No personal experience, but their are 2 issues, the prostate must be
small, and you must not be over weight, also read that the procedure
takes 6  (six)  hours. Cancer must also be confined  (early stages),
and not spread beyond capsule.
Good luck

Ed Kratz wrote:

I'm not sure why you assume you have prostate cancer?  Have you had a
biopsy yet?   Depending on your age, your PSA history is quite
consistent with a bout of prostatitis.   If your doctors want to avoid a
biopsy,  it might be worthwhile doing a fee PSA test.

In any case, a biopsy stands a good chance of settling the matter.

Assuming that a Biopsy confirms that you have PC you can check out
the web site for Intuitive Surgical Instruments... the manufacturer of
the daVinci equipment...

http://www.intuitivesurgical.com/products/davinci_surgicalsystem/

I am sure that the procedure is done near you... remember you will
only be in the hospital for 1-2 days (max), but you will have a
catheter for 5-6 days... so, you will have to be near your MD for that
time... after the catheter is removed you could see any MD for your
follow up visits... but it is best to see your surgeon...
The key in selecting the surgeon is to find someone who has done
the procedure 200+ times... they get faster at it with "practice"

I had mine last March... 2.5 hrs long... 3-4 tablespoons of blood
loss... virtually zero pain.... only minor discomfort... home in my
own bed 30 hours post op.... catheter removed 5 days later...
incontinecy over mid August... and potency is coming back...
Need I say more!

Since my surgery I have been a major advocate of men's health care...
and a very active support person... feel free to call me for whatever
additional information or support that you require...

Check out these sites:

http://www.davinciprostatectomy.com/video.html

Actual webcast of an RRLP
http://www.stronghealth.com/services/urology/webcast.cfm

http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/site/c.itIWK2OSG/b.46638/k.865C/Prostate
_Cancer_Treatments.htm#top

It would be a good idea to consult with the best experts available on
diagnosis as well as treatment. A test of free PSA would seem to be in
order before a biopsy. Should you have cancer and you meet the criteria
for robotic surgery, in my opinion it's the way to go. I've never heard
of the surgery taking six hours. Mine was done in considerably less
time. There is less bleeding and greater precision. The recovery was
quick and easy. Although there are other factors, the skill of the
surgeon is an important factor that impacts incontinence and potency. I
have had no problem with incontinence and after four months am starting
to recover potency. I'm sure there have to be qualified surgeons with
substantial robotic experience in the Philadelphia area. If not, you
are probably within two hours of Johns Hopkins, which is rated as the
number one urology hospital in the nation. I traveled about an hour and
a half to my surgeon and it wasn't that big of a deal. The result is
far better than I could have obtained locally. Good luck!

Ed,

If the Dr. Lee you refer to is the same Dr. Lee who had such an excellent
reputation with the DaVinci RLRP recently in Arlington, TX before leaving
here, I know at least one of his patients personally who recommends him very
highly. As I said, Dr. Lee was considered "one of the best" with this
equipment and procedure in this area. If you wind up with PCa, and it
certainly does not sound like a certainty at this point, and you have an
interest in RLRP as a treatment, you would do well to check out Dr. Lee.

Ed,

After your PSA went from 1.6 to 5.4, I would have been concerned about (not
convinced of) prostate cancer with a doubling rate of less than one year.
Now, with two subsequent PSAs of less of 1.9 and 2.5, I'm almost moved to
say that prostate cancer is least likely.

There are a few things that can cause a prostate to produce an elevated PSA,
including infection.  Did you take Cipro or some other strong antibiotic
after the 5.4 reading?  If so, you may be cured.

There are many things, including sexual intercourse and DRE, that can
elevate PSA from 1.9 to over 2.0.

You may have a perfectly normal prostate that at one time caught a virus or
infection.