RAGBRAI After Prostate Surgery: Darryl Blackburn

500 miles on a bike? Four months after prostate surgery?

Darryl Blackburn of Bettendorf was determined to start and finish the week-long RAGBRAI, the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. To make this year’s trek, however, the avid cyclist had one obstacle to overcome: an enlarged prostate that had been taking him for a ride of its own.

He challenged urologist Dr. Matthew Bream to take care of his prostate in time for him to participate in RAGBRAI, four months away. And he did, removing much of the enlarged gland using robotic surgery technology available at Genesis.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

An enlarged prostate – called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in medical terms - is the most common prostate problem for men older than age 50. Its symptoms, experienced by the 69-year-old Blackburn, include increased urinary frequency, urgency, and an inability to completely empty the bladder.

“I’d have to get up five, six times a night. Interrupting my sleep that often isn’t the best thing in the world when you’re working,” says Blackburn, now retired from the Rock Island Arsenal’s U.S. Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command. “I used to get mad at my wife for how many times she had to stop at a rest area on a long distance trip. But I became the one needing the frequent stops.”

Learn more about Robotic Prostate Surgery at Genesis

Drugs had been used to treat Blackburn’s enlarged prostate, but he still would suffer from occasional bouts of urinary retention, where a catheter was required to drain his bladder. Those bouts became more frequent when Blackburn began working out on his resistance trainer early this year in preparation for RAGBRAI. With medication now proving ineffective, and because urinary retention can cause bladder and kidney damage, robotic-assisted surgery was recommended.

“I was facing a likelihood of continuing to self-catheter and perhaps even permanent damage if I didn’t do something,” says Blackburn. “When I met Dr. Bream, I gave him the challenge. I said, ‘I'm planning to do RAGBRAI, so if you're able to get me back on a bike and let me have six weeks of training, we'll go through with this. Otherwise we're going to delay it to this fall.’

He laughed and said, we can do that.”

Robotic Prostate Surgery at Genesis

During the surgery, called a simple prostatectomy, Dr. Bream, of Urological Associates, P.C., used one of three da Vinci robotic surgical systems at Genesis Medical Center, Davenport, to remove the inner part of the prostate gland, leaving the outer shell behind. Nerves and muscles that help men achieve erections and maintain their urinary continence hug this outer shell, so being able to leave it behind helps men with their recovery. The process is similar to scooping out the inside of an orange and leaving the peel intact.

The da Vinci system makes it possible to perform surgery through a few small incisions instead of a long incision in the abdomen required for a traditional open surgery. The da Vinci system – with a control console for the surgeon and a patient cart with robotic arms for a camera and surgical instruments – delivers 3D high-definition views. The system translates every movement the surgeon makes in real time, but with a greater range of motion.

Surgeons have used this state-of-the-art robotic technology in more than 6,000 surgical procedures at Genesis, ranging from gynecology to urology, orthopedics to general surgery and lung biopsies.

Learn more about Robotic Prostate Surgery at Genesis

Dr. Bream says the robot is integral in the treatment of enlarged prostates, and helps him on his mission to “make men pee again.”

“The pelvis is kind of this deep, dark surgical space where it’s hard to see and maneuver if you're doing a traditional open surgery,” says Dr. Bream. “With the robot, when I remove that center part of the prostate, now I can see into the pelvis so much better and the robotic surgical platform gives me the dexterity to sew delicate tissue back together. It makes a huge difference for those patients.

“I would say 90 percent of our men who have a robotic-assisted simple prostatectomy go home the very next day. The recovery tends to be quite rapid, and this allows us to offer this to men well into their 70s and 80s, if needed. The robot has been a huge game-changer for us as urologists.”

Rapid Recovery

Like the majority of men who undergo a robotic-assisted simple prostatectomy, Blackburn spent only one night in the hospital, leaving the next day impressed by the technology and the care he received.

“My experience at Genesis was nothing short of fabulous,” says Blackburn. “The process was easy and you can barely see the incisions. Genesis has the most professional and caring staff. It was just evident in how they looked out for me and had me prepared all the way to discharge the following morning. And Dr. Bream is personable, professional and clearly passionate about his work.”

RAGBRAI 2023

Blackburn resumed his RAGBRAI training six weeks after the procedure, giving him two months to prepare. It was enough to complete his fourth RAGBRAI, and first since 2009, even with triple-digit heat indexes during the week.

“I had no issues at all with the prostate. None,” says Blackburn. It's almost like it had never been a problem.

“I don't feel 69 anymore. I actually feel young because I'm not slowed by the prostate. I don’t always have to be on the lookout for a bathroom. I don’t have to carry a catheter or two in the glovebox. It’s really liberating.”

Blackburn wants to use his experience and his voice to be an advocate for others experiencing BPH like he did. He urges men to open up and talk freely about the condition, even though it might seem embarrassing.

“My message is that the technology is there. The skilled care is there,” Blackburn says. “There’s no reason to suffer any longer. If I help one person step up, go forward and get this done, it's worth it.”

Learn more about Robotic Prostate Surgery at Genesis