I am a dentist and once diagnosed I went to do my own research on the net. My
wife is a medical surgical nurse of 40 years and warned me radical prostate surgery
is not easy. After reading all the options I opted for laprascopic removal. I
was referred to a doctor in southern Florida with a lot of experience. He does
laprascopic but does not use the robot.
I had my surgery Aug 24, 2004. I had no pain. I was in the hospital one night.
My wife, the nurse, painlessly removed the catheter when we got home on the 8th
day. I was pretty wet for the first 6 weeks, but managed to go to Japan to teach
a course in 5 days total round trip. Saw a lot of Japnanese bathrooms.
Now
at 6 months I still need one pad a day, 98% dry at night. Since I am very active
at the dental chair, (I am a gum and implant surgeon) I am sure this is a contributing
factor in my incontinence.
I have not yet had an erection though the nerves were spared. I have tried Viagra
100mg 3 times to no avail yet which is frustrating. I am told it could take a
year.
The good news is I just had my second post op PSA which came back at
<0.1ng/ml which is excellent.
If I had the chance again I would do LRRP but maybe be sure it is done with the
robot. I have a feeling the vision is better and thus encourage earlier return
to continence and potency.
I
am now 10 months out from surgery. I have had three PSA readings of <0.10 ng/ml
which is excellent. It took me 10 months to dry up but I am very active. I have
not had an erection yet, however I am very happy that I do not have any signs
of recurrent cancer and feel great.
I
would still do surgical treatment again for the peace of mind knowing the cancer
is out for now. I understand at my age it may take up to 2 years to gain sexual
potency, but I am working with different drugs and routines to try and regain
it.
For
those of you just starting prostate cancer is a beatable disease, just pick what
is right for you.
I
am now 23 plus months post laparscopic surgery. At about 23 months Viagra finally
worked giving me an erection usable for penetration. It was a long 22 months in
which I had tried and used shots (sometimes sucessfully) and a cheap machine unsuccesfully.
The point is gentleman, patience is the best healer. Our doctors universally underestimate
how long it takes to recover potency following these procedures. I am a professional
in another type of surgery and I have followed over 15 men I have advised who
had everything from RP to Robotic and most of them had a long battle to regain
potency even with devices and drugs. However don't give up because eventually
you will regain most of your urinary control and your potency. I will not wait
and see if in a few months I can get rid of Viara too.
I
am always available for advice and consult.
The
last year (3 years Aug 24) has been following the PSA which has remained at <0.1
thankfully.
I
have had various results with combatting ED problems. At times the drugs Viagra
and Levitra have worked, but not conistently. I am contemplating going back to
trying the injections which I had used before.
Other
than that I feel healthy and still working. I would be happy to help others through
the treatment and followup process.
To
start the New Year I will report that after 3.5 years I have predictably gained
my potency back with Levitra. I would like to encourage all of you who are fighting
this problem to remember that if you were 60 plus when you had the surgery erections
just don't pop back up. It takes time and patience from you and your partner.
I think 2 years and over is not abnormal for recovery. In the meantime you can
try shots and vacuum devices to fill in the void.
Dont
get discouraged and remember we are all and have gone through the same problems.
Good
luck to all.
Bill's e-mail address is: braneburt@comcast.net
Bill Elliot and Phyllis live in Arizona, United States. Billwas 63 when he
was diagnosed on 20 June 2004. His initial PSA was 4.6 and his Gleason Score was
3+3=6. He was staged as T2c. His choice of treatment was laparascopic surgery.
Here is his story: