rk911
DuPage County
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jamesu wrote:My was 70 years old when I had the DaVinci Radical Prostatectomy Surgery….I’m now 73….Jamesu
congratulations on being cancer free! me? so far no indication of cancer...just a grapefruit sized prostate. last PSA was 1.4. i've just about settled on the RASP procedure. one last face-to-face with the doc on tuesday.
* This post was
edited 06/23/23 10:25am by rk911 *
Rich
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jamesu
Camano Island, WA
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I wish you well, Rich. Like I said, this cancer is different for each guy, but Lord willing you will be fine…Jim
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travelnutz
West Michigan - On the Lakeshore
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When I was 69 my prostate showed it had 3 individual cancers growing in it and ofcourse my PSA had elevated the last year but was still not real high. In September of 2010 I had davinci robotic surgery to destroy my prostrate. All 3 cancers were gone and luckily it was caught before any of the 3 cancer growths broke thru the prostate's wall and would spread. It was a piece of cake surgery and recovery until I had gotten a growing infection from the surgery as they had a computer failure with the surgery and must have had some germs gotten into the operating room from the tech getting the computer up and running again. I guess I just drew the short straw!
Anyway I had developed a baseball sized absess at the prostate area and got extremely sick and rushed to the hospital in Grand Rapids Michigan at 90+ mph on the interstate the 32 miles. I was so sick that they said only a 50% chance but if I made it thru the night with all the drugs and I may have a better chance of survival. Well, obviously I survived and was in ICU for 8 days and was released to go home to a waiting nurse. The hospital said/admitted it was their fault and I would have a right to sue them but I said if you will take care of me with whatever it takes and I would never receive a bill for even a penny at all that I will agree not to sue you. The came back to my room a half hour and said "OK, we agree to your proposal". All signed an agreement and I told my wife what had happened when she came to take me home. What good is a long drawn law suit and being awarded lots of $$$ if I might have died anyway??? We did not need the money anyway. The hospital was super and kept the agreement totally they had signed and notorized and I nor my wife have any regrets. This happened the morning of the day I was to go home. I spent the next 6 weeks with a nurse at home at their costs and a PIC tube in my upper are with 4 injections every 8 hours but it worked. Then they showed my wife how to do all the injections for the next 8 months every 8 hours with the PIC tube and a weekly nurse to check me and see how I was doing and if there were any isues. HA HA, my now 70 year old was my nurse too. I had fully recovered before early 2012 and yes, I am alive and well yet today and my prostate reading has remaimed always at ZERO. I have no incontence issues at all nor any other problems other than both my knees need to be replaced (sports wore them out to bone on bone) which will happen this late summer. I'm now 81-1/2 years old and healthy as can be and my prostate surgery was almost 13 years ago!!!
Also lost 24 lbs since September 2022 by eating less calories but lots of protein foods and feel great. I'm now down to just 21 lbs over my high school sports playing weight. My wife started on a low calorie (1200) for first 6 months high protein self imposed diet last July 2022 and has lost 57 lbs so far. She is on a 1500 calories the last 6 omnths and is still losing lbs but slower and she has so
much more energy and much happier too. Both of us are now within 7 lbs of our final goals. We have not used any commercial or advertized diet plan, just read the labels and measure and record in writing in our note books every bite that goes into our mouths for both calorie content and protein content. It works!!!
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rk911
DuPage County
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Since the last time I posted there's been good news and bad news.
The bad news is I had to make yet another trip to the local ER for what I thought I was another block in the catheter...false alarm.
The good news is my surgery...the robot assisted simple prostatectomy has been scheduled for July 31st. Later than I had hoped for but much, much sooner than the 8-10 weeks for the HoLEP. Now, it's just a waiting game. I've got to get medical clearance from my PCP, a PSA test and an MRI for thr surgeon. And, assuming, I don't get another blockage resulting in a catheter change, I think I can keep the current catheter until surgery.
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rk911
DuPage County
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travelnutz wrote:When I was 69 my prostate showed it had 3 individual cancers growing in it and ofcourse my PSA had elevated the last year but was still not real high. In September of 2010 I had davinci robotic surgery to destroy my prostrate. All 3 cancers were gone and luckily it was caught before any of the 3 cancer growths broke thru the prostate's wall and would spread. It was a piece of cake surgery and recovery until I had gotten a growing infection from the surgery as they had a computer failure with the surgery and must have had some germs gotten into the operating room from the tech getting the computer up and running again. I guess I just drew the short straw!...
wow, short straw indeed. very glad it worked out for you. I hope the computer my doc will be using something more sophisticated than Windows 10. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/biggrin.gif "biggrin")
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jamesu
Camano Island, WA
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“Travelnutz” story illustrates what I had said earlier to “rk911”: every guy’s prostate issues are different. Some are more harrowing than others, but all is well if the final outcome is good. I do not have wonderful memories of what I went through in order for my prostate cancer specialists to clean out this disease, and I’ll bet “Travelnutz” probably feels about the same. We are fortunate though: each of us is finally cancer free…for now anyway.
Jim
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travelnutz
West Michigan - On the Lakeshore
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Jamesu, I do remember everything that happened to me about every day as to my prostate tobacle from 2010 to today. It sure wasn't fun then for 2-1/2 years but as you said, the final results is what really counts, and even today I am a very happy old fart and as active at 81-1/2 as a 50 year old. Wait until I get my knees replaced and then I might be like a 30 year old. I can always hope!!! Never give up...
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Deb and Ed M
SW MI & Space Coast, FL USA
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rk911 wrote: And, assuming, I don't get another blockage resulting in a catheter change, I think I can keep the current catheter until surgery.
Oooh - my husband need a cath for several months; and was told to have it changed every 30 days. He tried to string it along a bit longer (his TURP surgery was about 6 weeks out) - it plugged (always on a Sunday) and we found ourselves in the ER getting it changed.
I'll just throw the next bit in for the benefit of anyone facing prostate surgery: apparently my husband also had a UTI. He came home from surgery feeling great; but about 5 or 6 days later, I found him shivering in his chair, wrapped up in a blanket, with a fever. I just said "get in the car - we're going to the hospital" and sure enough, he was in the beginning stages of sepsis. A couple of days of IV antibiotics had him on the mend, and he's been fine ever since :-)
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rk911
DuPage County
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Deb and Ed M wrote:rk911 wrote: And, assuming, I don't get another blockage resulting in a catheter change, I think I can keep the current catheter until surgery.
Oooh - my husband need a cath for several months; and was told to have it changed every 30 days. He tried to string it along a bit longer (his TURP surgery was about 6 weeks out) - it plugged (always on a Sunday) and we found ourselves in the ER getting it changed.
I'll just throw the next bit in for the benefit of anyone facing prostate surgery: apparently my husband also had a UTI. He came home from surgery feeling great; but about 5 or 6 days later, I found him shivering in his chair, wrapped up in a blanket, with a fever. I just said "get in the car - we're going to the hospital" and sure enough, he was in the beginning stages of sepsis. A couple of days of IV antibiotics had him on the mend, and he's been fine ever since :-)
I've had several UTIs all because of the huge protate. Cephalexin seems to take care of them but they do come back. My surgery will be 32 or 33-days from the date of the latest catheter but I will check with my doc. I'm sorry your husband went thru sepsis but glad he came thru it. This is my 4th catheter since the end of May. The first three became blocked by blood clots but this one seems fine.
As a retired 9-1-1 operator/administrator I'd suggest to anyone a serious or emergency medical issue to call 9-1-1 and have the medics respond rather than drive yourselves to the hospital...but I understand the desire to drive yourselves.
Thanks for sharing your experience. It helps.
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linlinzet
USA
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My friend had a similar operation and chose Robotic simple prostatectomy. He was 68 at the time and had a normal operation. I don't know anything more about it
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