How Do They Remove The Prostate Gland

While In The Hospital

It’s important to your recovery to start moving as soon as possible. Most men are out of bed and walking around the unit on the same day as their surgery. Your nurse will assist you until you can manage on your own. When you first get up, raise the head of your bed, take a couple of deep breaths, and allow your body to adjust to the change in position. Dangle your feet over the side of the bed for a few minutes, then slowly stand up. Be careful because getting up too quickly can make you light-headed.

Get out of bed at least three times each day preferably more. This helps prevent lung infections and blood clots. You may be prescribed an injectable blood thinner to further reduce the risk of blood clots. The more time you spend out of bed, the faster you will recover and the faster your bowel function will return to normal. Your nurse will also give you an oral stool softener and mild laxative to prevent constipation.

In addition to walking, you will be encouraged to do two other things that help prevent complications: Use an incentive spirometer , and wear compression stockings while in bed. Both will be provided and the nurses will instruct you on how to use them.

What Necessitates Prostate Removal

Prostate cancer and sometimes benign prostatic hyperplasia can necessitate the removal of prostate gland. However, the most common cause is prostatic cancer as BPH can nowadays be managed with other treatment options. The prostate gland removal surgery is known as prostatectomy. The risks, benefits and side-effects of prostatectomy should be discussed with the patient, before making the decision to get prostate gland removed.

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Treatment Options For Urinary Incontinence Can Include:

• Pelvic floor physical therapy. These specialized physical therapists are trained to help men strengthen their pelvic floor muscles. These muscles help you control the flow of urine. The exercises are called Kegel exercises just as you might do bicep curls to strengthen your arm muscles Kegel exercises help you learn to tighten and relax the muscles that control your flow.
• Bladder training. The bladder is a muscular organ that can be trained. A pelvic floor physical therapist or your urologist will provide simple behavioral changes to help retrain your bladder.
• Medication. Prescription medicines help the muscles in your bladder and sphincter . These medications work well for men with urge incontinence.
• Surgery. Surgery may be scheduled if you have a blockage. Other surgical procedures include injecting collagen to strengthen the urinary sphincter that controls urine release or implanting an artificial urinary sphincter.

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Difficulty Getting An Erection

You might have problems having an erection after a radical prostatectomy. This is impotence. Or you might produce less or no semen. This is known as a dry orgasm.

Impotence is more likely to happen if you are older. Nerve sparing surgery and robotic surgery may reduce the risk for some men. Speak to your doctor before you have surgery to get an idea of your risk of problems afterwards.

There are medicines that can help with erection problems after surgery. You might need a drug like sildenafil or Viagra to help you get an erection. Your doctor or specialist nurse can also refer you to a clinic for people who have sexual problems after treatment. You can store sperm before your operation if you would like to have children in future.

• Find out more about how prostate cancer treatment can affect your sex life

Advantages Of Ralp Over Traditional Surgery Include:

• Small incisions
• Less blood loss than in traditional surgeries
• Less pain than an open incision surgery
• Less risk of infection over other kinds of surgery
• Shorter stay in the hospital
• Faster recovery at home

The magnification system provides your surgeon with a clear view of the tiny blood vessels, nerves, and muscles surrounding your prostate to help minimize side effects after your surgery.

Not every man who needs prostate removal surgery will be a candidate for robotic surgery. Each prostate cancer patients situation is unique, with some patients requiring a different surgical method either traditional open surgery or, less frequently, radical perineal prostatectomy.

If you have recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer and are looking for a second opinion on treatment options before undergoing surgery, consult with one of the prostate cancer specialists at Compass Oncology located throughout the Portland-Vancouver area.

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What Does The Prostate Do Can You Live Without It And What Happens When You Have It Removed

All men have a prostate, yet many know little about what it does or what happens if it is removed. Heres the lowdown

• 9:25, 20 Mar 2018

THE prostate is a male reproductive organ which surrounds the neck of the bladder which releases a fluid component of semen.

All men have a prostate, yet many know little about what it does or what happens if it is removed. Heres the lowdown

Impotence Or Erectile Dysfunction

This means your penis cannot get hard enough for sex.

An erection is a way your penis gets hard. If you can have an erection before surgery, the doctor will try not to hurt it during the surgery. This is called a nerve-sparing approach. But if the cancer is too close to or growing into these nerves, they will need to be removed.

If you have both nerves removed, then you wont be able to have spontaneous erections. If only one side is removed, you might still have erections, but it would be less likely. If neither are removed, then maybe your erections will go back to normal after surgery.

After surgery, you will have an erection if you were able to before the operation and if the nerves were not cut. But, if you had an issue with your erection before surgery and the nerves were cut, you will probably lose this ability after surgery too.

Doctors who do many radical prostatectomies tend to report lower impotence rates than doctors who do the surgery less often. There are many different rates of impotence in the medical literature, but every man is other, so it is best to ask your doctor about their success rates and what will happen if you have this surgery.

If your ability to get erections returns after surgery, it often takes a while before you can do it yourself. It might take up to two years. During the first few months, you may not get an erection at all and will need help from medicines or other treatments.

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Does Viagra And Cialis Work After Prostate Removal

During recovery, medications like Viagra and Cialis will help. Viagra can restore impotence and contributes to more pleasurable sex life.

A study published in the Journal of Urologyreported that 53% from a total of 80 men who underwent radical prostatectomy had their erection function restored after taking Viagra.

But is Viagra an addictive drug?

Many men experienced a high rate of improvement in their sexual performance due to medications such as Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra. If you have been wondering whether these medications are addictive, you should know that the active ingredient in Viagra, sildenafil, is not an addictive substance.

These medications work by increasing the blood flow to the penis and facilitate the erection process. Addiction is brain-triggered, but Viagra does not target the nervous processes in the brain. That is why it is considered a safe option for those who want to faster recover their sexual potency after prostate cancer treatment.

How Do Doctors Perform Prostate Removal

During prostate removal the prostate gland and some tissue around the gland, including the seminal vesicles, are removed. A prostatectomy takes about two hours and is performed under general anesthesia.

There are two approaches used for a prostatectomy:

• Robotic surgery
• Minimally invasive procedure with faster recovery time
• Uses smaller incisions and robotic technology

Open surgery

Uses traditional incisions and tools

May be used for more complex cases

The surgical process is as follows:

• The doctor will make a small incision to gain access to the prostate
• The prostate is removed
• The bladder is reconnected to the urethra
• A catheter is connected to the bladder to allow urine to drain while the area heals

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Known Side Effects Of A Radical Prostatectomy

So, what happens to a man when he has his prostate removed? There is a multitude of effects that occur to men after they have had prostate removal surgery.

The procedure is major pelvic surgery, and, as such, it carries along with it many potential risks. In addition to the immediate effects of the surgery, the removal of the prostate causes long-term side effects that are generally permanent.

Until recently, these side effects about what happens to a man when he has his prostate removed have not been relatively well-classified.

Most side effects are those reported by urologists that are performing the surgery. This reporting has been, in past years, rather poorly detailed and sparse due to the surgeons not anxious to publicize the failures of a procedure, they have attached a gold standard label.

The most reported side effects are erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.

Unfortunately, even though doctors have filed reports, the bias of the doctors filing them is questionable.

For example, one report details one of the significant side effects, postoperative erectile dysfunction, occurs between 14 and 90 percent of patients. This is a relatively wide range.

Based on my many years of practice, it is a very optimistic estimate. And it is likely provided by urologists who either do not want to admit their procedure causes such harm or deny the side effects and results.

Who Should Get A Radical Prostatectomy

Men younger than 75 years old with limited prostate cancer and who are expected to live at least 10 more years tend to get the most benefit from radical prostatectomy.

Before doing a radical prostatectomy, doctors first try to confirm that the prostate cancer has not spread beyond the prostate. They can figure out the statistical risk of spread by looking at tables comparing the results of a biopsy and PSA levels.

Other tests to check for signs of spread, if needed, can include CT scans, bone scans, MRI scans, ultrasound, PET scans, and bone scans.

If it appears that the prostate cancer hasnât spread, your surgeon may first offer you other options besides surgery. These can include radiation therapy, hormone therapy, or simply watching the prostate cancer over time, since many prostate cancers grow slowly.

Depending on how high your risk of the cancer spreading is, your surgeon may also consider doing an operation called pelvic lymph node dissection.

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* Better Prostate Cancer Control

The true color 3-D high magnification vision, intuitive manipulation of technologically advanced, precisely articulated surgical instruments, and better control of blood loss results in better visibility and precision allowing the surgeon to more carefully identify, expose, and dissect out cancerous prostate. The overall rate of margin positivity of robotic prostatectomy is < 19%. More importantly, in men whose cancer is confined to within the prostate, the apical region was correctly visualized and dissected, resulting in very low 6% positive margins in cases of organ confined disease. Prior to the Da Vinci robot, it was very difficult to make such a clean and refined excision of the apical region of the prostate.

Sex After Prostate Surgery And Achieving Orgasm

Sex after prostatectomy is an important concern for most men. The total removal of the cancerous tissues is the primary goal, but the quality of life after prostate surgery is also important. Worrying about ED makes men be nervous and anxious when thinking about undergoing radical prostatectomy.

However, whilst most patients focus on erectile dysfunction, orgasm is somehow under-considered. But is it possible to achieve orgasm after prostatectomy? Erections and orgasm are equally important for a healthy sex life.

The good news is that sex after prostate surgery is very possible and enjoyable for most men. This is due to the newest robotic technologies that are nerve-sparing and preserve the sexual function.

Dr. Samadis robotic prostate surgery, SMART Surgery, was explicitly designed to spare the tiny nerve bundles surrounding the prostate in order to preserve sexual potency.

Men who undergo Dr. Samadis robotic prostate surgery have a reasonable chance of regaining complete erectile function for sex after prostate surgery.

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Inflammation Of The Prostate Gland

Bacteria sometimes cause prostatitis . More commonly, the underlying cause is uncertain. Consult your doctor promptly if you experience:

• fever
• pain in the groin
• urgent and frequent urination.

Treatment with antibiotics is essential for acute bacterial prostatitis. Admission to hospital is often necessary and, as with chronic bacterial prostatitis, specific antibacterial drugs are required for a long time.

How Do I Prepare For My Turp

You are an important member of your own healthcare team. The steps you take before surgery can improve your comfort and outcome.

You can prepare for TURP by:

• Answering all questions about your medical history and medications. This includes prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, herbal treatments, and vitamins. It is a good idea to carry a current list of your medical conditions, medications, and at all times.

• Getting preoperative testing as directed. Testing will vary depending on your age, health, and specific procedure. Preoperative testing may include a , EKG , blood tests, and other tests as needed.

• Losing excess weight before the surgery through a healthy diet and exercise plan

• Not eating or drinking before surgery as directed. Your surgery may be cancelled if you eat or drink too close to the start of surgery because you can choke on stomach contents during anesthesia.

• Stopping as soon as possible. Even quitting for just a few days can be beneficial and help the healing process.

• Taking or stopping medications exactly as directed. This may include not taking aspirin, ibuprofen , and blood thinners.

Questions to ask your doctor

Facing surgery can be stressful. It is common for patients to forget some of their questions during a doctors office visit. You may also think of other questions after your appointment. Contact your doctor with concerns and questions before surgery and between appointments.

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How Effective Is Turp And What Consequences Can It Have

Studies have shown that TURP can permanently reduce prostate-related problems. Nine months after having TURP, about 75 out of 100 men only have mild symptoms. For example, at night they only need to get up to go to the bathroom once, or not at all. The other men usually still benefit from TURP, but the effect is smaller. Side effects are common, though.

The most common side effect of TURP is dry orgasm or dry climax . This is where no semen, or much less than usual, leaves the penis during ejaculation. Instead, the semen flows into the bladder. This can happen if the muscles that normally close the entrance of the bladder during ejaculation are damaged during surgery. About 65 out of 100 men have this side effect after TURP. Although dry orgasms arent harmful and usually dont affect mens sexual pleasure during orgasm, they do reduce .

Some men are afraid that they will have erection problems after surgery. Although there is no guarantee that this wont happen, research has shown that permanent erection problems are rare. Some men even feel more comfortable with their sexuality after surgery because they no longer have bothersome symptoms such as having to go to the bathroom a lot.

Other Things To Consider

Before you have one of these procedures, talk with your doctor about whether youâll be given something to numb the area or whether youâll be given something so you wonât be awake during the procedure. What you get and where you have it depends on the procedure.

Your doctor will give you instructions on how to prepare for any of them.

Surgery can ease many BPH symptoms, but it may not relieve them all. If there are certain complications, such as a weak bladder, there may still be urinary problems after surgery, although this is rare.

With any BPH surgery, there may be side effects or complications such as bleeding, narrowing of the urine tube also known as urethral stricture, urinary incontinence or leakage, erectile dysfunction, and retrograde ejaculation.

The best treatment for an enlarged prostate is not the same for every man. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of each procedure.

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What Are The Risks Or Complications Of Radical Prostatectomy

Radical prostatectomy is generally very safe. Surgeons try to protect the nerves that run from the prostate to the penis. But problems due to nerve damage can occur. There is a risk that you may experience:

• Urinary incontinence: Some people experience urinary incontinence, although most people recover continence. Your provider can help you manage loss of bladder control and urine leakage.
• Erectile dysfunction: Many people have problems maintaining erections after this surgery. The likelihood of recovery of erectile function depends on your erections before surgery and your surgeons ability to spare the nerves that control erection at the time of surgery. You may need to use erectile dysfunction medications or other treatments. The older you are, the more likely problems may occur.

There is also a small risk that you may experience:

Reasons For The Procedure

The goal of radical prostatectomy is to remove all prostate cancer. RP isused when the cancer is believed to be confined to the prostate gland.During the procedure, the prostate gland and some tissue around the gland,including the seminal vesicles, are removed. The seminal vesicles are thetwo sacs that connect to the vas deferens , and secrete semen.Other less common reasons for radical prostatectomy include:

• Inability to completely empty the bladder

• Recurrent bleeding from the prostate

• Bladder stones with prostate enlargement

• Very slow urination

• Increased pressure on the ureters and kidneys from urinary retention

There may be other reasons for your doctor to recommend a prostatectomy.

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