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Radical prostatectomy - discharge

Show Alternative Names
Prostatectomy - radical - discharge
Radical retropubic prostatectomy - discharge
Radical perineal prostatectomy - discharge
Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy - discharge
LRP - discharge
Robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy - discharge
RALP - discharge
Pelvic lymphadenectomy - discharge
Prostate cancer - prostatectomy

You had surgery to remove all of your prostate, some tissue near your prostate, and probably some lymph nodes. This article tells you how to take care of yourself at home after the surgery.

When You're in the Hospital

You had surgery to remove all of your prostate, some tissue near your prostate, and probably some lymph nodes. This was done to treat prostate cancer.

  • Your surgeon may have made an incision (cut) either in the lower part of your belly or in the area between your scrotum and anus (open surgery).
  • Your surgeon may have used a robot or a laparoscope (a thin tube with a tiny camera on the end). You will have several small incisions on your belly.

What to Expect at Home

You may be tired and need more rest for 3 to 4 weeks after you go home. You may have pain or discomfort in your belly or the area between your scrotum and anus for 2 to 3 weeks.

You will go home with a catheter (tube) to drain urine from your bladder. This will be removed after 1 to 3 weeks.

You may go home with an additional drain (called a Jackson-Pratt, or JP drain). You will be taught how to empty it and care for it.

Wound Care

Change the dressing over your surgical wound once a day, or sooner if it becomes soiled. Your surgeon will tell you when you do not need to keep your wound covered. Keep the wound area clean by washing it with mild soap and water.

  • You may remove the wound dressings and take showers if sutures, staples, or glue were used to close your skin. Cover the incision with plastic wrap before showering for the first week if you have tape (Steri-Strips) over it.
  • Do not soak in a bathtub or hot tub, or go swimming, as long as you have a catheter. You can do these activities after the catheter is removed and your surgeon has told you it is OK to do so.

Your scrotum may be swollen for 2 to 3 weeks if you had open surgery. You may need to wear either a support (like a jock strap) or brief underwear until the swelling goes away. While you are in bed, you may use a towel under your scrotum for support.

You may have a drain (called a Jackson-Pratt, or JP drain) below your belly button that helps extra fluid drain from your body and prevent it from building up in your body. Your surgeon will take it out after 1 to 3 days.

Urinary Catheters

While you have a urinary catheter:

  • You may feel spasms in your bladder. Your surgeon can give you medicine for this.
  • You will need to make sure your indwelling catheter is working properly. You will also need to know how to clean the tube and the area where it attaches to your body so that you do not get an infection or skin irritation. There should be urine draining and filling the bag if the catheter is working properly. Contact your surgeon if you have not seen any urine drain in an hour.
  • The urine in your drainage bag may be a darker red color. This is normal.

After your catheter is removed:

  • You may have burning when you pee, blood in the urine, frequent urination, and an urgent need to urinate.
  • You may have some urine leakage (incontinence). This should improve over time. You should have almost normal bladder control within 3 to 6 months.
  • You will learn exercises (called Kegel exercises) that strengthen the muscles in your pelvis. You can do these exercises any time you are sitting or lying down.

Other Self-care

Do not drive the first 3 weeks after you come home. Avoid long car trips if you can. If you need to take a long car trip, stop at least every 2 hours.

Do not lift anything heavier than a 1-gallon (4 liters) milk jug for the first 6 weeks. You can slowly work back up to your normal exercise routine after that. You can do everyday activities around the house if you feel up to it. But expect to get tired more easily.

Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, and take stool softeners to prevent constipation. Do not strain during bowel movements.

For the first few weeks after surgery, take only the medicines your health care provider has told you to take.

  • You may need to take antibiotics to help prevent infection.
  • Check with your surgeon before taking aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), or any other drugs like these. They may cause problems with blood clots in your urine.

Sexual Problems After Surgery

Sexual problems you may notice are:

  • Your erection may not be as rigid. Some men are not able to have an erection.
  • Your orgasm may not be as intense or pleasurable as before.
  • You may notice no semen at all when you have an orgasm.

These problems may get better or even go away, but it may take many months or more than a year. The lack of an ejaculate (semen coming out with orgasm) will be permanent. Ask your provider about medicines that will help.

When to Call the Doctor

Contact your surgeon if:

  • You have pain in your belly that does not go away when you take your pain medicines
  • It is hard to breathe
  • You have a cough that does not go away
  • You cannot drink or eat
  • Your temperature is above 100.5°F (38°C)
  • Your surgical cuts are bleeding, red, warm to the touch, or have a thick, yellow, green, or milky drainage
  • You have signs of infection (burning sensation when you urinate, fever, or chills)
  • Your urine stream is not as strong or you cannot pee at all
  • You have pain, redness, or swelling in your legs

While you have a urinary catheter, contact your surgeon if:

  • You have pain near the catheter
  • You are leaking urine
  • You notice more blood in your urine
  • Your catheter seems blocked
  • You notice grit or stones in your urine
  • Your urine smells bad, or it is cloudy or a different color
  • Your catheter has fallen out
Review Date: 4/1/2025

Reviewed By

Kelly L. Stratton, MD, FACS, Associate Professor, Department of Urology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

References

American Cancer Society. After treatment: living as a prostate cancer survivor. www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/after-treatment.html. Updated November 22, 2023. Accessed April 16, 2025.

Lepor H, Schaeffer EM. Open radical prostatectomy. In: Dmochowski RR, Kavoussi LR, Peters CA, et al, eds. Campbell-Walsh-Wein Urology. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 160.

Skolarus TA, Wolf AM, Erb NL, et al. American Cancer Society prostate cancer survivorship care guidelines. CA Cancer J Clin. 2014;64(4):225-249. PMID: 24916760 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24916760/.

Su L-M, Joseph JP. Laparoscopic and robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. In: Dmochowski RR, Kavoussi LR, Peters CA, et al, eds. Campbell-Walsh-Wein Urology. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 161.

Taneja SS, Bjurlin MA. Active management strategies for localized prostate cancer. In: Dmochowski RR, Kavoussi LR, Peters CA, et al, eds. Campbell-Walsh-Wein Urology. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 158.

Disclaimer

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

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Prostate cancer - Animation

As men get older, they have a lot of new worries to deal with, from hair loss, weight gain, perhaps even erectile dysfunction. In addition, cancer is one of the biggest concerns that older men face, especially prostate cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death in men over 75.

Younger men may not be very familiar with their prostate, the walnut-shaped gland that wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body. But as they get older, the prostate can start to cause problems. Men over the age of 60 are at increased risk for prostate cancer, especially if they're of African descent, they have a father or brother with the disease, or they eat a lot of burgers and processed meats in their daily diet.

It can be hard to pinpoint prostate cancer symptoms, because they usually start late in the disease and they can mimic symptoms of a benign, enlarged prostate, which is also more common in older men. Symptoms like a slow urine stream, dribbling, blood in the urine, or straining while urinating can be signs of either condition. An enlarged prostate can also confuse the results of a PSA test, which is used to screen for prostate cancer.

So, if your doctor thinks you might have prostate cancer, you may need a biopsy, which is a procedure that removes a small piece of prostate tissue and sends it to the lab to check for cancer. Then a scoring system called the Gleason grade is used to tell how fast your cancer might spread. Your Gleason grade will help decide what treatment you get.

Early-stage prostate cancers that haven't spread are often removed with surgery, and then treated with radiation therapy to kill any remaining cancer cells. Prostate cancer surgery may affect your ability to have sex and control urine, so talk about these issues with your doctor before you have the procedure.

Because prostate cancer tends to grow very slowly, your doctor may want to just monitor you with PSA tests and biopsies, and avoid treatment unless the cancer starts to spread. Prostate cancer that has spread is usually treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy.

If your doctor discovers prostate cancer in its early stages, before it spreads, it's pretty easy to treat, and even cure. Treatments can also slow down prostate cancer that's spread, and extend your survival.

Before you have to deal with a prostate cancer diagnosis, ask your doctor for ways to prevent and screen for the disease. Eating a healthy, low-fat diet that's high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids might help lower your risk. There are also drugs called finasteride and dutasteride that are used in some men to prevent prostate cancer. Talk with your doctor about the pros and cons of these drugs, as well as the possible benefits and risks of having your PSA levels tested.

 

Prostate cancer - Animation

As men get older, they have a lot of new worries to deal with, from hair loss, weight gain, perhaps even erectile dysfunction. In addition, cancer is one of the biggest concerns that older men face, especially prostate cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death in men over 75.

Younger men may not be very familiar with their prostate, the walnut-shaped gland that wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body. But as they get older, the prostate can start to cause problems. Men over the age of 60 are at increased risk for prostate cancer, especially if they're of African descent, they have a father or brother with the disease, or they eat a lot of burgers and processed meats in their daily diet.

It can be hard to pinpoint prostate cancer symptoms, because they usually start late in the disease and they can mimic symptoms of a benign, enlarged prostate, which is also more common in older men. Symptoms like a slow urine stream, dribbling, blood in the urine, or straining while urinating can be signs of either condition. An enlarged prostate can also confuse the results of a PSA test, which is used to screen for prostate cancer.

So, if your doctor thinks you might have prostate cancer, you may need a biopsy, which is a procedure that removes a small piece of prostate tissue and sends it to the lab to check for cancer. Then a scoring system called the Gleason grade is used to tell how fast your cancer might spread. Your Gleason grade will help decide what treatment you get.

Early-stage prostate cancers that haven't spread are often removed with surgery, and then treated with radiation therapy to kill any remaining cancer cells. Prostate cancer surgery may affect your ability to have sex and control urine, so talk about these issues with your doctor before you have the procedure.

Because prostate cancer tends to grow very slowly, your doctor may want to just monitor you with PSA tests and biopsies, and avoid treatment unless the cancer starts to spread. Prostate cancer that has spread is usually treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy.

If your doctor discovers prostate cancer in its early stages, before it spreads, it's pretty easy to treat, and even cure. Treatments can also slow down prostate cancer that's spread, and extend your survival.

Before you have to deal with a prostate cancer diagnosis, ask your doctor for ways to prevent and screen for the disease. Eating a healthy, low-fat diet that's high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids might help lower your risk. There are also drugs called finasteride and dutasteride that are used in some men to prevent prostate cancer. Talk with your doctor about the pros and cons of these drugs, as well as the possible benefits and risks of having your PSA levels tested.

 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
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