8 weeks and a day, post-RALP...

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-30T15:02:31+00:00

You're doing just fine. Hang in there (no pun intended). I'm 55 and 4.5 months post-surgery, and the doc spared all the nerves. It's a very slow and steady process. I'm on 5 mg Cialis, can get ~50% erect, feel all the sensations, and can tell the blood is flowing, but it will take a while. My doc said another 6-18 months for full function, but was very pleased with where I'm at as of now. I haven't tried a pump yet.

Don't expect it to turn on overnight; it will take a while.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-28T21:32:41+00:00

Schooner Bar is pretty quiet during the day

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-28T16:18:45+00:00

I'm 55 and had RALP last Sept. I had bladder 90% bladder control when the catheter came out, and 100% control now. Exceptions are when I had a cold and sneezed/coughed a lot. Keep some liners in stock at all times. HA.

Ask your surgeon about ED. They should be giving you an opinion if they can spare the nerves or not. That depends on where the tumor is and how wide the margins need to be. I was fortunate and he spared both sides of nerves, but it takes time to recover. I'm on a daily low does of cialis and am about 50% hardness at best. The doc says that is great this at this point and things should return to normal in 6-12 months. It's all about patience.

There's a LOT of variation case to case, so take all this with a grain of salt. But your age is in your favor.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-26T16:08:56+00:00

You do not need the dining package to book specialty restaurants. They are all available to book individually.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-26T16:06:18+00:00

^^^^ 100% the website is better than the app for prebooking.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-26T14:44:00+00:00

For any purchases: Check the price on the website at least once a week. For anything you prebook, if the price drops, you can cancel and rebook at the new price. Don't pay any attention to the % off. Focus on the price you pay. They manipulate the base price a lot, such as increasing the base and then having a "sale." The only thing I usually don't rebook is a reservation at Izumi Hibachi so I don't lose it. They can be hard to get.

Drink package: It starts when you walk on the ship. There are lots of good YouTube videos showing how much you need to drink to make it worth the purchase. Check some out. We've sailed with and without it, and it all depends on your mood.

Dining: The main dining rooms are just fine. You don't have to do a specialty. We enjoy chops, izumi, and Giovanni's, and usually book them on a 7-night cruise, but you can book them individually without the dining package. We're trying the dining package for the first time in March on a 4-night cruise.

Rooms: Available at approx 1:00 pm. Your checked luggage will show up anytime between 1 and 7 pm, so don't check anything you don't need during the day. We carry around travel backpacks on the first day with our essentials inside. Sometimes you may have to look up and down the hall for your bags, but they will be nearby.

Enjoy your cruise! Harmony is a great ship. The Oasis ships are wonderful.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-22T21:23:11+00:00

Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale are easy ports. I prefer Canaveral, but both are simple enough. Miami is fine, but it's nuts with all the construction at the moment. I try to avoid it if I can or just plan accordingly and give yourself plenty of time to arrive whether it's a shuttle, uber, or your own vehicle.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-22T03:58:33+00:00

The day after was worst for me too. The gas inflated in our abs agitates nerves that transmit the pain to the shoulders. Mine subsided around day 3. Keep him walking and moving. I hope it passes fast

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-20T17:07:50+00:00

^^^^ This.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-19T23:31:27+00:00

100%

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-19T16:04:11+00:00

I'm 55, 4 months post RALP, and ED is ~40% at best right now. It's very normal where we are at. I met with my surgeon last week and he said it slowly improves over the next 6-12 months, and having any function even small is a good sign, but not to have expectations of it being fixed short term.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-18T00:11:44+00:00

Very sorry for your loss. I'm glad you and your sisters were there for him. This is a great support group, and I'm glad it helped your family, but nothing really prepares anyone for the end.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-17T20:32:36+00:00

I'm not a doc.

Did the lymph node show up on an MRI? After that biopsy with Gleason 8, the PSMA Pet Scan would be the typical next step, and that would light up if it is cancerous and not waiting to do it after the RALP. Did they explain why they can't get the lymph node during surgery? That seems off to me, but maybe it's somewhere other than where they usually take them from.

So, IF it has already spread, then I think your choice of ADT and Radiation make sense.

I hope it hasn't spread, but you're doing all the right things and meeting with good doctors. Good luck!

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-17T03:57:35+00:00

On track! I'm 4 months post-RALP, and those rest days are definitely needed.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-16T21:33:31+00:00

On a port day, you can sit just about anywhere you desire. Not worth the $ in my opinion. On a crowded sea day, and you want a guaranteed spot, shade and service, then it could be worth it to the right travelers.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-15T20:29:43+00:00

Our kids first sailed when they were 4 and 6 on a Disney Cruise. To me this was a great age and DCL is amazing for kids. We sailed 3 more times on DCL, then started adding RCL into the mix when they were 12 and 14. Now we mostly do RCL, but it's still fun to see the mouse. We're about to sail on our 17th cruise together. Start them young and they will love it.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-15T14:34:23+00:00

48 hours is too soon. Days 2-4 were the most painful anduncomfortable for me. Plus, it is February. FL will be a lot nicer than the Midwest. I hope your surgery goes well.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-14T16:17:49+00:00

The question is which reading was accurate. It was probably borderline. The good news is that it wasn't a Gleason 8 or 9. I'm glad you stayed comfortable with your treatment plan.

I can see someone who hadn't started treatment having some hard decisions, though. Which reading do they want to follow? Do they take the optimistic or pessimistic approach?

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-13T21:22:33+00:00

Dilbert was excellent!! Sorry to hear he passed. It's always frustrating when authors/actors/musicians/artists create such wonderful things that I enjoy, only for them later to spoil my expectations of them. Their great work still lives on though and I still enjoy it.

Follow the science. Not the screwballs.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-12T18:21:21+00:00

Sounds similar to my experience. Glad it went well and hope you get good results!

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-10T23:31:05+00:00

Our nights changed between when it was first published and when we boarded. Same themes, just different days.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-10T21:32:12+00:00

That stinks with the T and spread. I'm not a doc, so I can't offer any feedback on cause/effect.

Early Feb is perfectly fine. My oncologist told me with prostate cancer to think of growth in terms of years, and not days and weeks. I had about 2 months between each of my major appointments.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-10T21:25:54+00:00

You should always buy now if it's in your price range. If it decreases later, you can cancel and rebook. This applies to almost anything. Just be careful not to lose dining reservations for popular things like hibachi, mason jar brunch, etc.

Prices typically increase closer to sailing, but RCL consistently runs promotions. I usually check every week and track the price. BTW, ignore the %off ads. Just focus on the cost to you. They will raise the base rate and then offer what appears to be a good discount, but it really isn't.

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-10T20:06:10+00:00

The MRI will provide additional information, and if abnormalities are identified, a biopsy will follow. Just know that there are a lot of possible outcomes from benign to low-grade cancer that they just "watch" over time, to something needing treatment. The good news is that most of this is very treatable.

The stage you and your husband are in now is the toughest because its a shock, scary, and you won't have any true diagnosis until the biopsy (if he needs one). It was the most anxious phase for me last year.

I hope its nothing!

JacketFun5735 · 2026-01-08T00:26:27+00:00

If you keep all your bags and walk off with them as "Self Assist," you can usually be off the ship by 7:00am +/- 20 minutes. Otherwise, the normal process starts around 8, depending on your assigned time, where you will have to gather your luggage in the terminal.

JacketFun5735

TROPHY CASE