THE COMPLETE PROSTATE SURGERY RECOVERY GUIDE

Smith, a prostate cancer survivor, offers a detailed road map through the physical and emotional aftermath of prostate surgery.

The author says that he set out to write something that he wished he’d had after his own prostatectomy procedure: a comprehensive resource for him and his caregivers. In these pages, he presents a thorough guide, including an explanation of prostate surgery, timelines for the procedure and its aftermath, sexual recovery, emotional well-being, long-term physical recovery, and the many complications that might arise. Along the way, the author presents practical advice, including suggestions on how to deal with symptoms and side effects. Smith tackles expected subjects, such as reclaiming one’s quality of life, dealing with anxiety and depression, and managing expectations, with a mix of personal experience and deep research: “I never imagined I’d become an expert on prostatectomy recovery, but life has a way of forcing education upon us when we least expect it,” he writes. Some elements may not be found in other guides on the topic, such as a step-by-step look at what happens in the operating room, what he calls “realistic expectations” for recovery, what one should and shouldn’t feel when engaging one’s pelvic floor muscles, and tips for handling “scanxiety”—the inevitable worry about a recurrence. Smith’s straightforward approach is useful, particularly when dealing directly and honestly with such fraught subjects as erectile dysfunction and incontinence. He documents his research well throughout, and the way he handles his many footnotes (144 of them) is unobtrusive and key to the book’s readability. Overall, Smith has succeeded in creating a comprehensive but comprehensible guidebook on a topic that, by another author, could have been too dense for its own good.

A thorough and frank resource for prostate-surgery patients and their caregivers.