I had RRP, no laparoscopic and no robots.  I understand that the
position on the operating room table is awkward to say the least, but
I sure was never aware of anything, and I am glad to report no
problems afterwards.  Some have had back pain, etc.  

Do not know for sure about anti clotting medications, but they sure
were concerned about that kind of thing where I had my surgery.  One
of the sections on the informed consent form I had to sign addressed
that very thing.  I did have the boots while I was still in the
hospital, which was only a day and a half.  They sent me home with the
hose for this purpose and I did wear them for a couple weeks or so.

I had no problem that I know of with the anesthesia.  I do suffer from
fatigue 16 months post op, but who knows what is causing that?  It
took me a long time to come out of the anesthesia, I had general, but
I do not know if the time was normal or not.

Good luck to you.  Don't worry about the surgery.  With having the
robot you should be back at home before you know it, and with luck
your doc will pull the catheter in 7 days.  I had the Foley catheter
for three full weeks.

Thank you.
David S.

i never talked to the surgeon about the position they had me in, but i
do know that the operating table is made in two pieces that can be made
for form a rise in the middle so as to bring the patient up closer to
the surgeon.

they did not give me any blood thinners because i had loss so much blood
in surgery.  they said that i was almost at the point that i needed a
transfusion but didn't get it.  the low blood level acts also as blood
thinner they said.

the boots are nice.  they put them on me and they would pump up and
deflate.  felt like you were getting a massage.  no complaints at all.
wish i had them at home.

the anesthesia in my case is simple.  they had me in the staging area.
we were only about 20 feet from the operating doors.  the lady there got
my IV set up and had a syringe filled with something just hanging there
to be injected.  i said is that my "happy juice"  she said, "yeah,
that's your happy juice"  we talked for about 10 minutes and they said
they were ready for me and she injected it into the IV.  i ask what's it
like when it hits.  she said you will start to get a buzz like when you
are drinking.  as she pushed me toward the doors, i said, "yeah, i'm
starting to feel the effects"  and i
remembered never making it to those operating doors, so it worked fast.

~ curtis

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional    
"Many more men die with prostate cancer than of it. Growing old is
invariably fatal. Prostate cancer is only sometimes so."
http://community.webtv.net/PALMER_ENT/doc

Surgery 17 months ago.  Yup, you're on your back with head and feet
below your belly.  A few guys notice some aches and stiffness later but
nothing major.  I was given some happy juice in the pre-op room before
going into surgery.  I don't remember a thing from that point on even
though my wife said I was talking a storm and joking with the staff,
etc. as I was wheeled into surgery.  I had planned to say something
clever upon awaking in recovery such as looking into the nurse's eyes
and saying something like "look, an angel - I've died and gone to
heaven".  Well, that didn't happen.  I was so out of it and in misery
that nothing clever came to mind for quite some time.  Eventually
wheeled to my room after taking about 3 hours to warm up in recovery -
some reaction to the anesthetic the doc thought but what does he know.
He had to say something.  Had the leg pumps to prevent clots.  They
made a compressor noise and squeezed once a minute for about 10
seconds.  Pretty comfortable except when trying to go to sleep.  Just
as I was noding off, the pump would go on and there I was, awake again.
After a few minutes though I drifted off and didn't know they were
there.  Stayed two nights in the hospital although could have gone home
after one night.  Had a bladder spasm the second night which was pretty
intense at the time but it's all a distant memory now.  Catheter came
out after 10 days, the number of days seems kind of random depending on
the surgeon.  Seems like I recall someone with cath out after 3 days
and others as long as three weeks.  No matter, you learn to live with
it.  My doc never mentioned to me not to drive.  I did drive with no
problems from about the 3rd day although I had laparoscopic surgery
which may have made a difference.  Unless you're terribly uncoordinated
with the catheter I can't see how the catheter can impede driving.  Of
course you could have a breakdown and have to walk a few miles for
assistance toting your bag full of cranberry juice.

Anyway, it's all a distant memory for me now except for two reminders -
still a pad/day more or less and a very sad little Willie.
Dave Perry

With my HDR procedure they stuck an IV needle in the back of my
hand.  That was the only disagreeable part.  After that, they injected
the anaesthesia into the IV tube, I was talking to them, and the next
thing I knew I was in the recovery room many hours later.

All the nasty parts - the cutting, the tube in the throat, the
catheter, the sewing or stapling, etc. all happen without your
feeling any pain or being conscious of any of it.

It's hard to imagine what surgery was like before anaesthesia.
President John Adams' daughter Abigail had a radical mastectomy
in the early 1800's to try to treat her for breast cancer - with
no anaesthetics!  It's hard even to think about what that must have
been like.

    Alan