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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / February 2005Still having pain and fatigue after 5 weeks?
My husband, age 59, diabetic, (but controlled with diet and exercise), had a rlrp 5 weeks ago. He is doing well now, after getting over some initial problems between weeks one and a half and two. (Bleeding, infection, re-insertion of the catheter, then bleeding again.) We are lucky in that he is fully continent, and erectile function seems to be starting to return, but I am concerned that he still has pain occasionally in his "side" and lower abdomen. He also still experiences a lot of fatigue. It doesn't take much for him to be wiped out. Prior to surgery he was very active. Is this normal? He is returning to the urologist in another week for his check up. By the way, his path report was good, cancer encapsulated, and the margins were clear. His PSA prior to surgery was 6.3 with a Gleason of 6. > My husband, age 59, diabetic, (but controlled with diet and exercise), had > a rlrp 5 weeks ago. He is doing well now, after getting over some initial [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > encapsulated, and the margins were clear. His PSA prior to surgery was > 6.3 with a Gleason of 6. Everyone reacts differently to the anesthesia. For the longest time, I had energy during the day, but found that I really needed a nap mid-day. I didn't return to work until week six, so I was still napping during week 5. Once I went back to work, I found I was going to sleep earlier than my ususal time, as I was so exhausted. It takes time. Good luck, Sandy K. Thanks! We were getting worried because so many people returned to work so soon after surgery, and said they were fine.He has only returned now, after 5 weeks, so he was discouraged. He never expected it to be so difficult. We feel more encouraged now. I had RRP in 2003 and still have problems with fatigue. My uro told me that he has other patients that make the same complaint, but he could not really tell me why I am experiencing this. He did try to blame it on the anesthesia. I am 57 now, soon to be 58. One of the group here did remind me that the prostate is a part of the body's hormonal system, and that the "radical" in RRP stands for just what it sound like, they just chop it out. It takes time for the body to reacclimate. In my case this is unfortunately not the only part that I was born with that is now missing. Good luck to you and your husband. Try to get him to walk for exercise, or maybe start back into whatever activity he used to enjoy but gradually. The exercise will help. > My husband, age 59, diabetic, (but controlled with diet and exercise), had > a rlrp 5 weeks ago. He is doing well now, after getting over some initial [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > encapsulated, and the margins were clear. His PSA prior to surgery was > 6.3 with a Gleason of 6. You didn't say how long your husband was under anesthesia but it is hard on his system. I had LRP 20mos. ago and still find my stamina is not what it use to be. After a little hard work it seems like it takes a couple days to recover. I seem to get sleepy about noon every day after the hard work. I was under anesthesia for 10 1/2 hrs. which is quite long. Most having LRP are usually under from 4 to 6 hrs. that is probably my biggest compliant - no energy. after 22 months post op, i still don't have the energy level i had before. what i've noticed is that i can wake up and fill full of energy for a day's work, but when i'm just into the work, i'm tired and to keep pushing it becomes a struggle to where i will have to rest and take a nap. after the nap, i get my second wind and can go again. i didn't have this problem before surgery, so i don't know if i just got old overnight or it is part of the surgery. i just chalk it up to what my surgeon said, "your life will never be the same" ~ 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 You guys are having reactions to the anesthesia, not the surgery. I've had at least 8 surgeries, some more serious and one involving far more disability than RP (a shoulder repair that left the shoulder useless for months). More important than my anecdotal experience is that long-term anesthesia reaction is well-documented, yet I have never heard of long term disability from successful surgeries. There's no reason the removal of a little meat should leave one fatigued past the immediate healing process. If I were you guys I'd be researching and pressing my doctor on the "fix" for anesthesia reaction/impairment. The only other implication I can think of is that cancer is fatiguing, but most of us are "cured" in the sense that our tumor mass was removed, and any micromets we have remaining would not, in themselves, produce fatigue. Curtis's surgeon was referring to the fact that we now have a new worry, and ultimately further treatments with further effects, not to any long-term fatigue from a simple (to our bodies) surgery. There's no way I'd accept long-term fatigue as a direct effect of somebody slicing up some meat. I.P. > that is probably my biggest compliant - no energy. after 22 months post > op, i still don't have the energy level i had before. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > i just chalk it up to what my surgeon said, "your life will never be the > same" This energy thing is apparently very variable. I was "under" for about 3 hours. I felt pretty good when I woke up and wanted to go home. The doctor wanted me to stay in case there was trouble, but there was none. I went home the next day, and went back to work day 6. I was back to my wsual energy level at about 2 wkeeks. I run or lift weights every day. I thing regular exercise was a help. Each day I did a little more. Steve U I was 'under' for 189 minutes and had an Epidural in the spine which is said to not cause as much side effects, but as a formerly enegetic 66yo, at 4 months later, I get very tired mid afternoon and wonder if I will ever get back to where I was physically. I walk 1 to 3 ks every day and hope that will help. Ronaldo Welcome to the club neither you nor yours asked to join. As you may have seen, men with prostate cancer and the women who love them are all welcome here. He has had major surgery. With RLRP, he has had less cutting, but significant cutting nonetheless. It takes awhile for the body to rebound. It takes at least six weeks just to heal inside. I wouldn't worry about fatigue. I would be a little concerned (just a little) about soreness, but if it is sharper than soreness or in a place away from the operation, it can't hurt to call his doc.  SignaturePSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3bN0M0 Seminal Vesicle involvement, Neg margins PSA .1 .1 .1 .27 .37 .75 EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 (4 mo), 12/03, 4/04, 09/04, 01/05 PSA .07 .05 .06 .05 non Illegitimi carborundum > My husband, age 59, diabetic, (but controlled with diet and exercise), had > a rlrp 5 weeks ago. He is doing well now, after getting over some initial [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > encapsulated, and the margins were clear. His PSA prior to surgery was > 6.3 with a Gleason of 6.
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