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Prostate Cancer Surgery Recovery Period

Turbt Recovery & Complications

Prostate Cancer Treatment Side effects Erectile Recovery Time Frames

After the procedure, a flexible tube may be inserted into the bladder through the urethra to assist with draining urine from the bladder. The catheter will usually stay in place for 1 to 3 days. For a few days after the catheter is removed, the patient may have difficulty controlling their urine. This should improve on its own.

Although no incision is made in the belly, TURBT is still considered a major surgery. To speed up recovery, the patient should plan on resting for a few days after the procedure. This includes avoiding stressful physical activities.

Overexertion can cause bleeding inside the bladder. Some blood in the urine, however, is normal. If this does not clear up after several days, or if urination continues to be difficult or blood clots are present in the urine, a physician should be contacted immediately. It is also normal to notice a couple of days of bloody urine again 10 to 14 days after surgery.

Antibiotics may be prescribed to prevent infections, including those of the urinary tract. If so, it is important to take them as directed in order to prevent a recurrent infection.

Other complications of TURBT are:

  • Perforation of the bladder wall

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
  • your wound area or the tip of your penis becomes red, swollen or painful
  • 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.

Tips For Recovering From Prostate Removal

  • Prostate Cancer: Surgical Management. Urology Care Foundation.
  • Instructions For Care Following Conventional Prostatectomy/Robotic Prostatectomy. University of Michigan Health System.
  • Surgery for Prostate Cancer. American Cancer Society.
  • Treatment Options by Stage. UPMC Cancer Center.
  • Also Check: How Do Doctors Check Prostate Cancer

    What Happens During Radical Prostatectomy

    You will have general anesthesia during your prostate surgery. Your surgical team inserts a catheter to drain urine.

    After your surgeon removes your prostate, they check it under a microscope to see if cancer has extended beyond the edge of the prostate or into the seminal vesicles or lymph nodes. If it has, the cancer may have spread. In that case, you may need other treatment.

    How It Is Performed

    Testicular Cancer Surgery Recovery Time

    Brachytherapy treatment plan is created and governed by a radiation oncologist, who is a highly trained physician specializing in treating cancer with radiotherapy. The radiation oncologist will require a team, including a medical physicist, dosimetrist, radiation therapist, radiation therapy nurse and in some cases, a surgeon to conduct the procedure. However, the radiation oncologist is the one who evaluates the patient and determines the appropriate therapy, including how much radiation to deliver.

    In permanent brachytherapy, needles that are pre-filled with the radioactive brachytherapy seeds are inserted into the tumor. Then the needle or device is removed, leaving the radioactive seeds behind. Sometimes these seeds may be implanted in sessions using a device that inserts them individually at regular intervals. An appropriate imaging means such as an ultrasound, X-ray, MRI or CT scan may be used to assist the physician in positioning brachytherapy seeds at the right place. After implantation, some additional imaging can be done to verify seed placement.

    Radiation using brachytherapy procedure can be delivered at three different levels:

    High-dose-rate :

  • Pulsed dose-rate :

    PDR brachytherapy is delivered in a similar way of LDR, but the treatment takes place in periodic pulses instead of continuous radiation.

  • Read Also: What Does Grade 4 Prostate Cancer Mean

    Why Is Radical Prostatectomy Done

    Radical prostatectomy is a treatment for prostate cancer that prevents cancer from spreading outside the prostate gland. It may cure prostate cancer by removing it completely.

    For patients diagnosed with prostate cancer, additional tests may be needed to determine the how far the cancer has spread. These tests help your provider decide if you are a candidate for radical prostatectomy:

    Who Should Undergo Radical Prostatectomy

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

    Before performing radical prostatectomy, doctors first try to establish that the prostate cancer has not spread beyond the prostate. The statistical risk of spread can be determined from tables comparing the results of a biopsy and PSA levels. Further testing for spread, if needed, can include CT scans, bone scans, MRI scans, and ultrasound.

    If it appears that the prostate cancer has not spread, a surgeon may first offer other options besides surgery. These can include radiation therapy, hormone therapy, or simply observing the prostate cancer over time, since many prostate cancers grow slowly. Depending on how high the risk of cancer spread, pelvic lymph node dissection may be considered, as well.

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    Detailed Postoperative Treatment Strategies

    1) Use of PDE-5 inhibitors

    2) Strategies other than PDE-5 inhibitors

    Although the convenience of oral erectile dysfunction treatments is difficult to replace, formulations that have other pharmacological or pharmacokinetic mechanisms can be attempted in patients who show a poor response to oral formulations. Possible alternatives to oral drugs include intracavernosal injection , transurethral alprostadil, use of a vacuum erectile device , male hormone replacement therapy, and stem cell therapy. However, apart from ICI and VED, these treatments can only be used in very restricted cases in Korea. The use of ICI in postoperative erectile dysfunction was first reported by Montersi et al. in 1997 since then, significant erectile function recovery has been reported by other researchers, but the studies have been relatively smaller than those that used PDE-5 inhibitors, with recent reports of non-significant results . Thus, further research will be required for the clinical application of ICI.

    Although rarely used for clinical purposes in Korea, VED is noninvasive and can be effective regardless of the mechanism of erectile dysfunction. Studies on VED use after prostate surgery are few, but the researchers who have investigated VED all reported increases in penile length .

    Radical Prostatectomy To Remove The Prostate

    Prostate cancer – Robotic prostate surgery recovery
    Making decisions about surgeryTalk to your surgeon about what types of surgery are available to you. Ask about the advantages and disadvantages of each option. There may be extra costs involved for some procedures and they are not all available at every hospital. You may want to consider getting a second opinion about the most suitable type of surgery.The surgeons experience and skill is more important than the type of surgery offered.Compared to open surgery, both standard laparoscopic surgery and robotic-assisted surgery usually mean a shorter hospital stay, less bleeding, a smaller scar and a faster recovery. Current evidence suggests that the different approaches have a similar risk of side effects and no difference in outcomes.Whichever surgical approach is used, a radical prostatectomy is major surgery and youll need time to recover.

    View the Cancer Council NSW editorial policy.

    Also Check: What Causes Your Prostate To Enlarge

    When To Call Your Healthcare Provider

    • Youre not able to urinate, or notice a decrease in urine flow

    • You have a fever of 100.4°F or higher, or as directed by your doctor

    • You have severe pain that is not relieved by prescription pain medicine

    • You have bleeding that doesnt stop within 12 hours

    • You have bleeding with clots, or blood plugs up the catheter.

    • The catheter falls out

    What To Expect After Surgery

    A prostatectomy is major surgery from which your body needs time to recover. Your doctor will discuss the details of your recovery with you.

    Typically patients stay in the hospital overnight after surgery and then need to recuperate at home for a month before returning to work. Most men can start to drive a few weeks after surgery. You should avoid heavy lifting for several weeks after surgery. It usually takes about six weeks for most men to feel back to normal.

    This page provides general information about what you can expect in the first hours and days right after surgery. You may also want to read more about:

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    Days Before Your Surgery

    Follow your healthcare providers instructions for taking aspirin

    If you take aspirin or a medication that contains aspirin, you may need to change your dose or stop taking it 7 days before your surgery. Aspirin can cause bleeding.

    Follow your healthcare providers instructions. Dont stop taking aspirin unless they tell you to. For more information, read the resource Common Medications Containing Aspirin, Other Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs , or Vitamin E.

    Stop taking vitamin E, multivitamins, herbal remedies, and other dietary supplements

    Stop taking vitamin E, multivitamins, herbal remedies, and other dietary supplements 7 days before your surgery. These things can cause bleeding. For more information, read the resource Herbal Remedies and Cancer Treatment.

    Surgery For Prostate Cancer

    New MUSC prostate cancer treatment has shorter recovery ...

    Surgery is a common choice to try to cure prostate cancer if it is not thought to have spread outside the prostate gland.

    The main type of surgery for prostate cancer is a radical prostatectomy. In this operation, the surgeon removes the entire prostate gland plus some of the tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles.

    Read Also: What Can You Do To Help An Enlarged Prostate

    Life After Treatment: Alan Weiners Story

    When Alan Weiner found out he had prostate cancer, it was a huge and frightening emotional bomb blast.

    The New York native was diagnosed in February 2014 at age 69. After seeking out opinions from various doctors, Weiner underwent robotic prostatectomy in April at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

    Because of the emotional toll his diagnosis took, Weiner says he found a support group that helped him through that uncertain time in his life. I joined Gildas Club after surgery, but if I had known about it, I would have attended sessions prior to deciding treatment, he says. I found a friend who went through the process and was understanding of my anxieties, fears, and projections.

    I never thought that the emotional aspects of this would be so difficult to deal with, Weiner adds. I never believed that the mortality rate of prostate cancer was very low, and I believed that I would be the one who would not make it. I now know that my fears and negative thinking were things most men go through, however.

    Today, Weiner goes for routine checkups, and two years after his initial diagnosis, his PSA level is undetectable. He deals with persistent sexual dysfunction, but the bladder control issues he first experienced after his surgery have resolved.

    Prostate Cancer Surgery Recovery

    A surgery for prostate cancer is performed after careful examination of the cancer stage, age, body type, and general health of the patient.

    A surgery for prostate cancer is performed after careful examination of the cancer stage, age, body type, and general health of the patient.

    Surgery is one of the two most common treatment procedures for prostate cancer, of which the other option is radiation therapy. As far as the occurrence rate of prostate cancer is concerned, it is one of leading causes of cancer deaths in men. If diagnosed in the early stages or before the tumor has spread to other tissues, surgical procedure is the ultimate option for treatment of prostate cancer.

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    Advantages And Disadvantages Of Prostate Surgery

    Advantages

    • Surgery will completely remove the cancer if it is only in the prostate gland.
    • The prostate can be removed and be fully analysed and staged in the laboratory.
    • The success of the treatment can be easily assessed by PSA testing.
    • If the PSA were to rise after surgery you would still be able to get other treatments like radiotherapy or hormone treatment.

    Disadvantages

    It involves a general anaesthetic and the usual risks you would expect with surgery, like the risk of bleeding, infection and blood clots.

    • You will have to stay in hospital for a few days.
    • You may get side-effects afterwards like problems with erections and urinary incontinence.
    • You will not be able to father children after the surgery, as the prostate, which normally makes some of the fluid needed for semen to be made, has been removed.
    • Recovery takes around 6 weeks.

    Risks Of Radical Prostatectomy

    Experiences with Prostate Cancer / Radical Prostatectomy Recovery – Part Eight

    Radical prostatectomy has a low risk of serious complications. Death or serious disability caused by radical prostatectomy is extremely rare.

    Important nerves travel through the prostate on the way to the penis. Skilled surgeons can usually protect most of these nerves during radical prostatectomy. Still, complications from inadvertent nerve damage do occur after radical prostatectomy. They include:

    • Urinary incontinence: More than 95% of men younger than age 50 are continent after radical prostatectomy. Around 85% of men aged 70 or older maintain continence after the operation.
    • Erectile dysfunction : Problems with erections are common after prostatectomy. Still, most men are able to have sex after prostatectomy while using medicines for ED , an external pump, or injectable medications. The younger the man, the higher the chance of maintaining potency after prostatectomy. A period of penile rehabilitation is often necessary.

    Much of the skill involved in radical prostatectomy centers on sparing these nerves during the operation. A man undergoing radical prostatectomy by a surgeon at an advanced prostate cancer center has a better chance of maintaining sexual and urinary function.

    Other complications of radical prostatectomy include:

    • Bleeding after the operation

    Read Also: Preparation For Prostate Mri Scan

    Dry Orgasm And Infertility

    Both the prostate and the glands responsible for semen production are removed during surgery, which is a common prostate cancer treatment. If you received this treatment, youd still be able to have an orgasm but youd no longer ejaculate.

    This means that youll no longer be fertile. If you plan to have children in the future, you may consider banking your sperm before your surgery.

    Recovery After Prostate Cancer Surgery

    The surgery for prostate cancer requires hospital stay for a particular period. And the duration of hospital stay may vary depending on the type of the performed surgery and the general health of the candidate who has undergone the procedure. In general, patients are required to remain in the hospital for about 2 5 days after the operation. As a matter of fact, candidates who have participated in the laparoscopic surgery and alike minimal invasive techniques usually recover faster than others. Of all the techniques, recovery is fastest with the robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy.

    During the recuperation period, a catheter is used for holding urine. Based on the patients condition, the catheter may be retained for about 1 3 weeks or until the urinary tract is healed properly. He can return to normal work after the catheter is removed. Dressings at the surgery sites are changed regularly to fasten healing process, or precisely, to avoid postoperative infection complications. For managing pain and discomfort after the surgery, the doctor may prescribe over-the-counter painkillers or other appropriate medication.

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    Risks Of Prostate Surgery

    The risks with any type of radical prostatectomy are much like those of any major surgery. Problems during or shortly after the operation can include:

    • Reactions to anesthesia
    • Blood clots in the legs or lungs
    • Damage to nearby organs
    • Infections at the surgery site.

    Rarely, part of the intestine might be injured during surgery, which could lead to infections in the abdomen and might require more surgery to fix. Injuries to the intestines are more common with laparoscopic and robotic surgeries than with the open approach.

    If lymph nodes are removed, a collection of lymph fluid can form and may need to be drained.

    In extremely rare cases, a man can die because of complications of this operation. Your risk depends, in part, on your overall health, your age, and the skill of your surgical team.

    Incontinence After Prostate Surgery: A Guide To Recovery And Care

    Treatment can help maintain prostate cancer patients ...

    After Linwood Wright, 68, of Danville, Va., had his prostate removed following a diagnosis of prostate cancer, he experienced incontinence that he thought would eventually clear up on its own. Although it did get better, now, five years after his surgery, he is still dealing with what he terms a “minimal” problem with bladder control.

    Wrights case is not uncommon, as incontinence is a frequent side effect of prostate surgery. However, according to Dr. Judd Moul, director of the Center for Prostate Disease Research in Washington, D.C., in most cases it lasts only a few weeks. Occasionally, though, it may linger, leaving the patient to manage a permanent case of incontinence.

    A Prostate Primer

    Many prostate conditions can cause bladder weakness or other urinary problems in men. This is because the prostate gland surrounds the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine through the penis. Until puberty, the prostate is the size of a small marble, but after puberty it gradually grows to about the size of a golf ball. After about age 50, the prostate begins to grow again.

    Sometimes this growth doesnt cause any problems at all. However, in some men, the prostate enlarges to the point that it acts as a “clamp” against the urethra, resulting in symptoms such as difficulty starting urination, frequent urination or incontinence. If the problems become severe enough, surgery may be required to correct them.

    Prostate Surgery

    Managing Incontinence

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