Upcoming Prostatectomy

[HelloMallo]

Hello all,

I am a 55 yo man from Texas. I have recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer and scheduled for a radical prostatectomy. (robotic, nerve-sparing).

I have appreciated already the support from this site. Thank you!

I have lots of questions for the group -- I'll find the right boards for each of those.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!

[Cajun Jeff]

Best of luck with your surgery.I came out of surgery with great results. PSA remained undetectable for 15 years. I had open surgery. I did not have any bladder leak for quite a few years. Not I do have a bit of a problem. Probably because of age in addition.

On the ED side of things. Major shrinkage just out of surgery. Shocked! I did after about 6 months to have a bit of puffiness but not satisfied. Tried the pills they did not do much. Went to injections that did work for a good while then too many misses. Moved on to implant. Should have moved to that much sooner.

I knkw this did not answer your question, Wishing you all the luck in the world.

[RJ_in_Pa]

Hello Hello,

I wish I had found this site before my RP. I was so stupid. I thought a robotic surgery meant an “AI” driven, totally hands off surgery where based on whatever computer technology, the skill of the surgeon (or lack there of) would not be a factor, only to find out as I’m being wheeled into surgery that my urologist is standing there playing with a joy stick. I must admit that I am a little bitter because 7 months after my surgery, I am still leaking and like everyone else on this site, dealing with ED.

My advice to you is what I wish I would have done, is ask your surgeon:
how many of these surgeries have they performed?
what percentage of the patients end up with ED?
What percentage of patients end up with incontinence?
how long does the surgery usually take (I was under for 9 hours)
do patients typically get to go home the same day?

I get that every patient is different based on where the C is located, but why risk dealing with these issues for the rest of your life if there is a Dr available that has a better track record?

I live in Podunk Pa. I assumed I would go to Pittsburgh for the surgery where a friend of mine went that is 10 years my senior. Six weeks after surgery, he was totally dry and not dealing with ED. Sure, he probably is the exception, but I feel cheated. Instead, my local Dr said he was going to perform the surgery and I didn’t think twice about it thinking all robotic surgeries are the same.

Sorry for venting, but if I can help one person to not go through what I am going through, I think it is worth it.

Don’t be stupid like me. Shop around. It’s your life.

Good luck bro!
RJ

[bldoink]

Hello all,

Welcome to the forum and the best of luck with your surgery.