Day after Ralp

[u/Youngb830]

Dr said nerves were spared and everything went well (vague, he reported to family, had 3 and I was first of the day) but I didn't see him. Follow up after removal of catheter (i catch the second weekend on day 10, fml).Just had a few questions from your experiences. For reference 44yo gleason 6, 5/12 cores high percentage and intermediate decipher. No spread.

About how long until you received post op pathology?

When do PSA tests come and what am I looking for? .01 or .001?

Did you have these symptoms and when did they subside?

Blood in urine.... Days/weeks?

Feel like I have to go #2 today but afraid to push in the slightest? Feel like im waiting for it to fall out. Have taken mirolax x2 thus far. Going as normal ok or slightest strain a no?

Had awful lower back pain yesterday and this morning. Has subsided. Was the only pain on dilodid. Sent me home day of with tylenol and ibuprofin. Now it's mostly gas or air pain that can suck, pain that travels to back and shoulders (stress?) and very little pain in lats (6 cuts).

Catheter is an annoyance, assuming it gets worse.

All in all not too bad day after.

TIA

[u/w00dyMcGee]

43 here and had RALP back in March.
I believe I got my post pathology report about a week later. (Surgery on a Wednesday & report following Wednesday)

I ran my report thru an LLM to give me a more understandable breakdown which helped.

I also didn’t get to talk to my surgeon until the cath came out.

I guess I complained to the night nurse on night 1 about stomach pains and they kept me there until Friday. But I do complain a lot lol.

Your PSA results will be <0.01 or at least that’s how mine have been.

I was originally Gleason 7 but after surgery was downgraded to 6

Both nerves saved for me as well and very clear margins.

We are both young so I can tell you to give yourself time to adjust.

I still get happy when I think about the second that cath came out. I hated it with a passion.

I have been 98% dry since cath came out but tinkles can sneak up on you usually when I knelt down and licked something up.

Now 7 months later I’m complete dry. Still working thru ED stuff which wasn’t an issue pre surgery.

But I’m confident that things will return to as close to 100% as it can.

I’ve had down days that carried over a few days.

It’s a lot to get adjusted to.

Your body has to get rid of the anesthesia and then your mind has to adjust as well

I’m here if you need to PM me any questions

[u/truckaxle]

Congratulations you made through the first step of your journey. The pain subsides quickly.

[u/Cold_Silver_5859]

My RALP four weeks ago.

Re:

Blood in urine.... Days/weeks? How much blood? Real ketchup red? Call. Mine lasted about a week plus occasional small clot moves through tubing into bag. If it gets stuck call.

Miralax daily plus daily stool softener. Stop if you get to almost diarrhea but don’t strain. You are straining the connection the doctor sewed up.

Going as normal ok or slightest strain a no? Straining is a NO.

I only took ibuprofen a few times.

Now it's mostly gas or air pain that can suck, pain that travels to back and shoulders (stress?) and very little pain in lats (6 cuts). My pain in shoulder was excruciating for about 4-5 days. Some say the inflation gas irritates the diaphragm some say it’s from your arm being strapped for hours. It goes away.

Catheter is an annoyance, assuming it gets worse. You make peace with it. The leg bag is a relief in order not to lug the day bag. Then when you get the catheter you feel great. Bring pads and pull ups and keep the bag connected so your bladder is empty.

As you shower keep a slight bend or some slack. Use Q-tip with pain relief antiseptic cream on your tip. I did this every time I emptied either bag. You can buy adhesive tube anchors that work well if you have no hair on your thigh where you stick it. One lasted 7 days. Only trusted it with leg bag. Used the elastic band with the large bag.

Didn’t sleep well in bed, stayed in a recliner and cat napped. This all gets better.

I know you were told but don’t direct shower into your incisions keep your back to shower and let warm soapy water run down across your incisions.

If have more questions just ask.

Hang in there.

[u/Special-Steel]

Pretty common for the surgery team to specify a regular PSA test, not ultra sensitive. The doc orders what the doc orders. Unless the surgeon is the long term doc, your PCP or urologist may be the one to move to ultra

[u/kayceemoguy]

Don’t strain but keep on the hydration and your bowel regimen (miralax, etc). You don’t want to get backed up from all the meds.

All the other advice is great.

Good luck and Godspeed!

[u/SLO_Engineer]

69, 4+3, EPE, positive margins, clean lymph nodes, RALP on 7/24; first quarterly PSA due in one week. Received pathology about two weeks post-surgery.

A little blood in the urine, not much. Took stool softeners and made minor adjustments in dosage to keep consistency in the sweet spot (bad analogy) of not being diarrhea and not being too hard. I agree with the other poster - you do not want to strain!

Absolutely DESPISED the catheter. Worst 11 days of my life. Feel great now; incontinence has been a non-issue. 100% dry during awake hours from the moment that damn catheter came out. Minor, occasional leakage while asleep, mostly on nights when I took Ambien to help me sleep. That has resolved at this point. Got my first boner at the 7-week mark. Not a high-quality boner, but a boner nonetheless.

I'm very happy with the surgical results. The EPE and margins mean a 50% probability of recurrence, the surgeon told me. I'm very curious to see the results of this first quarterly PSA next week.

Good luck with your recovery!

[u/WoodshopElf]

Raisin Bran. Fruits and vegetables. Lots of water. Smooth going.

[u/ExcellentCookie6399]

Congratulations, the hard part is over. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to heal. Don’t push the recovery. Didn’t have any issues with the catheter. The gas was the worst part of it for me. Make sure to get up and walk a lot. Wishing you the best with your recovery!!

[u/Ok-Competition8281]

• Background: I was 45 at the time of my surgery (Gleason 3+4, 6/12 cores positive, no post-op change, nerve-sparing successful).

• AI Tools: Using LLMs was actually super helpful for me, too. My surgeon wasn't very available, which had me overthinking and speculating about all kinds of stuff, lol.

• Comfort & Support: My recliner was a lifesaver post-discharge, but sitting in the car with the automatic seat adjustments and extra support felt even better at times.

• ED & Pelvic Health: Start or keep up with pelvic floor / Kegel exercises. There are plenty of free phone apps to remind you throughout the day. It’s definitely both a physical and mental healing process.

• Healing: Never strain. Internal healing takes much longer than external healing.

• PSA Expectations: Don't panic if progress feels slow—my PSA took its sweet time dropping before finally bottoming out at a floor of 0.03.

Lastly, look to Zero cancer and join an in person or online support group. Some good wisdom, advice, and crazy shenanigans there.