Help With Decision

User

Posted 29 Jun 2020 at 15:50

Burghboy

How was surgery? Hope you are making a good recovery.

User

Posted 29 Jun 2020 at 17:11

Hi Techguy and all. Sorry for the delay on an update.

Surgery Thursday June 25. Got out Sunday 28th. Bowels very slow to respond and very sick on second morning. Hence the extended stay.

The surgery went very well. Nerves spared fully on right side and partially on left side. Surgeon said the prostate was smooth, so fingers crossed that cancer is contained. Good join back to bladder with Catheter out in 7 days.

I'm amazed at how well the wounds are healing and very limited amount of pain after surgery. I did take a bit of time to get over over the GA. Need the bowels move better and I will be grand.

Histology to come but fingers crossed.

User

Posted 29 Jun 2020 at 17:55

Glad to hear it went well.

Once the catheter is out you will be well on the mend

User

Posted 29 Jun 2020 at 18:40

Thats great news.

I found lactulose syrup (any pharmacist stock it but will probably query use...PCa Surgery gets the nod of approval) is very good but dont take to much or you'll become a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Other things I used were prunes, other fruits but again not silly amounts plus a veg soups and a handful of nuts/seeds were very helpful. Took me about 5-6 days post op to get systems going anything like normal. Try not to strain as that can cause problems with the stitching etc.

Take it easy and don't be tempted to lift much more than a pint glass for a month. Follow all the guidance with daily walks and a few steps of the stairs etc.

Fingers cross ref the Histology...hopefully that won't take too long. Mine was meant to take 4 weeks but was in my inbox in under a week so i guess will be how busy the lab is etc.

Keep us posted!

User

Posted 29 Jun 2020 at 19:22

Thanks again Techguy. Taking all that on board. Doing some already. Had two 20 min walks today as well.

Just passed something that might mean progress!

Cheers,

User

Posted 29 Jun 2020 at 19:28

Yes, should help loads with gut motility. Onwards and upwards to catheter removal.

Have a nice relaxing week and wish you a fast recovery.

User

Posted 30 Jun 2020 at 05:57

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Hi Techguy and all. Sorry for the delay on an update.

Surgery Thursday June 25. Got out Sunday 28th. Bowels very slow to respond and very sick on second morning. Hence the extended stay.

I'm amazed at how well the wounds are healing and very limited amount of pain after surgery. I did take a bit of time to get over over the GA. Need the bowels move better and I will be grand.

Histology to come but fingers crossed.

Burghboy. Wish you all the best in your recovery. Just 13 days ahead of you wrt surgery. Have you had the "achy shoulders" thing? That disappears after a couple of decent bowel movements.

_____

Two cannibals named Ectomy and Prost, all alone on a Desert island.

Prost was the strongest, so Prost ate Ectomy.

User

Posted 30 Jun 2020 at 12:46

Hi Alex. Right shoulder very painful on and off for a few days. It's like cramp or something, and couldn't get relief from it. Not terrible in the scheme of things. Nothing in left shoulder.

User

Posted 30 Jun 2020 at 12:53

I was warned about the shoulder pain. Thought I had dodged the bullet until evening of day 2 post op. Felt like the bends or such like. Good to know it was trapped gas from the RARP and nothing to be concerned with but was happy to see the back of it after a few days 🥴

Edited by member 30 Jun 2020 at 12:54 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 30 Jun 2020 at 12:53

Hi all. Getting my catheter out tomorrow. What type of pad should I take at this stage?

User

Posted 30 Jun 2020 at 13:15

At catheter removal the nurse in London provided me with an adult nappy.

If you have a long trip home try and plan access to a toilet. I nearly got caught short on my 90min trip back as I’d drunk a bucket load of water before being let out to test all was functioning ok.

Some tena level 3 and level 2 pads Are useful to have in stock. I used the three more for reassurance and stuffed one inside the nappy en route home then occasionally used after that. Level two were my mainstay for about five weeks as had a few leaks/drips up to that point.

Post 12 weeks I experienced the occasional stress leak doing light gym weights or dips. Only leak I’ve had recently ~7 months post op is last weekend due to a skinful of Sauvignon Blanc. I’ve found if you keep it to sensible levels should be fine but it’s worth baselining in a controlled environment.

Sometimes I feel passing wind or sneezing induces the feeling that a drip/leak is close so just have to counter it with pelvic floor.

User

Posted 30 Jun 2020 at 13:37

The feeling of freedom when that catheter is out !!!!!

I used Tena 2 from the get go. Found I was leaking a bit on the way home but not too bad. Once home I'd start leaking from early afternoon and then gradually got later and later in the day until dry at about 10 weeks.

User

Posted 30 Jun 2020 at 14:29

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Hi all. Getting my catheter out tomorrow. What type of pad should I take at this stage?

It's a bit of guesswork depending on your circumstances, but as others have said, a level 2 or 3 should be fine.

I bought stock of all sorts of products back in March just as lockdown was kicking in and I was expecting a surgery date for April/May. I figured I'd better get them in just in case there were supply issues as a result of the pandemic.

Amusingly enough though, the pandemic gave me an extra 2 months to work on those pelvic floor muscles. (Although it was funny to see the leaflet say "See if you can hold it for 5 seconds. I was like. OK. How about a minute? 😀Not for ten reps though 😜Who's got time for that? I mostly did 10 second reps. Sets of 10, aiming for 10 times a day. With one or two "long holds". Also the 'situp' version for extra load.)

The hospital gave me about 3 or 4 pads any and I took a few of each with me to the TWOC appointment. Successful TWOC last Friday. Used a single #2 pad all day. Hardly anything in it. Saturday used a #1 pad. Same result. Sunday decided to go "commando" - no pad. 😀It was fine.

Still not needing a pad, which is great. Do feel the occasional 'drip' internally, but you can stop it from coming out with the pelvic floor muscles. That happens about once a day when either tired, focussed on something else or having a fart etc.

I'd probably wear a pad if I went on a long car journey or somewhere I'm "not in control of my circumstances". Will be interesting to see the effect of strenuous exercise in a couple of weeks when I'm allowed. But in the interim period, I'm still doing the pelvic floor exercises. I've found that doing the fast reps is best straight after a wee. Then you've got nothing there to come out when you release quickly.

One thing I learnt on day 1 was that if you release the muscles too quickly when doing the exercise, it can open you up and you lose a bit of urine.

_____

Two cannibals named Ectomy and Prost, all alone on a Desert island.

Prost was the strongest, so Prost ate Ectomy.

User

Posted 30 Jun 2020 at 15:23

Take something to cover the car seat and sit on a towel just in case. You are going to drinking a fair bit of water and it might start coming out after your twoc. Make sure you are well hydrated for the twoc don't be tempted to drink less , better to be wet than have the catheter put back in. The Tena 2/3 pads will hold roughly 150/175 ml but a quick gush may be too much for the pad in one go. A slow or controlled flow will probably get absorbed. Have a nappy sack or similar just in case you need to make a quick change. Remember to relax.

Thanks Chris

User

Posted 30 Jun 2020 at 15:40

Thanks Techguy, Alex, Mike, and Chris. Good advice and noted.

User

Posted 01 Jul 2020 at 05:30

I didn't get given anything, so it was lucky that I had brought my own. This was just before lockdown though, so they had other things on their minds. I also pinched one of their sample bottles, as we had over an hour's drive back.

On the pelvic floor exercises, I got the NHS Squeezy app. They do 10 slow, 10 fast as one exercise. Slow is 10 seconds, although the app lets you change the settings. Prior to the op I was doing these 6 times a day (1 as situp) as I wanted to build the muscles up. Now I do 3; the surgeon said that was plenty, as I've not had any stress leaks. Like others, farting has been a problem if I "force" the fart - I guess it's incompatible with tightening the pelvic floor.

User

Posted 01 Jul 2020 at 06:57

Ask for a spare disposable sample ‘bottle’. We got stuck in a traffic jam on the way home after TWOC, I was mighty glad I had one with me I can tell you! 😀

User

Posted 01 Jul 2020 at 07:30

I picked up some portable gel urinal bags from amazon. Had used them camping a few years back. Any bottle with a wide usb opening would so the trick.

Finding a place to use it if necessary was a tougher problem on the train(train loo in most of the train was out of order..thankfully explained to the guard and he found one that was operational in the nick of time).

User

Posted 01 Jul 2020 at 21:55

Catheter out today. Small dribble. Pleasantly surprised how well I can hold in, but need to keep concentrating on it. Tena 3 less of a fuss than I had imagined.

Many leaks along the way. Getting out of car, passing wind, bending over.

Onwards with the pelvic floor exercises!

User

Posted 01 Jul 2020 at 22:17

Great news BB

Pelvic floor helps loads especially as you get used to engaging them for coughs and sneezes. This soon eases over time. Initially I found I leaked more in the evenings than during the day I guess due to tiredness.

Don’t be too concerned as everything soon settles. My leaks pretty much stopped bang on five weeks when the stitches started dissolving around the reconstructed urinary sphincter. Mainly as the valve can close tighter given the stitches can tent to hold it under a slight tension. Additionally the scar tissue will then start to soften over the coming months improving things further.

Shout if you have any problems or questions.

Edited by member 01 Jul 2020 at 22:21 | Reason: Not specified

Notification

Join the online community now.