question about my Surgery for the 17th
edmason06-07-2005, 09:56 PMOnly 9 more days before my surgery.. Nerves are starting to get the best of me.. I have been on xanax,and Ambien for sleep.. I normally take Zoloft and Wellbutrin daily as well.. I am going into it with a positive attitude and determined to beat it.. I have a couple of questions and would appreciate an answer when someone has time.
1. When my Surgeon is removing the prostate, willl he be able to see if the Cancer has spread to any other area?
2. How long do you think that my hospital stay will be? I am having the perineal surgery.
3. I have got five weeks paid off from work to recover, so I am ok there...
Thanks to everyone....Edpositive4u06-08-2005, 12:36 AMEd-I'm not ignoring your questions, but has your surgeon explained to you the risk of not being able to spare the nerves with the perineal route?
Positive4U :)lookinfwd06-08-2005, 09:57 AMEdmason, it would be worth checking out what Positive4U suggests. Since the erectile nerves are below the prostate, it seems reasonable to assume that it will be pretty hard to avoid damaging them if accessing the prostate from below. It is certainly most important to get the cancer out of your body, but it is also important to recover with as many of your normal functions intact as possible. In terms of your questions, I think the surgeon will be able to see some things, but won't really know whether the cancer has spread until he has 1) a complete pathology report, and 2) has checked your PSA for up to 3 years after surgery. On the day of your surgery, he may test lymph nodes before removing the prostate. This can be tested during the surgery, and often, if there is evidence of cancer in the lymph nodes, surgeons will not remove the prostate, since lymph node involvement indicates that the cancer has already spread beyond the prostate and will have to be treated in other ways. The pathology report will tell him just how extensively the cancer has penetrated the prostate, how agressive the cells are, and whether there is evidence of cancer cells in the tissues immediately surrounding the prostate. Since the cancer cells are microscopic, it is possible that they have spread to other areas of the body but are not yet detectable. That is why follow-up PSA testing is necessary. All of us who have gone through prostatectomy have to go through the periodic checks. It always produces some anxiety, but the longer you go with zero PSA readings, the more you feel as though you are beating the cancer. Hang in there.lookinfwd06-08-2005, 10:02 AMEdmason, sorry, I did not address your 2nd and 3rd question. I'm not sure, if you go the perineal route, what the hospital stay will be, but for my RRP I entered the hospital Tuesday morning for surgery and was released on Friday morning. Perineal may present more problems with walking, so I'm not sure about that. I was back to work in 4 weeks, although my insurance coverage would have allowed up to 6. 5 weeks should be enough time to recover.John in CA06-08-2005, 10:20 AMEd,
I asked the same question to my surgeon at the pre-opp physical check up the week prior to surgery and was told flatly, "No, we can't see the cancer, but will do a frozen section on the margins, which are immediately tested and the results are sent back to me (surgeon), and always take the lymph nodes associated with the prostate and biopsy them." So, unless the cancer has really spread and there's obvious "damage" to the area, they really can't see anything. I agree with Positive4U and others that you should ask about the "planned route of attack" your surgeon wants to take. Recovery time will certainly be longer than with other methods, but heck, he should know what's best for you. In any case - always question!bullun06-08-2005, 03:59 PMEd,
I don't know many specifics about my father's surgery, but he did have an RRP. Now his particular surgeon, had my mother informed during surgery that the things such as the lymph node and surrounding tissue looked "good" to his shock. Now, honestly they aren't able to peek in there and say "Yep those cells look cancerous" or not. However I think there is a distinction in what the tissue and lymph nodes appear like once they've gotten to that point (and are damaged). Of course they did not know anything definite until the pathology report came back 4 days later.
He was admitted for surgery at 6am last Friday and was released Sunday morning. He has been in very good physical health (other than PC) and seems to be recovering quite well, took in a few walks totalling 12 blocks on Monday. He'll be back to work after 2 weeks. Recovery for everyone will varies so much per individual, its so hard to judge.
The best advise I think we can all give you is keep up that positive attitude, take some deep breaths and try not to let the surgery aspect unnerve you too much. We'll be thinking of you!Specialdee06-09-2005, 11:38 AMBullun - Congrats on your father's successful surgery! Sounds like he's well on his way to total recovery!
Edmason - Your anxiety is probably near the normal level. I was pretty anxious, too, but I eventually went into an acceptance mode that helped me to realize that the PC had to come out, and the only way was for someone knowledgeable to go in and get it. Along with Positive4U and lookinfwd and John in CA, I'd certainly question the reason(s) for the perineal route. Of the many posts here, I do not recall any I've seen where this route was taken. Question everything to the limit. It's YOUR health that is at stake, and you deserve all the answers possible, even if it means changing surgeons this late in the game. I wish, for instance, that I had checked out the possibility of going to Johns Hopkins, but it's too late now. It's still not too late for you to make many choices! Good luck, and GOD BLESS!!! :)GR8HARE06-13-2005, 10:33 AMEd,
Not to beat a dead horse again, but I too would question the perineal route as opposed to other available surgical techniques which are less invasive, require less time in the hospital and have quicker recovery times, not to mention equally successful cure rates. My understanding also is that the perineal route is not conducive to sparring the nerve bundles. Either way, best of luck and keep in touch no matter what you do. :angel:
1. When my Surgeon is removing the prostate, willl he be able to see if the Cancer has spread to any other area?
2. How long do you think that my hospital stay will be? I am having the perineal surgery.
3. I have got five weeks paid off from work to recover, so I am ok there...
Thanks to everyone....Edpositive4u06-08-2005, 12:36 AMEd-I'm not ignoring your questions, but has your surgeon explained to you the risk of not being able to spare the nerves with the perineal route?
Positive4U :)lookinfwd06-08-2005, 09:57 AMEdmason, it would be worth checking out what Positive4U suggests. Since the erectile nerves are below the prostate, it seems reasonable to assume that it will be pretty hard to avoid damaging them if accessing the prostate from below. It is certainly most important to get the cancer out of your body, but it is also important to recover with as many of your normal functions intact as possible. In terms of your questions, I think the surgeon will be able to see some things, but won't really know whether the cancer has spread until he has 1) a complete pathology report, and 2) has checked your PSA for up to 3 years after surgery. On the day of your surgery, he may test lymph nodes before removing the prostate. This can be tested during the surgery, and often, if there is evidence of cancer in the lymph nodes, surgeons will not remove the prostate, since lymph node involvement indicates that the cancer has already spread beyond the prostate and will have to be treated in other ways. The pathology report will tell him just how extensively the cancer has penetrated the prostate, how agressive the cells are, and whether there is evidence of cancer cells in the tissues immediately surrounding the prostate. Since the cancer cells are microscopic, it is possible that they have spread to other areas of the body but are not yet detectable. That is why follow-up PSA testing is necessary. All of us who have gone through prostatectomy have to go through the periodic checks. It always produces some anxiety, but the longer you go with zero PSA readings, the more you feel as though you are beating the cancer. Hang in there.lookinfwd06-08-2005, 10:02 AMEdmason, sorry, I did not address your 2nd and 3rd question. I'm not sure, if you go the perineal route, what the hospital stay will be, but for my RRP I entered the hospital Tuesday morning for surgery and was released on Friday morning. Perineal may present more problems with walking, so I'm not sure about that. I was back to work in 4 weeks, although my insurance coverage would have allowed up to 6. 5 weeks should be enough time to recover.John in CA06-08-2005, 10:20 AMEd,
I asked the same question to my surgeon at the pre-opp physical check up the week prior to surgery and was told flatly, "No, we can't see the cancer, but will do a frozen section on the margins, which are immediately tested and the results are sent back to me (surgeon), and always take the lymph nodes associated with the prostate and biopsy them." So, unless the cancer has really spread and there's obvious "damage" to the area, they really can't see anything. I agree with Positive4U and others that you should ask about the "planned route of attack" your surgeon wants to take. Recovery time will certainly be longer than with other methods, but heck, he should know what's best for you. In any case - always question!bullun06-08-2005, 03:59 PMEd,
I don't know many specifics about my father's surgery, but he did have an RRP. Now his particular surgeon, had my mother informed during surgery that the things such as the lymph node and surrounding tissue looked "good" to his shock. Now, honestly they aren't able to peek in there and say "Yep those cells look cancerous" or not. However I think there is a distinction in what the tissue and lymph nodes appear like once they've gotten to that point (and are damaged). Of course they did not know anything definite until the pathology report came back 4 days later.
He was admitted for surgery at 6am last Friday and was released Sunday morning. He has been in very good physical health (other than PC) and seems to be recovering quite well, took in a few walks totalling 12 blocks on Monday. He'll be back to work after 2 weeks. Recovery for everyone will varies so much per individual, its so hard to judge.
The best advise I think we can all give you is keep up that positive attitude, take some deep breaths and try not to let the surgery aspect unnerve you too much. We'll be thinking of you!Specialdee06-09-2005, 11:38 AMBullun - Congrats on your father's successful surgery! Sounds like he's well on his way to total recovery!
Edmason - Your anxiety is probably near the normal level. I was pretty anxious, too, but I eventually went into an acceptance mode that helped me to realize that the PC had to come out, and the only way was for someone knowledgeable to go in and get it. Along with Positive4U and lookinfwd and John in CA, I'd certainly question the reason(s) for the perineal route. Of the many posts here, I do not recall any I've seen where this route was taken. Question everything to the limit. It's YOUR health that is at stake, and you deserve all the answers possible, even if it means changing surgeons this late in the game. I wish, for instance, that I had checked out the possibility of going to Johns Hopkins, but it's too late now. It's still not too late for you to make many choices! Good luck, and GOD BLESS!!! :)GR8HARE06-13-2005, 10:33 AMEd,
Not to beat a dead horse again, but I too would question the perineal route as opposed to other available surgical techniques which are less invasive, require less time in the hospital and have quicker recovery times, not to mention equally successful cure rates. My understanding also is that the perineal route is not conducive to sparring the nerve bundles. Either way, best of luck and keep in touch no matter what you do. :angel: