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What happens to your body if you remove the whole prostate?

You might dribble or leak urine when sneezing or laughing, or feel an urgent need to go to the bathroom. If you had normal urinary control before your surgery, you will likely regain this control over time. For most men, urinary incontinence will go away within a year, often within months.

hackensackmeridianhealth.org - What to Expect After Prostate Removal - Hackensack Meridian Health

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Prostate removal is an effective treatment option for prostate cancer. A radical prostatectomy, which removes the entire prostate gland as well as some surrounding tissue, takes a few hours to complete.

Here are three things you can expect after your prostate is removed.

Gradual Recovery

Prostate removal is major surgery, so expect some soreness and pain. You’ll receive IV pain medications at first, and your doctor may prescribe you pain medication to use at home. You will also have a urinary catheter in place for about the first week, which you might find uncomfortable. Most patients are up and moving the day of surgery and go home the following day. Although you will need to rest and gradually resume physical activity, urologist Mina Fam, M.D., emphasizes the importance of movement. “I want patients up and walking the same day of surgery because any kind of cancer surgery has a risk for blood clotting,” Dr. Fam says. “I encourage patients to keep walking during their recovery.” Expect it to take about four weeks to start feeling back to your “normal” self if your surgery was done robotically and up to six weeks with a traditional open approach.

Changes in Your Sex Life

Most men experience some decline in erectile function after their prostate is removed, but this can be managed. “It can take six months or even up to a year for the affected nerves to recover from surgery. But with proper therapy and treatment, most patients can have good erectile function again,” says Dr. Fam.

Treatment options include:

Medication

Pelvic floor muscle exercises

Penile implants

Counseling

Work with your doctor to find a treatment that is right for you. Another change to expect in your sex life is that, because the seminal vesicles are removed during surgery, you won’t ejaculate semen during orgasm.

Bladder Problems

Urinary incontinence is another common side effect of prostate removal. You might dribble or leak urine when sneezing or laughing, or feel an urgent need to go to the bathroom. If you had normal urinary control before your surgery, you will likely regain this control over time. For most men, urinary incontinence will go away within a year, often within months. Whether your surgery is robotic or the traditional open approach can impact how severe your symptoms are and how long they last. “With the robot, we’re able to really preserve the length of the urethra and preserve all the muscles that control continence,” says Dr. Fam. Though minor incontinence still occurs with robotic surgery, most men will have full control of their bladder after about six to eight weeks. If you are suffering from incontinence, there are treatment options that can help, including:

Medication

Pelvic floor exercises

Artificial urinary sphincters (an implanted device to treat moderate to severe stress urinary incontinence)

Talk to your doctor to find the right treatment option.

The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.

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Why are walnuts good for your prostate?

Walnut consumption was also linked to increases in adiponectin and the tumor suppressor PSP94 and decreases in COX-2, which are all markers for a reduced risk of prostate cancer.

medicalnewstoday.com - Study extols anti-prostate cancer effects of walnuts

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men in the US. The relationship between diet and prostate cancer has been well studied, and dietary fat intake is of particular interest in this area. Now, a new mouse study from researchers at the University of California-Davis suggests diets rich in walnuts or walnut oil could slow prostate cancer growth. The study, which is published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, notes that previous studies have suggested intake of tree nuts is linked with reduced cardiovascular disease risk factors as well as cancer. A 2013 study, for example, showed that consuming walnut oil boosts blood vessel functioning and eating whole walnuts helps “good” cholesterol transport and remove extra cholesterol from the body more effectively. Researchers from this latest study, led by scientist and research nutritionist Paul Davis, note that they have been assessing the health impacts of walnuts for quite a while. One of their previous studies showed that walnuts reduced prostate tumor size in mice, but there were questions about which parts of the nuts were responsible for this effect – was it the meat, the oil or the omega-3 fatty acids? If it was the omega-3s, then the benefits could be found in any food type containing them. “For years, the US government has been on a crusade against fat, and I think it’s been to our detriment,” says Davis. “Walnuts are a perfect example. While they are high in fat, their fat does not drive prostate cancer growth. In fact, walnuts do just the opposite when fed to mice.”

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