Robotic Prostatectomy update

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  • Hi everyone 

My husband Pete had his Radical Robotic Prostatectomy on Wednesday 10th July - I have documented the last 48 hrs - it may help anyone who is due to have their own surgery but I understand everyone is different Heart


The operation was described as successful but tricky - and he was in surgery for 5.5 hrs  This was due to there being a lot of damage and scar tissue from the continuous infections which Pete had over the past year ( and uro sepsis in April). They have removed the prostate and also lymph nodes from both sides. 
Post surgery Pete was taken to recovery and monitored very closely - he was understandably very sleepy / groggy though I managed to say hi to him via FaceTime about 20.30pm

it was a very worrying day as we expected him to be in surgery for around 3 hrs - I ended up phoning hospital at 4pm as I hadn’t had any updates and I knew Pete had gone for surgery at 9am- it was then I found out why he hadn’t contacted me as planned xx 

After spending Wednesday night on hourly observations in recovery  he was transferred to the ward yesterday morning (11 July) and encouraged to have a walk . 

He was in a great deal of pain / discomfort and has pain relief to alleviate this 
Pete has a catheter in place as expected and this is going to be in for two weeks

At 17.00pm yesterday  11th July Pete was discharged home. The nurse gave him information regarding catheter care , medication and emergency contact numbers 

It was very difficult for him walking from Ward to the car - but he slowly did it !!!!

My personal view - I was surprised that 26 hrs after a 5.5hr op he was being discharged - Shrug♀️
 

Pete was given night catheter bags to manage himself , and a weekly change for the day bag

He was given codeine and paracetamol for pain , and senna and lactulose for bowel management as often post operatively bowel movement can be an issue 

Pete also has to have a daily sub cutaneous injection of enoxaparin to minimise risk of clots. He doesn’t like the thought of giving this to himself so I will be doing it 

He also has to wear support stockings

Pete had a fairly good nights sleep and only woke twice with discomfort 

This morning (12th July) he was able to have a short shower .
His mobility is slow and uncomfortable but he is having  a short walk hourly as recommended - The catheter is flowing well and Pete is drinking plenty of clear fluids - he has lost his appetite - though managing small amounts 

Pete will be seen for trial without catheter in two weeks and have bloods in 5 weeks for first check of PSA level. He will be seen in six weeks by the consultant with results from biopsy from what they have removed during his operation 

love to you all on your own cancer journey 

Jean Heart



  • Hello Jean ( 

    Thanks very much for the up to date report. It all sounds great and I do hope Pete makes a speedy recovery, however I agree - his discharge from hospital would appear to have been very quick.

    It's great you are documenting his journey as this helps others who are or are thinking about surgery.

    If either of you need anything remember we as a Community are here for both of you. Don't forger to have some "me" time yourself.

    Best wishes - Brian.

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  • Hi Jean ( ), sounds like Pete has been through the mill, both pre and post surgery, but at least he is on the mend.  Speed of discharge from hospital sounds short but unless regular obs are required, quite honestly he is better off at home and much less risk of infection (hospitals are dangerous places!).  At least the op is now behind you and you can both concentrate on recovery and getting back to normal. Thanks for documenting the process, so that others can be better informed when making decisions.  Best wishes, David

  • Hello Jean, I fully recognise that this will have been a week of great stress for you both but I hope that you’ve had a good night’s sleep and can now work towards getting Pete back to peak fitness and that you are relieved that the op is over and done with. 

    I do wish Pete a quick recovery and hope too that he is the model patient for you! Slight smile

    Re rapid discharge. This is, I suspect, prompted by two facts. First and hopefully foremost, patients do, as David says, recover better at home than in hospital. Second, the sooner patients leave hospital, the quicker the next patient on the waiting list can be treated.

    as a retired registered nurse, I remember the days when patients undergoing appendicectomy or hernia repair were kept in hospital for 10 days!!!! Patients having hip replacements were kept in bed for 3 weeks!!! Of course, surgical techniques and medical expertise etc were not so advanced as these days and, in the East End of London when I was doing my nurse training, people’s home conditions could often be suboptimal. 

    best of luck to you both!