Prostrate Cancer

[John Dday]

Hi Guys,
I am off to have ye old prostate out in a week. Already suffer from cardiovascular disease, so ED is a part of my existence, but injections & VED work well.
A few questions, please.
Does the removal make you feel different?
Not so tired?
Others?

[LGXDownunder]

Hi Guys,
I am off to have ye old prostate out in a week. Already suffer from cardiovascular disease, so ED is a part of my existence, but injections & VED work well.
A few questions, please.
Does the removal make you feel different?
Not so tired?
Others?

I won't sugar coat it John. The actual operation and side effects were very unpleasant, but it quite likely saved my life.
So if you have prostate cancer and need it done then any other issues should be a secondary concern.
I had a robotic assisted radical prostatectomy with bilateral nerve sparing and there were no complications.
The cancer was contained within the prostate gland itself, there was no spread elsewhere.
All of my regular PSA tests since have been zero/undetectable for PC.

It's major surgery and can be quite a long procedure. I think mine was about 4 hours and I read that it often takes around 5.
Immediately after I felt like absolute crap for at least the first 24 hours, probably due to the extended period of anaesthesia.
I also had a catheter stuck in my urethra for the first 10 days attached to a bag, to collect urine. That was uncomfortable and unpleasant.
I had to keep emptying the bag, often during the night. So glad to have the catheter removed, but then significant incontinence plagued me for more than 18 months. I only got close to full relief from that after 2 1/2 years when I had Botox injected into the wall of my bladder.
And of course I had absolute zero erectile function immediately after surgery and it never returned, nor responded reliably to conservative treatments.
Then I got my implant after putting up with a 24/7 100% limp dick for 3 years (and the implant has been a game changer).

I didn't really have much pain from the prostatectomy. After the catheter came out and everything settled down I can't say that I really felt any different. Just that things no longer worked properly. I was also aware that they remove the seminal vesicles as well as the prostate gland.
That didn't cause any discomfort either but it probably has caused me some psychological issues as I can no longer ejaculate.
You get used to having dry orgasms, and eventually they felt much the same as before, but I felt that it somehow reduced my masculinity to a degree.
Not that I was going to father any more kids at my age, but I just missed that ecstatic release of cum at the point of climax.
Now I'm finding that my implant has restored that sense of masculinity. I can be rock hard in seconds, stay hard indefinitely, have extended sex and orgasm pretty much 100% of the time. I only had tiredness early on after the surgery. Other than what I've mentioned, general health etc went back to normal fairly quickly.

I think the main things that can influence the outcome from a quality of life perspective are age and general state of health and fitness. Younger guys can often fully recover both continence and erectile function. Sometimes older guys can too, assuming those things worked normally beforehand. But I think with age it's more common to have some level of persistent incontinence and ED. Success rates for treating those conditions vary.

[Reggieman]

I had a robotic RP in 2016. Catheter was not as difficult as others have experienced. On pain meds for days it seems. Having a bowel movement after surgery and for days after was not a fun experience and ranked up there with pain. Totally incontinent for 30 days then one day the remaining traumatized sphincter kicked in so that I only used two pads per 24 hour from then on. Lost all erectile function since then. Have been using injections of Bimix since then. It has not given me a boner of steel but worked well enough for years. An orgasm is totally different and has lost 95% if not more of its force and pleasure. I have had Anorgasmia ever since the surgery. I've spent money on a variety of vibes but have not found a good one. They are either are too wimpy or they beat up my tool pretty bad. Tried the Venus 2000 but my penis sensitivity on the outer skin is so week that I got no pleasure and little sensation from it. It's an excellent tool for those in better penis health. Wife had little interest in sex before the RP and even less after. I've resorted to using E-Stim or Electro-Stim using either Tens devices or the dedicated sex toy- Erostek ET-312. The latter is around $700 now and is digital.

I've thought about an implant but no longer have a wet spot to stick it as the wife has closed up shop. She's 82 and has never really had much of a libido, unlike myself.

The RP will save your life. You can learn to deal with what comes later.

[John Dday]

Thanks, guys. This forum is a great help.
I am also fortunate in that I have a partner who is willing to explore new ways to share our intimate moments. Not looking forward to the next 4 weeks, but I am alive

[LGXDownunder]

Thanks, guys. This forum is a great help.
I am also fortunate in that I have a partner who is willing to explore new ways to share our intimate moments. Not looking forward to the next 4 weeks, but I am alive

Best wishes for your surgery John. You will get through it and yes, the overwhelming positive is that you will still be here.
I'm sure your partner and other loved ones will be very grateful for that.

[silver daddy 1960]

Hi John,

My cancer experience was similar to LGX. Hard to believe it was 14 years ago at 51. Robotic, a little over 6 hrs in surgery, nerve sparring, recovery was ok, meds help and do take them. Cath out at two weeks but blockage so back to hospital and put cath back in for another week. Incontinent is an understatement, lol, stand up pee, sit down pee, sneeze, cough, laugh, wore depends for first 4 weeks after cath, then moved to pads. At about 6 weeks I suddenly realized my pads were dry!! But don't drink a beer, ugh, wet just standing at the bar, you relax a bit too much, but even that cleared up mostly. I did not have ED going into the operation and was told I had good chance of getting it back so when things did not, the anger was pretty great. Injections worked, pills did not. FT was a huge help when I found it some years later. And specifically, to finally decide to go for the implant! Regarding anything unusual...well I assume it is because they reattach the urethra to the bladder after removing the prostate, I find if I stand to pee, I am only good about 20-30 min and need to pee again, I guess angle to fully empty the bladder?? If I sit, I hold out much longer, lol.

Best of luck and keep us posted on your recovery!!

[Motorheadrulz]

Do you feel better after RPP? Besides knowing the cancer is gone... ugh, no.
As everyone stated, it kills your manhood and everything you knew about being a man. Get used to nerve damage, no blood flow, dry orgasms, and constantly pissing yourself.

Some helpful tips:
Find a support group and work thru the voices in your head. There were times I hoped I wouldn't wake up the next day. I thought "I'm only 52 yrs old and my life is over". It was a long mental battle to keep grinding.

Go easy for the first 6 mo. You have a void in your abdomen that needs to heal. Think of it as a hernia repair. I recommend a daily 5mg cialis to keep blow flowing and speed up healing- not for sex, but tissue healing. More blood increases oxygen and healing...

Start working the kegels to help recovery and minimize pissing yourself. Pelvic floor rehab really helped me but shoving a stimulator up my ass wasn't fun.

I still have numbness along my shaft and difficulty reaching a climax. Patience and your partners understanding are my only recommendations.

ED meds didnt work at all after surgery. I hated the VED pump and injections, but now am bionic. Everyone needs to decide their path forward, so I'm not trying to influence you. Some guys are lucky and regain their nerves and wood, so I hope you recover well.

Most import- the cancer is gone (for now). When you get clean PSAs for a couple years you can look back and laugh...