My Observation as a Bystander

I am a woman who belongs to a couple of men’s prostate cancer support groups. Most of the time I just sit and listen to their journey in awe. My father has prostate cancer (PC), so I have learned quite a bit from talking, watching, and listening on his behalf. I am his number-one advocate.

I get to witness these men with different health conditions recovering from surgery. Listening to them has made me stronger, but I also hear what goes on in their minds. Not long ago I visited a community center, where men were talking about their mental health along with their physical recovery. My goal was to learn and observe the process and see what was on their minds.

Hearing from those who had robotic prostatectomy

One thing that caught my attention at this meeting was that there were a lot of men who were recovering from robotic prostatectomy. They talked about this procedure a lot and wanted to share their journey. Of course, I have heard this term before but wanted to know more.

I wanted to learn more about their overall health condition and how they felt. I was in awe of their views about this treatment method, and how satisfied they were with the recovery path they were on. To my wonder, most men were very satisfied with how things were progressing for them. They had the option to go for either the conventional mode or this robotic technique, and most chose the robotic prostatectomy of treatment for themselves. I found this very interesting.

From what I could gather from the conversations, most thought this procedure was a win-win for them. They were making the right decision at the time. In this discussion, it was said that the surgery was almost painless with all the anesthesia. That was good news.

Seeming satisfied with their decision

They were more nervous about another version of the procedure (open radical prostatectomies) that they worried could include more blood loss and a longer recovery time. After much thought, most decided on the option of a robotic one and were happy that they did. On top of that, they did not have to stay in the hospital for a long time.

The robotic prostatectomy was an overnight stay for observation, and then they were able to go home. Now, that is good news for most of them. It sounded strange that you can go home so soon after surgery.

When I glanced around the room, I could see that these men seemed satisfied with their treatment. They were happy about the way things were going for them.

Everyone is different

Of course, everyone is different and goes through different things. What works for one might not be good for the next person. This is something you can discuss with your doctor and come up with a treatment plan. You can talk about your treatment, side effects, and support.

What treatment did you decide to take? As we always say – early detection is the key. Get checked.