Surgery 3.9.2018 - My story - New Video 23 hours later

Rickdean
Rickdean Member Posts: 17
edited June 2018 in Prostate Cancer #1

------------- Video added  6.19.2018 

March 2018:  I'm a normal Kansas guy employed as a barber.  5'10" 210 pounds...I drink beer, eat beef jerky, pickled eggs and I can walk 2 miles no problem.  So pretty much I'm a normal midwest fellow.

 I'm 59 and my PSA had bounced to 4.0.  Gleason 4+3 on biopsy.  (that's another thing....the biopsy is painless if the doctor numbs it first.  Numbing shots were a little startling but I was in Walmart walking 20 minutes later)  Topeka Kansas Dr. Branstead.  He prescribed .5 Valium and .75 Hydrocodone to be taken 40 minutes before procedure.  Please get yours done the same way.  Getting my teeth cleaned is more annoying than a prostate biopsy!

Prostate removal is a piece of cake:  2018 KU Med

Friday - March 9th Surgery

Saturday - March 10th Home that afternoon

Wednesday - March 21st Catheter Removal

Saturday - March 24th Raquette ball and bowling  (and beer)

 

TOTAL bladder control at the time of Catheter removal.  No drops when coughing, sneezing, jumping or sleeping.  Sexual functions are better than before surgery.  Erections included!

The living room couch is the best overnight sleeping situation when hooking up to the large piss bag is a must!  Catheter is a real annoyance and the tube in your pecker is the size of your little finger!  Yes its that big!

During the day I did not use any piss bag....I just plugged the hose and every hour I'd remove the plug and drain.  I did use Anbesol toothache medicine to numb the tip of my penis.  That helped a bunch.  No pain on stomach wounds.  A little bleeding but no pain at all.  

No fear...Looking back I wonder why I was all scared.  Just get it done.  I probably have more energy now because I don't get up 4 times a night to piss.  Once and sometimes none.

Nothing to fear guys....I got my surgery at KU Med.  The best in the nation!

 

 

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Comments

  • Clevelandguy
    Clevelandguy Member Posts: 767 Member
    #2
    Great news

    Hi Rickdean,

    Glad to hear everything went so well.  I spend about ten days on the couch with my catherter in, much more comfortable closer to the ground.  Very glad to hear you have recovered with no ED or leakage problems.  Hopefully a lot of undetectable PSA tests in your future.

    Dave 3+4

  • lighterwood67
    lighterwood67 Member Posts: 324 Member
    #3
    Way to go

    Certainly good news all the way round.  I had my surgery on 3/20/2018.  I get my catheter out on 3/29/2018.  I am 67.  Anyway glad to hear you are doing great.

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,736 Member
    #4
    Wow

    Rickdean,

    You remind me a lot of my reatives; most of my father's family are wheat farmers in Rooks County, Kansas (central-western section of the state).

    I read and reread your post several times, thinking I had missed something, or was getting something wrong.  You were having sex three weeks after RP  ?  I have never heard of such a thing before.  God bless ! You are for the record books !

    max

  • Rickdean
    Rickdean Member Posts: 17
    edited March 2018 #5
    All good here

    Here is the play by play...Di Vinci prostrate removal

    Friday - March 9th 2:00pm  - Surgery

    Saturday - March 10th - Home that afternoon

    Wednesday - March 21st-  Catheter Removal

    Saturday - March 24th - Raquette ball and bowling - and a few beers

    Sunday - March 25th - Full erection and intercourse.  NO issues at all.

     

    No pads needed...no drips drops or anything.  Full bladder control.   Its like nothing every happened.

     

    My doctor - KU Med - Surgeon William Parker

     
  • Old Salt
    Old Salt Member Posts: 931 Member
    #6
    Only 16 days to some serious fun

    As others have said, that's pretty amazing!

  • Old-timer
    Old-timer Member Posts: 196
    #7
    Interesting story

    My story may be OK too. I have lived with prostate cancer 27 years. 65 when I had surgery, almost 92 now. My Gleason score was 3+4. A variety of treatments over the years. My PSA is beginning to rise again. Not overly worried--yet.

    I am a WW II infantry veteran. My best army buddy was from Kinsley, KS--a wheat farmer. Now deceased.

    Best wishes to you.

    Old-timer (Jerry)

  • Grinder
    Grinder Member Posts: 487 Member
    #8
    Im jealous

    Thank you for sharing that outstanding success, Rickdean, as well as the most probable cause of that success... a skilled experienced surgeon named William Parker. Now patients in your area can be confident of his ability when they seek out robotic surgery as their best alternative.

  • Rickdean
    Rickdean Member Posts: 17
    #9
    lighterwood67 said:

    Way to go

    Certainly good news all the way round.  I had my surgery on 3/20/2018.  I get my catheter out on 3/29/2018.  I am 67.  Anyway glad to hear you are doing great.

    How's it going?

    Wanted to see how your recovery is.  Hope all is going well.  Rick

  • Old Salt
    Old Salt Member Posts: 931 Member
    #10
    Good news

    is always welcome!

  • Rickdean
    Rickdean Member Posts: 17
    #11
    30 days post surgery and going strong

    From day one I've been dry and in total control of peeing.  Even at night I don't have any issues with pee leaking.

     In the sex department there is not a big problem...however recently it seems to take a little longer to get an erection.   I'm starting 20mg of the sildenafil  tomorrow.    Its about .80 cents per pill and is custom made by a pharmacy in Overland Park.  Pretty cheap I thought.  I'm still amazed at my recovery...Its been 30 days since my surgery and  I've done 2 different hikes totaling 6 miles.  Also  Raquette ball...Tilling my garden....putting exhaust on my car.  4 of the 5 stomach wounds have completely healed.  However one is still rough looking because on week two I quickly sat up in bed and ripped it open.  

      Get William Parker at KU Med......he's the best.   All he does is Prostate removal.   2 on Wednesday and 2 on Friday.  

     

     

  • lighterwood67
    lighterwood67 Member Posts: 324 Member
    #12
    Rickdean said:

    How's it going?

    Wanted to see how your recovery is.  Hope all is going well.  Rick

    Doing Great

    Doing great thanks for asking.  3 weeks since surgery.  I had 20 miles in steps last week.  Made it through the night with about a quarter size spot of urine on my pad.  Pretty sure the urinary systems are reconnecting and coming back online.  Less leakage every day.  Go see my doctor 4/27/2018.  Looking forward to what he has to say.  

  • Clevelandguy
    Clevelandguy Member Posts: 767 Member
    #13
    Great news

    Another success story from experienced doctors & and great facilties.  Good proof that not all Robotic RP's are a disaster, your recovery is remarkable.

     

    Dave 3+4 

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,736 Member
    #14
    Old-timer said:

    Interesting story

    My story may be OK too. I have lived with prostate cancer 27 years. 65 when I had surgery, almost 92 now. My Gleason score was 3+4. A variety of treatments over the years. My PSA is beginning to rise again. Not overly worried--yet.

    I am a WW II infantry veteran. My best army buddy was from Kinsley, KS--a wheat farmer. Now deceased.

    Best wishes to you.

    Old-timer (Jerry)

    Hello again

    Wanted to give you a shout out Jerry, and say hello again. Take care of yourself.  You saved Europe and probably the US also from total destruction.

    We corrosponded a few years ago. If you recall, my dad's family all lived/live in Rooks County, Kansas, just north of Hays....total wheat country.  I hope to drive out there this summer, my first visit since 1973 !

    max

  • Josephg
    Josephg Member Posts: 317 Member
    #15
    3 month Post surgery PSA

    Rick,

    My understanding is that the PSA level, 3 months post-surgery, should be undetectible.  There is a chance that your PSA reading is not accurate for any nmber of reasons related the sample and its handling and testing, but that chance is rather small.  You will probably be advised to have another PSA test in 3 months and then view and compare the results.

    Mine was .05 at the 3 month mark, and it rose to .11 within a year.  Subsequently, I went on concurrent hormone and radiation therapy.  

    I wish you good luck and the best of outcomes on your journey.

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,736 Member
    #16
    Rickdean said:

    3 month Post surgery PSA

    First PSA after surgery 3 months ago  -  .09 and my meeting with surgeon is next Wednesday.  Don't know if that number is acceptable or not.....but one thing for sure is I'm not going to spend hours and hours pounding the internet.   Comments appreciated.

    Rick from Kansas - 59 years old

     

    Good

    Rick in the Wheat State,

    You are not going to scour the internet for what your PSA reading "might" mean. That is a GOOD thing.

    Technically, following RP, PSA levels should be what are described as "undetectable."  Undetectable is NOT identical to numerical zero, however, and ultrasensitive assays (lab proceedures) WILL show some numbers to the right of the decimal point.  What constitutes undetectable therefore varies by lab.  My RP was a little over 3 years ago, and every result has been listed as "undetectalbe," although I have never had a numeric score that was all zeros.

    Me, I would not worry about the result, at least not now. It does NOT qualify as chemical failure.

    Hopefully it will continue to drift down, but only time will let you and the doctor know.  Not worrying is the best reaction for now.  Hello from my relatives out in Rooks County,

    max

  • Regulator
    Regulator Member Posts: 42
    #17
    Old-timer said:

    Interesting story

    My story may be OK too. I have lived with prostate cancer 27 years. 65 when I had surgery, almost 92 now. My Gleason score was 3+4. A variety of treatments over the years. My PSA is beginning to rise again. Not overly worried--yet.

    I am a WW II infantry veteran. My best army buddy was from Kinsley, KS--a wheat farmer. Now deceased.

    Best wishes to you.

    Old-timer (Jerry)

    Thanks for your service, Old

    Thanks for your service, Jerry (aka, Old-Timer), and thanks for helping make America the finest country in the world for the rest of us. Straight from the heart . . . salute \

  • Regulator
    Regulator Member Posts: 42
    #18
    Encouragement Noted

    Rickdeen,

    Thank you for sharing your story and for the encouragement it provided. As a recently diagnosed "high-risk" prostate cancer patient with some pretty ugly numbers, I am presently in the process of trying to decide between surgery and EBRT myself, so news of your relatively smooth surgery and subsequent recovery is fantastic to hear. Best of luck to you in your future long-term recovery.

  • Rickdean
    Rickdean Member Posts: 17
    #19
    3 month Post surgery PSA

    First PSA after surgery 3 months ago  -  .09 and my meeting with surgeon is next Wednesday.  Don't know if that number is acceptable or not.....but one thing for sure is I'm not going to spend hours and hours pounding the internet.   Comments appreciated.

    Rick from Kansas - 59 years old

     

  • Steve1961
    Steve1961 Member Posts: 301
    #20
    Regulator said:

    Encouragement Noted

    Rickdeen,

    Thank you for sharing your story and for the encouragement it provided. As a recently diagnosed "high-risk" prostate cancer patient with some pretty ugly numbers, I am presently in the process of trying to decide between surgery and EBRT myself, so news of your relatively smooth surgery and subsequent recovery is fantastic to hear. Best of luck to you in your future long-term recovery.

    look into combo radiation  ebr  and ibr high dose brachytherapy...if itsoffered in your area...works well for high risk..very well..so i been told  and read

     

  • Regulator
    Regulator Member Posts: 42
    #21
    Steve1961 said:

    look into combo radiation  ebr  and ibr high dose brachytherapy...if itsoffered in your area...works well for high risk..very well..so i been told  and read

     

    Steve,

    Steve,

    Thanks for the recommendation. I'm slowly learning that it doesn't much matter what methods or forms of treatment I might research or "look into"; the decisions are essentially made by others and its more than a bit frustrating. I'll know more in the next 3-5 days, but right now, opinions as to best treatment option are like belly buttons, everyone's got one. Thanks again.

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