Thursday, December 14, 2006
The Damage Done
On 12/4 I had a robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.
Here are some pictures taken on Sunday 12/10.
The surgery was not bad. Of course I was unconscious the whole time. The recovery was a whole different matter. My body had trouble getting started purging the CO2 gas they use to inflate the abdomen. So I went through 2 days of extremely bad "gas cramps". I'm on morphine grimacing with each one & my surgeon is standing there telling me "you really shouldn't be in any pain".
Well he was right. On the second evening after the surgery the gas started to purge. It started with couple of violent upchucks and then a few good farts. Mind you by the time this happened I had left the hospital & was in a hotel room. The pain was so intense I was about 30 minutes from heading for the emergency room. Once the purging started I was in little pain. My rumbling tummy was still uncomfortable. But I had no sharp pains unless I tried to do something stupid like sit-up using my abs.
I haven't had any narcotic pain killers since I left the hospital. Except for a couple of headaches, I quit taking ibuprofen on the 5th day after surgery.
Around day 6 I had one incision site start to get infected. A little topical antiseptic & a prescription of antibiotics put the kibosh on that idea.
Here it is 11 days post op & I feel great. No more fatigue or dizzy spells & at worse my gut only feels like I did too many crunches. The swelling is slowly diminishing. The bruise is another matter. I think it will be around for another week or two or three. Funny that the right side has significantly more swelling & bruising. The doctor had some reason but I don't remember what he said.
I'm still left with a urinary catheter. It's a constant source of mild irritation and occasionally a sharp pain of two. It's not bad if I stay still. Prone is better than standing is better than sitting. Walking can be a trial. Plan is that maybe tomorrow it will be removed. Then I can work on "regaining control of my stream".
The best thing about the whole thing is the post op pathology report. It containes phrases like negative margins and localized cancer cells. So all indicators say I should be prostate cancer free. We'll see. My first PSA test is scheduled for January 23rd. ¶ 14.12.06
Here are some pictures taken on Sunday 12/10.
The surgery was not bad. Of course I was unconscious the whole time. The recovery was a whole different matter. My body had trouble getting started purging the CO2 gas they use to inflate the abdomen. So I went through 2 days of extremely bad "gas cramps". I'm on morphine grimacing with each one & my surgeon is standing there telling me "you really shouldn't be in any pain".
Well he was right. On the second evening after the surgery the gas started to purge. It started with couple of violent upchucks and then a few good farts. Mind you by the time this happened I had left the hospital & was in a hotel room. The pain was so intense I was about 30 minutes from heading for the emergency room. Once the purging started I was in little pain. My rumbling tummy was still uncomfortable. But I had no sharp pains unless I tried to do something stupid like sit-up using my abs.
I haven't had any narcotic pain killers since I left the hospital. Except for a couple of headaches, I quit taking ibuprofen on the 5th day after surgery.
Around day 6 I had one incision site start to get infected. A little topical antiseptic & a prescription of antibiotics put the kibosh on that idea.
Here it is 11 days post op & I feel great. No more fatigue or dizzy spells & at worse my gut only feels like I did too many crunches. The swelling is slowly diminishing. The bruise is another matter. I think it will be around for another week or two or three. Funny that the right side has significantly more swelling & bruising. The doctor had some reason but I don't remember what he said.
I'm still left with a urinary catheter. It's a constant source of mild irritation and occasionally a sharp pain of two. It's not bad if I stay still. Prone is better than standing is better than sitting. Walking can be a trial. Plan is that maybe tomorrow it will be removed. Then I can work on "regaining control of my stream".
The best thing about the whole thing is the post op pathology report. It containes phrases like negative margins and localized cancer cells. So all indicators say I should be prostate cancer free. We'll see. My first PSA test is scheduled for January 23rd. ¶ 14.12.06
Comments:
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Amazing description and with the pictures it makes it all very clear. A brother-in-law just got home from hospital this afternoon after a radical prostatectomy (not robotic - large incision). It seems a bit of a lengthy recovery. All the best for you!
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posted by 
: 4:42 PM
: 4:42 PM
One reason I chose the laparoscopic approach was a perception of shorter recovery time. I'd be interested to here how he fairs.
One surgeon told me he thought their is no difference for a radical prostatectomy.
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One surgeon told me he thought their is no difference for a radical prostatectomy.
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