Radical prostatectomy in 2003

[jeff_...@hotmail.com]

23 November 2008

I had my ‘radical’ on 1st October 2003. I missed out on the era of the
robot! Nevertheless, five years down the line, I would like to share a
few thoughts about my experiences, perhaps for comparison with those
who have much more recently undergone surgery, or indeed are about to.

Unlike those who have experienced the very latest technology, I awoke
with an eight inch vertical wound to slow me down, and a minimum of 6
weeks healing time to look forward to before I could get back to any
sort of normality! Five years on and I know it’s all a bit different
now. Much shorter recuperation. Good show for the robots I say. But
don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not complaining! When I was told
that I had a tumour, I thought it was the worst day of my life. Panic,
fear – all the usual reactions. Much later, I concluded that it was in
fact the luckiest day of my life.You see, I found out early. My
symptoms were negligible, possibly imagined. In my view, my biggest
symptom was 54 years of age! I insisted on a screening, and I got a
rotten result – but I got it early (oh mercy). After being talked
through the various options, we decided that a radical prostatectomy
was the route for me.

My wife and I were able to discuss in detail with my surgeon, the
operation, the after care needed, and possible side effects, before
deciding to go ahead with the procedure. Even without the robot, I was
in hospital for only 5 days! I had no discomfort with the catheter.
Removal was painless. Like everybody else I suppose, I had to do
battle with urine control. At first I got a bit dispirited about it,
but it only took a couple of weeks to achieve a good level of control.
To this day I still get a very occasional surprise, but it is
miniscule and does not cause a problem.

Concerning matters sexual, yes I did, and still do, suffer from
erectile dysfunction. It has improved with time. Medical science has
helped. It’s not perfect. But hey, I have a lovely wife and we
certainly do have a sex life together! Occasionally, if I get down
about things, I remind myself of how it might have turned out if I had
not bothered to get checked out, you know, the alternative……job done.

In terms of physical fitness, post op, I am sport mad – always have
been. I was back to running, biking, squash and working out, six weeks
after surgery. It took around another six weeks to get my fitness
level back up. I’ve never had any problems or setbacks. My big cut
healed beautifully.

Reflecting on the past five years, I feel a huge sense of relief –
relief that it has all gone to plan. (I allow myself to be quietly
confident about the future.) I am also very very grateful to the team
that got me to, and through, the operation and helped me to make the
right choices beforehand regarding which treatment route to go down;
and when it was all done, helped me to remain positive and optimistic.
There was a lot of emphasis on treating the whole person, and not just
the surgery. In the early days post op, particularly, this helped me
keep the ‘problems’ in perspective. I also felt very confident to
speak frankly and candidly. (Thank you Omer Karim.)

I have absolutely no regrets at having chosen surgery as my route.

Jeff Day