A Guide to Prostate Cancer Surgery

Despite new treatment options, surgery remains a common option for prostate cancer treatment. We're digging into the experiences of folks who've had surgery. Keep reading to find out how to connect and hear from others who've been there: Treatment decisions Deciding how to treat your prostate cancer is one of the first really stressful parts of the process. Weigh in on the pros and cons Read A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Radiation where Will Jones talks about a sudden change of heart Read Choosing Your Treatment and Location from Simon Lord, physical trainer and prostate cancer survivor Recovery process: urinary symptoms There's a lot of aspects to recovery, but two of the biggest challenges tend to be urinary and sexual. Join the conversation about urinary symptoms: Weigh in on frequent urination Watch Tip & Trick: Common Mistakes After Surgery from Erin Glace, a pelvic floor expert Read about tips for urinary control Recovery process: sexual health Erectile dysfunction makes a major difference in your sense of self after treatment. Join the conversation about sexual health: Weigh in on the sexual health forum Read Selfless Sex - An Introduction from Nick Myers, a sexual health expert Read Barriers to Sexual Health after Radical Prostatectomy, also from Nick Myers Read Erectile Dysfunction, So Now What? from Erin Glace Positive approaches Not everyone can feel positive following surgery with the potential side effects they're experiencing. For some, however, a positive attitude is crucial. Scroll through the Forums! Check out Bob Tierno's articles on mental and physical recovery after prostate cancer surgery Read Life After Surgery: From Lemons to Lemonade from Will Jones Want to read more about post-surgery thoughts? Check out Len's article here! [lead_gen showIfLoggedIn="0" campaign="shortcode" source="site"] I now know I have a rather severe prostate cancer (PC), and in both my mind and my urologist’s mind, a robotic (Da Vinci) radical prostatectomy is the only answer. I had open-heart surgery to replace my aortic valve 7 years before all this, and I DO NOT want anyone opening me up with a scalpel ever again if there’s a viable alternative. If you’re like me, waiting under these conditions is not what I like to do. Let’s get it over NOW! But a key factor is that they wait a little over 30 days after you’ve had a biopsy to do the surgery so all the swelling and inflammation in the prostate from the biopsy is gone. June 5, 2013 was the next available date I could have the prostate cancer surgery at Penn. So it was scheduled. Of course, there’s the mandatory meeting with the surgeon who, as I mentioned earlier, asked what I wanted from the surgery -- “get the cancer!” Learning about side effects and ED A small physiology lesson I was unaware of when all this started. Guys, we have two nerve bundles near the prostate gland, and they are what allow us to have an erection. And my surgeon said that due to the severity of my cancer (i.e., a Gleason 8) we couldn’t take a chance that some of the cancer wasn’t also in one or both nerve bundles. So the nerve bundles had to come out. He was nice enough not to say it, but I will -- goodbye erections! A small side story that’s relevant to all this. Mid-May, about two weeks before the surgery, I had lunch with the Executive Director for the Alzheimer’s Association for South Jersey for which I did and do a lot of volunteer work. At lunch I told her about my cancer, but I also said I was glad it was cancer rather than Alzheimer’s because there’s a fighting chance they can get the cancer, but there’s no chance with Alzheimer’s. Linda said she had heard that same thought from others fighting cancer before. Patient or caregiver, sharing the journey So June 5th arrives. Patti and I make the roughly 75 minute drive to HUP (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, which I usually refer to as just Penn). As we’re walking up to the front door of HUP, Patti said, “I wish I was the patient and not you!” And I respond that I’m glad it’s the way it is as she had had a bunionectomy 11 years before, and I can attest it’s easier being the patient than the caregiver. The other good news is my daughter, a physician, wasn’t there as she was for the open-heart surgery in case a “major decision” had to be made such as life support or no life support (happy to say that decision didn’t have to be made during nor following my heart surgery). In other words, I considered a prostatectomy is a relatively safe surgical procedure. So up the elevator we go. I’m checked in and we kiss goodbye until I’m in recovery. Read part two of Len's recovery journey in Post-Surgery Thoughts! [lead_gen showIfLoggedIn="0" campaign="shortcode" source="site"] When it comes to a post-surgery timeline of recovery (with a disclaimer that everyone is different) -- what can those newly diagnosed expect? I can remember it like it was yesterday. A warm day (for the UK) in very late August. My appointment with the Professor had already been delayed by a week, and I came out of the room feeling like I’d been hit round the head with a shovel. So that’s the first thing -- you’ll most likely feel at your worst even before you get into the treatment phase, but that’s the time to start your recovery program. Why? Pre-op training Even with a robot, your surgery is an invasive procedure. You’ll be anesthetized for up to three hours, and that too will hit you hard, so some physical preparation will be a great investment. You might already be fit, you might not, but we can all do with being fitter, particularly in advance of surgery, so make time for yourself to walk, jog, run, swim, work out, cycle, play tennis, do yoga or Pilates, ideally doing a combination of cardio and strength training. Waking up after surgery OK -- you wake up after surgery, and you may feel like you’ve been kicked by a horse, a big one, right in the belly. It’s going to hurt, but now is not the time to feel too sorry for yourself. That pre-op training you did is already helping, but once you are home you may be getting up two or three times a day and walking, even if it’s only round your house or garden. And walking is about all you’ll be able to do, trust me, but it’ll feel good, even if after twenty or thirty minutes you then need a lie down. By day ten you might be able to walk for thirty minutes twice a day, by day 20 I reckon you’ll be able to walk for up to an hour at least once a day, with another shorter session. When can I start exercising again? Those runners and joggers among you will be asking when you can pull on those shoes again -- it’s four weeks guys, even if you went into surgery with a three hour marathon recently under your belt! To be able to run again you’ll need to be walking for two hours a day for at least a week beforehand, and you’ll need to start easy, really easy, with a jog/walk routine for at least ten days before you can start to run non-stop. Don’t even think about getting on a bicycle for at least eight weeks (at least in my experience) -- I’m speaking from personal experience here. The muscles that you use to sit on the saddle are the very ones that have been sliced open, and it’ll be agony if you try too soon. I reckon that after six weeks a person may be ready to try some gentle, low impact work-outs. I found a Pilates class that worked really well -- and men, don’t be shy about turning up to a class full of ladies. After a few seconds they won’t even notice you, but the exercises your instructor will lead you with will really help get you back into shape. They involve no equipment so you can slot a few of them into a daily exercise routine of your own. Stay focused on your goals See if you can find an exercise-based goal to aim for after your surgery. Achieving it will give you a great feeling, and show to you and the world that your operation is behind you. Aim high -- you’ll surprise yourself, I’m sure. 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A Guide to Prostate Cancer Surgery

Survivors' Guide to Surgery

Pre-Surgery Thoughts

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Radiation

Staying Active During Recovery

My Post-Surgery Timeline of Recovery

Why and When to Start Kegels?

My Story

Regaining Your Libido

Preparing For and Recovering From Surgery

Riding the Roller Coaster

Dealing with Dysfunction

Erectile Dysfunction – So Now What?