Prostate Cancer

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  • Old Salt
    Old Salt Member Posts: 1,530 Member
    #22
    Glad to read that

    Your surgeon seems to be an optimist...

  • jeffman
    jeffman Member Posts: 46 Member
    #23
    Good luck

    I had my robotic surgery in Sept '17 (after PSA 47,biopsy,MRI, and bone scan-the works. Not a piece of cake but certainly tolerable. Agree with  earlier poster that cath removal is a great day!!

    Follow up in Jan. after PSA ultra sensitive test showed PSA les than .01. Next check is April. Incontinence sucks  but is ever so slowly improving. (after 5 1/2 months.) Important to remember that improvement may be slow and measured in weels/months rather than days. Still no erections but orgasms still nearly as good as before-just dry. 

    Take it slow and don't be discouraged. Patience is , indeed , a virtue with this experience.

     

     

    Best of luck.

  • lighterwood67
    lighterwood67 Member Posts: 395 Member
    #24
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 said:

    Pathology

    Lighterwood,

    You are correct that during surgery the removed tissues are given to a pathologist to be studied, with preliminary results, before the surgeon closes.  Pathologist's findings are then given to the surgeon, who can then adjust exactly what he must do.  For instance, capsular escape would likely cause him to remove many more lymph nodes than otherwise would be necessary. Also, his "positive margins" (area of non-diseeased tissue around the tumor) would likely be expanded.

    Reports of migration to the bladder or other areas would likely cause even more radical expansion of the proceedure.

    After the surgery you will get a full assessment of the pathologist's report. I recommend requesting a paper copy of such for future reference.

    Good luch,

    max

    Thanks for the info.  Will

    Thanks for the info.  Will keep in mind.

  • lighterwood67
    lighterwood67 Member Posts: 395 Member
    #25
    jeffman said:

    Good luck

    I had my robotic surgery in Sept '17 (after PSA 47,biopsy,MRI, and bone scan-the works. Not a piece of cake but certainly tolerable. Agree with  earlier poster that cath removal is a great day!!

    Follow up in Jan. after PSA ultra sensitive test showed PSA les than .01. Next check is April. Incontinence sucks  but is ever so slowly improving. (after 5 1/2 months.) Important to remember that improvement may be slow and measured in weels/months rather than days. Still no erections but orgasms still nearly as good as before-just dry. 

    Take it slow and don't be discouraged. Patience is , indeed , a virtue with this experience.

     

     

    Best of luck.

    Thanks for the advice.  I

    Thanks for the advice.  I understand, that in this type of surgery, the physical side of taking the prostate out is a very serious operation with permanent repercussions.  I also understand that it can take your life and/or make it unlivable if you do not address the issue.  I am 67 years old.  I am dribbling a little anyway, probably due to the PC.  And as far as sex goes, as I have said before, I would have it every time I could, if my wife would let me catch her;  she is awfully fast.  I certainly will try to be patient.

  • lighterwood67
    lighterwood67 Member Posts: 395 Member
    edited March 2018 #26
    Old Salt said:

    Glad to read that

    Your surgeon seems to be an optimist...

    Right now I feed off every

    Right now I feed off every bit of optimism I hear.  I am a realist.  I realise this is a tough road, but I do not think it is the end of the road.  I feel I can make it through and make the best of a bad situation.

  • lighterwood67
    lighterwood67 Member Posts: 395 Member
    edited March 2018 #27
    Cystoscopy Pre-Op Today

    Well, I went in for my preop cystoscopy today.  Cystoscopy, also called a cystourethroscopy or, more simply, a bladder scope, is a test to measure the health of the urethra and bladder. The procedure involves inserting a tube into the urethra through the opening at the end of the penis.  Even though the urethra was numbed with an ansethetic gel, it did burn and felt like I was urinating.  I got to watch it all on a computer screen.  Also, I have never burned while urinating. I now know what that feels like.  They usually post their results in a couple of days so that I can view.  Also, he had me flex my kegel muscles (to see if Ihad been doing my kegel exercises I guess).  What a picture, the surgeon said that it looked good.  Anyway, definitely another first for me.  On to RP on March 20.  To me, first and foremost fix the cancer.  

  • lighterwood67
    lighterwood67 Member Posts: 395 Member
    edited March 2018 #28
    Visit 03/05/2018

    Well here is what came out of my visit on 03/05/2018:  "We reviewed again his MRI, which shows probable bladder neck involvement.. This is all left-sided and I told him we would do a wide margin at the bladder neck, particularly on the left side to ensure that we get negative margins. Also, I plan to extend his catheter time to 10 days since we will need to do a bladder neck reconstruction. He is potent and therefore, I have started him on preoperative sildenafil."  This will be it for a while.  This site has lifted me up. I am pretty much done until the RP surgery on 03/20/2018.  " A GIANT stands in front of me today, but he is not BIGGER than the GOD that is inside me."

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