What You Can Do Now
Sexual side effects from prostate cancer treatment are often temporary, especially if your doctor used nerve-sparing surgery. While your body recovers, you can try a few things to maintain your sex life:
- Let your doctor know about any sexual problems youre having right away. Although it can be hard to talk about sex, being open and honest will help you get the treatment you need.
- See a therapist. Couples therapy can help you and your partner understand and deal with sexual issues.
- Take care of yourself by exercising, eating a well-balanced diet, reducing stress, and getting enough sleep. Looking and feeling your best will give your self-esteem and mood a boost.
When Should I Start The Exercises
If youre having radiotherapy to treat prostate cancer, its safe to do pelvic floor exercises during and after your course of treatment. You can talk to any health professional about pelvic floor exercises, including your doctor or nurse. They will be able to help answer any questions you may have, or they may refer you to a continence advisor or mens health physiotherapist.
If youre going to have surgery for prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate, its a good idea to start doing the exercises four to six weeks before the surgery. This will help you to do them properly after your treatment. It might also help you to stop leaking urine sooner.
After surgery, youll have a tube called a catheter to drain urine from your bladder. You should try not to do pelvic floor muscle exercises while you have a catheter in. You can start doing pelvic floor muscle exercises as soon as your catheter has been removed. Theyre safe to do, and wont hurt or cause any damage. But like all muscles, pelvic floor muscles can become tired so try not to overdo it. If youre worried about doing pelvic floor exercises after surgery or have any questions, you should speak to your medical team.
If you had your surgery a while ago but still have urinary problems, starting the exercises could still help. You should also speak to your doctor or nurse, as there may be other treatments that could help.
How To Treat Erectile Dysfunction After Prostate Surgery
Prostate surgery is challenging enough. But to make matters worse, such an operation may impact ones sex life. The prostate is a vital part of the reproductive system. Its responsible for producing fluids that carry sperm.
So when the prostate is affected, this can lead to conditions like erectile dysfunction.
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What Can I Do Once I Get Home
When you get home, continue your program of rehab and recovery by developing a plan of exercising and keep to it. The foundation for this program should be frequent short periods of walking. Depending on your age and general condition of health, it may be enough the first week to walk six or eight times for 5-10 minutes inside of your home. See how you feel but each time try to go a little farther. As you feel comfortable or as you need to get out of the house, move your walks outdoors, at first to the back yard. Then walk the block. In time you will be walking a block then two then a mile and so forth. Remember at first to keep the walks short and do them several times a day with rest in between. Use the rest time to read, relax, and learn something new. This is a major turning point in your life, having this surgery. This time off can become a gift. Maybe there is something out there for you to learn or to become aware of that you never considered before.
Before Surgery Start Your Pelvic Floor Exercises
- These should be started before surgery and only stopped once you are completely continent after the operation.
- Youll be shown how to do the exercises during your pre-operative assessment visit, but essentially these pelvic floor muscles are the ones that you use to interrupt your urine stream. A strong pelvic floor therefore allows you greater control over your continence after the operation.
- More precisely, the muscles aid urinary control whilst your valve of continence recovers from the operation. This valve essentially switches your urine stream on and off, and is affected during surgery. Stitches in the valve take 6 weeks to dissolve and the scar tissue surrounding it takes up to a year to soften, so we need to help it after the operation. By creating a strong pelvic floor with your exercises, the muscles are able to squeeze around this valve and help it to close during the recovery period.
Ill be covering how to perform the exercises in a later article as its slightly out of the scope of this article, but for now there is an excellent guide from Prostate Cancer UK here, as well as a video to watch here.
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When To Call Your Doctor Or Nurse
Its important to tell your doctor or nurse if:
- your bladder feels full or your catheter isnt draining urine
- your catheter leaks or falls out
- your urine contains blood clots, turns cloudy, dark or red, or has a strong smell
- you have a fever
- you feel sick or vomit
- you get cramps in your stomach area that will not go away
- you get pain or swelling in the muscles in your lower legs.
Your doctor or nurse will let you know if you should go to the hospital.
Life After Prostate Removal
For many men with prostate cancer, prostate removal is never needed because the cancer is often slow-growing and managed with non-surgical treatments. But, if the cancer has grown beyond the prostate, the oncologist may recommend prostate removal surgery, also called a prostatectomy. If you are going to have prostate removal surgery, this information can help you in your discussion with the doctors.
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How To Improve Your Sex Life After Prostatectomy
When this kind of erection treatment is not enough, patients opt for vacuum pumps or penile implants. Injections for erectile dysfunction after prostate surgery can also help.
Studies indicate that penile injection can be one of the efficient treatment options. Limited trials show that medications like papaverine, Bimix, and Trimix can improve sexual confidence and self-esteem. Including satisfaction and erectile function.
Physical therapy for ED can be another option. Targeted penile rehabilitation exercises can engage and strengthen the ischiocavernosus muscle.
This muscle is capable of maintaining penile rigidity. But, neither of these treatments is completely effective. And they can have side effects. Talk to a doctor to choose the best option.
Experts can also suggest lifestyle changes as a key component of every erectile dysfunction treatment. Its important to eat healthy after prostate removal and supply the body with the necessary nutrients.
Sticking to low-fat dairy, lean protein, and plant-based consumables can benefit the body in the long haul. Aphrodisiac foods like oysters, dark chocolate, and maca root powder can help.
Hip Flexor Stretch: 3 X 15 Sec Holds
You might feel sore and tight around your hips and abdominals after surgery from having many incision sites around the area. This stretch hits the area and works to combat the issues associated with spending more time sitting down during recovery. However it is important to remember to completegently as there is potential to aggravate your surgical sites.
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Francisco Julimar Correia De Menezes
1Masters degree in Public Health, University of Fortaleza UNIFOR, Ceará, Brazil
Masters degree in Public Health, University of Fortaleza UNIFOR, Ceará, BrazilPublic Health Masters Degree Program, University of Fortaleza UNIFOR, Ceará, BrazilSurgery Department of the Federal University of Ceará Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
Im Worried About All The Side Effects From Prostate Cancer Medications What Can I Do
Carefully review the side effect profile of the different hormone therapy regimens, and discuss with your health care team potential ways to minimize the effects. In the end, its important that you not only understand the value of the therapy in the management of your prostate cancer, but also that you learn how to live your life as best as possible while fighting the disease.
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What Is A Radical Prostatectomy
Surgery to remove the prostate is called a radical prostatectomy. Before the operation, the surgeon will explain what will happen and tell you about the possible side effects. They may also tell you about other treatments that may help in your situation, such as radiotherapy.
The aim of the surgery is to remove all of the cancer cells. It is usually only done when the cancer is contained within the prostate and has not spread to the surrounding area.
What Causes Incontinence After Prostate Surgery
Urinary incontinence is a potential side effect of prostate removal surgery. The prostate is located just below the bladder and surrounds the urethra. Removing it, or using radiation to treat it, can sometimes cause damage to the nerves and muscles of the bladder, urethra, and or sphincter, which controls the passage of urine from the bladder. This can result in urinary incontinence.
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Prostate Cancer Is Common But Treatable
Recently, there has been a movement within the urological community to not treat prostate cancer. Some cases of prostate cancer may never spread to other parts of the body, so treatment may be unnecessary. The benefits of radical surgery or radiation may not be worth the consequences if the cancer is not developing or moving.
The challenge is in knowing which cancers will not spread. No urologist knows when a prostate cancer should be treated. There is no definite signal that tells us that a prostate cancer has already spread. While PSA monitoring, repeated biopsies and MRI studies are of some benefit, the reality is that many patients, while be being watched can have their cancers spread so that a cure is no longer possible.
Another problem with observation or surveillance is that more than 1/3 of prostate cancers have more aggressive cell types or are more extensive than what is found from a biopsy. Not treating these larger or faster growing cancers increases the risk of cancer spread outside the prostate. This is called metastatic cancer and it is not curable.
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Treating Prostate Cancer That Doesnt Go Away Or Comes Back After Treatment
If your prostate-specific antigen blood level shows that your prostate cancer has not been cured or has come back after the initial treatment, further treatment can often still be helpful. Follow-up treatment will depend on where the cancer is thought to be and what treatment youâve already had. Imaging tests such as CT, MRI, or bone scans may be done to get a better idea about where the cancer is.
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Birddogs: 3 X 20 Reps
Yes thats what theyre called! This exercise is a favourite because it requires a lot of mental effort if you havent done them before. Moving your opposite limbs at the same time challenges stability and will improve your body awareness. Developing a greater ability to transfer strength from your upper to lower body places a lot of demand through your midline and improves core strength. Give this exercise a try to see how you go. Tip: think of a glass of water sitting on your lower back and trying not to spill it!
How To Maintain Your Sex Life After Prostate Surgery
Although prostate surgery can affect your sexual experience and performance, getting surgery to remove part or all of your prostate doesnt mean that you can no longer have sex or enjoy a satisfying sexual life.
If youve recently had prostate surgery, its important to talk to your healthcare provider before you make any changes to your health habits. Theyll be able to inform you about what you can do to restore and improve your sexual function after surgery.
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Thread The Needle: 1 X 15 Reps
Again, more mobility for your thoracic spine but this time by adding in rotation movements. This exercise will feel great in your upper back to reduce joint stiffness. If you have a foam roller this can be helpful to get more range of movement. Push down on it with the back of the forearm during the rotation movement.
Does Incontinence Happen If I Treat Prostate Cancer With Radiation
Some men need radiation therapy after prostate removal. During radiation therapy, some of the normal tissues around the urinary sphincter, urethra and bladder may be exposed, causing irritation to occur post therapy, leading to incontinence. This typically subsides within a few months after radiation therapy, however if it persists, additional treatments described below may be helpful.
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How Will I Know If I Have Pushed Myself Too Far
Weakness, dizziness, fatigue, nausea and feeling flushed are some feelings associated with doing too much. You will notice that you will tire sooner with less exercise than before. You may also feel some discomfort, warmth, or stretch down in the pelvic area. When you exercise you should try to stop and rest before these symptoms become too severe. Push yourself but be sensible. It is better to do several shorter periods of exercise rather than a few longer ones.
Recovering From Prostate Surgery
The patient can usually leave the hospital within a day or two, but the incision site will likely feel sore for a few days after. The patient will most likely not be able to drive for at least a week, but should be able to return to normal activities within a few weeks.
During the recovery, the patient may experience several side effects including:
- Urinary tract infection
- Ejaculatory dysfunction
- Erectile dysfunction
After the surgery, its possible to experience erectile dysfunction for a few weeks, a year, or even longer in some cases. This is because the surgery might potentially injure one of the nerves, muscles, or blood vessels that are involved with getting and maintaining erections. There are other factors that could influence the severity of the erectile dysfunction during recovery as well and so it can be difficult to predict how any specific person may recover from the surgery.
The Prostate Cancer Foundation has reported that about half of all men undergoing nerve sparing surgery will regain their pre-surgery function within the first year of the surgery.
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Dr Joseph Rosi Ii Dpt Cert Dn Cscs
Dr. Rosi was born and raised in Dayton, OH. He graduated from The University of Findlay with a dual degree a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology as well as a Bachelors of Arts in Spanish where he was immersed in the culture and lived in Costa Rica while studying at La Universidad de Costa Rica- San Pedro. He then returned to University of Findlay and continued to graduate school to pursue his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. During this time he completed mission work in Nicaragua, in which he served many young families who were unable to access the most basic forms of healthcare.
After graduation, he set out to continue to learn and enhance his hands-on clinical skills, where he spent the next two years completing a Manual Therapy Certification from The University of Saint Augustine in St. Augustine, FL. During this time he also completed his certification in Dry Needling from the American Academy of Manipulative Therapy. He also took coursework and furthered his specialty into male pelvic health. During this time he traveled, learned and worked in many different clinics in multiple states including Ohio, Texas, Indiana, South Carolina, New Mexico, California, and now Florida where Alinea Performance was born.
What You Need To Know About Prostate Surgery
What is prostate surgery for?
The prostate is a gland located underneath the bladder, in front of the rectum. It plays an important role in the part of the male reproductive system that produces fluids that carry sperm.
Surgery for partial or complete removal of the prostate is called a prostatectomy. The most common causes for prostate surgery are prostate cancer and an enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia .
Pretreatment education is the first step to making a decisions about your treatment. All types of prostate surgery can be done with general anesthesia, which puts you to sleep, or spinal anesthesia, which numbs the lower half of your body.
Your doctor will recommend a type of anesthesia based on your situation.
The goal of your surgery is to:
- cure your condition
- minimize pain before, during, and after surgery
Read on to learn more about the types of surgery, risks, and recovery.
The goal of prostate surgery also depends on your condition. For example, the goal of prostate cancer surgery is to remove cancerous tissue. The goal of BPH surgery is to remove prostate tissue and restore the normal flow of urine.
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Physiotherapy Treatment Before And After Prostatectomy Prostate Surgery
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It is known to affect 1 in 6 men over the age of 65 years . Fortunately, the treatment options AND outcomes are improving. The role of physiotherapy is often overlooked and not considered in the treatment journey before and after prostatectomy- prostate surgery. This post aims to raise some awareness of the impacts of cancer and how physiotherapy can play a crucial role in recovery. Prostatectomy is one of the treatment options your surgeon may advise, which is the removal of the whole prostate .
As a result of this type of treatment, urinary incontinence and/or erectile dysfunction can occur which can be quite distressing. Your surgeon may recommend that you visit a pelvic floor physiotherapist prior to having surgery to assist with your recovery. A review of the anatomy, the image below shows the pelvic floor muscles these are a group of muscles and connective tissues which create a supportive sling underneath the bladder and bowel for men. The prostate is located underneath the bladder. The valves that control the bladder are known as the internal and external sphincter as shown. The internal sphincter can be affected with surgery resulting in urinary incontinence.
The role of pelvic health physiotherapy
Pre-operation rehabilitation aims to provide the following: