cycling post prostatectomy

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tallywhacker
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cycling post prostatectomy

Postby tallywhacker » Thu Mar 08, 2018 11:29 am

I have recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer which unfortunately needs active treatment. I have opted for a prostatectomy which is the removal of the prostate.
I'm not interested in people offering their opinions on the pros and cons of various treatment methods, what I am after is hearing from fellow cyclists who have had this procedure and what you experienced afterwards in relation to getting back on the bike (non-bike related experiences are also welcome). My urologist is a cyclist (he has ridden several l'etape du tours) but can't really tell me what to expect in the real world.
PM me if you don't want to discuss this in an open forum.

TonyB
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby TonyB » Thu Mar 08, 2018 12:41 pm

Hi Tallywhacker,

I had a dreaded RP about 7 years ago, from talking to other people who have had a RP, every experience is slightly different, my main advice is work on strengthening your Pelvic Floor as soon as possible as it will help in post RP recovery, I would also get some professional advice on how to and what are the best exercises, my PC was advanced and I did not have much time to work on my Pelvic Floor before the RP and my recovery took a while. I need to do Pelvic Floor exercises for the rest of my life, I now do Palates to help.

I do a lot of riding because I don't have continence problems while cycling, as I do when running or on long walks, but I have heard of other cyclist who do had problems.

Please feel free to PM me if you want to as more questions.

Tony

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tallywhacker
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby tallywhacker » Thu Mar 08, 2018 2:37 pm

hi Tony

it is heartening that you are riding after the operation with no issues. I have been doing pelvic floor exercises for a year or so for back issues, just not sure what to expect mainly from the continence/comfort side of things when I get back to cycling and skiing.

awinner
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby awinner » Thu Mar 08, 2018 4:48 pm

I had a prostatectomy in October last year. I started cycling again after giving it up in my teens because the doc said I wasn't allowed to lift weights but I could walk and ride as much as i wanted. Planning to go on my first club ride on Saturday.

Continence after the op can vary hugely. I'm one of the lucky ones to be fully continent in a very short time. Head over to the prostate cancer of Australia forums. People are happy to talk about their experiences.

nemo57
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby nemo57 » Thu Mar 08, 2018 10:08 pm

Me too ...
RP in January 2017, right around the time I got hold of my lovely 70s George McDonald frame and sent it off to Gordon Hill for rejuvenation, it being my intention, like @awinner, to resume an activity I loved as a kid.
Dunno about you, but I was told 6 weeks recovery from the RP before riding. It probably was about that, and was able to gently resume. No problems in terms of riding comfort in the groin at that stage: it's not involved in the RP. And nothing else was affected at all. Yes there's a bit of tenderness in the abdomen but you won't be trying to bust your boiler, will you?
(But EVERY operation has a 6 week recovery time, according to the medical profession. I've had plenty, and some do, some don't.)
And I've been lucky or determined on the incontinence front: essentially fully dry from a couple of months out. That seems to be a bit of a lottery, though learning and doing your pelvic floor exercises is very important. But even if you leak like a sieve, it won't stop you riding: just wear a bigger pad.
The other thing yer urologist has probly talked about is sexual function post-op. Unless you're a far better man than I you won't ever again crack a fat like you used-ta-could. Though I guess that depends on the degree of nerve-sparing involved in the RP. Fear not - you will most likely still have pleasant sensations available. Three possibilities: pills, pump or implant.
I went bionic in May, just as soon as surgeon was free. Recovery was slow and painful - around 2 months. But it's been 2nd puberty without the mess, me boy, and I would heartily recommend it to any bloke. ("Innkeeper, bring me another concubine, I seem to have worn this one out ...") One drawback though: the pump sits in the scrotum and does tend to be weight-bearing on the cycle. Can get plenty sore, though over time it's improving. Got me a Specialized saddle with cutout that helps a bit more than the old B17, and if I were seriously troubled I'd look further into other saddles that support only the sit-bones.
On the sexual function front, have a look at http://www.franktalk.org/
There's loads of mis/information there.
So it's all going to be good!

awinner
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby awinner » Fri Mar 09, 2018 11:02 am

6 weeks for exercise is usually for open RP. I was given the ok to ride at 2 weeks, though i only started at 4weeks. I did get a selle smp composit to ease the pressure.

With robotic surgery the incisions are all above the belly button.

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tallywhacker
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby tallywhacker » Fri Mar 09, 2018 11:49 am

I haven't seen the surgeon yet so don't have recovery time estimates but the times you guys are talking about are fantastic. Unfortunately I tore my lateral ligament 2 weeks ago in a ski accident and haven't been able to ride so I have lost a bit of bike fitness. $hit tends to happen in groups

Pasley69
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby Pasley69 » Mon Mar 12, 2018 5:35 pm

Prostatectomy and cycling
Hi, I am a 72 yo male - also a keen touring cyclist. Around 18 months ago I had a radical prostatectomy (total removal of the prostate). I was advised to wait 8 weeks before cycling - I lasted 6 weeks then gave in and went for a ride. I guess timing is partly dependent on the type of operation (mine was 5 tiny holes in my abdomen.

I reckon I lost around 3-4km/h in fitness. Being still hopeful of becoming incontinent again I didn't use pads - instead I used this condom-like thing on my pe nis with a short tube into a bag on my leg. Real clumsy and just didn't work well, so I used a meter long tube down inside my bike pants, and like the old railway carriage toilets just dropped it all as I went along. Looked like the worst varicose vein down my leg. When it became obvious I wasn't going to be continent quickly I started using pads. [and any extra padding is good, right? :-) well yes unless it is soaked in urine :-( ] . Improvement has been gradual - continent all night, around 50-100 ml in pads per day as long as I go to the toilet every 2 hours.

I am still incontinent to some degree. But on say a 5 hour 100km ride my pad will absorb maybe 20ml. I can live quite happily with that, but it is getting expensive. I still use the same bikes, saddle and positions as I had before the op.

NEW SADDLE
Unfortunately my PSA level has started rising again, and I'll be having radiation treatment in the not too distant future. Before that I need to complete any surgical interventions that may be necessary to deal with the incontinence. If I am fitted with a male urethra sling or artificial urinary sphincter I will no longer be able to use a normal bicycle seat as these may well damage the devices. Various seats with very wide comfort slots all the way to noseless saddles, such as the Spiderflex, have been suggested.

I am now trying a Spiderflex saddle which is like two oval donuts for the sit-bones. Is quite stable, but not comfortable for me. Leaning forward on my road bike it is like resting with a steel bar under my upper thighs. With a very upright position it might work, but not for now. My next trial is a normal type seat with a very large and wide cutout on top.

Unfortunately I haven't yet been able to locate a sports medicine doctor who knows something about the issues and the need/usefulness of alternative saddle styles. It may be that the urologist is being unduly pessimistic and an ordinary saddle will quite OK.

It would be interesting to hear from anyone else with the same problem.

If you have any more specific questions I'll try to answer them.

Thanks in advance
Adrian

wongaga
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby wongaga » Wed Nov 24, 2021 2:25 pm

Well, here's another old bugger (71) shaping up for RP and/or radiotherapy, and wondering how extensive and how dry my riding will be afterwards. Your previous posts are all much appreciated and I'd love to hear more.

I'm working on pelvic floor exercises and seeing a specialist continence physio next week. Apparently these people can use an ultrasound to see in real time whether you are squeezing the right muscles. Just squeezing your bum is good, but the sphincter you really need to work on is a little more subtle to activate and you needs heaps of practice and some help to actually "find" it.

Losing my cycling would be a terrible price to pay, so here's hoping.

Cheers, Graeme

TonyB
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby TonyB » Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:53 pm

wongaga wrote:
Wed Nov 24, 2021 2:25 pm
Well, here's another old bugger (71) shaping up for RP and/or radiotherapy, and wondering how extensive and how dry my riding will be afterwards. Your previous posts are all much appreciated and I'd love to hear more.

I'm working on pelvic floor exercises and seeing a specialist continence physio next week. Apparently these people can use an ultrasound to see in real time whether you are squeezing the right muscles. Just squeezing your bum is good, but the sphincter you really need to work on is a little more subtle to activate and you needs heaps of practice and some help to actually "find" it.

Losing my cycling would be a terrible price to pay, so here's hoping.

Cheers, Graeme
Hi Graeme,

Good luck with your RP and further treatment, I hope you can still ride your bike after, with me bike riding is an important part of coping post RP. After my RP even though I was working hard on my Pelvic floor exercises it took 6 months before I felt comfortable to go without pads.

I did Pilates once a week for 4 years which helped but I now do gym twice a week with a coach and it has made an enormous improvement to my continence and my cycling. I still have the odd very small accidental leak and if I do a long walk my Pelvic floor muscles get tired and I sometimes have to use a pad to get through to the end but I recover quickly after some rest at the end of the day.

Tony

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tallywhacker
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby tallywhacker » Wed Nov 24, 2021 10:32 pm

I was fortunate that my surgery was delayed due to a heart problem so I had about 8 weeks with the physio and the ultrasound for real-time practice. And yes, what you think is pelvic floor exercises isn't until you see it on an ultrasound. As a result I have had no incontinence issues (apart from the first week after the catheter was removed). I currently ride 5 days a week (around 200km) and haven't had any issues. Keep doing your exercises a couple of times a day and you should have no problems.
I didn't get back to riding for 4 months after the operation on my doctors advice to try and give the nerves time to heal. I dont think you need worry about that if you have radiotherapy as it tends to destroy the nerves.

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foo on patrol
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby foo on patrol » Fri Nov 26, 2021 3:54 am

^^^^ That's great. 8) ^^^^

Foo
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Goal 6000km

wongaga
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby wongaga » Fri Nov 26, 2021 2:27 pm

Thanks fellas, the more I learn the less freaked out I get :)

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foo on patrol
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby foo on patrol » Fri Nov 26, 2021 4:12 pm

wongaga wrote:
Fri Nov 26, 2021 2:27 pm
Thanks fellas, the more I learn the less freaked out I get :)

The more you listen to the people that know and the ones that have also been through it, the more informed you become so look forward to more riding in the future. :idea: :mrgreen:

Foo
Last edited by foo on patrol on Fri Nov 26, 2021 8:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I don't suffer fools easily and so long as you have done your best,you should have no regrets.
Goal 6000km

wongaga
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby wongaga » Fri Nov 26, 2021 5:05 pm

Yep that's right. Going to my first support group meeting in a few days.

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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby warthog1 » Fri Nov 26, 2021 5:36 pm

Good luck with it Wongaga, I hope it goes well and you are soon back on the bike. :)

Thanks for restarting the thread.
I have a familial Hx of prostate Ca. Dad had it.
My urinary stream has less force than it once did.
You have reminded me to get another PSA test. ;)
Dogs are the best people :wink:

wongaga
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby wongaga » Mon Nov 29, 2021 11:34 am

warthog1 wrote:
Fri Nov 26, 2021 5:36 pm
My urinary stream has less force than it once did.
You have reminded me to get another PSA test. ;)
Yes please fellas, do get that test. PSA TESTING has had some bad press, which I think probably arises from over-treatment in the past, before the modern imaging techniques which allow more nuanced diagnosis and treatment planning.

In my case, my tumour developed in the three years between my previous and recent tests. My Uro says it's somewhat aggressive but still localised. Since I'm still asymptomatic, without this recent test, it may well have spread by the time it was diagnosed, with a pretty grim outlook for me.

It surely brings home the message about the consequences of skipping health checks during the Covid mess. You hear about this in the media, and here I am as living proof. I had gotten complacent after about ten years of annual tests, with "nothing to see" results, leading to me being slack.

Look after yourselves!
Graeme

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tallywhacker
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby tallywhacker » Tue Nov 30, 2021 3:45 pm

and you need to let the men/boys in your family know if you have issues or are diagnosed. I missed a few PSA tests and it wasn't after I was diagnosed that my mother told me that my grandfather and father both had prostate cancer when they died and my uncle died from prostate cancer that spread to his lungs.

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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby warthog1 » Tue Nov 30, 2021 6:57 pm

Blood test and ultrasound tomorrow.
My doc told me she is retiring on the 14th of December. :(
Told her she is the best GP I've had, that I will miss her care and her personality, wished her the all best and told her I'm jealous. :)
30 years a GP, she has done her bit. 8)
She said it has just been super busy in this COVID sh itstorm.
Dogs are the best people :wink:

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foo on patrol
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby foo on patrol » Tue Nov 30, 2021 10:13 pm

I get mine done every year, not every 2yrs like some clowns tell you too. :roll: Have been doing it that way since I was 40 and don't intend changing it. A couple of years ago, it went up 3points in 1yr, so that mean a biopsy. A lot can change in that period. :idea:

Foo
I don't suffer fools easily and so long as you have done your best,you should have no regrets.
Goal 6000km

nemo57
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby nemo57 » Wed Dec 01, 2021 10:57 am

I wasn't even aware that I was having PSA tested ... got home from 12 months in USA & GP tells me it's been elevated for years but probly nothing ... surgeon says bit of something there but probly nothing ... biopsy sez nah it's something and it's on the march => RP at 58 ...
Getting control of the water is important, perhaps easier to do when younger than at 75. Still leak a wee bit beyond 80-90 km (which is kinda infrequent this year) or on a really big night on the pish. As I understand it, the urethra is naturally fitted with 2 sphincters, one of which is removed by RP - hence the need for further training.
The other noticeable change is in the lovemaking function. Nerve preservation doesn't necessarily preserve all of them, but enough to remain enjoyable. And you "may" have erectile issues - hah! Haven't heard of any who can get beyond the rigidity of No. 20 spaghetti al dente, even after gobbling down the little blue pills or use of ye external pump. But going fully pneumatic via implant has given me the strength and endurance of an industrial sewing machine. Requires a change of saddle to accommodate the additional plumbing, but that's a small price to pay.

wongaga
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby wongaga » Wed Dec 01, 2021 2:21 pm

The PET shows my prostate is wall-to-wall cancer cells - a mix of lazy slow ones and super-aggro bastards. The good news is it's all confined to the gland so far. Major thanks to the big frame-builder-in-the-sky for letting me dodge yet another bullet.

So out she comes in early January, and now I settle in for 5 weeks of serious squeezing.

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foo on patrol
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby foo on patrol » Wed Dec 01, 2021 3:31 pm

All the best mate. :(

Foo
I don't suffer fools easily and so long as you have done your best,you should have no regrets.
Goal 6000km

nemo57
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby nemo57 » Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:39 pm

Take care, go easy on yrself and enjoy being able once more to pish like a horse ... it's not all bad, eh?

wongaga
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Re: cycling post prostatectomy

Postby wongaga » Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:48 pm

Oh thanks for your kind wishes chaps. But I have no problem pishing - same old firehose as ever. That's the scary part - I'm completely asymptomatic and in the absence of PSA tests, would a year or two down the track have presented with a body full of the bloody C. So no mucking around lads, get tested.

The irony is that I feel great atm. As I said to the nurse who asked about diabetes, heart problems etc, "Completely healthy. Except for the cancer.

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