The only problem I remember was getting out of bed right after the
surgery because the incision was sore, but that was only for a few days.
 For that, a higher bed would be better, since the problem is getting
erect from a sitting position.  Also, having something like a chair to
hold onto next to the bed would help.

Our bed is very easy to get out of after surgeries, injuries, etc., or with
a full bladder fighting an impaired sphincter, or just to go the bathroom
with minimal awakening effort even when healthy. I'm 5'9" (was 5'10" for
most of my life), and find it very easy to just drop my legs -- or just one
leg -- to the floor and raise my torso with minimal effort or even
consciousness. Our bed is at 28". I just now added a pillow to its height
and found it even easier, as it places the bed height even closer to my
pivot point (my hips). He'll roll onto his side, maybe even closer to face
down as he swings his feet or top foot to the floor, then just use his back
muscles and arms to rise to a standing position. He will NOT want to use his
abs to stand up or lie down.

I suggest he tries this now to guesstimate an optimal height:
Lie in bed.
Roll towards the edge onto his side, facing the edge.
Swing his top leg out of bed and onto the floor. This should put him nearly
face down with his "top" foot on the floor.
Stand up, using back and arm muscle, as the other leg swings to the floor.
Reverse the process to get into bed.
Then try it with a few more inches of height. I can see now that a few more
inches makes it even easier, even with my short legs (30" inseam). You may
wish to consider adding a cheap extra mattress if it doesn't interfere with
his sleep. It may also prevent you from bumping into him at night. I'm not a
sound sleeper, but I had little problem sleeping pretty well post-op. The
morphine helped a lot for the first few days, and once home and off the
morphine there just wasn't that much pain as long as I moved carefully --  
nothing like a sprained ankle, for example, and certainly not
excruciating -- just a lot of hurt if I tried to enlist my abs to stand up
facing the ceiling. And I had an incision twice the usual RRP cut due to my
dual surgery. The RRP cut is down the abdominal midline, a far less painful
spot than the muscle wall to either side of the midline.

I.P.

My bed was 30" high and I'm 5' 9" and the easiest thing for me was to
roll onto my side facing the edge of the bed after making sure the
catheter tube was out of the way, swing my feet off the edge and then
rotate up to a sitting position.  From then on it's a matter of getting
on two feet and determining how quickly I wanted to stand up straight.
To get back into bed I found crawling onto the bed face down, rolling
on my side and then onto my back was best for me.  You'll probably find
that each person is slightly different so there will be some
experimentation as to what works best.  You'll notice almost all of my
motions were in a kind of knees up, bent forward position.  It was a
bit painful to stretch things out by straightening myself even though I
had laparoscopic surgery.  A helpful hand from a handy assistant is
always useful as is the nearby chair.  Your "poor baby" will do just
fine.
Dave Perry

I'd say 28" is just about right.

But, he's not going to be an invalid.  It will take some time to get in and
out of bed the first few days, but not an impossibility.

Hello Juniper,
   I invested in a recliner.  I hate to say it, but it was the best
investment I ever did.  When I slept on the bed my catheter tube felt like
it ran backwards....It was very awkward.  It also got tangled.  So, the
recliner is best, and after a bit I got real used to it.  I admit, it is not
like a bed, bet remember we never had to sleep in a bed before after
Prostate Surgery.
So, I got a long robe, and some good push in slippers, and voila, I was set.
I could get up easy, empty my cath. bag, do my thing, and relax, watch tv,
or sleep.
Walking is number 1.  It is hard to do at first but turns out it is best
thing to do..  I also stopped all meds, and ate prunes....
That was a miricle drug, and did not leave me feeling medicated.
So, good wishes, and such.
John Loomis