FAQ about Prostate Cancer
FAQ Prostate Cancer » FAQ about Prostate Cancer » prostatectomy

prostatectomy

For more information about: prostatectomy visit the prostate cancer site CheckTheProstate.com today.

Q: Prostatectomy, How long untill I can get an erection If the nerves were spared and why so long a recovery.?
I had a Prostatectomy 7 weeks ago. I feel great. I have a little incontinence. I can’t get an erection. Cialis didn’t work. I understand that the nerves have been manipulated and stretched. How long will it take and is there any treatment I should follow to help this ED ???

A: Prostatectomy is surgical removal of part of the prostate gland (transurethral resection, a procedure performed to relieve urinary symptoms caused by benign enlargement), or all of the prostate (radical prostatectomy, the curative surgery most often used to treat prostate cancer).

This procedure is just as curative as radical retropubic prostatectomy but is performed less often because it does not allow the surgeon to spare the nerves associated with erection or, because the incision is made above the rectum and below the scrotum, to remove lymph nodes. Radical perineal prostatectomy is sometimes used when the cancer is limited to the prostate and there is no need to spare nerves or when the patient’s health might be compromised by the longer procedure. The perineal operation is less invasive than retropubic prostatectomy. Some parts of the prostate can be seen better, and blood loss is limited. The absence of an abdominal incision allows patients to recover more rapidly. Many urologic surgeons have not been trained to perform this procedure. Radical prostatectomy procedures last one to four hours, with radical perineal prostatectomy taking less time than radical retropubic prostatectomy. The patient remains in the hospital three to five days following surgery and can return to work in three to five weeks. Ongoing research indicates that laparoscopic radical prostatectomy may be as effective as open surgery in treatment of early-stage disease.

I think you should consult your Oncologist about the problem you have as he is aware of the proceedures done on you and he will be the best person to follow up with. -

Q: How long is the hospital stay after a prostatectomy?
Just trying to compare the allowed hospital stay with, say, a mastectomy.
The ones who sit over the medical providers are men, and they decide and tell the medical profession how many hours they may stay recovering from anesthesia and surgery. If possible answer for USA and UK

A: Why would you want your boobs removed?
The waiting times. Who knows. But i would say the usa is quicker as the NHS is damn slow.

Q: What are some successful solutions to incontinence after a radical prostatectomy?
From my grandfather!
For my grandfather…and incontinence means not controlling the urge to urinate, not deficate!

A: Using a condom catheter with a leg bag and/or using adult briefs until you gain some continence control may be helpful.

Q: Radical Prostatectomy/ How much does it cost if i don’t have insurance?
If I need a radical prostatectomy (prostate removal) and I don’t have insurance, how much is it going to cost? and How long do I have to stay in the hospital and how much is that going to be?

A: I can give you the upper end of the costs – I had the Di Vinci robot surgery at John Hopkins. All in, it was about $45,000 – about 31K for the hospital, 13K for the surgical team, and the rest was misc. tests and such before.

If you have the surgery in the morning, you are generally discharged the next day. You wear a catheter for about 2 weeks, and are restricted to lifting no more than 10 lbs for about 4 weeks.

If you have a desk job, you can return to work in 3-4 weeks post surgery. After about 6 weeks, you are pretty much free of restrictions.

Q: what is the difference between prostatectomy and thyroidectomy?
i want to know the differences while performing the surgery or in the post surgical period
i know that the operations are done on different organs but i heard there is an anatomical difference while performing the surgery

A: of course there is an anatomical difference in the two. one is a gland located in the lower front part of the neck (thyroid) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroid and the other is located in the pelvis around te neck of the urinary bladder (prostate) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostate
prostate is a gland found only in males while thyroid gland is present in males as well as females.
now regarding surgery, main steps of surgery for thyroidectomy depending on whether it is subtotal or total are different they usually involve exposure of glan, blocking of its blood supply and removal of gland and then of course stitching the skin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroidectomy
main steps of prostatectomy if it is being done for bph involve enucleation or removing gland, leaving the capsule intact which could be open or by giving surgical incision or by through urethra (turp). for cancer prostate, full prostate gland has to be removed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostatectomy

Q: When will normal urination return after a radical prostatectomy?
I had a radical prostatectomy on Jan 15, I still dont have full control of my bladder habits, and would like to hear from people who can tell me how much longer to expect having to wear pads and the like. I have improved a lot, but its still troublesome

A: This varies from person to person. My dad has never gained full bladder control back following his surgery 16 years ago. There are lots of options though if it doesn’t fully come back so hang in there and if you don’t get full control back you can discuss options to fix this with your urologist.

Q: Is it safe to have anal sex 3 months after a prostatectomy?

A: should consult your doctor, making sure of the healing before sex.

Q: What is the da Vinci Robotic Prostatectomy procedure?

A: You can read about it here including watching a video about it

http://www.akurology.com/robotic.shtml

Q: Why is air infused by catheter through the anal canal during a laparoscopic prostatectomy?

A: When surgeons are working in there, they need to be able to see and keep things they don’t want to touch out of the way. It is not unique to the type of surgery you are talking about. It is with all surgery. I had a tubal ligation two years ago and they did it laparscopically. They told me I would feel pressure and bloating like gas afterwards because of the air but it wasn’t too bad and it didn’t last for too long. As for the anal canal, I know they can reach your prostate from there. I’m sure it’s for the same purpose as any other surgery. They need to see and keep other stuff out of their way…and it’s all connected man.

Q: what can you do to prevent cancer from returning after prostatectomy?

A: Get checked more often!!!!!

Q: Can you have an epidural during a prostatectomy (removal of the prostate) ?
A close relative of mine is having the surgery and he wanted to no but we searched the internet and had no luck…..if you know anything it would help alot…..Thank you……

A: yes my wifes grandfather had this done recently

Q: how long before erectile function returns after prostatectomy?
it has been 1 year already and results are not good
i am age 57

A: You did not say if you have other medical problems that would contribute to ED or if you had erectile dysfunction BEFORE the prostatectomy. The rate is 40 to 50% return of some kind of function within a year. However, there are a lot of factors to consider including what kind of prostatectomy you had, etc. You also did not say if you have tried anything for this: medications, shots, etc.

There is hope…you can start a penile rehabilitation program, which actually should have been done about three months or so after the prostatectomy but this is a relatively recent development. The doctors I work for use a combination of a vacuum constriction device (commonly known as a penile pump) and Cialis 10 mg on Tuesday and 20 mg on Friday. The pump allows “stretching” of the penis so as not to lose any length and the Cialis to help with blood flow to the penis. As you know, an erection works on hydraulics (the blood has to fill the veins in the penis to cause it to become erect). You could also use something like Caverject (prostaglandin E1) as injections into the penis to achive an erection. However, if you cannot take any medication because of a heart condition, and the constriction device does not work, the last step is a penile prosthesis. You could do research on your own about all this stuff but your urologist is the one that should help you make the final decision based on your medical and surgical history and lifestyle.

Q: how can i have children when a Radical prostatectomy has been done without adopting?
i was told there was a proceeder that i can have so that they can get sperm from my body does anyone know what this proceeder is called??

A: dang that new to me. I haven’t heard of that process.

Q: Can man still be productive after prostatectomy?
And what about the side effects…

A: Productive? as in have children? no. as in work? yes

Possible side effects

impotence and urinary incontinence

Q: Anyone out there had a robotic prostatectomy? Prostate Cancer removal. How long was ED present?
I am interested in hearing from individuals who have used Robotic Surgery for prostate cancer removal. I would like to know your age at time of surgery and the lenght of time E.D. was present. Has anyone returned to normal or can say they have had a full recovery? Thank you for your time!

A: I mentor guys with prostate cancer. I had it four years ago at 51 years old and had a radical prostectomy. Two weeks later my surgeon became one of the only ones doing robotic removals.

I have talked to him at length about the benefits. He said, because of the new accuracy he will never go back to the old surgery method. However, he made it clear, that he and most others have a hard time getting the hang of the robotic procedure, and usually need re-training.

So, don’t be one of your doctor’s first patients.

I have talked to several guys who were very happy with their robotic procedures. Their recovery time is about 3-4 weeks instead of 6-8 weeks.

But, no matter what any doctor tells you E.D. is going to be your biggest issue afterward. Only about 25% of patients fully recover. I’m at about 90%, and all the viagra in the world isn’t going to help me (done them all, hate them all).

Incontinence shouldn’t evern be a concern if you have a top notch surgeon at a major center doing the work. I was at UC Irvine medical center. My doctor’s name was Alhering.

The trauma of surgery, robotic or not ,will take its toll. I also had my limph nodes removed, so there was additional trauma.

But, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m in good shape – for the moment.

Related Posts

Write a comment