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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / October 2003Just Had Surgery
Hi Guys, remember me. A couple of months ago I introduced myself: 54 yo, PSA 12.6, Gleason 7, Stage T2b. I had an RRP at Stratton VA hospital in Albany Wednesday the 15th. Came home about four hours ago. The doctors say the surgery went well (I certainly have to take their word for it: one minute I was telling the anesthesiologist my last name was of English origin and the next I was looking at my lovely wife.) Took out all the prostate, saved the nerve on one side, and could find no visible evidence of spread. They were waiting for results of the margin slides. Now I'm sitting at my computer; Mr. Bags resting at my feet, filling up with cranberry juice; a large glass of water at hand, writing to you. I have to admit I felt a lot better yesterday than I do today, mostly because I can't pass gas very well (can I say fart?, good) I felt great yesterday until about 7pm when I started to get indigestion very badly. About 10 pm I asked the nurses for something and since they could only give me drugs for nausea (which I didn't need), they suggested I walk around. As I walked by the nurses station I gave out a thundering belch. One of the women working on some paperwork looked up at me. "Hey," I said, "I'm singing." After walking and standing for about 2 hours (at least I was watching the Yankee game, boo!) the stomach gas subsided but it had moved south. Today the cramps from the gas in my intestines are pretty bad. I just took some pain killers and they are helping. So far all I've tried is a couple of doses of milk of magnesea (on the doctor's recommendation) to try to get things moving. Any other ideas? The docs say the problem will take care of itself since I've farted a little; they sounded like a tin whistle; the farts not the doctors. Boy, I hope it takes care of itself soon. The only other pain I had was from bladder cramps and the brutal shots of Ducolax took care of that. Them suckers made my arm hurt for 20 minutes. They're gone now. Not a bad experience, all in all. Good doctor, great hospital. Thanks for listening and also for the input when I first joined this exclusive but down to earth club. Talk to you later. Ed I had a lot of gas too and no movement for several days. Aside from the Foley that was my only problem, It has been eight months now and I still need to take Citricel daily. I never had a problem before the operation. Glad to hear you are doing well. As soon as the Foley is removed you will feel like a new man. Shorty Hi Ed, Walk a lot....Drink lots of water.....eat prunes......serious.....eat prunes. The medicine they give you makes you feel ill. Sooner you can do away with (bladder spasm med) constipation med, pain pills, the better. I through those out day 3.....I ate prunes....finally it worked. No more pain pills either....I walked and with the small bag...it felt great and does lessen the chance for blood clot in the legs, and lungs. I know it is not easy, and I do wish you well. The medication they give you stops all the intestines from working. It takes time for those to start up again. Prunes were a magic bullet! John Loomis, wish you well, and hope you feel better soon. > Hi Guys, remember me. A couple of months ago I introduced myself: 54 > yo, PSA 12.6, Gleason 7, Stage T2b. I had an RRP at Stratton VA [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > > Ed Hi, Ed! So glad to hear that things went well for you!! As has been pointed out here on many occasions, *most of the time*, the surgery is not nearly as difficult as it might seem. Try to walk as much as you can.... it will help with the soreness... and it will also help with that *movement* you want. I, too, took some Milk of Magnesia.... glad they came out with the Vanilla flavor! ;) Take care..... and keep us posted on how you are doing! MikeH > Hi Guys, remember me. A couple of months ago I introduced myself: 54 > yo, PSA 12.6, Gleason 7, Stage T2b. I had an RRP at Stratton VA [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > > Ed That gas and pain is apparently an unavoidable side effect of the gut being empty for the operation. Sounds like you are right on schedule, and all that will be expelled within the next few hours. Keep walking around. Congratulations on your good initial results from the RRP! jimhoney > Hi Guys, remember me. A couple of months ago I introduced myself: 54 > yo, PSA 12.6, Gleason 7, Stage T2b. I had an RRP at Stratton VA [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > > Ed Welcome back Ed: My doc had me take Milk of Mag in the morning, and Mineral Oil at night. I think it was two tablespoons. Something like that. As I recall it took me several days to have a bowel movement. After a few days of comfortable stools I got loose ones and cut back on the laxatives. I kept taking the smaller dose however until the catheter came out, which was three weeks in my case. I still have constipation two months later. I eat prunes, whole grain breads and cereal for breakfast, and salads whenever I can. Still get bound up. I have avoided taking more laxatives but my wife, a nurse, tells me to start taking some kind of fiber. I am heading for the pharmacy tomorrow to review the alternatives. Do you know that when I was younger on Friday nights I went to movies or to a friend's house. How nice it is now that I am older to spend this time with you guys talking about bowel habits. Yes, getting old is not for the faint of heart. Hope you have better luck than I when Mr. Foley gets offered up to the woody gods. Almost three months now, and I am still a five pad a day man. No change in weeks. As for Mr. Willie funtime, forget it. Maybe we will work on that after he stops dribbling urine. Take care, walk more, and enjoy every fart. Thank you. David S. > Hi Guys, remember me. A couple of months ago I introduced myself: 54 > yo, PSA 12.6, Gleason 7, Stage T2b. I had an RRP at Stratton VA [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > > Ed > Hi Guys, remember me. A couple of months ago I introduced myself: 54 > yo, PSA 12.6, Gleason 7, Stage T2b. I had an RRP at Stratton VA [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > > Surgery is a new experience for most of us. The gas, constipation ect are all after effects from the surgery. So you have to deal with it. It'll go away in a day or two or maybe even three. It sounds as if you are doing fine and on course. Three turning and one burning, we're coming in hot for touchdown. Have a beer waiting.....!! Dale J.  SignatureEmail: dalej2@mac.com They sent me home w/ a stool softener and I thought that was standard procedure. Will someone please describe to me what a blader spasm feels like? I don't know if I've ever had one or not. Is it a pain in your belly or in your butt? A couple of times since my RP 20 months ago I've experienced a rather intense dull, achy pain that feels like someone stuck one of those jaws of life deep in my butt and is trying to slowly spread me apart. The first time it lasted an hour or so; last night about 15 mins. Bill Denton RP 2/12/02 Memphis I never had one, but I feel safe in suggesting that if you did you would know it! That was my greatest fear going in to the surgery, then I never had a twinge. Most guys seemed to report having the bladder spasms when defecating. I do not know how that connects, but I do remember someone explaining that the bladder spasm was when the bladder was trying to expel the catheter balloon, i.e., a foreign object in there. Why some have it and some do not, who knows? > They sent me home w/ a stool softener and I thought that was standard > procedure. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > RP 2/12/02 > Memphis > They sent me home w/ a stool softener and I thought that was standard > procedure. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > RP 2/12/02 > Memphis For me it was a sharp constant pain low in the pelvic region, towards the front of the abdomen. The first night after surgery I thought I was having pain from the incision and the nurses gave me morphine a couple of times which did no good. The next day, when I was more lucid I realized the pain was below the incision and figured it was cramps. The anticramp drug took care of it within an hour. For many years I have had pain in the region between my scrotum and my anus (perineal neuralgia, or something) It only happens at night and is bad enough to wake me up. The only way to stop it is to walk it off. Ed For the last few years I have had a similar problem but with my hip, right side. It aches and changing position in bed does nothing to relieve the pain. I have to get up and walk around to get relief. Paying the dues for the jogging when I was younger I guess. > For many years I have had pain in the region between my scrotum and my > anus (perineal neuralgia, or something) It only happens at night and is > bad enough to wake me up. The only way to stop it is to walk it off. > > Ed Same here with the stool softener. A few days and I was good. But it was the catheter that gave me the bladder spasms when I would be out walking or standing, a result of the bladder trying to expel the catheter. The pain that brought tears to my eyes was in my penis back towards my anus (the urethra). My wife said my face turned white and knew she had to get me right home. I had a really bad time with the catheter in that it felt like it was destroying the inside of my penis, the meatus. So the doctor decided the catheter should come out at 12 days. RRP August 27, 2003. That feels better now. Now I'm sore with a rash on my penis, scrotum and legs from leaking when standing or walking. Using the Depends guards and Depends light underwear. The gold bond powder dries it up but it doesn't clear up the rash and redness. The paper on the depends chafes and irritates, and I haven't wore tighty whiteys in years. Going to try the A+D lotion today. I'm sorry I can't imagine what your pain is. Are you constipated? Do you know where all your gerbils are? ;) > They sent me home w/ a stool softener and I thought that was standard > procedure. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > RP 2/12/02 > Memphis My wife bought me wipes to use when I changed pads. I do not know the brand, but they come in a blue plastic box and are about a third smaller than a Kleenex. They are moist, not wet, and I wipe the penis and surrounding area. That has cleaned up any irritation that I had before. Hope that helps. Thank you. David S. > Now I'm sore with a rash on my penis, scrotum and legs from leaking > when standing or walking. Using the Depends guards and Depends light > underwear. The gold bond powder dries it up but it doesn't clear up > the rash and redness. The paper on the depends chafes and irritates, > and I haven't wore tighty whiteys in years. > Going to try the A+D lotion today. hi bill - for me - the bladder spasm, at least that is what they called it, was when i came out of surgery. i had the catheter in me so i should not have the need to pee. but i did - boy did i!!!! i felt like i needed to get up and go - that my bladder was full and that i felt that just had to empty it and the urgency was great. they kept telling me that it was a spasm and that it would go away and that i could push press the "joy" button to get some relief. all i remember is i repeatedly punched the hell out of that button and my son said the doctor nodded to the nurse and she drove the morphine plunger home and knocked me out. when i came to, about 6 hours later, i had no more bladder spasms after that. so if a bladder spasm is that feeling of urgency, and pain of feeling full, i can understand it real well. ~ curtis knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional Wow at the computer already? Man I was so screwed up and in pain I didn't get near the computer for maybe two weeks. I think perhaps the lymph node dissection contributed to the pain. You are doing really well. I didn't fart for a week. My wife considered that a positive surgical side effect. Keep up the good work. Chuck H. > Hi Guys, remember me. A couple of months ago I introduced myself: 54 > yo, PSA 12.6, Gleason 7, Stage T2b. I had an RRP at Stratton VA > hospital in Albany Wednesday the 15th. Came home about four hours ago. Yeah, I remember. You don't call, you don't write. It's been 8 weeks. I've been worried sick. :) I thought it was T2c, but that's close enough. > Took out all the prostate, saved the nerve on one side, and could find > no visible evidence of spread. They were waiting for results of the > margin slides. Sounds great! > Today the cramps from the gas in my intestines are pretty bad. I just > took some pain killers and they are helping. So far all I've tried is a > couple of doses of milk of magnesea (on the doctor's recommendation) to > try to get things moving. Any other ideas? I don't think there is much you can do about it. You're just filling the void and pushing out the air. I would just sit there like a statue, holding my belly, until it passed. Fortunately, it's over in a couple of days. > Not a bad experience, all in all. Good doctor, great hospital. I wonder why that is. I've never heard nicer things said about hospital and nurses than I've heard by RRP patients. I've been in the hospital 3 times (1999, 2000, 2002) and the time I was in their for PCa was decidedly the best. I was on a no food, no water, no ice chips diet for 7 days and still consider it the best. SignatureSteve Kramer PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 PSA .1 .1 .1 .3 .4 .8 EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .3 .2 .2 .2 .3 Erection 05/12/2003 @ 48 Begin Lupron 07/21/2003 @ 48 PSA .1 |
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