Recovery

aguylikeyou

13 days post op davinci. Physical wounds healing ok. Still leaking a bit. My question to you guys is how did you deal with the mental and emotional aspect? I am trying to get things back as close to normal as I can but still having a tough time. Support group meeting helped some. Any advice?
Suggestions, how you cope. Thanks Joe

lewvino

Talk to others as you are.
Talk to others as you are. Express your fears, express your blessings, Share the news when you join us in the 0 club. Talk to your wife, significant other or partner. Talk to your Doctor, share with a close friend, all of these helped me. I did attend a support group of prostate cancer survivors for about 3 months. It helped some but I found that all the men were 'older' then me since I'm 55. They were mostly 68 + but it did help to hear others.

Keep posting!

Larry

aguylikeyou

lewvino said:

Talk to others as you are.
Talk to others as you are. Express your fears, express your blessings, Share the news when you join us in the 0 club. Talk to your wife, significant other or partner. Talk to your Doctor, share with a close friend, all of these helped me. I did attend a support group of prostate cancer survivors for about 3 months. It helped some but I found that all the men were 'older' then me since I'm 55. They were mostly 68 + but it did help to hear others.

Keep posting!

Larry

Thanks for the reply. To my
Thanks for the reply. To my surprise there were 3 other guys close to my age 46 at the support group so we did share some things in common. My wife has been my rock. Understanding,positive,loving, and just there for me whatever it is. We talk all the time. And I feel best when we are together.

lewvino

aguylikeyou said:

Thanks for the reply. To my
Thanks for the reply. To my surprise there were 3 other guys close to my age 46 at the support group so we did share some things in common. My wife has been my rock. Understanding,positive,loving, and just there for me whatever it is. We talk all the time. And I feel best when we are together.

How did the pathology report
How did the pathology report come out? I hate hearing about anyone with pc but when they are in their 40's it sounds so young!

Larry

jminnj

My Approach
My approach was to embrace what was happening. It was great to have the folks on this forum to talk to about it, but I also started talking to those around me. Telling my male friends to make sure they are getting tested, telling my female friends to make sure that there husbands/boyfriends were getting tested. I found by talking about it and keeping the conversation positive my spirits got better each day.

Joe

aguylikeyou

lewvino said:

How did the pathology report
How did the pathology report come out? I hate hearing about anyone with pc but when they are in their 40's it sounds so young!

Larry

Got my post op pathology
Got my post op pathology report. Gleason stayed at 3+3=6. 30% involved tumor. Lymph invasion not identified. Seminal
Vesicles negative for carcinoma. Perineural invasion present. The part I do not like is stage went from pre op T2b to T3a.
I really hate this. Still not much control of bladder. Leaked pretty bad last night.

randy_in_indy

aguylikeyou said:

Got my post op pathology
Got my post op pathology report. Gleason stayed at 3+3=6. 30% involved tumor. Lymph invasion not identified. Seminal
Vesicles negative for carcinoma. Perineural invasion present. The part I do not like is stage went from pre op T2b to T3a.
I really hate this. Still not much control of bladder. Leaked pretty bad last night.

A Guy
Put your numbers into the Nomogram at Sloan Kettering and you will probably feel better.

http://www.mskcc.org/applications/nomograms/Prostate/PostRadicalProstatectomy.aspx

I have a T3a also with a pre-surgery PSA of 7.25 no margins age 52, Gleason 3+4=7 and I have been cancer free for 6 months now...and my results say a 95% progression free for 10 years. They are just numbers but at least they are pretty good numbers.

With your gleason 6 I think your numbers are about 97% or 98% progression free.

Be patient with the incontinence...it takes time

Randy

TonyJr

I understand you TOTALLY!!!
I understand you totally, I'm about 8 weeks post RP. I really understand where your coming from, sometimes I'm having a good day and it'll hit me out of nowhere, I have PC...It seems now I'm on high alert I see prostate cancer signs on billboards, I hear radio commercials about being tested for prostate cancer, I never saw or noticed all of this before, or honestly maybe I noticed it but it didn't effect me then the way it has now, believe it or not I start a new job in a couple of weeks and its for an Oncology Practice (Oncology meaning Cancer), I work with patients that have cancer, can you believe it....if that doesn't beat all....so what do we do, just give in I don't think so, we have to just dig in and prepare to fight for the rest of ours lives....the longer the fight the better...lol...it means we're still here....Sometimes this is so easily forgotten, but at the same time its just as easily remembered.....

I had my first 6 weeks post-op lab test...I'm part of the 0 club....thankfully..but I honestly keep thinking about the next lab result. I try to stay positive but like yourself I have good days and bad days. Honestly, I pray pray pray and talk to my wife, she keeps me positive. (We're expecting early next year, I constantly think about my unborn child, hoping I'll be around long enough to see him/her grow up). I talk to friends and family...but it CAN BE OVERWHELMING MENTALLY....you see with all the positive feedback I get I still realize, this is my battle and I'm fighting it alone...internally that is, sometimes I awake at night and I can't believe how my lifes changed in less than 6 or 7 months...Never in a million years did I see anything like this coming my way...but as you know that seems to be the norm around here..... All I can say is, just take one day at a time, it does get better, I think after awhile you'll start to just accept that we have to learn to live with this, thats the adjustment, we don't forget it or allow it to rule us, we just learn how to deal with and live with it without allowing it to take over our lives. As of right now it could be alot worst for us, but we've been fortunate thus far, so keep the faith.

I'm here for you bro whenever you need to talk, we're all here for you....we're all brothers here for life...so take care and cheer up, all is not lost or forgotten...If this has taught me anything, love yourself and those around you everyday and live life as if it was your last...live a fruitful life, lifes to short so don't sweat what we can't change and leave tomorrow for tomorrow...only then can we enjoy today....its kind of funny encouraging you encourages me Take care talk to you soon!!


TonyJr!!