What should you do before surgery?
Talk with a family member or friend who can help you:
- You will need someone to drive you home after surgery.
Who can drive you home? ________________________________________
- You will need to be picked up at ______ the day you leave the hospital.
- You will need help at home after surgery.
Who can help you at home? ____________________________________
- You will need someone with you during your discharge teaching.
Who can be with you? _________________________________________
We will call you 1-2 days before surgery to tell you what time to arrive and when to stop eating and drinking. Follow these instructions exactly.
Get your home ready:
- Have a soft, comfortable place to sit when you get home.
- Have a towel ready to lift your scrotum after surgery.
- Have easy-to-digest food at home so you do not feel sick.
- Buy pain medicine like Tylenol® (acetaminophen) before surgery.
- Buy adult pads or adult briefs (diapers).
Get your body ready
- Eat healthy foods: vegetables, fruits, protein (meat, rice and beans, tofu), and fiber (whole grains, nuts, seeds).
- Stop or cut down on junk food, alcohol, and recreational drugs.
- Practice Kegel exercises.
See your doctor and get your tests done:
- See your primary care doctor to be cleared for surgery.
- Review all of your medicines.
- Make a list of your medicines: names, what they are for, how much, and how often you take them.
- Get all needed tests done.
Ask which medicines to stop before surgery
Your team will tell you which medicines to stop and when. Do not stop any medicine on your own.
Be sure to ask about:
- Blood thinners (anticoagulants).
- Aspirin.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil®) and naproxen (Aleve®).
- Supplements like fish oil and vitamin E.
- GLP-1 medicines for diabetes or weight loss, like semaglutide (Ozempic®, Wegovy®).
- SGLT2 inhibitors, like empagliflozin (Jardiance®).
- Insulin and other diabetes medicines.
Think about sperm banking
- After surgery, you will not be able to father a child the natural way.
- If you may want children in the future, ask your doctor about sperm banking before surgery.
Gather your documents:
- Bring your ID and Insurance card.
- Review your health care proxy with the people who need to know your wishes.
- Bring a copy of your health care proxy form to your pre-surgery visit or the day of surgery.
- Bring your medicine list.
The Day of Surgery
Before surgery
- We will get you ready in the "Pre-op" area.
- We will ask your name, date of birth, and the surgery you are having many times.
- You will speak with someone from the surgery team and someone from the anesthesia team.
- Anesthesia is medicine that puts you to sleep for surgery.
Where is the prostate?
During your surgery:
- Your doctor will make small cuts (incisions) in your belly (abdomen). Most people have 5 to 6 cuts, but some have fewer.
- One cut is usually at or above your belly button (navel).
- With a robot-assisted method, your doctor will remove your prostate.
- Your doctor may remove lymph nodes from your pelvis and send them to the lab to check for cancer spread.
- When the surgery is done, the doctor will close the cuts with glue.
Right after surgery
You will likely spend the night in the hospital.
When you wake up from surgery:
- You will have an IV for fluids. We remove it when you can drink.
- You may have a small oxygen tube in your nose.
- You will have small cuts in your belly (abdomen), usually 5 to 6.
- You may have a soft drain (JP drain) to remove fluid.
- You will have a tube called a Foley catheter that drains urine. You will go home with it.
- You will wear special socks (TEDs) to help blood flow in your legs.
While you are in the hospital
- We will help you get out of bed soon after surgery.
- Walking helps you heal. Try to walk 4 times a day. Sit in a chair for your meals.
- We will give you medicine to help with pain, so it is easier to move.
Going home
- Bring 2 soft pillows for the car ride home.
- They will help protect the surgery area and make you more comfortable.