Stool softener

I just finished a bottle of 60 and am due to go in for my first psa check in a week. Should I be taking more of those things or is the reason I was told to take them passed now? Or should I call the Doc's office on Monday and ask them if I should continue on them?

You should add your information to your sig since it will help everyone to see what stage you are at.

Stool softeners have two general purposes. First to help establish bowel function shortly after surgery -- ideally bowel function should resume 3-5 days post surgery. The second purpose is to prevent you from damaging your newly repaired parts by straining too hard when passing a stool. I presume that you are at least six weeks post surgery. If your bowel movements have been regular and without much strain you are probably past the need for the stool softeners. Try going without for a day or two and if everything is OK you no longer need them. If you find yourself constipated, go back to the softeners and ask your doctor about possible dietary changes.

Wishing you a a zero for your first PSA

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Age at diagnosis 67, PSA 5.5
Biopsy 12/08 12 cores, 8 positive
Gleason 3 + 4 = 7
CAT scan 1/09 negative, Bone scan 1/09 negative

Robotic surgery 03/03/09 Catheter Removed 03/08/09
Post surgical pathology report. Lymph nodes negative, Seminal vesicles negative
Surgical margins positive, Capsular penetration extensive Gleason 4 + 3 = 7

Prunes became my friends in the beginning. Still eat 5 a day.

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Dan

PC diagnosis @ 53 YO
PSA: 3.4 - 3.7 for preceeding 10 years, new GP advised Urologist visit

09/18/08 12 plug biopsy
09/29/08 PC diagnosis, 1 of 12 plugs, 5% cancer, Gleason 3+3 (6), left side plug w/cancer
12/17/08 da Vinci robotic radical prostatectomy, lab confirmed biopsy, 5%, PIN rest of prostrate, negative margins
12/29/08 catheter removed
03/24/09 1st PSA blood draw, < 0.1% "undetectable"

current status: 1 pad/day, dry overnight; however, total ED

I'm still taking stool softeners 2x daily. The anethesia and pain meds at hospital tend to plug me up. I've only taken a few percocets since back home and they did plug me a bit, too. I think I'm done with those so I think I'll be back to normal in a day or so. The same happened when I had hernia repair a few years ago. I only took softeners long enough to help with BM to keep from straining. 

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Lower left groin hernia: mesh and large scar: surgery early 2006

Nov/Dec 07 and March 08 and now Dec 08: Severe perineal pain (between scrotum and rectum). Septra/Bactrim for 8 months (Nov 07-Jun 08) for diagnosed prostatitis.

PSA start of 2008: 5.3..... PSA June of 2008: 7.3

14 DRE all benign or nothing felt

TRUS Biopsy Nov 08: Got copy of pathology (see below). Prostate about 40 cm sq.

General Health: pretty good, 5' 10", 180 lbs, slim.

Bone scan Dec 08: Negative

Barium enema X-ray (March 09 due to several days of blood in stool)

MRI with endorectal coil (April 09 as part of a study)

3D advanced TRUS (April 09 as part of a study)

CT (April 09 as part of a study)

Biopsy Pathology: 5 of 8 cores positive, adenocarinoma in both lobes. 30%-65%. One core perineural invasion. 2 cores "foamy" and suspicious. All +ve cores, 3+3 GS 6.

Open RP surgery: May 5/09 Surgeon spoke to my wife and was very positive. Said both nerve bundles spared and not damaged. Bilateral lymph node dissection performed. Discharged 48 hours after surgery. Staples out, catheter out and pathology sheduled for May 21.

Physical State: Home office in basement. Up and down 10-20 times a day. Walking lots of circles around inside of house and back patio. Bit sore but coping very well so far.

Mental State: Pre-surgery anxiety gone. Now waiting for path report, cath removal and staples out.