, but widely variable even if no nerves are removed)
7. ED history pre-surgery (he said, as I recall, that virtually everyone moves "down scale" after surgery. The question becomes, where are you on the scale before you start?)
8. Skill and experience of the surgeon and team
9. Random factors

pwallace said...
post surgery:

1) are you incontinent?

2) are you impotent? if not, do you experience climacturia?

3) have you experienced penile shortening and/or deformity (crookedness)?

4) do you regret your surgery decision?

thanks in advance!

1) No.

2) No.

3) No.

4)"Regret....noun
1.
a feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or been done."

sometimes I can feel sadness or disappointment when i think about this margin. Had I known I'd have one, I'd probably still gone surgery, just with a different surgeon. Or would I? I came out of this as well as one can, QOL wise. Why try a "do over" with another surgeon? Can't know how that would turn out either.

"NO". "final answer"

1. No
2. No
3. No
4. No