Facing Prostate Surgery

[marko]

I received my first set of instructions and hoops to jump thru from the hospital over the weekend. They really were detailed instructions for the tests and examinations that I've already scheduled. I see my PCP on the 11th and I have N MRI on the 18th. The MRI looks to be a lot more extensive.

I had to go through an MRI, Cat Scan (Kidneys), EKG and 100 different blood tests.

The upside here is that, should all come out negative (as it did for me), you know that everything else is in good shape! Again, once you get past the first week you'll realize how miserable you were.

 

[rk911]

I had to go through an MRI, Cat Scan (Kidneys), EKG and 100 different blood tests.

The upside here is that, should all come out negative (as it did for me), you know that everything else is in good shape! Again, once you get past the first week you'll realize how miserable you were.

I'm pretty sure I know how miserable I am right now butt (no pun intended) I understand your point.

 

[rk911]

Saw my primary doctor today. He cleared me for the surgery. Next up...MRI next Tuesday. Stats were good today..everything nominal. Especially happy that my BP was 116/65, AIC down to 7.1 fm 7.8, weight (dressed) 201 from 220. I'm just tired all the time and my eyelids feel heavy. Doc said likely from not sleeping well. T-minus 20-days and counting.

 

[marko]

Saw my primary doctor today. He cleared me for the surgery. Next up...MRI next Tuesday. Stats were good today..everything nominal. Especially happy that my BP was 116/65, AIC down to 7.1 fm 7.8, weight (dressed) 201 from 220. I'm just tired all the time and my eyelids feel heavy. Doc said likely from not sleeping well. T-minus 20-days and counting.

Best of luck! I too had my daily count down, until I got to 48 hours and then it was hourly. Not that I was eager or anything.

Btw, envious if that BP!

 

[Healthy Lifestyle]

Saw my primary doctor today. He cleared me for the surgery. Next up...MRI next Tuesday. Stats were good today..everything nominal. Especially happy that my BP was 116/65, AIC down to 7.1 fm 7.8, weight (dressed) 201 from 220. I'm just tired all the time and my eyelids feel heavy. Doc said likely from not sleeping well. T-minus 20-days and counting.

Your Stats look excellent, so you are taking good care of yourself.
I am also not sleeping well as I must get up to relieve myself at night time.

I seem to average about 4-5+ hours if lucky but never the 7-8 which I think I need to feel refreshed.

How many hours of sleep are you getting on average due to prostate discomfort?

Good luck with everything as I am routing for you RK!

 

[marko]

Your Stats look excellent, so you are taking good care of yourself.
I am also not sleeping well as I must get up to relieve myself at night time.

I seem to average about 4-5+ hours if lucky but never the 7-8 which I think I need to feel refreshed.

How many hours of sleep are you getting on average due to prostate discomfort?

Good luck with everything as I am routing for you RK!

FWIW, some bad nights, I was getting up 6 or 7 times...every hour. On average, every 3 hours or 3 times a night. Post surgery, I still get up twice a night but it's more about habit than need. But I don't need a lot of sleep fortunately and can get by on four hours a night, if not in a row.

 

[mystang52]

I don't know if I'm typical, but FWIW in the 10+ years since my prostatectomy I generally sleep through the night 5 times a week. I'm an insomniac, so sleeping through t the night means anywhere from 4 to 6 1/2 hours. But before my surgery I would get up each night to hit the bathroom. I don't recommend having cancer or other prostate issues, but as a half-joke I tell friends that was one positive result.

 

[Healthy Lifestyle]

FWIW, some bad nights, I was getting up 6 or 7 times...every hour. On average, every 3 hours or 3 times a night. Post surgery, I still get up twice a night but it's more about habit than need. But I don't need a lot of sleep fortunately and can get by on four hours a night, if not in a row.

Marko & rk911, I have read all of your posts and paid full attention to all your details. I am living with my enlarged prostate and my last PSA result was 6.2 ytd. I have been on active surveillance, but need to see my urologist soon.

Thank you for all the information as it gives me an idea of what to expect when the time comes.

 

[marko]

Marko & rk911, I have read all of your posts and paid full attention to all your details. I am living with my enlarged prostate and my last PSA result was 6.2 ytd. I have been on active surveillance, but need to see my urologist soon.

Thank you for all the information as it gives me an idea of what to expect when the time comes.

Hang in there. There are so many options (until I ran out of them!)

 

[marko]

What are the "signs" that you have a real enlarged prostate? Or do you just find out when the doc has it scanned?
.

First sign is that peeing is more difficult, low stream, having to go often but not much comes out. Enlarged prostate pushes against the bladder.

An MRI will tell your doctor how large it is and if there's any potential cancer issued lurking.

At 80, I'd guess you're in good shape!

 

[Koolau]

How have some of you done with the meds? I'm at a point that I'm thinking about them, but I've heard of side effects. I already take a literal handful of meds every day. I'm wondering about interactions. I'm not sure when the meds are even appropriate. I'm doing "okay" but not nearly as good as, say, 15 years ago.

Sorry if this is too big a thread drift, but now that we're talking about this...

 

[rk911]

Update: Tuesday, July 18

I had my MRI this morning...30-40 minutes IN the tube and about 90-min overall. The MRI itself was no big deal as I've had several. The prep...not gonna find a place for that in my memory book. ?. According to the hospital next up is a covid test but I thought that was no longer a thing... I put a call to the doc about that. I was very tired when I returned home. Not sure if it was the procedure, the fact that I'd been up since 4am or all of the above. Had a nice 3-hr nap this afternoon. Two-weeks from today I should be home from the hospital. 3-weeks from today Mr. Catheter and I will part company...hopefully for good! At that point he and I will have been together since June st! T-minus 13-days and counting!!

 

[Healthy Lifestyle]

Thanks for the update. I am with you all the way with the best thoughts!

 

[aja8888]

How have some of you done with the meds? I'm at a point that I'm thinking about them, but I've heard of side effects. I already take a literal handful of meds every day. I'm wondering about interactions. I'm not sure when the meds are even appropriate. I'm doing "okay" but not nearly as good as, say, 15 years ago.

Sorry if this is too big a thread drift, but now that we're talking about this...

I take Tamsulosin (0.4 mg) for a few years now to help with a better pee stream. It works, and I have not had any noticeable side effects. As long as it keeps on working, I will keep taking it. I only get up once a night to "go" and sometimes not at all.

I don't take any other meds so I can't comment on interactions.

 

[Koolau]

I take Tamsulosin (0.4 mg) for a few years now to help with a better pee stream. It works, and I have not had any noticeable side effects. As long as it keeps on working, I will keep taking it. I only get up once a night to "go" and sometimes not at all.

I don't take any other meds so I can't comment on interactions.

Thanks so much.

Yeah, my stream is so variable. Once in a while I'm thinking "teen-ager" but then, "come on... let's get this done." I no longer stand up. I know, TMI.

 

[rk911]

How have some of you done with the meds? I'm at a point that I'm thinking about them, but I've heard of side effects. I already take a literal handful of meds every day. I'm wondering about interactions. I'm not sure when the meds are even appropriate. I'm doing "okay" but not nearly as good as, say, 15 years ago.

Sorry if this is too big a thread drift, but now that we're talking about this...

I've been on Tamsulosin for 9 or 10-yrs now to keep the lines wide open as I produce kidney stones fairly often. One was a boulder (17 or 19mm) but the rest were smaller. The last one in January was only 4mm.

I've been on Finasteride for 2-yrs. That was supposed to shrink the prostate. At that point in time the doc estimated my prostate at 300-grams. When I was hospitalized in early June that doc estimated it was 356-grams. The MRI yesterday measured it at 263-grams. Assumimg either of the earlier docs were correct it would seem the Finasteride did it's job. It's still very, very large so my surgery will take place as scheduled.

Neither drug produced any noticible side effects.

 

[Qs Laptop]

How have some of you done with the meds? I'm at a point that I'm thinking about them, but I've heard of side effects. I already take a literal handful of meds every day. I'm wondering about interactions. I'm not sure when the meds are even appropriate. I'm doing "okay" but not nearly as good as, say, 15 years ago.

Sorry if this is too big a thread drift, but now that we're talking about this...

I started taking Tamulosin in April. By the 2nd day I was easily peeing freely and only getting up once per night, some nights I slept through the night. It definitely worked for me.

I didn't have any side effects except the occasional retrograde ejaculation (which are somewhat strange, IMO.) Because I wanted to avoid these, I switched to Alfuzosin, which eliminated this side effect. Alfuzosin doesn't quite work as good as Tamulosin for me, as sometimes the stream is not quite as strong as usual, but it certainly works just fine.

 

[Healthy Lifestyle]

I take Tamsulosin (0.4 mg) for a few years now to help with a better pee stream. It works, and I have not had any noticeable side effects. As long as it keeps on working, I will keep taking it. I only get up once a night to "go" and sometimes not at all.

I don't take any other meds so I can't comment on interactions.

My PA recommended that I try a magnesium supplement before bed to relax muscles in general and to reduce stress.

I am trying this and think I am averaging getting up one time to pee over 6 hours of sleep. However, my sleep app. indicates many ticks throughout these six hours. Ticks could be caused by many things so have not identified the tick cause.

 

[grasshopper]

Before HoLEP I was on Tamsulosin and Finasteride. I was 106 gm 4 years ago, last measurement was 67 gm. So it did shrink my prostate. I have used Tamsulosin on and off for 4 years, seems to work for a while and than not so much. I stop for 2 months and start it up again and it works. Retro ejaculation occasionally on Finasteride. Retro may be a permanent thing after HoLEP, but not yet.

 

[aja8888]

My PA recommended that I try a magnesium supplement before bed to relax muscles in general and to reduce stress.

I am trying this and think I am averaging getting up one time to pee over 6 hours of sleep. However, my sleep app. indicates many ticks throughout these six hours. Ticks could be caused by many things so have not identified the tick cause.

Care to share information about the supplement you are trying? I may add it to the mix here.

 

[Healthy Lifestyle]

Care to share information about the supplement you are trying? I may add it to the mix here.

This is the magnesium supplement I have been taking for the last 5 weeks. I am averaging 1 pee run per night over 6 hours, not sure if this is the sole reason why but if it helps I can live with once a night.

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=46546&stc=1&d=1689811159

 

[Koolau]

This is the magnesium supplement I have been taking for the last 5 weeks. I am averaging 1 pee run per night over 6 hours, not sure if this is the sole reason why but if it helps I can live with once a night.

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=46546&stc=1&d=1689811159

I take 3 times that dose each day because cardiologist suggested it might help prevent A-fib. I haven't noticed any difference in the pee frequency (or ease thereof.) YMMV

 

[aja8888]

This is the magnesium supplement I have been taking for the last 5 weeks. I am averaging 1 pee run per night over 6 hours, not sure if this is the sole reason why but if it helps I can live with once a night.

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=46546&stc=1&d=1689811159

Thanks. I'll add it to my routine. I hear magnesium is good for general health also and many people don't get enough.

 

[marko]

Update: Tuesday, July 18

. Two-weeks from today I should be home from the hospital. 3-weeks from today Mr. Catheter and I will part company...hopefully for good! At that point he and I will have been together since June st! T-minus 13-days and counting!!

Good luck. I too had had Mr Cathter for 8 weeks and honestly that was a bigger PITA than the incision and recovery.

When it's time for removal, what they'll likely do is inject about 100 cc of saline into your bladder via the catheter and seal off the outlet. When you feel full, they'll remove the catheter and tell you to go pee. For me, it was amazing.

Again, best of luck. You're almost there!

 

[Koolau]

Thanks. I'll add it to my routine. I hear magnesium is good for general health also and many people don't get enough.

And I never heard of anyone (medical person) testing for it routinely. Since any excess likely get's flushed, what could it hurt to take a capsule per day?