4 month update - robotic prostatectomy recovery

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Just thought I’d provide an update on my progress. Great news recently with my first PSA since the surgery and no detectable cancer present. That’s the end game goal for all of us and the most important thing.

Incontinence has gradually improved week to week. I’m mostly dry and I’ve gone some days wearing no protection and stayed dry. I still wear a depends during the work week to be safe and I’ve noticed maybe a few drops of leaking at end of each day but nothing bad.

I am walking regularly with the dog. I’ve run a few times, while wearing protection and first couple of times leaked a fair amount but that has also improved. While I walk, I try and do kegels and I also do kegels while driving to work and home from work. The walking and the kegels really help. My doc is very encouraged with my progress and thinks I’m on the road to complete recovery.

I’d echo what others have said. Try and walk, exercise and do kegels as prescribed by doc/physical therapist. For those of you that are less than 10 weeks from surgery and struggling just hang in there. I had many bad days following that one hopeful good day too. It’s a major surgery and the healing process takes time.

Hoping my progress continues and I am 100% padless in the not too distant future.

My thoughts are with all coping and recovering.

 

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Markus, great new! I'm at 3 months, wear a shield to work, occasional leak after I go to the bath room, sneeze unexpectedly. No shield on weekends or at night. I walk 5 miles + at work M-F. Have my first PSA and checkup on 02/17. Still doimg Labels, although the drying I get the more I have to force myself to do them. I just forget.like Markus says, hang in their keep the faith, work as hard as you can on kegles and walking.

 

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Sounds like you are doing great @Gkimp. I’ve had to remind myself to keep doing the kegels as well as I’ve become drier but really have focused on them especially when I’m walking. It’s made a big difference. Hope that first PSA in a couple weeks comes up clean with no cancer. Once I got the call with that news, it made everything worthwhile. Keep healing and here’s to good health in 2020 and beyond.

 

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That’s great news and encouraging for us all. I am at one pad during the day and one at night. Fairly dry except for when I walk on the treadmill or going to the store unless I use the bathroom right before. Seems like it’s two steps forward and then one backwards. But as long as there is progress it’s all good.

Enjoy the Super Bowl

 

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It been 15 weeks today since my surgery, I worked Friday without an protection, all day dry! Wore no pads or shield over the weekend, dry. Starting out today without protection, I am carrying a shield in my pocket. Next Tuesday will be my first PSA, praying for a cancer free test. Support here has been comforting, frustrating, and inspiring.

 

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@Gkimp you are doing very well, good luck with the rest of your recovery, cheers Phil

 

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Thanks Phil

 

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@Gkimp Great news! Glad to hear you are drying out and hoping for a cancer free PSA result. I’m a few weeks further along (18 weeks)and just started to go back to work without protection in the last week and it’s been a great feeling. Good to see some positive progress reports here.

 

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That's great Marcus! We need to stick around and encourage the new guys. It's the hope of positive results that kept me going.

 

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I'm 7 weeks out from my robotic surgery. I was back to work in 2 weeks and the first week, my pads were fairly wet from leaking. But as the week wore on I got better at holding it from my desk to the bathroom and my pads got a little dryer. Evenings were difficult as the muscles tired. After a couple more weeks my pads were much dryer but I would notice that as I walked, the pee would start to come, but I was able to stop it mid-urethra so to speak. At around week 4 or 5, I stopped wearing pads to bed as I didn't leak at all laying down. But I was still getting up frequently at night.

Now the mid-urethra thing is pretty much gone and for the first time I decided to not wear a pad to work as they've been dry for the past couple of weeks. The biggest driver of that was the annoyance of trying to use a urinal with a pad in. It's possible by just pulling by unders aside, but repositioning after peeing seemed like it caused a bigger mess than I would have made if I didn't have to deal with the pad. The past week or so I've been working on training myself to go less often and try to reach at least two hours between pees which sometimes extends to greater than 3 hours. That has led to some temporary discomfort, but seems like it's helping to reduce urgency, especially at night. The other night I got up at 1:00 and 5:00 to go which hasn't happened in a long time.

I've only been able to walk a few times because of winter, but last Saturday I got out for about an hour. In the next week or two I hope to get back on my bike as I'm an avid cyclist. It mainly depends on the weather and condition of the roads.

I'm still 6 weeks away from my first PSA test.

So if you're new to this, keep plugging away. It will get better for the vast majority of you. Also thanks to all the other posters on the forum for encouragement and advice.

 

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@derkaiser, that's great news! At a certain point I was sweating from the pad more than leaking. FREEDOM!

 

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It's good to read all the messages. I had the operation just 3 weeks ago and still have no control over my bladder when standing up or walking. I do my exercises religiously. When will the incontinece start to improve? Russ

 

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I started to see a little improvement week 4, I walked 3 times a day for a total of about 2.5-3 miles a day. Soaked at the end, but I believe it helped me heal faster. Started back to work after about 5 weeks, walked 5 miles or more a day there. I went through about 2 packs of pull ups in the first few weeks. Then went to be pads, after week 8 or 9 a thin shield and week 12 no protection. I had numbness the first 3-4 weeks and wasnt even sure Inwas doing exercises right. Good luck keep your head up and try notbto get frustrated, even though its a very frustrating process.

 

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Thanks so much for your reply. It's reassured me and I need to be patient. Unfortunately you end up worrying perhaps unnecessarily. Best wishes Russ

 

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It's a big deal, it would be easy to just give up sometimes, especially on those occasions where you have a couple good days, then a bad one. I love coffee, had to limit myself to 1 a day. Same with pop or soda depending on where you live. I've been able to slowly add some in, but for the early weeks, lay off caffeine and carbonated drinks.

 

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Hang in there @Russ. It just takes some time and it gets better. I’m completely dry at 4 and half months and noticed steady improvement from weeks 3-10 and marked improvement from then on. This forum is a great place to hear about others’ progress and get encouragement when you get frustrated. This process sucks for sure.

 

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Hi Markus. Thanks so much for your support. It's literally 1 week and 1 day since op. I think I am stressing unnecessarily and I need to be patient. Best wishes Russ

 

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To all on this thread,
Great stuff -I’m also three weeks out from surgery
and was getting frustrated with my progress.Really happy to read on some of the success stories......

 

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Hi Johannes I'm 4 weeks today and no control still when on my feet or walking. We just need to stay patient. I'm sure the control will come. Best wishes Russ

 

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Next week I will be at 4 months. I hadn’t had the success as some on here, and still wearing a pad through the day with light leakage when walking. I also got the flu last week, and all the coughing as set me back. Still, I am positive things will get better over the next 3-4 months