Unless things go south on me, this'll be my final update on my progress. I hope it might help someone out there some day. (See my earlier posts at #49, 59, 77 and 91)
Open Simple Prostatectomy...non cancerous, 10x normal size. Non- robotic, non lathroscopic.
This past Thursday, I had about 25 staples and my catheter removed. My 6 inch+ incision is healing very well. About 4 days after surgery, the incision stopped being tender and only bothered me if I sneezed or something. The catheter became my biggest aggravation, having had one for 8 weeks straight.
I had been worried about "leakage" once the catheter was removed, but.......no! Since Thursday, I'm a new man!! I wore a diaper for two days with no issues and moved to regular underwear on Saturday. Note that my procedure hollowed out the prostate but left the shell, giving me some control. I must say that I was expecting a much longer recovery.
At 71, I'm peeing like a 15 year old for the first time in 40 years, heavy stream. My urge to go is zero. And I'm not having to go to the bathroom every hour. I have been getting up 2 or 3 times a night but that is more about fearing an accident than about need. I'll get over it I suspect.
I'm having to relearn what "full" is and I'm realizing how miserable I was without even knowing it. I haven't felt like this---in this department anyway--- in 40 years. Lots of precautionary habits to unlearn like "let me pee before we leave"! And having mental map of where all the public toilets are (looking at you, Home Depot).
No heavy lifting for a month and I can't swim in my pool for another week but that’s ok.
Again a bit of TMI, but I offer it in the spirit of helping someone who may be going through the same thing. Good luck to anyone with similar issues!