Getting A Little Nervous

Sounds Like you are normal
I think all of us were nervous about our decision before surgery. I had the foley catheter for 6 days and yes it was uncomfortable but a small price to pay for my cancer gone.

I had no incontinence, no positive margins and so far no further treatment needed. We all worry about Ed but at least we will be on this earth able to worry at all.My dad died of this disease so maybe I am more emotional about it than others.

I am 52 had davinci and am glad it was diagnosed early and I found as you did a excellent doctor.

I coped with my emotions through a supportive family and realising once the cancer was removed I might live a longer life so I just said thank God for Psa tests,put all my trust in my doctor and plunged in. Good luck on your surgery and my prayers will be with you.


Nick

Well I had my surgery Sept
Well I had my surgery Sept 29th and the one thing I learned is expect incontinence most men will have at least some for many myself included it can be pretty severe. So if you get your cath out and need to wear a brief and not a pad its ok it will get better. Also expect E.D. most men will experience it on some level. Again most will get it back, and for those that don't other options are available. Also keep in mind if the cancer was not removed well as far as I know you have to be alive to have E.D. or incontinence and that means being with loved ones, kids, grand kids, wives. So the worst side effects can be dealt with and you will still see the sun rise and the beauty of life that comes with it! God bless and good luck with your surgery.

Robotic
Your Gleason is similar to mine, so let me comment. I don't know who had the idea that you wouldn't need a foley catheter after robotic surgery; I certainly did. But it was removed after a week and was manageable. Taking it out hurts a bit, but if you tighten you sphincter muscles immediately afterward, the pair goes away quickly.

There are two exercises called Kegels which help to cure incontinence. If your Doc shows you only the one where you count to six or ten for each round (10 to 20 rounds per sitting), then ask about the aggressive Kegels where you do 10-30 quick contractions without holding each one for a count. These are done 2-3 times per day, whereas the 'passive' Kegels are done 3-6 times per day. Many have their incontinence cured within three months. I'm taking longer partly because I wasn't told of the aggressive Kegels for three months, but even with only the passive Kegels I was more than half way toward solving the incontinence after three months. Control is slow to come back, but after 2-3 weeks you will start to notice continual improvements in control. Just continue the exercises.

ED is a bigger problem, and it varies from man to man. My doc thought it might go away quickly and naturally because I'm pretty healthy also, but it didn't. I found that the most common therapy starts with taking Cialis or Lavitra; ask you doc for directions, but it's commonly taken in 10 mg. pills (or half of a 20 mg. pill) every other day. Crucially, it should be started as soon as the catheter is removed. The pills are to increase blood flow in order that the blood vessels which cause erections do not atrophy and become useless, which they might if no therapy is taken. There are other therapies, but the pills are the easiest and therefore the first which are normally used. By the way, the insurance companies don't consider prescriptions for these pills to be medication in their 'formulary' and you have to pay about $10+ per pill through American pharmacies; they are considered optional recreational drugs by our insurance companies and so the 'co-pay' is about 90% of the retail price. There are several foreign sources which charge about $1-3 per pill for the generic form, and these seem to be just as effective. But ask you doc for some samples or a starter supply; many docs get lots of these samples from the pharma firms.