Post-operation advice, please
Bill Anderson
been through this can answer a couple of questions I have this Sunday
morning when I don't really want to track down the doc for a
non-essential conversation?
1) How far or how long should I walk? The docs and the nurses all
admonished me to walk, and so I am walking -- but they didn't tell me
how far or for how many minutes. I live in downtown DC where walking is
a pleasure. If I choose, I can go over to the National Gallery or
Natural History and walk the halls there, or I can just walk up and down
Pennsylvania Ave., and there are lots of other choices. This is now my
fourth day post-operation. The day after the operation I walked around
and around the nurses' station and then took a taxi home and that was
about it. The next day I walked round and round the halls of my condo.
Yesterday I walked (moseyed, rather) twice around my block -- once in
the morning and again in the afternoon. It's a big city block. Both
times I did fine, no indication of feeling faint or anything, but I did
begin to feel an ache in my belly. Not bad, but not pleasant. I could
have pushed myself and walked much further, but I didn't. So what's the
advice? Push myself. Walk faster? Ignore the ache because it'll go
away the more I walk? Take it easy and don't push myself? Walk a while
and rest on a public bench and walk further? A mile a day? Two miles
as soon as possible? Advice, please.
2) How long should I take the Colace? I took just one yesterday and my
stool is still mostly liquid. I don't want to strain, which I certainly
have not needed to do so far. A friend said he stayed on it for five
weeks. Is that necessary?
Thanks for any insights you may have.
--
Bill Anderson
I am the Mighty Favog
Vince
Bill,
I can only give you my experiences and I had the open RRP surgery, not
the robot. I was in the hospital for two and a half days and did
virtually no walking, because the nurses and techs were too busy to go
with me. Hospital rules said I had to be assisted. After I got home
starting the fourth day post op I was walking about a mile a day. I had
a mild ache in my lower abdomen, but nothing really to worry about. I
did have some swelling in my lower abdomen after walking the first couple
of days. The doctor said that was normal and was because of my walking.
As for the Colace, I never took that or took anything to soften my
stool. I didn't need it. So I can't help you there.
Hope this helps. If I were you I'd just do what felt comfortable as far
as walking, but don't over do it. Stop and take breaks if you need them.
Vince
--
PSA 4.73 07/2000 @ 48
Biopsy 07/2000 G7 (3+4)
RRP 09/2000 @ 49 G7 (3+4), T2b Neg margins
PSA < 0.1 for 14 months post op
PSA .8 .8 .6 .8 04/2008 thru 12/2008
IMRT 02/2009 - 04/2009, 38 treatments, 60.8 Gy total
PSA .02 05/18/09
PSA .01 09/22/09
jloomis
I would always try to make a longer walk unless feeling problems.
Get rid of the med. Prunes work just as well.....
Serious.....
I was so glad to get off the meds.......
So, get on a regimen......and walk that distance at least. 1/2 hr...or
longer.
go for an hour.........
Sitting was not recomended due to blood clot and such....swelling.
After a long walk though sitting was a reward.
Good luck with the healing process.....
john
I had RP so lifting was out of the question but walking was fine.
"Bill Anderson" <billand...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:iOWdnUTQZefQ5MHW...@giganews.com...
jloomis
Oh and i rmemeber carrying/pushing a wheeled "christmas tree of fluids and
cath. stuff)
I was allover the hospital after that.........
I think they were glad to get rid of me......with my rear hanging out.....
The nurse would come and pin a gown on my backside.........(sorry)
oh well.........
jl
"Gogarty" <Gog...@Clongowes.edu.ie> wrote in message
news:20100124-1...@Gogarty.news.bway.net...
>I also had the full RPP. I recall just being too fatigued for a long time
> to do any serious walking other than around the house. I was also not
> permitted to drive a car for six weeks, not that the driving itself would
> be a problem but emergency maneuvers might put too much stress on the
> abdomen..
>
Alan Meyer
>
> Thanks for any insights you may have.
I haven't been through this myself (I had radiation), but I
suggest that you:
1) Increase the distance gradually.
2) When increasing the distance, plan for at least the increased
part to be near home so that if you have problems it's easy to
get back to your condo without going the full route.
3) Pay attention to pain. There are parts of your body that
you can't see that have been cut and need to heal. You don't
want to tear them open again.
Good luck.
Alan
Bill Anderson
Thanks. Just returned from my afternoon walk. From 6th St. went NW on
Penn Ave. past the FBI and one more block making five blocks total,
three of them short, north on 11th to E St., west on E to 10th where we
decided to tour Ford's Theater -- they've installed a great new museum
in the basement and I hadn't seen it before -- listened to a
presentation in the balcony, peered through the plexiglas into the box
where Lincoln was sitting, back down 10th to E, west on E to 8th and
stopped in at CVS to pick up some OJ and ice cream (well, they said I
could eat what I want and while I normally forego the Haagen Daz, I'm a
sick man and I need the right foods to regain my strength and vanilla
almond crunch sounded about right), then back to my condo. I feel a bit
tired but I'm not suffering.
I do think I'd better do a better job of adjusting my leg bag. It had
only a little in it when I returned, but when I'd adjusted a strap it
filled right up which makes me think my bladder must have been suffering
a bit while I was out walking. I guess I'm learning as I go. All's OK
now, though. Just gotta try not to sneeze any more than I have to. Ouch.
Thanks everybody for the comments.
Steve Kramer
>through this can answer a couple of questions I have this Sunday morning
>when I don't really want to track down the doc for a non-essential
>conversation?
>
> 1) How far or how long should I walk? The docs and the nurses all
> admonished me to walk, and so I am walking -- but they didn't tell me how
> far or for how many minutes. I live in downtown DC where walking is a
> pleasure.
-- skramer remarks
Back when I was doing a little gov'ment work, when I flew to DC I stayed in
the Crown (?) at 14th and K. I loved walking around DC at night (though
everyone thought I was nuts). That was when you could walk down to
Pensylvannia and in front of the White House. I have to admit, L was a
little harrowing. I only did that stretch once.
That said, I'd walk as much as you can stand. The more you walk, the faster
you will heal.
PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46
Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c
RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins
PSA <.1 <.1 <.1 .27 .37 .75 PSAD 0.19 years
EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47
PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 PSAD 0.56 years
Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 and every 4 months there after
PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 PSAD 1.40 years
Casodex added daily 07/06
PSA undetectable since. Next Assay 02/02/10
Illegitimati non carborundum
Steve Kramer
news:20100124-1...@Gogarty.news.bway.net...
>I also had the full RPP. I recall just being too fatigued for a long time
> to do any serious walking other than around the house. I was also not
> permitted to drive a car for six weeks, not that the driving itself would
> be a problem but emergency maneuvers might put too much stress on the
> abdomen..
No brag, but I was walking 17-minute miles (x2) before open surgery
(12/15/2000) and when I started up again the day after my cath was removed
(1/2/2001), I walked 18-minute miles (x2).
Bill Anderson
>
> Back when I was doing a little gov'ment work, when I flew to DC I stayed in
> the Crown (?) at 14th and K. I loved walking around DC at night (though
> everyone thought I was nuts). That was when you could walk down to
> Pensylvannia and in front of the White House. I have to admit, L was a
> little harrowing. I only did that stretch once.
>
I've lived downtown for ten years and I have to admit when I came here I
feared being outside at night. Now I'm certainly going to agree there's
a possibility that bad things can happen anywhere around here any time
of day, but I've really stopped worrying about being out at night in my
neighborhood, the Penn Quarter. That's the area around the National
Gallery, the Newseum, Chinatown, the FBI, the Spy Museum, and so forth.
It's just a great place to live for me with all the theaters and night
life and restaurants -- it's also like living in a shopping mall with
Macy's and Footlocker and Bed Bath and Beyond and all that stuff within
walking distance, plus the Wizards and Capitals play just a few blocks
up the street at the Verizon Center, and the big Smithsonian museums are
over here and over there and this way and that. There's even a Safeway
within walking distance. And I walk every day across the National Mall
to my office. If the doc prescribes a walking cure, DC is a great place
to do it. I donated my car to charity in 2005.
You can still walk right up the the White House fence on Pennsylvania
Ave. You just can't drive past it as you once could.
chazjac
I tried to walk for fifteen minutes each day at first, whether at the
hospital or at the in-laws (where I recuped until the catheter came out).
I just walked laps; didn't really pay much attention to how far I went. Ask
your doc about the abdomen pain, but I'm betting that he'll say that it's
okay and don't worry about it.
I used Dulcolax for just a couple of days while I still had the catheter in.
Five weeks seems long!
--charlie
Bill Anderson
I'm going to keep taking stool softener until the doc tells me it's time
to give it up. Maybe that's what he'll say Friday when I get the
catheter removed. I agree -- five weeks on stool softener sounds like a
long time to me.
Today I walked six blocks to the US Capitol, up Capitol Hill, around the
Capitol, down to American Indian Museum, then back across the Mall and
home. Stopped by the Federal Courthouse to make sure they know I won't
be reporting for jury duty Friday. (I'd asked for a deferral due to
surgery but hadn't heard back. Turned out I'm excused and back in the
jury pool to be called who knows when.) I'm pooped right now, but
feeling fine otherwise. No unusual abdominal pain. I guess I was
walking for about an hour and a half, but I'm measuring by distance
rather than time. I didn't set any land speed records this afternoon.
chazjac
I like the Mall. I don't get to visit that often, but when do, I always
feel a little bit more connected to our country's history.
--charlie
Steve Kramer
news:hjkq92$bmn$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
> Hello, Bill:
>
> I tried to walk for fifteen minutes each day at first, whether at the
> hospital or at the in-laws (where I recuped until the catheter came out).
> I just walked laps; didn't really pay much attention to how far I went.
-- skramer remarks
I admire you guys that got out to walk with the catheter still in. Even
with the leg bag I felt like a cowboy trying to walk around.
Hmmmmmmmmmm. Speaking of which, has anyone heard from David481?
Steve Kramer
> Today I walked six blocks to the US Capitol, up Capitol Hill, around the
> Capitol, down to American Indian Museum, then back across the Mall and
> home. No unusual abdominal pain. I guess I was walking for about an hour
> and a half, but I'm measuring by distance rather than time. I didn't set
> any land speed records this afternoon.
That is fantastic! Five days after open surgery, I was still laying in a
hospital bed.
--
skramer remarks
chazjac
>
> I admire you guys that got out to walk with the catheter still in. Even
> with the leg bag I felt like a cowboy trying to walk around.
True, it was annoying. My father-in-law and I spread towels around the path
I would walk in their house just in case I had a spill. When I returned to
the hospital with the leg bag, I felt like everyone was staring at me and my
very strange gait. But walking out normally? That was nice.
--charlie
Bill Anderson
I'm curious about this because I'm having no problems/worries whatsoever
about spills. I have two bags -- a big one for around the house and
overnight, and a leg bag for going out. I just stand over the toilet
when switching between the two in case there's a dribble. Once a bag is
attached, there's no chance of a spill as far as I can determine. Based
on advance comments I found here and elsewhere, I thought I would need
some sort of pail by the bed at night. But no such thing -- I just hook
the big bag to the bed frame, lie back, and go to sleep. And during the
day I just drop it on the floor by the computer or the La-Z-Boy or
wherever I am. When I'm walking around I keep it hooked to my
waistband. I just have to keep reminding myself not to go outside with
the big bag of pee in plain view.
The nurse did tell me that I have the Cadillac of leg bags. She said my
doctor has "splurged" on expensive leg bags for his patients, and in
fact they keep his supply locked up at the hospital so none of the other
patients will get any of them by mistake. But what's so special? I
don't get it. My bag seems pretty basic: two elastic/velcro straps to
wrap around my leg and hold it in place and a tube to plug into the
catheter. The drain valve is plastic and works easily. And when I'm
walking I'm completely unaware of wearing it unless the velcro happens
to snag my pants or rub my skin, and I can fix that with a quick adjustment.
So just out of curiosity, how did your leg bag work and why the worry
about spillage? (I can't believe I'm actually asking questions like
this, but at this point in my recovery I seem to be focusing on body
plumbing more than ever before in my life.)
Bill Anderson
> In article <hjmqso$ovi$1...@news.eternal-september.org>, cha...@live.com says...
> years of practice he had never had a patient show up late to have the catheter
> removed. I guess that's 35 years now.
>
Well now let's think about this. There could be advantages. I mean,
for the first time in my life I can drink a big glass of water before
going to bed without having to worry about waking up in the middle of
the night with an urge to go. Do I really want to give up my catheter? Hm?
Well, yes.
Vince
Bill, your two bags sound exactly like the ones I had back after my RRP
in 2000. I did not have any problems with spillage. I had to wear mine
for three weeks. No problems other than the aggrivation of wearing it.
I was ready to take that sucker (the catheter) out myself towards the end.
Lowen
> chazjac wrote:
> So just out of curiosity, how did your leg bag work and why the worry
> about spillage? (I can't believe I'm actually asking questions like this,
> but at this point in my recovery I seem to be focusing on body plumbing
> more than ever before in my life.)
>
> --
> Bill Anderson
>
> I am the Mighty Favog
I had the leg bag attached to my ankle under my sweatpants,and could
tell by the weight of it swinging around when i would walk when it was full
or not.About once a week I would stop in the office before I returned to
work, and one guy in particular did not like it when I would go into detail
about my operation, as he was very squeamish about medical things, so I
would purposely pull up my pant leg in front of him and say 'Oh my I need to
go empty my shoe'. Got him going everytime, and he would not look at it for
the life of him..
Then I would tell him 'Remind me to tell you about my vasectomy someday,
and he would almost pass out..
Boy I miss him now that I'm retired and moved away..
Have a nice one.
Owen 'class of 03 rrp'
chazjac
[snip]
>
> Well now let's think about this. There could be advantages. I mean, for
> the first time in my life I can drink a big glass of water before going to
> bed without having to worry about waking up in the middle of the night
> with an urge to go. Do I really want to give up my catheter? Hm?
>
While I was still in the hospital, My wife took a peek at the huge catheter
tube disappearing into the head of my penis -- and nearly fainted! She said
she never wanted to see that again.
--charlie
Steve Kramer
news:wJmdnRufDNrLkcLW...@giganews.com...
> Do I really want to give up my catheter? Hm?
-- skramer remarks
I hope so. It is the only point about which there is 100% agreement here.
You wouldn't want to screw that up.
Steve Kramer
> So just out of curiosity, how did your leg bag work and why the worry
> about spillage?
-- skramer remarks
I never had a slip up or leakage from the bag or it's connections. I did
have some leakage where the tube went into my penis, but that is perfectly
normal. It almost always was attended by a sneeze or cough.
Bill Anderson
Heh! Interesting about the ankle bag. Mine straps on above the knee.
Bill Anderson
Yeah. I haven't gotten completely used to the sight myself. :-)
Bill Anderson
> In article <hjoe0t$iti$1...@news.eternal-september.org>, cha...@live.com says...
> hospital. She and my wife together checked on the status of my catheter et al.
> Tee hee. I wasn't that sick.
>
There I was with my 82-year-old MOTHER in the room while a cute nurse
applied Vaseline to the tip of my penis. This was one situation I never
thought I'd experience.
Bill Anderson
> "Bill Anderson" <billand...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:wJmdnRifDNoClsLW...@giganews.com...
>
>> So just out of curiosity, how did your leg bag work and why the worry
>> about spillage?
>
> -- skramer remarks
>
> I never had a slip up or leakage from the bag or it's connections. I did
> have some leakage where the tube went into my penis, but that is perfectly
> normal. It almost always was attended by a sneeze or cough.
>
Sneezes and coughs don't cause it for me. But relaxing for a bowel
movement is something else again.
Lowen
> Heh! Interesting about the ankle bag. Mine straps on above the knee.
>
> --
> Bill Anderson
>
> I am the Mighty Favog
It was real neat, when full just pull over to a bench, pull up your pantleg
a bit and open the valve at the bottom and let her drain, just like a dog
without lifting your leg, Or in a mall then it's in a stall and put your
foot on the bowl and pretend to tie your shoe !! real convienient..and at
night I had a larger one that I hooked on the end of a coat hanger stuck in
between the matresses..all in all it wasn't a problem at all..
Have a nice one !
Owen
chazjac
[snip]
> There I was with my 82-year-old MOTHER in the room while a cute nurse
> applied Vaseline to the tip of my penis. This was one situation I never
> thought I'd experience.
HAH!! Now, that's deflating ... --charlie
Bill Anderson
> On Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:45:57 -0500, Bill Anderson
> <billand...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> I had the robotic prostatectomy last Wednesday. Maybe somebody who's
>> been through this can answer a couple of questions I have this Sunday
>> morning when I don't really want to track down the doc for a
>> non-essential conversation?
>>
>> 1) How far or how long should I walk? The docs and the nurses all
>> admonished me to walk, and so I am walking -- but they didn't tell me
>> how far or for how many minutes. I live in downtown DC where walking is
>> Natural History and walk the halls there, or I can just walk up and down
>> Pennsylvania Ave., and there are lots of other choices. This is now my
>> fourth day post-operation. The day after the operation I walked around
>> and around the nurses' station and then took a taxi home and that was
>> about it. The next day I walked round and round the halls of my condo.
>> Yesterday I walked (moseyed, rather) twice around my block -- once in
>> the morning and again in the afternoon. It's a big city block. Both
>> times I did fine, no indication of feeling faint or anything, but I did
>> begin to feel an ache in my belly. Not bad, but not pleasant. I could
>> have pushed myself and walked much further, but I didn't. So what's the
>> advice? Push myself. Walk faster? Ignore the ache because it'll go
>> away the more I walk? Take it easy and don't push myself? Walk a while
>> and rest on a public bench and walk further? A mile a day? Two miles
>> as soon as possible? Advice, please.
>>
>> 2) How long should I take the Colace? I took just one yesterday and my
>> stool is still mostly liquid. I don't want to strain, which I certainly
>> have not needed to do so far. A friend said he stayed on it for five
>> weeks. Is that necessary?
>>
>> Thanks for any insights you may have.
>
> Bill,
>
> I had an RLRP.
>
> I walked 1 mile on the hospital nursing unit, the morning after my
> procedure and was released later that afternoon. The following morning
> I gradually increased the distance in my neighborhood and within a
> week was up to about three miles. I hated it, not because of any great
> pain or exertion but rather the damn catheter just really annoyed me.
>
> I took Colace for seven days. Your liquidity may in part be due to
> your lack of any real solid food, but don't rush that either...
>
Thanks, Paul. On one Colace per day the stool is soft and passing it is
easy. And I'm eating anything I want. I'm probably not walking three
miles a day, but I could if I wanted to. I'm doing about two miles.
The leg bag tends to chafe after a while.
Steve Kramer
> while a cute nurse applied Vaseline to the tip of my penis.
Ah.... Kara.... I'll never forget her tender care....
Bill Anderson
>
> The one thing I did wrong during my immediate recovery was rushing to
> solid foods. To be honest I just couldn't help myself as I was sick of
> gelatin....
>
The hospital literally demanded I eat solid food before they'd let me
out the door. For breakfast the day after surgery I had bacon and
western omelet and English muffin and I don't remember what else. The
western omelet was downright good, actually. Then, I swear, when the
physician's assistant (or whatever his title was) heard I'd declined
lunch in hopes of leaving around noon, he told me he wanted to know I
had eaten before he'd approve dismissing me. So it finally came down to
waiting waiting waiting for a tray of food which arrived at 1:25 and was
wolfed down by 1:30 and I was out of there. No harmful effects as far
as I could tell.
Steve Kramer
> The hospital literally demanded I eat solid food before they'd let me out
> the door. For breakfast the day after surgery I had bacon and western
> omelet and English muffin and I don't remember what else. The western
> omelet was downright good, actually. Then, I swear, when the physician's
> assistant (or whatever his title was) heard I'd declined lunch in hopes of
> leaving around noon, he told me he wanted to know I had eaten before he'd
> approve dismissing me. So it finally came down to waiting waiting waiting
> for a tray of food which arrived at 1:25 and was wolfed down by 1:30 and I
> was out of there. No harmful effects as far as I could tell.
--
skramer remarks
Sounds like a dream. I had a complication where my illium never woke up. I
was fed intravenously and my bile was sucked out with a nose tube for a
week. I wasn't even allowed ice chips. Finally, it woke up and then there
was a rush to feed me so I would fart. Finally, after eight days, I went
home without a complaint about hospital food.
Bill Anderson
> still had a hell of a time getting my bowels moving again.
>
Colace has been good to me. I'm still taking one per day because at this
point soft stools are like gifts from heaven.
My abdomen gurgled like 19th century plumbing from the time I was
dismissed from the hospital on Thursday til the first farts on Friday.
The only excrutiating pain I ever felt from the operation came, I truly
believe, solely from gas. Then Friday morning I performed a triple
flutterblast, and all was well.
What? Are you serious? You've never heard of a triple flutterblast?
http://randsesotericotr.podbean.com/2008/05/14/the-great-crepitation-contest-of-1946/
Bill Anderson
> On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:11:04 -0500, Bill Anderson
>>
>> What? Are you serious? You've never heard of a triple flutterblast?
>>
>> http://randsesotericotr.podbean.com/2008/05/14/the-great-crepitation-contest-of-1946/
>
> How weird is that, no I had never heard of a triple flutterblast, but
> I'll surely remember the term from here on out :)
>
I plan to use the recording as a continence training exercise. Wonder
how long it'll be before I can make it all the way through without
leaking?