Bimix: A low-cost mixture of two drugs injected directly into the penis. (Papaverine and Phentolamine.) They relax the muscles that allow blood flow into the penis and so create an erection. Trimix and Caverject add a third drug to the mixture.
VED: Vacuum Erection Device, or pump. A tube that creates a partial vacuum around the penis, encourages blood to flow into it and so create and erection. Once erect, a constriction ring stops the blood flowing out again, which it can do very quickly!
Margins: Surgeons like to take some extra tissue from around the prostate along with the prostate itself. These are the margins. If the margins are clear or negative, it is good sign as it indicates the PCa has not extended into them and probably not beyond them. Positive margins, despite the term, are not so positive -- they mean that PCa is in the margins, and may have spread beyond them.
Age 63. Other than cancer, in good health; BMI 20
Pre-op: No symptoms; PSA 5.7; Gleason 4+5=9; cancer in 4 of 12 cores
7 March 2008, RRP, non nerve sparing
Two nights in hospital; catheter and staples out after 7 days
Continent, no pads needed from the get-go
Post Op: Stage pT2 M- N-; clear margins and lymph nodes; Gleason 4+4=8; prostate weight: 37gm
6-week PSA: 0
No erections (of course!)
Experimenting with VED and Bimix