I am a retired Army veteran and African-American male who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in March 2018 at the age 53 and had surgery in June, eight days after turning 54. My surgery was performed by prostate cancer specialist Dr. David B. Samadi, who is Chairman of Urology and Chief of Robotic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. My prostate cancer experience exceeded my expectations because Dr. Samadi's compassion towards me and my diagnosis relieved my fears and anxiety. He and his healthcare team provided me with exceptional care before, during, and after my robotic prostatectomy surgery. I now understand why he has received numerous awards with regards to how he treats his patients. African American men are considered 'high risk' for developing prostate cancer and dying from the disease and thanks to Dr. Samadi and his staff, I received the necessary treatment and have become more than just a statistic. I am now a survivor! At each step of the pre and post-surgery process, I received outstanding care. I am now in Week 6 of my recovery and I am doing well. If you need to have robotic prostate surgery, he is the doctor you want! He has made it his mission to understand, educate, and develop ways to help to prevent and treat prostate cancer. Specifically, with his Samadi Modified Advanced Robotic Technique (SMART) he developed.
He has as earned my respect and gratitude as long as I live. The motto I adopted while I served in Afghanistan was "One Team, One Fight, One Family"! It is my sincere desire that Dr. Samadi and his prostate cancer "Team" continue the "Fight" because I am now apart of the Family" of prostate cancer survivors whose life he has impacted! Below are some helpful links.
http://www.roboticoncology.com/
https://prostatecancer911.com/
http://www.drsamaditv.com/
My recovery is going well since I last posted in August of 2018. So far all my PSA results have come back with undetectable PSA levels. I will admit, though, the initial recovery process was somewhat stressful due to the fact that I developed a keloid from in my urethra from my scar tissue healing. The keloid caused constriction where my urethra connected to my bladder and caused me to have uncontrollable incontinence leakage. Keloids are very common for African-American men and as fate would have it, I developed one from my surgery. But thanks to Dr. Samadi who offered a non-surgery option to remedy the problem (around this same time last year), my uncontrollable incontinence issue was resolved to my satisfaction by me having to wear a catheter for three-days. What a difference a year makes! While I still have some minor incontinence minor issues which usually come when I increase my physical activity or stand for very, very long periods of time, I can live with that because I am steadily improving with the help of during regular pelvic floor exercises daily. I wear a incontinence pad daily just to be on the safe side and I usually do not leak while sleeping. To be perfectly honest, I will take that over having to deal with no erections and still have cancer. Overall, I am extremely happy with my quality of life.
The nerve-sparing SMART (Samadi Modified Advanced Robotic Technique) Dr. David Samadi developed, worked as advertised for me. In my opinion, he is the very best in the business and I would definitely recommend him to anyone who has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is considering having the surgery. I take a very low dosage of 5 mg of Cialis about three time a week just to ensure no issues with the "wood" when I know my wife is counting on me to perform (lol)! I have actually can get an erection without using any help from Cialis but the hardness of my erections can be unpredictable sometimes so I rather not take any chances so I continue using the Cialis. I have used Viagra (100 mg) as needed and it works too. If I take Viagra, I take no more than two pills per month but I do not take back to back with the Cialis for obvious reasons. Since I take the Cialis around 6 am, I will take a Viagra around 9 pm or 10 pm under that scenario or take the Viagra on a day that I have not taken the Cialis. Sometimes the "wood" has a mind of its own and will perform when he wants to and not when you need him (lol). I also joined a private Facebook group forum called "Mark's Prostate Cancer Experience". Mark had his surgery performed also by Dr. Samadi and has posted several Youtube video regarding his journey/progress. He started the group and now has more than 700 followers who post important and valuable information on what they are going through and offer recommendations/suggestions for anyone seeking help in dealing/treating their specific prostate cancer issues. Please remember to stay stay encouraged, stay positive, and be very patience during your recovery process. I will continue to update my progress on YANA as I continue to maintain my focus and keep the faith. As Prostate Cancer Awareness Month approaches in the month of September remember we are: "One Team, One Fight, One Family"!
I am writing to update my story since I last posted. I had my last PSA test in June 2020 and my PSA was undetectable...Thank God! I have seen study improvement with my incontinence and erections. I take 5 mg of Cialis about three days a week which seems to work for me. I actually can get an erection without Cialis but they are not as firm. The leaks I have are more of a dribble from time to time and usually happen just before I have to urinate. I usually don't wear a pad around the house or at night. I do, however, wear a pad when out in public as a precaution, but my dribbles are very minimal, if any. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, I have not been able to fly to New York to see my urologist (Dr. David Samadi) in person but I have spoken to him by phone and communicate with him via social media. For men interested in a great book on men's health, Dr. Samadi has written an excellent book addressing men's health with regards to prostate health. It is available on Amazon and titled: " The Ultimate Manual: Dr. Samadi's Guide to Men's Health and Wellness. As I stated in my original story, I received outstanding care and if you need to have robotic prostate surgery, he is the doctor you want because of his Samadi Modified Advanced Robotic Technique (SMART). It definitely works!
I remain free of prostate cancer.
Since my prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment, I have relocated to Warner Robins, Georgia and have remarried in an effort to surround myself with a better support system. As of this post, my PSA remains clinically undetectable, but incontinence leakage remains my primary side effect. Even though it remains to be a side side effect, it has not prevented me from enjoying a good quality of life or prevented me from traveling. In order to manage my incontinence, I do pelvic floor exercises, physical therapy, and have I found a physical therapist (Dr. Eric Leckie, DPT) who specializes in helping prostate cancer survivors with incontinence leakage issues. He has designed specific exercises and a specific program to reduce and possibly eliminate my leakage. I have provided the link to anyone who is interested in is services. I have already seen some improvement.
https://activebeat.com/author/eric-leckie/
Rudy's e-mail address is: rudyc1 AT yahoo.com (replace "AT" with "@")
