When I was first diagnosed with Prostate Cancer I knew I had to take definitive action. My PSA had risen sharply from the previous check up and not only did my Urologist detect a distinctive mass on the left ½ of my prostate but my biopsy result was a score of Gleason 8. From the beginning, I had no doubt that Dr. Samadi was the only one who would perform my Surgery. He was recommended by a friend of mine and, when I mentioned Dr. Samadis name to my local Urologist, he also agreed that this was an excellent choice. My Urologist already knew of his expertise in performing robotic prostate surgery.
Being a Health Care Professional myself [I am a Dentist], I feel I sort of have a good feeling as to how Health Care Professionals react to, and treat their patients. From my very first impression of Dr. Samadi at our consultation, I felt comfortable. My concerns were not only to be cancer free, but also to maintain a good quality of life. I had real concerns about recovery time, incontinence, and erectile dysfunction.
Dr. Samadi made it very clear as to his vision of me being cancer free and at the same time he considers quality of life as being extremely important. He portrayed these feelings with a real sense of commitment and confidence. I felt as if he directly spoke to me in a confident and understanding manner. He told me to reach out to him by e-mail or phone at any time if I had any questions or concerns. In fact, I did contact him by e-mail and he promptly replied with the information I requested. He and his staff made this difficult time between consultation and actual surgery a seamless transition. They really tried to make all of the pre-op details go smoothly.
The actual surgery turned out to be easier than I had expected. Post-op discomfort was minimal. I was released from Mount Sinai 21 hours after I checked in. If you can arrange it, book your hospital room on 11 west. The accommodations and the hospital staff are wonderful. I returned to work full time 2 weeks after surgery without any complications.
It has now been 5 months since my surgery and my recovery has been excellent. My post surgical pathology report showed totally clean non cancerous tissue margins and my PSA is now 0. Dr. Samadi did this while preserving nerve function. My follow up visits with Dr. Samadi have been handled with the same commitment to quality of care as were my pre-surgical visits. I did have stress incontinence issues right after surgery, but they were less than what I had expected. They are almost completely gone at this point. I do still have some erectile dysfunction issues, but the drugs available take care of this. I do see this improving and feel that I probably wont need the drugs in the long term future.
When I think of this whole period from the stark reality of the diagnosis, and its possible consequences to the actual surgery and my post-op recovery, it almost does not seem real. I think this is because it went so well that it felt like just a routine procedure, not a cancer treatment that if not handled well could have really impacted my future. I truly thank Dr. Samadi for making this treatment seem routine.
"Dear Dr. Samadi, No words could express my gratitude for this successful operation, in which I came out cured, relived without any pain. This robotic operation was a success because YOU were behind it."
