Post Op Supplies
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From: bowichpapa on 11 Oct 2008 10:22 I have lost the list of Post Op supplies that I copied from the group in 2003 when my husband had his prostatectomy. (extremely helpful for being prepared when he came home from the hospital) .. Now a friend is about to have surgery and I would like to give her the list if possible. If a member still has the list, I would greatly appreciate your posting it again. .. I'll bring you up to date on Peter's 5-year "anniversary" last month. He was diagnosed in 2003 after three previous biopsies had failed to find cancer. By that time his PSA was rising rapidly and his Gleason was 4 + 5. As the Partin Tables predicted, post op biopsy showed that the cancer had escaped from the capsule. However, there was no evidence of metastasis and the lymph nodes were clear. .. He had 7 weeks of radiation to the prostate bed and was on Lupron for two years. He went on fosamax for osteopenia during that time. .. Although he had recovered nicely from a heart attack in 1983 and was treating with diet, beta blocker and exercise, he suddenly found himself a year after the Lupron with a dangerously low heart ejection fraction and in need of a quadruple bypass. (He is convinced that was a consequence of the androgen suppression.) .. Anyway, to shorten the story, he has an ultrasensitive PSA of less that 0.01 and feels great. We consider ourselves truly blessed. Leah
From: JerryW on 11 Oct 2008 12:09 Leah, You should be able to find it among the current posts (on my news server, at least). Joe Price posted it on September 14th under the subject "Post Prostatectomy Shopping List." I'm assuming that is the list you have in mind. If your news server keeps posts for at least 30 days, you should have it available. If not, I'm sure you can google it. -- JerryW Please respond to group; email address is not valid 2/11/04 PSA 2.6, Suspicious DRE (age 62) 2/23/04 Biopsy: Gleason 3+4=7, T2a, left lobe 5/18/04 RRP, Path: Gleason 4+3=7, T2c, both lobes Fully continent by 9/04 PSA through 4/22/08: <0.1 <bowichpapa(a)webtv.net> wrote in message news:29980-48F0B6C2-440(a)storefull-3231.bay.webtv.net... >I have lost the list of Post Op supplies that I copied from the group >in > 2003 when my husband had his prostatectomy. (extremely helpful for > being prepared when he came home from the hospital) > . > Now a friend is about to have surgery and I would like to give her the > list if possible. If a member still has the list, I would greatly > appreciate your posting it again. > . > I'll bring you up to date on Peter's 5-year "anniversary" last month. > He was diagnosed in 2003 after three previous biopsies had failed to > find cancer. By that time his PSA was rising rapidly and his Gleason > was 4 + 5. As the Partin Tables predicted, post op biopsy showed that > the cancer had escaped from the capsule. However, there was no > evidence > of metastasis and the lymph nodes were clear. > . > He had 7 weeks of radiation to the prostate bed and was on Lupron for > two years. He went on fosamax for osteopenia during that time. > . > Although he had recovered nicely from a heart attack in 1983 and was > treating with diet, beta blocker and exercise, he suddenly found > himself > a year after the Lupron with a dangerously low heart ejection fraction > and in need of a quadruple bypass. (He is convinced that was a > consequence of the androgen suppression.) > . > Anyway, to shorten the story, he has an ultrasensitive PSA of less > that > 0.01 and feels great. We consider ourselves truly blessed. > Leah >
From: Steve Kramer on 11 Oct 2008 12:10 <bowichpapa(a)webtv.net> wrote in message news:29980-48F0B6C2-440(a)storefull-3231.bay.webtv.net... >I have lost the list of Post Op supplies that I copied from the group in > 2003 when my husband had his prostatectomy. (extremely helpful for > being prepared when he came home from the hospital) > . > Now a friend is about to have surgery and I would like to give her the > list if possible. If a member still has the list, I would greatly > appreciate your posting it again. Search for "Joe Price" or "Joe (Shaw)" in past posts. He most recently posted it about a week ago. He may or may not be back to see your request for weeks. > Although he had recovered nicely from a heart attack in 1983 and was > treating with diet, beta blocker and exercise, he suddenly found himself > a year after the Lupron with a dangerously low heart ejection fraction > and in need of a quadruple bypass. (He is convinced that was a > consequence of the androgen suppression.) > > Anyway, to shorten the story, he has an ultrasensitive PSA of less that > 0.01 You didn't say that he went off Lupron, even after considering it responsible for the quad bypass, but with a <0.01 PSA, I'm assuming he did not. That's remarkable fortitude. Good to hear from you two again, Leah. -- PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins PSA <.1 <.1 <.1 .27 .37 .75 PSAD 0.19 years EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 PSAD .056 years Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 and every 4 months there after PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 PSAD 1.4 years Casodex added daily 07/06 PSA <0.04, <0.05, <0.04, <0.04, <0.1 2/12/08 Illegitimati non carborundum
From: Steve Kramer on 11 Oct 2008 12:14 "JerryW" <jerryw(a)seemysig.net> wrote in message news:gcqj4o$f05$1(a)registered.motzarella.org... > Leah, > > You should be able to find it among the current posts (on my news server, > at least). Joe Price posted it on September 14th under the subject "Post > Prostatectomy Shopping List." Here it is, Leah (thanks to Jerry's assist). I'm off to Morocco for a few weeks & haven't posted this for a while: I compiled this shopping list of paraphernalia that would be good to have on hand when you get back from surgery. I started the list in September 2001 before my own operation based on responses I got to a request here for suggestions. Thanks to all those who helped put this list together way back then. Since then I have re-posted periodically it to make it available to the newly diagnosed. Occasionally, additional items are suggested and I try to remember to add them next time I post this message. One thing I would like to make clear up front - the list is exhaustive because I have included almost everything everyone has ever suggested. This does NOT mean you should run out and buy everything on this list. Some of these items are in the "luxury - nice to have" category and others are specific remedies some individuals found they needed for complaints that may have been specific to them. Read through the list and at least think about what is here and what its purpose is. Get creative in thinking how you might adapt something you already have around the house to function in the place of some of these items. Certain activities, not strictly hardware items, were recommended frequently. I've included those activities as well. I am not a doctor and this is NOT medical advice! Hardware: - A pair of oversized basketball type warm-up pants with snaps or zipper up the leg (to allow discreet access to the catheter and bag). Get a pair that is large enough to accommodate the large (night) bags and smaller (walking) bags - that will be provided by the hospital. A dark colour will be less likely to show wetness from any accidental leakage compared with a light colour. Fast drying material ("parachute material") is recommended if possible. This is not essential. - I have found convertible hiking pants (pants whose lower leg can be zippered off to create a pair of shorts) to work wonderfully well while wearing a catheter. This type of pant also has a side zipper on the lower leg, which makes leg bag access a breeze. You can open the upper zipper (the one that runs around the leg) part-way to switch bags and let out the hose to the large drain bag. - A five-gallon plastic bucket is very useful at night as a receptacle for the large night bag. The bucket may become your constant companion around the house. Get a square one if you don't already have something else. - "Invalid" cushion (looks like an inner tube) - Antibiotic ointment/lubricant (Polysporin, for example) for where catheter exits (some had this supplied by their hospital). Some recommend a water-based lubricant such as KY Jelly but that tends to dry out quickly. Get gauze 4X4 pads to apply ointment. There has been some debate about the best fluid to use. You want something slick, long lasting and certain not to damage the tube. It would be nice if it were also antibacterial. I used Polysporin and Erythromycin with no problem. Polyfax ointment is a name to look for if you live outside North America. - Alcohol swabs to clean the catheter at the tip of the penis (single use wipes designed for cleaning the skin before an injection). - A pair of slippers or sandals or loafers. - Over-the-counter stool softener - Get a haircut and trim your toenails before surgery - Several people recommended buying, borrowing or otherwise acquiring the use of a reclining chair. - Place a chair by the bed with the back facing the bed. Use the chair as a bedrail to help you get up. Use the seat as a bedside table to hold some of the things you want to keep handy. I would STRONGLY suggest you test this out BEFORE you go to hospital to be certain it can take your weight as a handrail before you rely on it post-surgery! - A pillow to hug early on to ease pain in laughing etc. - A pillow to put between your knees while sleeping on your side. - Grab bars in the area of the commode (don't use towel racks for grab bars!) - Use a plastic coat hanger stuck between the mattress and box spring to hang the bag from or just place it in the bucket on the floor. - Nice baggy, soft sweat pants or warm-ups - oversize with drawstring if the weather is warm inside the house or out of doors - A soft bathrobe belt to make a shoulder strap to suspended the big bag if you prefer it to the "walking" bag. -. Silk/nylon/rayon boxer shorts for the period you have the catheter - Some readers have recommended "boxer briefs" for the combination of support and their ability to hold the catheter and prevent tugging - A plastic sheet to go under the bed sheets and protect the mattress once the catheter comes out. A large plastic garbage bag might work in a pinch. - Have enough easy to prepare food on hand for 2-3 weeks - Book(s) you've been intending to read - Fresh batteries for your TV remote - A cordless phone and up-to-date phone list - Some big baggy mesh shorts (in summer) - Suspenders may be helpful, in place of a belt - Two dozen inexpensive white washcloths (in a big bundle) - Some of the little plastic, stick-on hooks to put in the shower etc., for a place to hang the bag or simply the pail, placed outside the tub. - To help stave off possible urinary tract infection, either Ural (seems to be an Australia/New Zealand over-the-counter drug) or a supply of cranberry juice. They work in different ways to achieve the same thing. - A watch or interval timer to remind you not to stay sitting too long. The small kitchen timers would work for this and to prompt you to get up periodically at night if you need to do so. .. An electronic thermometer (about $10) for keeping track of your temperature for a couple weeks postoperatively. - A walking stick may prove to be helpful. - A safety bench (maybe a plastic lawn chair?) for the shower (sometimes you're a little light-headed when you first come home and it's nice to have something to sit on) - A raised seat to put over the toilet (as an alternative, or in addition to, grab bars) - A grabber for picking things up if you drop them so you wouldn't have to bend down. - If you have the hardware, fill up a MP3 player with your favourite tunes & use headphones to help "drown-out" the hospital noise. - A "toilet seat lifter". I would be inclined to bend a coat hanger into a hook that I could work under the lip and lift, but there are probably commercial step-on type mechanical devices akin to garbage can lid lifters out there. Just use a stick or bend at the knees, keeping the back straight. Heck, just leave the lid up for a few days. - One person indicated his hospital made him wear a pair of anti-embolism stockings the whole time he was there. He bought another pair when he went home and suggests considering doing the same. - Drinking straws - you will want some for the first week. - Plastic cups - they're lighter than glass - Extra pillows - for sitting up in bed and as arm rests at night and for the couch. - Velcro Foley straps - the walking bag can slip down your leg and pull on the tube. - A current phone list - one of contact people who must know, one of friends to come visit you, walk, and meals, shop for you. Spread the burden. - A few woman's (not a few women's- get them from one woman) menstrual pads - don't be shy, the big ones, they're smaller, cheaper than incontinence pads and can be added to the diaper and changed more often. -Travel bag - like a baby changing bag for when you go out or the keep women's pads in your pocket. - Viva paper towels - to help when wet - they're soft. - Toilet wipes - the first few times they're nice, along with baby wipes for everything. - To deal with the rash and itch consider getting tubes of Desitin and/or Butt Paste, both containing zinc oxide. - Diet plan - coffee is bad for bladder, eat more fruit, less meat, no cheese & bananas while on stool softeners. Diet and supplements are part of permanent recovery plan. - Look into a cancer society group such as "Man to Man" that meets monthly and go to a meeting before surgery. Repeated Advice: - Learn to roll sideways out of bed (rather than sit on the edge trying to stand upright). Practice before going to the hospital. - Walking is the best way to get your body ready and to recover. - Wait to see how bad your incontinence is BEFORE purchasing a lot of pads etc. but do buy a package of men's guards to bring to the appointment when the catheter is removed. Have a look around at what is available and compare costs before hand. - Tena Serenity Pads for Men: the triangular pads are wide enough to prevent side leaks. - *Flip-top* plastic pail. A $3 Sterilite 20-quart oval bucket from Walmart, lined with scented plastic kitchen garbage bag, prevents diaper/pad odour escape for weeks if you chose to wait that long before emptying it. - Kegel, pre-operation and post-catheter removal (not with catheter in) - Remember, what you are going through is TEMPORARY, in a few weeks you won't even remember the discomfort of some of this stuff! JP
From: Post-RP on 11 Oct 2008 12:58
Hello all, I've been lurking, and reading the back messages. What a helpful newsgroup! In this particular case I have one small item to add to your list, that I was very glad to have brought with me during my hospitalization this August for an open RP, and that was ear plugs! It's surprising how noisy a hospital can be at night. I like the "Hearos", smaller expanding foam plugs, because they don't put quite as much pressure on the ear canal. But the silence is golden, they work very well. It helps to moisten them with saliva before inserting, then they slide right in. Headphones and an mp3 player were also great to have. And what was sometimes useful was to put in the ear plugs, and then wear the headphones, cranked loud enough to penetrate the ear plugs. This improves the signal-to-noise ratio significantly. I made the mistake of bringing some comedy recordings. But laughing was painful. Which brings me to the subject of pain meds. It took me a while to learn to stay ahead of the pain - to request pain medication BEFORE the pain returned in a significant way. In the beginning, I wasn't sure how much pain I'd be in when the drugs wore off, and was curious. I wasn't happy to find out! Especially at 3 am. I did find the nurses very cooperative and willing to help me keep the pain at bay, once I learned to time my requests. Either in or out of the hospital, staying ahead of the pain worked well, even when I was off the stronger stuff and mainly using ibuprofen or Tylenol. B in article 29980-48F0B6C2-440(a)storefull-3231.bay.webtv.net, bowichpapa(a)webtv.net at bowichpapa(a)webtv.net wrote on 10/11/08 10:22 AM: > I have lost the list of Post Op supplies that I copied from the group in > 2003 when my husband had his prostatectomy. (extremely helpful for > being prepared when he came home from the hospital) > . > Now a friend is about to have surgery and I would like to give her the > list if possible. If a member still has the list, I would greatly > appreciate your posting it again. > . > I'll bring you up to date on Peter's 5-year "anniversary" last month. > He was diagnosed in 2003 after three previous biopsies had failed to > find cancer. By that time his PSA was rising rapidly and his Gleason > was 4 + 5. As the Partin Tables predicted, post op biopsy showed that > the cancer had escaped from the capsule. However, there was no evidence > of metastasis and the lymph nodes were clear. > . > He had 7 weeks of radiation to the prostate bed and was on Lupron for > two years. He went on fosamax for osteopenia during that time. > . > Although he had recovered nicely from a heart attack in 1983 and was > treating with diet, beta blocker and exercise, he suddenly found himself > a year after the Lupron with a dangerously low heart ejection fraction > and in need of a quadruple bypass. (He is convinced that was a > consequence of the androgen suppression.) > . > Anyway, to shorten the story, he has an ultrasensitive PSA of less that > 0.01 and feels great. We consider ourselves truly blessed. > Leah > ----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups ---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |