Richard Newcomb
This technique offers rapid recovery benefits with equivalent or significantly improved statistics in all of the surgical risk and side effect categories. I was walking within eight hours, had the catheter removed five days later and my wife and I drove 800 miles home beginning on day 7. Pain has been minimal. Today, 17 days after the surgery, I have only minor incontenance and erectile function is returning. I am retired, but would have been able to return to a full time administrative job by around day 10. Work with high physical demands would require more time (I can now take strenuous 1-2 hour hikes on mountain trails but would not attempt any strenuous upper body excercise). The surgery involves complex equipment with a significant learning curve for the surgeon. There are only a handful of centers performing the operation including City of Hope in Duarte, CA, the Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins. Given the benefits, I expect more locations will implement in the near future, but I would be very hesitant trusting a surgeon learning the technique with my operation.