Guest guest Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 For the week after my robotic prostatectomy I found it easiest just to hang out wearing nothing but a bath robe and I had the bag at the end of a long tube sitting in the bin I took home from the hospital used for giving me a bath. Anything that moves that tube could be annoying so I can’t imagine wearing tighty whities. Make sure in those recommendations you are see that it isn’t for an implant. When receiving an implant they recommend tight underwear to keep the equipment in proper position for a while. That is not needed for the prostatectomy. After my surgery I didn’t feel too bad. I had some pain pills that kept me in a fog for a few days. I then took it easy for a week or two and then I was up and moving around, a little slowly at first. By then the catheter was out. Have your husband think about the positive side of the catheter, I was able to sleep all night long and watch 2 movies in a row without having to get up and go to the bathroom J From: ProstateCancerSupport [mailto:ProstateCancerSupport ] On Behalf Of sewalaskan Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 6:12 AM To: ProstateCancerSupport Subject: Pending surgery Have a couple questions about after surgery, while using the catheter (for my husband who is have robotic surgery). Have seen 2 different recommendations for underwear; one said to get boxers & the other said whitey-tighties. Both had good explanations. Also, one site said to get 'track'suit with zipper on legs. What would you recommend? Also, how tired & sore were you after surgery (for those that had robotic surgery)? Thanks, Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 For the week after my robotic prostatectomy I found it easiest just to hang out wearing nothing but a bath robe and I had the bag at the end of a long tube sitting in the bin I took home from the hospital used for giving me a bath. Anything that moves that tube could be annoying so I can’t imagine wearing tighty whities. Make sure in those recommendations you are see that it isn’t for an implant. When receiving an implant they recommend tight underwear to keep the equipment in proper position for a while. That is not needed for the prostatectomy. After my surgery I didn’t feel too bad. I had some pain pills that kept me in a fog for a few days. I then took it easy for a week or two and then I was up and moving around, a little slowly at first. By then the catheter was out. Have your husband think about the positive side of the catheter, I was able to sleep all night long and watch 2 movies in a row without having to get up and go to the bathroom J From: ProstateCancerSupport [mailto:ProstateCancerSupport ] On Behalf Of sewalaskan Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 6:12 AM To: ProstateCancerSupport Subject: Pending surgery Have a couple questions about after surgery, while using the catheter (for my husband who is have robotic surgery). Have seen 2 different recommendations for underwear; one said to get boxers & the other said whitey-tighties. Both had good explanations. Also, one site said to get 'track'suit with zipper on legs. What would you recommend? Also, how tired & sore were you after surgery (for those that had robotic surgery)? Thanks, Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Hello Lori;I had a regular RP and not a robotic surgery, but the catheter issue would be the same.I wore loose fitting clothing (PJ's), and underwear, and the catheter wasn't an issue. Mine wasn't taped to my leg. I just carried it around by it's tube. I had two bags,..the large economy size, and the convenient travel size which was considerably smaller! LOL They both fit under my PJs, and nobody could see it if I didn't want them to. They were easy to drain, too. The only thing I had to watch was laying in bed. I didn't feel that I could roll over much, thinking that my tube (not the bag) might drain back into my bladder if it was higher than...you know.One neat thing about it, as was mentioned eaqrlier, was that I didn't have to get up and go to the restroom. I could literally not go all day or night!Your husband will do fine. Don't fret the small stuff. LOLDan HarrimanOrange Texasone year after surgery, and still going strong!If at first you don't succeed, maybe you shouldn't try sky diving!Subject: Pending surgeryTo: ProstateCancerSupport Date: Saturday, June 4, 2011, 5:12 AMHave a couple questions about after surgery, while using the catheter (for my husband who is have robotic surgery). Have seen 2 different recommendations for underwear; one said to get boxers & the other said whitey-tighties. Both had good explanations. Also, one site said to get 'track'suit with zipper on legs. What would you recommend? Also, how tired & sore were you after surgery (for those that had robotic surgery)? Thanks, Lori- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Hi Lori, As the others have said, tell your husband not to sweat it. I wore boxer shorts under my usual khaki slacks during the day, and the catheter gave me no problem taped to my leg. At night I also wore boxer-style PJs, and made sure the catheter bag was on the floor beside the bed. I don't like sleeping on my back, but for the first few days that's how I slept. Later I found I could arrange everything so I could sleep on one side. Like the others, having the catheter out was a great relief, but then it was time for the pads. The incontinence was tough for the first few weeks, but soon got better. Tell your husband to work seriously on the Kegels, beginning now, if he hasn't already done so as that will help overcome the incontinence. After 16 weeks I was able to travel to Europe without any problem. Regarding the after effects of the robotic surgery, I took one of the pain pills my urologist gave me on the first day out of the hospital, more as a precaution than because I needed it. The rest are still in my medicine cabinet as I didn't need them at all. I did feel washed out, energy-wise, for about four days. I guess that's the body reacting to the shock of surgery and healing itself. The only thing I would add is that the worst part of the whole process is the flatulence (gas) and constipation after the surgery. That seems to go on for days and is most uncomfortable. But it seems to be a side effect of any surgery as I had it after heart surgery also. Mike Subject: Pending surgeryTo: ProstateCancerSupport Date: Saturday, June 4, 2011, 6:12 AM Have a couple questions about after surgery, while using the catheter (for my husband who is have robotic surgery). Have seen 2 different recommendations for underwear; one said to get boxers & the other said whitey-tighties. Both had good explanations. Also, one site said to get 'track'suit with zipper on legs. What would you recommend? Also, how tired & sore were you after surgery (for those that had robotic surgery)? Thanks, Lori------------------------------------There are just two rules for this group 1 No Spam 2 Be kind to othersPlease recognise that Prostate Cancerhas different guises and needs different levels of treatment and in some cases no treatment at all. Some men even with all options offered chose radical options that you would not choose. We only ask that people be informed before choice is made, we cannot and should not tell other members what to do, other than look at other options. Try to delete old material that is no longer applying when clicking replyTry to change the title if the content requires it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 > > Have a couple questions about after surgery, while using the catheter (for my husband who is have robotic surgery). Have seen 2 different recommendations for underwear; one said to get boxers & the other said whitey-tighties. Both had good explanations. Also, one site said to get 'track'suit with zipper on legs. What would you recommend? > Also, how tired & sore were you after surgery (for those that had robotic surgery)? Thanks, Lori > I just wore jogging pants, cut the elastic at the waist for comfort. Use the leg bag during the day. Not at all a problem for me. Good luck with surgery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Lori -I used boxer shorts, pajama bottoms or sweats, did not tape the tube to my leg, just let it be loose. The leg bag worked fine during the day, and made it easy to move around, go on walks, etc. There was only minor, very tolerable discomfort from the catheter for me, and after about a week the doc removed it with no pain at all. It's true, as others have mentioned, that not having to get up from a movie to use the bathroom was an unexpected little advantage to the whole thing! The first days post-surgery, in general, were weak but not too bad -- with the exception of a few bladder spams I had. Those were tough but were helped by laying still and taking a vicodin. Otherwise, I felt pretty good but took it easy and didn't push it. I began walking while still in the hospital, and continued to expand my distance as soon as I got home, but my wife is a nurse and warned me to avoid trying to prove myself a macho man -- just be patient and let the body heal at its own pace. Hubby and you will do fine . . .- > To: ProstateCancerSupport > Date: Sat, 4 Jun 2011 10:12:16 +0000> Subject: Pending surgery> > Have a couple questions about after surgery, while using the catheter (for my husband who is have robotic surgery). Have seen 2 different recommendations for underwear; one said to get boxers & the other said whitey-tighties. Both had good explanations. Also, one site said to get 'track'suit with zipper on legs. What would you recommend? > Also, how tired & sore were you after surgery (for those that had robotic surgery)? Thanks, Lori> > > > ------------------------------------> > There are just two rules for this group > 1 No Spam > 2 Be kind to others> > Please recognise that Prostate Cancerhas different guises and needs different levels of treatment and in some cases no treatment at all. Some men even with all options offered chose radical options that you would not choose. We only ask that people be informed before choice is made, we cannot and should not tell other members what to do, other than look at other options. > > Try to delete old material that is no longer applying when clicking reply> Try to change the title if the content requires it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Rick, thanks for your response. His surgery is July 12. We live in Southeast Alaska so will be traveling to Wash. state. We plan to stay in the Seattle area the night he gets out of the hospital to give him one more day to heal before a longish drive. I was worried about the drive home (to relatives) also because of the bumps. We are retired so he doesn't have to go back to work - actually what I'm more worried about is that he will feel good & overdo stuff, especially lifting. Re: the tape - now you know what we women go through when we wax LOL! and we do it for beauty? How long since your surgery? ~Lori > > Lori, > For me the catheter was the worst part of the whole thing. Thankfully with > robotic you will only have it in for a week. I had a few concerns ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Larry, thanks for your response. I think I am more worried about his pain & dealing with the catheter than he is. I know I will be the one driving home from the hospital & will be worrying about hitting any bumps & causing pain. ~Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Lori – Seems everyone has a different experience. I went to NYC for surgery (3 hrs from my home) and it wasn’t until day 3 after surgery that I was up for the 3 hour ride back home. Gas pains and getting my digestive system kick-started after surgery were my two biggest challenges in the 3 days following surgery. On day 5 after surgery I was feeling fine. The catheter was a nuisance but nothing to worry about. My surgeon continually stressed the importance of walking after surgery, they had me out of bed 8 hours after surgery trying to walk the hallways. Walking always made me feel better, despite the obvious difficulties. Before surgery, his advice was walking 3 miles a day and of course doing Kegel exercises – good advice to follow! --- Rich From: ProstateCancerSupport [mailto:ProstateCancerSupport ] On Behalf Of sewalaskanSent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 12:34 PMTo: ProstateCancerSupport Subject: Re: Pending surgery Larry, thanks for your response. I think I am more worried about his pain & dealing with the catheter than he is. I know I will be the one driving home from the hospital & will be worrying about hitting any bumps & causing pain. ~Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 One more thing – my hospital stay for robotic surgery was only one night, ended up spending 2 extra nights in the hotel. I’d make plans to stay 2 nights extra beyond the one-night hospital stay, just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Lori, I wore boxer briefs and loose fitting shorts or sweat type pants—something with elastic around the waist. I had the catheter in for a week. I really didn’t have any problems with it. It was more of an inconvenience than anything else. I used the large bag that I carried in a cloth tote bag. The tube ran out the bottom of my shorts and the tube was inside the tote bag. It wasn’t noticeable unless someone really looked. I carried it that way around the house and when I walked around the block. To sleep, my wife stuck a plastic hanger under the mattress and the hook for the bag hung on it—quite ingenious, I thought. Speaking of walking. I’ve had previous surgeries and know the importance of walking as soon as possible. I forced myself to get up and walk within about 2 hours of getting to my room. I walked 2 or 3 times while I was at the hospital. I stayed in the hospital overnight and was released late the next morning. The doctor gave me codeine for the pain and I used that for a few days then went to Tylenol. I wasn’t afraid to take the meds that I was given, so I really didn’t have much pain—some soreness but not much pain. I was fortunate that I had plenty of sick time available and took 2 months off, so I didn’t have to deal with issues at work. I was able to completely heal before going back. The key will be to have him start the Kegel exercises right away, and to do a lot of walking afterwards. Good Luck, Dennis Dennis J dennisp42@...Seffner, FL 33584 From: ProstateCancerSupport [mailto:ProstateCancerSupport ] On Behalf Of sewalaskanSent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 06:12To: ProstateCancerSupport Subject: Pending surgery Have a couple questions about after surgery, while using the catheter (for my husband who is have robotic surgery). Have seen 2 different recommendations for underwear; one said to get boxers & the other said whitey-tighties. Both had good explanations. Also, one site said to get 'track'suit with zipper on legs. What would you recommend? Also, how tired & sore were you after surgery (for those that had robotic surgery)? Thanks, Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 4, 2011 Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Hi Lori,I wore loose boxers. I cut through the elastic on one pair that I used for the first two days that I was home from the hospital but found that was really unnecessary after the first couple of days as my belly quickly lost the slightly swollen dimensions imparted by the surgery.I agree with the comments made by previous posters. I had robotic surgery and was released from the hospital about 24 hours after surgery. I did take a couple of the pain pills provided by my surgeon but I cut them in half and only took them at bed time. By about day three I was pain free. I also had two catheter bags, a large one for use at nite and a smaller (leg bag) for daytime mobility. I was surprised that I did not feel any sense of urination while using either bag; I would just notice that the bag was heavy when I got out of a chair, for example, and then I emptied it. With the small bag I could walk unimpeded for long distances around the neighborhood, starting at about day 5.At night, I hung the large bag inside of an open topped 5-gallon pail that I placed on the floor next to my bed. Worked great. Like others, I was pretty much confined to sleeping on my back or on one side during the 10 days that I had the catheter in.I did have the hose taped to my inner thigh, just below my crotch. The medical staff taped it in place during surgery so it was there when I woke up. They taped it so well that it was still perfectly functional when I had the catheter removed ten days later, despite daily showers starting at about day 4. I had my surgery at Northwestern Medical Center in Chicago, which is a teaching hospital with a well regarded urology department and a great Da Vinci team. I did attend a few optional classes before my surgery that were VERY beneficial. One took place about 3 months before my surgery and dealt with, among other things, dealing with possible incontinence and instructions on doing kegals. I kegaled and kegaled and kegaled from the time of the class until the day of my surgery. I have had zero incontinence problems aside from a limited bit of leakage during the week or two following removal of my catheter. I attribute much of my good results to the kegals.I also attended an optional (but highly recommended) class on catheter care. The class included hands on practice on changing bags, hygiene, maintenance of catheter components, anatomy, physiology and education on "how guys pee". All good stuff and a very good confidence builder.Because of the way weekends fell, I was off work for two weeks. I went back to work about three days after the catheter was removed. I work in an office so it was not a problem at all. I was restricted from traveling for a total of 12 weeks following the surgery because my doc did not want me lifting anything, such as a suitcase. I was also restricted from riding a bike, which I hated, but the doc did not want to risk a fall which could screw up his handy work.I am now almost due for my 4 year check up. No problems with incontinence, a very satisfying sex life ( I have to work at it, but who doesn't?), and zero-dot-zero PSA. I am 60 years old.Good luck...try not to worry...pls feel free to ask for any additional feedback I may be able to provide to make your experience less stressful.Peace,Subject: Pending surgeryTo: ProstateCancerSupport Date: Saturday, June 4, 2011, 6:12 AM Have a couple questions about after surgery, while using the catheter (for my husband who is have robotic surgery). Have seen 2 different recommendations for underwear; one said to get boxers & the other said whitey-tighties. Both had good explanations. Also, one site said to get 'track'suit with zipper on legs. What would you recommend? Also, how tired & sore were you after surgery (for those that had robotic surgery)? Thanks, Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2011 Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 > > One more thing - my hospital stay for robotic surgery was only one night, > ended up spending 2 extra nights in the hotel. I'd make plans to stay 2 > nights extra beyond the one-night hospital stay, just in case. > That's a very, very good idea! If something goes wrong in the day or two after surgery -- and things _do_ go wrong -- you want to be close to the hospital that did the surgery, not somewhere in northern BC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2011 Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 > > One more thing - my hospital stay for robotic surgery was only one night, > ended up spending 2 extra nights in the hotel. I'd make plans to stay 2 > nights extra beyond the one-night hospital stay, just in case. > That's a very, very good idea! If something goes wrong in the day or two after surgery -- and things _do_ go wrong -- you want to be close to the hospital that did the surgery, not somewhere in northern BC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.