MY RELATIONSHIP TO DA VINCI SURGERY: Patient

MY CONDITION: Prostate Cancer

TYPE OF PROCEDURE I HAD: da Vinci Radical prostatectomy

MY SURGEON: Dr. Thomas Ahlering

HOSPITAL WHERE MY PROCEDURE WAS PERFORMED: UCI Medical Center

OTHER TREATMENTS I CONSIDERED BEFORE DA VINCI SURGERY:
It came down to surgery or radiation. With brachytherapy, I was going to have this treated, but I really didn't know how much cancer I had because the biopsy is just not the full story. So that was really a downside to me. So based on those reasons, I decided to have surgery. The decision then was open surgery versus da Vinci Prostatectomy and when I looked at what I had been doing and seeing the outcome of my patients, it was a no-brainer. I really knew that I was going to go forward with the da Vinci Prostatectomy. Until that time, I knew other urologists who had chosen surgery, but I was the first one I know who had chosen robotic prostatectomy, and I was very happy I did.

THE BIGGEST CONCERNS I HAD ABOUT TREATMENT:
When we take someone to surgery who's had a biopsy, we often see a lot more cancer in the prostate than we would have predicted based on the biopsy. And so, I knew with surgery that I would get the final word on how much cancer I had, was the cancer contained within the prostate, was there any evidence of cancer outside the prostate. That was important for me: I guess you could call it the "need to know". I needed to know that I could get on with my life, that this was behind me and the only way to do that was to have the prostate removed.

ABOUT MY RECOVERY TIME:
The catheter was out in seven days, I had the answer on the pathology, I was back to my work in two weeks.

HOW DA VINCI SURGERY COMPARED TO MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES OR PRECONCEPTIONS OF SURGERY:
You know, it was really ... nothing. I hate to put it that way, but it was not that big of a deal. I know - I've seen open surgery patients - and I know what kind of recovery they go through, and it's a much bigger deal for them.

I WOULD RECOMMEND DA VINCI SURGERY TO MY FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS!

I had been following my PSA for many years and early last year there was a rise in the PSA and I decided to get a biopsy, mainly because I was seeing so many young men come in my office with prostate cancer. So, I underwent the biopsy and I did indeed have prostate cancer. And, I can tell you it was a huge shock. It's a much different situation being the patient as opposed to being the doctor. You go through a lot of different emotions and eventually I knew I had to do something for treatment.

With da Vinci Prostatectomy, because of the increased range of motion, it's like having your hand - a tiny, tiny hand - inside the abdomen. But it's even better. It's more precise than my hand. It doesn't shake like my hand shakes. It can hold things that I could never hold with a normal open instrument . and so, I can do better surgery. And not only can I do better surgery because of the instruments, but I'm being assisted by a computer, so this is truly computer-aided surgery. And that's the next level: That's the future of surgery.