Discharged

The first day after surgery was full of information on how to deal with the various forms of plumbing, incisions, and functions over the next weeks. All 'the guys', as these now prostate-free men are referred to in the class, have the same concerns and things to learn, except for two men in this group, who received a new method for post operative catheter living based on input from previous men. It seems that Prostatectomies of the current day are a bit 'consumer driven' - a twist in healthcare in the USA. At any rate, the biggest complaint was bloating from laprascopic surgery, which they can't really do anything about, and the second is having to live with the discomforts of a catheter in the urethra. Being that we are part of an ever pioneering program, my beloved got to be one of a hundred or so men so far who have a 'supra-pubic' catheter instead. A Foley catheter AND a much smaller supra-pubic (SP) catheter are placed during surgery. if the SP functions well, the foley is removed before discharge and the new urethra-bladder connection (anastomosis) is left to heal 'sans catheter'. At 5 days post-op, these men get to begin cycling their urination through nature's way - something most prostatectomy patients do not get to do until 7-10 days post-op. This landmark maneuver is one of the key features of life without a prostate and one that is most highly ranked - achieving continence. We are also told that this new method improves early continence. As the numbers succeed with this new method, and it is tweeked, it is anticipated that this will become one of the new ways of the future - we are so lucky........

After we are free of one tube, dressed with fresh bandages, we are freed to the world to begin to adapt to these new tricks on our own. We welcome this day, but my beloved isn't feeling as great as he did the night before, so there is an intuitive sense of concern that does not allow me to celebrate our new freedom. We live 4 hours from this treatment facility, so we decided before surgery that we would allow ourselves the option to reside our first night next door to the hospital, adjust, and return home the following day. That was the plan anyway. Others we met lived closer and headed home 24 hours after having the insides re-arranged - truly amazing.