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proboy

Had RRP 1/25/05 gleason 6 stage 1 minor incontinence(dry now) still have ED meds help at little haven't tried anything else at this point.Physically feel fine just like I did before dx.what struck me as interesting was discussion on mental aspect of disease and surgery and after effects.I feel that is a topic that is not discussed enough I myself have had a little depression about this but it does not keep me from moving on just a sad feeling from time to time of what used to be.. hopefully thin gs will return to an almost normal way ( I know it can't be the same) also last 2 psa test have been .001 another one coming up in March so rest of you guys know the drill as far as getting apprehensive about it thanks

rogermoore

Hi proboy,

Welcome to the club no one wants to belong to. I am glad you apparently have conquered this horrible disease. I am a 5 yr survivor or a RP and I still get apprehensive about results of PSA test. As a matter-of-fact had one last week at Company's health fair.

I am sorry you are just now visiting our site. Too often this happens, and they have missed one of our great benefits, that of support before, during, and after treatment.

Sounds like you are doing well and hope some of your questions are answered here.

Be sure and post your questions or concerns.

Roger

TomBk

Proboy,
Did you have surgery or radiation? Your case was very similar to mine. The effect to your sex life depends somewhat on if the nerve bundles were removed or not or if they were damaged in any way. As far as surviving the disease in your case it looks real good to me. But listen to your doctor about that not me. What happens sometimes to guys after having surgery like this is similar to what women experience when they have a baby and then go into Post Partum Depression. A drastic change has occurred to the body and it sometimes brings on depression. Same with us and treating Prostate Cancer. Depression is a physical response in some men, myself included. The deep sadness for no apparent reason even when things are going well may well be depression. Also if you are disturbed by the changes to your manhood then that may well trigger it as well. But that can be treated as well. You mention it doesn't keep you from moving on, that's great it means you are a fighter and have a good handle on things. Being apprehensive about the after effects is normal. I knew nothing about the Prostate until I was diagnosed with the disease. I am sure it was that way with many of us. The best solution to your uncertainty is to openly talk to your doctor, tell him your concerns and worries and he can tell you what to expect.

As for the Ed give the body enough time to heal; it sometimes take a year to heal on the inside. Get physical, the better shape your body is in the better your circulation will be. Exercise, walk, run, whatever the doc says is okay for you.

I was in the hospital overnite because I had minor complications. In a day or so I could get up, not that I wanted to but I would walk around and around the kitchen table at 4 am because my house was full of family visiting and it was too crowded during the day.

In my case nothing worked and I opted for penile implants; it probably will not get to that point for you. But if it should and you are at the point of considering it then talk to me if you want and I can tell you my experience. Wish you well.

jvancik

...yep...I know what you mean...I had a rrp 5/3/04...and am going for a PSA in a week...I never think about the cancer until it's PSA time and then I start to go over everything again...I would say obsessively so...the fact that my post surgery PSA was not undetectable I understand could be due to some residual non-cancerous prostate tissue or could be due to some residual cancerous prostate tissue...only time will tell...so far the PSA has been holding fairly steady at 0.19...but each new test brings with it a good (bad)amount of anxiety and renews thoughts that aren't there between PSA checks...the fact is I feel physically better since the surgery than I did before the surgery ... never any incontinence to speak of...I actually void much easier and more completely than I did before the surgery and this is a real pleasure since I don't have to pee all of the time anymore...the potency returned after a year...and I would say my love life has never been better...the only caveat is that every 6 months I have to deal with the old fears that the cancer is not gone and I am in for some pretty horrendous and chronic followup treatments...and being only 57 that leaves a lot of time for the cancer to return...thanks for the topic proboy ... I haven't really discussed my fears as yet ... and somehow this makes them more managable....

proboy

TomBK -- I had regular, open, hands on or should I say hands in surgery,Dr told me nerves were spared on both sides. Proboy,, age 53

TomBk

proboy said:

TomBK -- I had regular, open, hands on or should I say hands in surgery,Dr told me nerves were spared on both sides. Proboy,, age 53

Super! If both nerve bundles were spared then you should recover from ED fully in a matter of months. Just be patient and it will get better. Thanks for responding. How are you doing today?