I put in my two cents worth as well... didn't take very long, the ads aren't all that obtrusive....
Bumping my old thread with new info... latest PSA is undetectable once again, good news /community/emoticons/smile.gif My doctor said he felt we could reduce the checkup frequency to yearly at this...
I think there's substantial variation. I saw the bills for my DaVinci surgery and associated expenses as sent to my HMO, and they totalled around $38,000. I'm pretty sure my HMO paid less than that....
Yes, I think you should bring that to the attention of your doctor. What you are describing seems unusual to me... I'm over a year out from my DaVinci and can barely tell where the ports were....
I had the DaVinci surgery in Nov of 2007 and it turned out to be a good choice in my case. Here's my old thread if you want to see more details on my recovery.......
My sexual health specialist recommended a specific pump model, but warned me that insurance coverage could be an issue, so I called my HMO (Healthpartners) first. They were unwilling to cover the...
Recovery from surgery does vary quite a bit, and as Piano said, expect some issues. I'm in the group of reasonable but slow recovery. A lot of my improvement started around the 9 month mark and at...
Good find, thanks for posting it. As the first line implies, this issue probably bothers a lot of men....
I'm also to that point of generally full continence with occasional stress issues. I do feel I am continuing to learn how to control the stress incontinence. For example, while sneezes used to cause...
I'm at about a year out, and after months of low dose Cialis and pump use, I can now attain reasonable results with stimulation alone, although Cialis still improves things. I liked the descript ion...
I was on the 5 mg Cialis for a few months... "to get the blood flowing" was the doctor's descript ion. It did help me quite a bit, and although I did have side effects (headache and nasal...
The different meds can definitely have different results for an individual. I tried Levitra first and the side effects (headache, nasal in my case) were quite strong while I got virtually no help for...
I'd been taking statins for years before my first troublesome PSA, so in my case a PSA increase sufficient to trigger a biopsy occurred with statin use in the background (simvastatin max dose)....
The Red Cross calls me a lot, apparently my blood type is in high demand, so I've had several discussions with them on this topic. Apparently the deferral can be as low as 1 year now... I assume...
Not necessarily... I can't claim to be an expert, but in my case I had a lower Gleason score than my Dad. I started screening fairly young due to family history... my Dad caught his in time but it...
Yes, nice to see that rebuttal... thanks for posting it, Tony. Since my PC was diagnosed, I've become a proponent of early screening with my friends and acquaintances, and as Dr. Catalona pointed...
Sorry you have to be here, but welcome! Yes, patience is key, but there are many options worth considering. The 3 different drugs work differently for different people, so don't give up if one...
I'm dredging up my original thread just to keep the story of my journey together... my surgery was 11/8/07. I got the results of my latest PSA yesterday, still undetectable...
The effects of Levitra and the other drugs seem to vary quite a bit from individual to individual. It sounds like the Levitra is helping you, so the higher dose should be worth trying. In my case, 20...
Jack, Although they were not acting up at the time of my biopsy, I had a history of hemorroid issues that started long before my PCa journey. Neither the biopsy nor the surgery caused any hemorroid...
Yes, as everyone is commenting, some blood in the urine is quite common for a while after surgery. In my case the blood seemed to let up after a few days, but returned on some later occasions during...
I visit my 1 month old granddaughter. This is our first grandchild, so I'm still a 'Grandpa in Training' /community/emoticons/smile.gif ...
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Yes, nothing wrong with getting a quick follow-up PSA first, but if it were me I'd want the biopsy if the second PSA shows similar results. Joining the bandwagon, I'd really stress the importance of...
A very interesting article! I had the DaVinci and while I haven't had any issues as mentioned in the article, it's a good 'heads up' to watch out for problems. If I run into scar tissue problems or...
Moderating any forum can be a daunting task at times, and I think this one has it's own special challenges. Keep up the good work! As said by several above, the presence of family members is part of...
Vasectomy in mid 30's, PCA at 54......
Electrical Engineer, working in business acquisition for the last several years....
I also had DaVinci without lymph node removal... so far so good, my 3 month PSA was undetectable. Sounds like they leave them fairly often when it's caught early. Have confidence in their assessment!...
Yes, they can, it happened to me once. I woke up in the morning, and when I went to change bags, the overnight bag was virtually empty which had not happened before. I panicked and managed to get in...
I started getting my PSA checked in 2001, at the age of 48... I started then because my Dad had just been diagnosed. In my case I could have gotten by with starting at 50 since it didn't jump until...
And another /community/emoticons/smile.gif Edit: I was thinking about adding a line or two to my signature, but got some errors in the control panel instead of "Edit Profile". Weird, I'll try again...
I went into surgery a little over my preferred weight, thought I might come down, but I didn't lose much. Then during recovery I was less active than normal and munched too much... it didn't help...
Yes, Sparky, your situation does not sound unusual at all. The first day or two after catheter removal it seemed like I was going constantly. Within a few days I was doing fine with pads at night......
Educator, I had my surgery just one day before you, and my journey has been pretty similar, so it's interesting to compare. I've only had one PSA since the surgery, at the 3 month point, and it was...
Although I certainly would have preferred different news, I was not as surprised as many when I got the news. I'd been having my PSA checked for years... when they told me it was over 4, even though...
I haven't had any issue with leaking while pumping thus far... I just started using the pump, my surgery was around the same time as yours....
Welcome to the forum! You've already gotten some great advice and feedback... I wanted to mention that I'm in the Twin Cities and would be glad to give feedback on my doctors and care. I don't have...
I appreciate the feedback and support. Normally I don't have a big problem with needles, but I have to confess considerable trepidation toward those injections. For now I'm trying the drugs......
Yes, I'd say this is quite typical. My doctor didn't mention any scans either after my biopsy, which was similar to yours, and you and I are the same age. My Dad, who had the open surgery in 2001,...
Just got back from the doctor, and my first post-op PSA came back undetectable. /community/emoticons/smile.gif Between this result and my good pathology, he was willing to estimate a 95% chance that...
Thanks for the explanation, Tim. I had my blood drawn Tuesday for my first post-op test, and while waiting I noticed on the form it specifically said a different version of the test was being used....
I agree that it sounds like you are doing well. My frequency of urination was also quite high for the first weeks after catheter removal, but it improved quite steadily. Up to about 4 weeks, I wasn't...
My surgeon was rather lukewarm on recommending Kegels. My Dad was rather shocked at this, since he had been advised to Kegel regularly and had done so. I did a few intermittent Kegels, but probably...
Similarly to one of the other responses, I went back to my desk job half time after 3.5 weeks, then extended to full time the following week. By the time I went back to work, I was having no problem...
I live in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities. My DaVinci surgery was performed at University of Minnesota Fairview Hospital. John...
Very interesting data from that article... I agree, I prefer to get the most realistic understanding that I can of my future prospects. I don't feel my surgeons 'sugarcoated' the discussion in this...
I'm pretty close to that average also. I'm still working the ED issues, so I can't make a valid comparison on erect size yet....
Thanks, Bluebird... I will update when I get my results in Feb... John...
Marie, Looks like you've already gotten lots of great advice, so I'll just add another data point on going back to work. I had the DaVinci on 11/8/07, went back to work half time on 12/3 and...