Be gone! Yea man, great to hear!!!
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Way to go!
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Glad to hear it worked out for you, and I agree that wearing a small pad doesn’t sound like that big of an issue if you’re alive and well otherwise!
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@Deleteme How about an update on your progress? Still seeing side effects? I am about to embark on the journey you have described above so looking for data points on recovery (Yes, every case is different.) Thanks, in advance, for any update.
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Yeah, the anniversary is coming up.
My wife was quoting what we were doing a year ago just yesterday. I haven’t looked at the calendar to see what was going on at this point last year. It was a blur, and I guess I’m okay with that.
But looking back, and forward: There are two camps on post-op catheter use. One camp says in and out in a week or so, and the other is 30 days minimum. Having done the 30 day type thing, I can see the reason for it, but also think that 30 days was too long. I refer to the shorter use as the Australian Method as I heard about it on a YouTube from an Oz based urologist. They are removing them as early as 3 days I believe. One reason I think my surgeon chose the long route is because of my bike riding. They literally take the bottom and beginning of the urethra out of the bladder and cut the prostate off, and sew the urethra back to the short stub left. Post-op separation of the urethra is not horrible common, but it does happen, and it’s not something to tempt. So leaving the catheter in place allows the urethra to heal around the catheter and helps eliminate the possibility for it to adhere to itself and cause a stricture or out right blockage. But the catheter tubing does deform the output of the penis enough that not peeing on yourself, or your hands, is rather difficult at first, and still happens now, occasionally (take time to position everything). Having that or a separation I guess I’ll choose having to wash my hands, and potentially getting a dribble on my pants.
Speaking of dribbles, I still leak occasionally. I have a nasty head cold, and when coughing hard or clearing my throat, I do occasionally still leak. I’m working on my kegels again to see if I can get more control over that. It’s not like GUSH, but just a dribble. Hearing that some men lose all urine control, I’m glad I haven’t had THAT problem. Wow…
I did pass a ‘scab’, which was an odd feeling. I did, as a teen, have a kidney stone, and remember passing one, and it kinda felt the same, though less painful, but the urethra wasn’t made to pass hard objects. I had a scope done (another hard thing going in there) and was told ‘there are a couple still in there’, but haven’t felt them if they did pass. (I think I passed two at that time, one was a small square about a quarter inch and an eight inch thick, and another one was quite a bit smaller. I felt that first one for sure. Again having heard of post-op men having them block the urethra completely, I’m grateful one hasn’t.
I have had some slight pains in the area where they went through to get the show done, and assume that is just all adhesions that happen with most surgeries. Most came and went pretty quickly. I did have some urethra pain but I think it was from saddle pressure and adjusted it and it hasn’t come back. My surgeon was also several hours away, and getting followup has been a little nebulous, but maybe that’s good. I’d hate to have to go all that time/distance to get there for a good checkup, but haven’t had anything that I needed help with at all which is amazing and I’m grateful for.
One thing that I picked up from an Australian post-op video was to keep on the Viagra/Cialis long term as they could spark function, but also help to increase the blood flow to the penis. I had stopped for a couple weeks, and saw that video, and looked at myself and realized that it was looking a little ‘skinny’. 
I took up the pills again and he started looking a lot more normal.
Another thing, that as the nerves heal, it’s not at all uncommon (expected) to feel ‘vibrations’ down there. Like a short circuit arcing as it tried to make connection. I may have mentioned that before. They lasted off and on for a couple days, and stopped around the time I started riding again. I was also feeling the usual ‘numb junk’ feeling too, so not sure if I blew my opportunity for avoiding ED. So far, if I get really prolonged numb junk, I also seem to get an erection of sorts. Not sure what that means, but who knows.
One of the things I did post-op for my riding was to invest in more diversified saddles/seats. I went out and bought 4, and picked up another one recently, trying to control the numb junk feelings, getting to a better spot in comfort. (I’m sure the numb junk also helped cause my dribbling to some point, so maybe I can get both back closer to normal)
But the good news is that I am not constantly reminded that I have had prostate cancer, or the surgery. I haven’t really been inconvenienced by the procedure when it comes to most things I did pre-op. Friends that I told haven’t asked recently either which isn’t bad. I still ride (although down from an excursion with Norovirus and a powerful head cold), I still walk a lot, I haven’t taken up jogging again to any great extent, but I also had a hip replacement and jogging isn’t exactly recommended to do with one. (Although I’m still mystified that the airport scanners still beep when I go through and have to do the body scanner, as if they can sense that titanium hip somehow)
Recommendations: Keep training up to the surgery if the surgeon says you can. Take the recovery as easy as you can for the first little while. Be careful of that catheter, you do NOT want to try to accidentally yank on that tubing. Buy lots of Depends, and Shields (Cut about three or four inches off the point before you put it in bibs/shorts), and let yourself recover and deal with what comes day by day. Don’t rush the riding. It’s been hard at times to remember but laugh at things, laugh at yourself. (The first time I peed outside I must have looked like I pulled a lawn sprinkler out of my pants. I had pee going all over the place. Even my dog was watching! ) Funky junk is possible with the Depends. It tends to get more sweaty and moist down there so showering every day and using powders seems to keep anything at bay. (Not wearing wet bibs/shorts for hours post-ride goes a long way on that) I found some stuff called ‘Anti-monkey Butt Powder’ which works really well.
And celebrate the milestones. I pushed for an early PSA, and it came back perfect: nonexistent. YIPPEE!!! Champagne popped! A friend of a friend had a spike in theirs and they went through hell afterwards.
I hope you’ve made it this far, and I hope your journey goes well. It’s a brutal surgery, but not doing it and dying of prostate cancer is worse. I’m always shocked to hear about famous and infamous people that have died of it. Sad…
Oh, one last thing: The day of surgery, you should get a ‘binder’ that is kind of like a girdle. It’ll help hold your abdominal wall together as it heals. That was an important thing the nursing staff almost forgot. I had asked for one knowing it would come in handy, and then ordered different types online to make sure that the incisions didn’t pop open. THAT would make life very interesting and pretty quickly if that happens. Addition: I was told by the surgeon that surgery through the abdominal wall weakens it by up to 20%, so not letting it heal enough is asking for it to let go. It’s not a pretty sight at all! (If a small amount of intestine pops out through a hole and gets constricted long enough, you have ‘dead bowel disease’, and it has to come out before it really messes with your life in a bad way)
Good luck!! Think positive. Be good to yourself. (Make your last sex the best sex, just in case 
)
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There are several threads on prostate surgery here that I have posted to as well.
IRL some people have objected to me being so open about my ‘little adventure’, but it’s all part of life and most (majority of) older men that I have talked to not only feel relieved talking about it to me, but wish there were people that they could have talked it over with when they were headed for their adventure.
Just be good to yourself and your caregivers… I gave my wife a bouquet of flowers and a big hug. Driving hours away, staying in a hotel room two nights, and dragging my ass back, making sure the tubing didn’t get stuck in the car door, that’s good for something… 
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