Thomas E. Ahlering

The best.

The best.

The best.

Dr. Ahlering is quite simply the gold standard for robotic prostate surgery. The hospital and virtually everyone I was in contact with was superior. This is a well oiled team of medical professionals with a great leader in Dr. Ahlering. 5 stars al the way!

Dr. Ahlering is quite simply the gold standard for robotic prostate surgery. The hospital and virtually everyone I was in contact with was superior. This is a well oiled team of medical professionals with a great leader in Dr. Ahlering. 5 stars al the way!

I had my prostate removed 4 weeks ago in Irvine by Dr Ahlering I have been back working full time for a week. I travelled from Idaho for the surgery and admire and appreciate Dr Ahlering for his great professional expertise and for his caring attitude. His entire staff were A+. They truly have been my guardian angels.

I have been cancer free for over 13 years with PSAs <.1 He saved my life!!

Similar to the hundreds of men across the country, when diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, I was gripped with uncertainty and fear. My first priority was to find the absolute best Urologist surgeon in the world to help me survive. Luckily, I found him and his wonderful office staff, Anna and Lydia, who were available 24/7 during my journey. Of course, you can read all about his groundbreaking, nervesaving robotic surgery on his website, but every man is different. In my case, I can tell you that 7 days after surgery following the catheter removal, I had full control of my bladder, and I had no erectile dysfunction. Dr. Ahlering not only saved my life, but improved its quality. Im now ten days post surgery, fully functional, back to a normal routine and with an excellent prognosis. Im now looking forward to many years ahead. I cant express in these few lines how much gratitude I feel for this gifted surgeon and his wonderful staff.

I recently underwent a robotic prostatectomy procedure by Dr. Thomas Ahlering. I found him to be very direct, extremely knowledgeable, patient, and compassionate. My experience was spectacular from the moment I first contacted the Assistant to Dr. Ahlering, Lydia Cruz, to discuss my elevated PSA to when I returned to Oregon one week following the surgery. Ill be the first to admit Im a sensitive guy when it comes to anything dealing with needles and pain. However, I experienced very little postsurgical pain, very little blood, and what pain I did have was easily managed by Motrin. One week after surgery, I was walking two miles a day, and when the catheter was removed, I was fully continent! As I write this coming up upon my 3rdweek post surgery, Im back swimming at 1/2 my presurgical workout and walking 4 miles in between swim days. My outcome was the best I could have possibly imagined. I sincerely believe that this was the result of Dr. Ahlering’s surgical skill, the vast experience he has obtained over the thousands of robotic surgeries he has performed, and the time and care that he takes throughout the operation. My entire surgical procedure was flawlessly executed from start to finish with everyone on the team working in perfect concert. Watching all of this unfold when I wasnt under anesthesia gave me an overwhelming sense of comfort. After my original diagnosis of a rising PSA at the age of 54, my physician recommended a prostate biopsy. Researching online at the time, I learned that biopsies were not always accurate. I reached out to a good friend who is a professional in the field of urology robotics, and he gave me his list of the top 3 urological surgeons. Dr. Ahlering being at the top of that list as a highly respected original adopter of robotic surgery for prostatectomies, and widely known as a constant innovator of surgical techniques to maximize the best possible outcome for patients. He is also passionate in his research and advocacy for the early screening and treatment of this disease and also has the reputation of being the surgeon that other doctors and surgeons turn to when diagnosed with prostate cancer. After meeting with Dr. Ahlering and discussing my options for biopsy, I settled on a contrasted multiparametric 3 Tesla MRI with an MRI guided needle biopsy. Unlike other biopsies, the contrasted MRI procedure is noninvasive and does not involve the older method of using a TransRectal Ultrasound, or TRUS. Once the MRI results highlighted the potential cancer sites, the same process was used to verify the accurate biopsy needle placement. Multiparametric MRI guided needle biopsies assure the most precise core samples of the suspect tissue the first time. This procedure is becoming the standard biopsy method over the ultrasoundguided biopsy methods. Unfortunately, my test results were positive for two of the three sites tested, and I ended up with a Gleason 3+3 or 6, PIRAD4, PSA Density 0.014 ng ml/cc. After my diagnosis, I set off on a path of extensive online research. Over the coming months, we met and talked with numerous other professionals involved with various protocols both mainstream and research. These included Brachytherapy, Proton Beam therapy, HighIntensity Focal Ultrasound (HIFU), Focal Laser Ablation, and Watchful Waiting. I also spoke with other prostate cancer survivors who had all had undergone various types of protocols. At the same time, I started an intensive physical training program and reduced my intake of unhealthy foods, replacing them with nourishing alternatives. I began to walk as much and as far as possible, increased my swimming to develop core strength and lean body mass, and added weight and TRX training to my program. My training also helped me deal with the stress of my diagnosis and all my research leading up to my decision for the best course of treatment. At a total of 22 months had passed since my original diagnosis and I was even hopeful that in seeing my PSA drop from 5.8 to 4.2 that somehow I was getting on top of this. However, another multiparametric MRI showed cancer still active. Over this time of exhaustive research, countless discussions with Dr. Ahlering who all the while remained very understanding with me, leaning on “watchful waiting,” and hoping for a pill of some type for a cure, I finally scheduled my surgery with Dr. Ahlering. The postsurgical biopsy came back showing advancement in my grade of the prostate cancer, a Gleason 3+4; now my Gleason 6 became a Gleason 7 within 22 months. However, I was still fortunate that my cancer remained within the prostate and my margins were negative or clean. The change in my Gleason score from a 3+3 to a 3+4 elevated the probability of the return of my prostate cancer from near 0 to 10 percent. Having conducted numerous studies on the effects of diet and exercise on prostate cancer patients, Dr. Ahlering is confident that as I move past my surgery and continue with my healthy lifestyle, I can lower the 10 percent significantly. I feel incredibly relieved that I’m fully continent and no longer dealing with the thought of carrying cancer that I had for the last 22+ months. I give full credit to Dr. Ahlering for the success of my robotic surgical procedure. However, he stressed the importance to me that the patient has a lot of control over the successful outcome as well. By preparing and being in their best nutritional and physical shape possible and following the postsurgical recovery recommendations, a patient can improve the surgical and recovery processes dramatically. I cannot finish without mentioning the fantastic surgical support team. Throughout my experience at the surgical center of MiVIP, from presurgery to postsurgery, everything was executed with the utmost care and consideration to my comfort and concern. The team at the surgery center takes great pride in working with Dr. Ahlering and even refers to themselves as The ATeam, providing oneonone patient care that you wouldn’t typically find in a hospital environment today. They are a highly professional and seasoned team having worked with Dr. Ahlering for many years and extremely familiar with the robotic prostatectomy surgery. They provide an invaluable continuity in experience and teamwork that is very challenging to get in hospitals today. When arriving at MiVIP the day before my surgery, Aubrey provided me with a very comprehensive presurgery briefing discussing the necessary postsurgical catheter and was later responsible for its removal. Aubrey even continued to check in with me throughout my recovery after my surgery. Alma is the head of the nurse team and has an incredibly warm and angelic personality making me feel as I was going to be in expert caring hands. Alma, along with the other lead nurse Amy, made me incredibly comfortable throughout the presurgery and postsurgery process. They provided a presurgical tour which included a viewing of the latest generation of the Da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, and the private recovery areas. At all the phases of my surgery, my anesthesiologist Dr. Kelvin Nguyen made sure that I was entirely relaxed and comfortable going into and coming out of the operating room, and treated me like a member of his family, even following up with me for several days, checking in to see how I was doing. The night team nursing staff of Lola and Airea kept me comfortable and well cared for throughout my first night. As I awoke onandoff throughout my early hours following surgery, they were always right there or nearby checking on me regularly. Others told me that I would love the experience at MiVIP and they were right. Reflecting on this experience, I am convinced that robotic surgery and worldclass surgeons such as Dr. Ahlering will continue to radically change the future of medicine by maximizing the best possible surgical outcome for the patient while also minimizing patient discomfort and recovery time. I am 100percent convinced that I made the right choice in every way.

An exhausting study coupled with insider feedback lead me to select Dr. Ahlering and Robotic Prostatectomy. A 40 years career in surgery, urologist friends references , many personnel friends from the robot company comments, clinical research in all the professional venues and having observed the procedures open, laparoscopic and robotically I was sold on this combination of doctor and treatment. At 64, pain was .5, due to anesthesia, which surprisingly had no shoulder pain, no pain medication every taken or needed. Shocking! Zero leakage and felt 100% ready to play golf 7 days post op. Passed of course. The Ateam at surgery center, Ana and Lydia and Dr. Ahlering patiently and timely responded to all request. The team was great and each person was experienced and very knowledgeable. I cant underscore enough that this practice focuses exclusively on the prostate. The data was painstaking validated so the margins could be best managed. In my selection I would have traveled anywhere in the US to get the best surgical hands to treat this fragile anatomy, without a doubt this center is top 5 clinically and I was his 1,700 robotic patient. The focus is unequaled patient care which is a scarcity in todays modern medicine. Im cancer free, no post op complications and looking forward to the 90 day PSA 0 validation.