Surgery tomorrow

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and the best for you.

h

Bless your proceedure.  May the pathology report be all good news.

You studied and researched a lot and made the right decision for you -- a process that is never easy or clear-cut.

max

DaVinci, Dec 2014

I'm sure all will go well. I am considering same surgery. Keep the board current on your recovery. Have a Gleason score 7, 3+4 with cancer present in 8 of 12 cores. Doctor says I'm a good candidate for surgery or radiation. Still unsure as to what will give me the best quality of life after treatment and recovery. Radiologist tells me radiation is likely in the future after surgery. I need to discuss this with the surgeon as surgery is not recommended after radiation treatments. 

Hoping you have a swift recovery.

Hi,

Good luck with the robotic surgery, had mine about 2 years ago.  The catheter is the worst part about the recovery that I found.  Do your Keigals when the doctor give you the green light, they did help me.

Dave

3+4

MK1965 said:

My recovery

Want to thank everyone for best wishes and encouragemends.

Had my surgery on November 2nd. Went to OR as planned at 07:30 and was in recovery room around 12:45. Surgery took longer than planned. Once awaken was visited by my wife and daughte. Surgeon told my wife that everything went well but took more time to complete because of TURP which I had on June 1st.

stayed in recovery room until 5:15p when I was taken to my room. Fist post op night was okay with a lots of pain meds. 

Thursday, November 3rd, my POD#1 was painful but tolerable with scheduled pain meds. I was on continuous I V fluid, try to eat something but I lost my appetite and taste. I walk in the hallways 3x that day pushing IV pump in front of me and having my catheter bag attached to the base of IV pump. My belly was very painful and distended an my JP was having good output thruout  day. Was not able to pass the gas.

Next day, November 4th, POD#2  was rough and more painful with pain harder to control. Was having bad belly pain and distinction to the point that I could barely breath while sitting and standing or walking. Position with least of pain was supine in bed. Used religiously incentive spirometer to improve my lungs function but w/o much success. Continued to walk around nursing station. Eat very little without any appetite and feeling of any taste.

Was able to pass the gas in the afternoon and was discharged home around 5:30p. Asked for pain med just before leaving hospital for smoother ride home.

Saturday and Sunday November 5&6 while at home, I had very bad abdominal pains, cramps and stabbing pains all weekend long when ch very hard to control with Norco. I tried to skip half of the times taking it only twic instead  4x. It was terribly painful to move around change position, sitting in chair Pain was all the time around 8 or 9.

Had my first BM on Saturday and was hoping that will improve my pain but it did not happened. While having stabbing sensations on my right side of abdomen, I was screemin in pain.

Sunday was not any better and I told to my wife Sunday evening I regretted having surgery. I suffered more pain after surgery than in whole my life. I had multiple surgical procedures before prostatectomy but last one was far the worst. Never expected to suffer so much pain because robotic prostatectomy was described as least invasive procedure. I do not think open would be any worst?

I had option to go with radiation and I am positive suffering would not be anything like robotic surgery.

Catheter is not problem for me because I dont feeling that catheter is present at all. This might mean that my genital  area is dead. When I had TURP in June and catheter in for 9 days, that bothered me a lot on that time.

Today, November 7th, POD#5, I felt I little less pain but still lots of pain in my right side of abdomen. Called my urologist nurse and only advice was to use max prescribed pain meds.

Got appointment for catheter removal on Thursday November 10.

To summarize my experience in one sentence: Very rough and extremely painful post op time.

Would never go with surgery for the same problem, PCa.

If 2 treatment choices are giving same results, would be wise to choose lesser evil from two.

Maybe this is just me.

MK

 

 

I hope that there will be smooth sailing from now on for you.............Best

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your first few days after Robotic surgery, sounds like you are getting better.  I had robotic surgery a couple if years ago with a very small amount of pain(did not even use the prescribed pain meds). To VG's comment about the drain tube, they took mine out right before I went home the next day after surgery which surprised me.  Felt very wierd & kinda painfull when the pulled it out.   I would think that the catheter should bother you, I know my did.  I know it will take time to heal from surgery but be sure and tell your doctor to investigate the right side pain.  Good luck and keep us informed.

Dave 

3+4

MK1965 said:

My recovery

Thanks to all who replied. 

My JP drain was pulled out on 2nd post op day at 3:30 pm so it was draining for about 52 hrs continosly. Second day was not draining as much as it was after surgery and 1st post op day. Pulling JP drain was not overly painful but because of vacuum after drain as being pulled, I had a feeling my intestines are being pulled out.

Woke up an hour ago (Tuesday morning, Election Day) and sitting in my recliner while drink my esspresso coffee.

Still have a pain in my right abdominal side with some type of cramping pain or pulling pain that goes in all 360* degreess. Was not satisfied with nurse call to increase Norco intake up to max prescribed.

I can't believe that according to my surgeon "the least invasive surgery is robotic assisted" still put me thru a lot of painful experiences that I do see end for my pain. At post op day #6 I do not feel much better if at all.

Just to say, I am in excellent physical shape. I am running regularly with my Labrador , going to gym, and very much involved with soccer officiating lots of youths soccer games. I am 6'2" and weighing 210 lbs.

I even increased excercise before surgery to be better prepared and to easy my recovery.

Symply said: Totaly disappointed with robotic surgery.

MK

MK,

My post-DaVinci experience was quite different from yours. Pain not too bad the day after the proceedure, and not taking anything but Advil within three days.

The numbness you describe will pass/clear up; I did experience that as well. It may take a month or so to regain feeling in the pelvic region, but all has returned to normal for me, even full sexual ability, without drugs.  But I was DEAD down there for several months, so do not lose hope.

It sounds like your experience is on the fringe of what is ordinarily reported here post-DaVinci, but someone has to have worse-than-usual experiences, and i am sorry that it is you.

Interested in your pathology report.

max