Hello. Thanks for having me. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer (this week) and they are going to remove it in the spring. I know something about what will happen, but how long are people usually off work? Thanks, D
It is difficult to be too specific about when you will be able to return to work as there are different factors that could influence this.
There are different types of surgery that you may be offered to remove the prostate. There is the robot assisted surgery, open surgery and key hole surgery. You usually recover more quickly from the robot assisted surgery. You can read about the different types ofsurgeryhere.
A lot will also depend how quickly you recover from the surgery. You will probably have a follow up appointment after 4 weeks when the surgeon will have a chance to see how well you are recovering from the operation.
What ever surgery you are having it is still a big operation and there will have to be some adjustment.
Having a prostatectomy does come with side effects. You will go home with a catheter but when it is removed it does take a little while to get bladder control back.
You may find it helpful to try and get as fit as possible before your surgery to help make your recovery quicker once you have had the operation. There are sometips on our website.
You may also find in preparation for the surgery to practice somepelvic floor exercises.
You may find that you get responses from other forum users about how long they took to get back to work.
If you post on a different thread or start your own you may get some replies.
I hope this helps.
If you want to talk any of this through with one of the nurses on the helpline you are very welcome to get back to us.
The nurses are here Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm and the number is Freephone 0808 800 4040.
