Cycling after Prostatectomy or brachytherapy

[Kim L]

Hi,
I see that it has been some time since we have been spoken about the best saddle to use after a prosteta operation ( In mine case it was done by the Davinci Method)
I have had my operation for 9 weeks ago and I must ride my bikes again in ca. 4 weeks (that is our “rules/suggestions from the Hospital.
I am looking at the Sella Nymber and the SQLab612.

Can you please tell me your experience and let me know if you see some good alternatives

Thanks
Kim

Hi,
I see that it has been some time since we have been spoken about the best saddle to use after a prosteta operation ( In mine case it was done by the Davinci Method)
I have had my operation for 9 weeks ago and I must ride my bikes again in ca. 4 weeks (that is our “rules/suggestions from the Hospital.
I am looking at the Sella Nymber and the SQLab612.

Can you please tell me your experience and let me know if you see some good alternatives

Thanks
Kim

[Cowsham]

Hard to beat a bobbin bikes saddle about £35 plus postage I think -- nicely sprung, light and hard wearing.

[PiousStoic]

Good evening everyone,

I have been compelled by this thread to create a posh for the benefit on my father in law.

We cycle together on a weekly basis, around Cheshire and the Peak District as well as annual family trip to Majorca. He’s and incredibly strong cyclist and it really is his raison d’etre.

Thank you all, especially @saudidave the OP for his thorough and in depth account of his recovery. You’re all selfless and strong individuals.

He has just been diagnosed with PC and I think his Gleason score is 7. He’s been offered either Brachytherapy or RP. He is making the decision as we speak but isn’t one for researching online etc. He won’t even connect his Garmin to his phone/computer etc.

I am worried for him and his mental health, as I know not riding a bike could potentially have a worse effect than the outcome itself, such is his passion! He’s a fit individual (I’m 36, Para trained military and seasoned biathlete and I can’t keep up above 6%). We had planned a trip to the Pyrenees - now it looks like life has a different plan.

Thank you for the information - it will benefit him hugely a suspect.

Take care everyone and best of luck to those still on and just starting their journeys.

[ken66]

I was diagnosed with PC 4 years ago aged 69. My PSA was 5, Gleason 3+4, T2c. The options suggested were Active Surveillance, radical prostatectomy (RP) or Hormone treatment (HT) with Radiotherapy (RT). The possibility of incontinence which increases with age scared me away from RP. My local hospital group didn’t have a brachytherapy unit but I saw a consultant in a neighbouring area. My urine flow rate was deemed to be too slow for that treatment so I chose HT & RT. I underwent my 20 RT sessions in March 2020 (1st lockdown!). I continued cycling with my local club, albeit with slightly slower paced groups with slightly shorter distances and during the month that I was having radiotherapy I cycled 200 miles instead of my normal figure of around 400. I continued with HT for a further 6 months after RT. I didn’t experience any significant tiredness or emotional swings that some people report but I strongly believe that continuing with sensible exercise during that time was my saviour.

I wish your father in law good luck with his decision and subsequent treatment. I had experienced good fortune with my health throughout life and considered myself invincible! I initially found it a huge shock to be diagnosed but just got on with what had to be done. So far my 6 monthly PSA checks have been favourable. Last May I did a LEJOG ride over 14 days despite discovering that I had a hernia 7 days beforehand! I also returned with COVID. I felt dreadful for several days before taking a lateral flow test. In some ways it was a relief to discover cycling wasn’t the cause!

[ken66]

.

[djnotts]

I was diagnosed Gleason 4+5 ("better" than 5+4!) in Jan/Feb 2021. PSA ridiculously high. Only plus factor that no signs of any spread outside the prostate. The biopsy did stop me cycling, too much blood, for a week or so. I then used a noseless saddle on the trainer for a week as best I recall.
At 72 and with COPD, surgery "not an option". So, HT for 3 mths before 20 ERT sessions in July/Aug. I cycled - or at least did 10 miles on basic turbo thingy - daily throughout the ERT.
Nearing the end of 2 years of 3mthly Hormone injections.
Obvious ED side effects, occasional hot flushes, urinary habits poor (but had been for some years and according to my consultant not related to cancer!).
I continue to cycle very nearly daily, averaged 107 miles per week last year.
Slow, but that's the Extreme COPD.
There is reason for optimism as long as 1. a little luck and 2. experienced and well-equipped medical team (and that is also (post code) luck).
So.... "good luck" and keep as active as possible without over doing it.

[saudidave]

Hi

OP Here, I don't lurk around here that regularly so it's fortuitous that I've dropped in tonight.

I was a 3+4 when first diagnosed, with a PSA of 10.1. I won't go through the full story, it's well documented in this thread, but I went the RP route, had internal bleeding,an emergency laparotamy to see if they could stop it, then 2 days in a medical coma on life support & another 5 days in there high as a kite on fentanyl. That Fentanyl is better than acid!

Two years down the line from that and:

My PSA is now 0.02 so cancer at bay big time

I'm great, I leak a bit on occasions but not too much, just the odd dribble and It's better than terminal cancer by a wide margin; ED big time, I'm 70 so not a major issue for me but if I was 50 it would be a disaster. The Mrs is quite happy!

A couple of pals had brachytherapy; one a total success, no dribbles or ED, the other plagued with infections and the last thing on his mind is sex. Both appear to be "cured"

On balance I consider myself lucky, I'm effectively cancer free, I can ride my bike a lot and hopefully I'm good for another decade or two. I dodged a bullet! If anyone wants a chat about it all please p.m. me and I'll respond with a phone nr.

All the best, Dave

[Tinkerbell]

Hi all and many thanks to @saudidave and others that have posted here.

Somehow I missed this thread before, but I have, this week, undergone Robotic Assisted Radical Prostectomy (having been diagnosed back in November last year). The reason for choosing RARP, rather than the radiation alternative, was my understanding that if RARP isn’t 100%, then the alternative can be used afterwards, but the reverse doesn’t apply (once they have blasted your prostrate, they can’t cut it out safely and effectively).

A fellow cyclist sits on the local PCaSO group, so mentored me through this (although he is far fitter than me, so I don’t expect his instant success).

I understand that the operation was successful, although time (and PSA testing) will tell, but the comments on incontinence give me a slight concern. I have been doing the squeeze exercises regularly before the operation, and will resume after the catheter is removed (in my case in 2 weeks due to size of hole - I know most are removed after 1 week). I will be off riding for 12 weeks (as recommended by the consultant - he was quite firm), but hope to build up over September and aim for The Gridiron in October. Possibly I will still need pads of some kind…

How do chaps using pads find them when riding?


Link to PCaSO in case it is helpful -
https://pcaso.org/

[Whippet]

Thought I’d share my story which is also fairly positive.
Diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in May 2021, it had already spread throughout my lymphatic system. My PSA was 5,000 ( yes, really ) and it felt like a death sentence at the time. I went through chemo, radio and will now always be on hormone therapy. As well as my wife and many good friends, cycling has been my saviour. Back to time trialling this summer and plan to do a 200k audax in November. PSA currently 0.04, so it’s nicely paused at the moment.

[thirdcrank]

Thought I’d share my story which is also fairly positive.
Diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in May 2021, it had already spread throughout my lymphatic system. My PSA was 5,000 ( yes, really ) and it felt like a death sentence at the time. I went through chemo, radio and will now always be on hormone therapy. As well as my wife and many good friends, cycling has been my saviour. Back to time trialling this summer and plan to do a 200k audax in November. PSA currently 0.4, so it’s nicely paused at the moment.

What a great post! I can only offer you my congratulations and best wishes for the future. (I write as a 78 year old man)

:D

[djnotts]

Thought I’d share my story which is also fairly positive.
Diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in May 2021, it had already spread throughout my lymphatic system. My PSA was 5,000 ( yes, really ) and it felt like a death sentence at the time. I went through chemo, radio and will now always be on hormone therapy. As well as my wife and many good friends, cycling has been my saviour. Back to time trialling this summer and plan to do a 200k audax in November. PSA currently 0.4, so it’s nicely paused at the moment.

Makes my Gleason Grade 9, 20 days ERT and 2 years hormone therapy (finished 2 mths ago) sound like a walk-in-the-park! Glad you made it through so well and have come out riding so strongly.
Well done (and to your medics!).

[Cowsham]

Thought I’d share my story which is also fairly positive.
Diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in May 2021, it had already spread throughout my lymphatic system. My PSA was 5,000 ( yes, really ) and it felt like a death sentence at the time. I went through chemo, radio and will now always be on hormone therapy. As well as my wife and many good friends, cycling has been my saviour. Back to time trialling this summer and plan to do a 200k audax in November. PSA currently 0.4, so it’s nicely paused at the moment.

Echoing the previous replies and I had an old friend who was diagnosed at 62 with stage 4 ( he had it all through him even in his brain ) prostate cancer just as the new hormone ( or whatever it was ) drugs first appeared. The doc told him about the new trial treatments so with nothing to lose he started the treatments. He lived a full life till 76 but he was caught very late indeed because he had no symptoms until an arthritis type pain in his hips. I was about 44 when he was diagnosed so I started getting mine checked every year since then.

[maanderx]

I just came across this thread. I underwent a Robotic Assisted Radical Prostatectomy on 12th September 2022. My initial PSA was 23.5, and I had a Gleason level of 7. After enduring the catheter, a series of 28-day injections into my stomach, and the removal of staples from the six incisions, I am doing reasonably well.

I started incorporating exercise into my routine on 7th November 2022, and was back to cycling by the end of that month. Thankfully, my experience with incontinence hasn't been as severe as I initially feared, and I rarely need to use pads now. While my erections are gradually becoming stronger and more frequent, they have not returned to their pre-surgery state.

At 61 years old, I believe I've managed my recovery quite resiliently, especially considering I didn't have any close support me during this journey.

(formerly posted as De Sisti, but can't seem to use that name, despite contacting administrators).

[Cowsham]

I just came across this thread. I underwent a Robotic Assisted Radical Prostatectomy on 12th September 2022. My initial PSA was 23.5, and I had a Gleason level of 7. After enduring the catheter, a series of 28-day injections into my stomach, and the removal of staples from the six incisions, I am doing reasonably well.

I started incorporating exercise into my routine on 7th November 2022, and was back to cycling by the end of that month. Thankfully, my experience with incontinence hasn't been as severe as I initially feared, and I rarely need to use pads now. While my erections are gradually becoming stronger and more frequent, they have not returned to their pre-surgery state.

At 61 years old, I believe I've managed my recovery quite resiliently, especially considering I didn't have any close support me during this journey.

(formerly posted as De Sisti, but can't seem to use that name, despite contacting administrators).

Thank you for the candid post, wishing you a healthy future and many more years of happy cycling and other types of riding.

[Mitch60]

My Prostatectomy was on 20/11/23. I'm now into week 4 of post catheter, pelvic floor exercise urinary, incontinence phase and its good to read how others have coped with this. Has anyone gone down the sheath/external catheter route for cycling? I intend to explore this option in 8 weeks time when I can cycle again. Any tips would be helpful. Lycra will be replaced by cycling trousers but this system has allowed me to get out and walk the hills without any problems so fingers are crossed for success on the bike. Obviously I'm hoping for a return to pre op continence but its hard to see such an outcome right now.