As I said in the first post Yikes I have prostate cancer it was now time after a biopsy to decide on which treatment or surgery was I going to have. From the images above it is probably clear that I chose robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy as it was least the invasive surgery and promised a quicker recovery period.
In making the decision there was lots to consider including the effects on my capacity to have sex, to put it bluntly. The following link on sex after surgery probably says it better than I can but hey read and talk about this with your partner, in my case my wife. Unusual discussion to say the least.
I also consulted with an urology nurse on how to manage the catheter after surgery and incontinence after that.
The day arrived and I was fortunate to have a great surgeon and hospital (Richmond Epworth)
I haven’t named my urologists as I think I had better ask for their permission first.
Anyway paper work done well before the hospital admission allowed me to relax a little – the last thing you need before going into surgery is worrying about all the correct numbers from medicare or my private health insurance.
I might add that I got a call from a nurse from my private health insurance before I was admitted to hospital (and after) which was nice – reassuring really – another venue to ask the obvious question.
For my American colleagues here in Australia we have general health / medical cover for all citizens paid for through our taxes called Medicare. I chose to pay for additional medical insurance cover as well – have done for 50 years – and in this case all my hospital and theatre costs were paid for (some suggest costs as much as $12,000 in Victoria) . The out of pocket expenses for surgeons, assisting surgeons, anthesists are still not cheap if you are not prepared to wait for a public hospital procedure. Public hospital surgery waiting lists are long. A recent newpaper report talks about this. Again I had the resources to cover these costs so less of a worry for me – perhaps others not so fortunate.
On the day I was ushered into a waiting room after seeing a few nurses who checked details, did blood pressure tests etc… , changed into my surgical gown, slippers etc.. saw my anesthetist who explained that process and surgeon again who went through the last steps I was ready.
The surgery took just over 3 1/2 hrs, not a quick cut as they say. I awoke in the recovery area and after some further checks and some water was wheeled into my “private” room on another floor. I expect this was pretty much standard however I felt assured as both the anthesist and surgery saw me and said everything had gone well. Five small incisions in my tummy area was a reminder that I indeed had the surgery as I didn’t feel a lot of pain at that point.
I chose to stay in hospital for 2 nights even though I could have been released after 24 hours. Thank god I did as the extra 24 hrs in care enabled me to feel more confident in emptying the bag and knowing just what to expect. Advise all others to make the same decision. The hospital nurses were great although the first night was sleep interrupted – I was checked on at least every 2 hrs – I liked the fact that they wrote their name down on a whiteboard in my room so I knew who I was calling or addressing – a nice touch.
A visit from my surgeon on late day 1 with great news – my cancer was contained within the middle of the prostate and hadn’t spread. I think relief was what I felt although there are still a few years of blood tests to check my PSA ahead.
Anyway its time to go home now and armed with some pain killer tablets (didn’t need them in the end) my wife picked me up. I hope this brief description might help others know what to expect and am happy to answer any queries.
My next post will be recovery and discussions with fellow “survivors” of prostate cancer.
