Recovery after radical prostatectomy: week by week

Every duration on this page comes from an individual NHS trust leaflet, and the leaflets do not always agree with one another. Treat them as typical ranges, because people recover at different speeds and the instructions on your own discharge letter come first.

Robotic surgery is described in the leaflets we used. If you had open or standard keyhole surgery, the early stages are usually slower. The full operation is described in our procedure guide, and this page concentrates on what comes after it.

Every figure in the table comes from a trust leaflet and is a typical range, not a promise.

You wake with a catheter and possibly a drain, and you are encouraged to walk soon after. Trust leaflets say most men are discharged the day after robotic surgery. A little swelling of the lower tummy or genitals can last for a couple of days. Expect tiredness, constipation from painkillers and anaesthetic, and some discomfort around the cuts.

The catheter acts like a splint while the join between bladder and urethra heals, and it is normal to see blood-stained urine at times. Drink well, keep the bag below bladder level and keep the catheter site clean. Ring your nurse team if urine stops draining, your lower tummy swells or hurts, or the urine is cloudy or smells offensive.

Once the catheter is removed, urine leakage is expected. A trust leaflet says it improves over weeks with pelvic floor exercises, and most men achieve dry nights within about two weeks, while another trust describes a third of men managing straight away. Leaking is not a sign that anything has failed, although you should tell your team if it is worsening.

Walk daily, which one trust sets at about 15 minutes of gentle exercise. Avoid heavy lifting; one leaflet says for six weeks. Sit on a firm cushion if the perineum is sore, and eat fibre to avoid straining. Most trusts describe returning to a normal routine over about four weeks, and one suggests work after four to six weeks, depending on the job.

Driving advice differs. One trust says not until the catheter is out and you can do an emergency stop; another says about two weeks after robotic surgery. The DVLA guidance states that anyone unable to control their vehicle safely for any reason must not drive, and that ignoring medical advice may affect the validity of motor insurance, so check your own policy and your surgeon's advice.

Work depends on the job. Desk-based workers often manage sooner than those lifting or standing all day, and the leaflets give four to six weeks as a general guide. Swimming and vigorous exercise are usually held back for a few weeks, and gardening is built up slowly, with one leaflet allowing light gardening only after 12 weeks.

Bladder control continues to improve for months. One leaflet gives full control as typically taking three to six months, and another says one third are dry within three months and almost all of the rest within a year. Keep up pelvic floor exercises, which one trust describes as three sessions a day, and ask your team for a referral if leakage is limiting life.

Erections depend on whether nerves could be spared and on how you were before surgery. Leaflets say nerve recovery can take up to 12 to 18 months and erectile function up to 24 months. Tablets, vacuum devices or injections can help, and one trust describes starting medicines at the six-week appointment. Orgasm is dry because semen is no longer produced, and some men notice a change in sensation.

A PSA test checks for remaining cancer. One trust describes a first test at the six-week appointment then every three months during the first year, but schedules differ, so follow your own plan. The final pathology result is discussed with you and may lead to a conversation about further treatment.

Seek urgent help from A&E or by calling 999 for chest pain, breathlessness, or a swollen painful calf, which can be clots. Ring your hospital team or NHS 111 for fever, heavy bleeding, wound redness or discharge, a blocked catheter, or being unable to pass urine after it is removed.