Recovery after robotic surgery

[Sweet Old Bob]

It's been almost a month since I had a radical prostatectomy with the
DaVinci robot. Subsequent pathology was very good, very encouraging,
cancer wholly removed, very low chance of later complications, etc.

How long until I even feel like riding the bike again?

I'm a daily rider, commuter, and enjoy log distance touring. But
frankly, at this time, because of the residual pain I'm not even
tempted to ride the bike!

How long is this gonna last? Would a different type saddle help? Is
there a danger of doing harm by attempting to ride the bike too
early? Am I being to impatient and expecting to rapid a recovery?

My surgeon isn't a biker. The best he could offer is that I could
start riding the bike "about two weeks after you're back to work."

Anybody gone through this that would like to offer words of
encouragement?

Thanks.

--
Bob Kastigar; mailto:R-Kastigar ->at<- neiu.edu
Home: http://www.neiu.edu/~rkastiga

[Ken T]

Welcome to the club, Bob. I went DV in May and I'm only
now comfortable riding a bike for short distances. But I
was sitting in a donut on my desk chair for a month or
so. I wouldn't rush it. A friend of mine warned me about
sitting on anything narrower than a sofa. He tried a
bike and rode a block before he stopped for the pain.

I did see an old feller riding a bike with a special
split seat, allowing a space where your "taint" can fit
in without pressure. You might try a bike shop. If I
were a serious biker, I'd be putting one of them on my bike.

Good luck with your recovery.

[Luca]

I have used one of these since after my robotic. They are great.

http://hobsonseats.stores.yahoo.net/easyseat.html

[len]

My surgeon wanted me to wait six weeks before riding my bike, but I
had no problems when I started. The only concern I've had is
impotence. Some urologists maintain that spending a lot of time on a
bike can affect erections even without the additional complication of
prostate surgery. But so far, I'm doing pretty well in that regard.

I don't really understand what should be hurting. Unlike my open RP,
presumably the incisions in your abdomen healed quickly. Was there
any problem with your rectal wall during the surgery? Could you have
developed some adhesions? You should ask your surgeon for an
explanation and suggestions about what to do. I don't think it is
normal to hurt so much after prostate surgery.

I don't know if it will help---since I haven't had the pain you
describe---but I can tell you what I do. My saddle is set up so that
the points of support are my skeleton, not soft tissue. In addition,
I've tilted the saddle slightly downward, and that reduces any
addition pressure on the soft tissue. This is the opposite of the
usual recommendation, which is to have the saddle level or even
pointed slightly up. I've considered getting one of those saddles
with a split in the middle which is supposedly designed just to avoid
this problem, but so far my old leather saddle has worked well.

In addition, I'm careful to get up off the saddle every few minutes or
so. Years ago, long before my RP, I would develop `numb penis'
syndrome after riding for a while, but I haven't had anything close to
that for quite a long time. Finally, I'm careful to make sure my
saddle is not loose. A loose saddle will definitely lead to
discomfort and other problems.

I have been riding more or less continuously since my RP 8 years ago,
and I hope to continue for some years to come. I am 75, and spinal
stenosis has caught up with me, so I can't get much exercise walking.
The stenosis affect mainly the quadriceps muscles, so with cleats and
using the muscles on the bak of my legs as much as possible, with some
pain killers added, I've managed to cycle 50 minutes every other day
at a reasonable pace.

Don't give up on cycling. Find out why you are having a problem and
get back to it as soon as possible. Good luck.

[El Woody]

> get back to it as soon as possible.   Good luck.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I am a biker too. I started back to spinning class about 1 month after
my open RP in October 2007. I had few if any problems with soreness
other than occasional twinges around the incision. My stamina had
suffered a bit on the month I was off the bike so I was very tired
after about a 1 hour class.

Started back with serious training in the spring, logging about 150
miles a week. Am doing the Livestrong Challenge 100 mile ride on
Sunday. The only complication related to the surgery is that I am
still carrying about 10 lbs extra weight gained immediately post
surgery (mostly from too much food and wine!) and that impacts my
ability to go uphill fast.

Have not needed to change the seat.

My recommendation is to stay on the bike, get a new seat if you feel
that necessary but just continue to ride. Also, work those core
muscles gradually. They really help your cycling.