Physical Discomfort After Prostatectomy

Normal, normal.

Catheter are a pain. Too much activity can irritate the bladder. Somtimes the tip of the penis get sore too. A little vaseline, or other lubricant will help.

Keep drinking lots of fluids to flush the baldder out, take stool softeners and/or Milk of Magnesia to get those bowles moving easily. Try not to strain too hard. Got some stitches internally that you don't want to mess up.

Leaks are normal tho, so just keep a pad handy, or sometimes wrapping it in gauze will help catch the little drips.

Good luck on your recovery. Welcome to the club. Stay tunes for lots of help!

All good advice above except don't use vaseline - use a water based lubricant like KY jelly, vaseline can rot the rubber.

I discovered that when moving around as in walking (and I hope you are doing more every day, it is really important) Things were best if I immobilized both my equipment and the cathater and tube. I put on a pair of jockey shorts and used tape on the tube. Otherwise my sweat pants flipped things around.

Welcome to the other side Sherkaner. Glad that your surgery went well. Sounds like everything you are going through is normal. Try a little neosporin ointment on the tip of the penis. It is extra insurance against infection and lubricates well. Go easy for a while but you will notice you are getting stronger day by day and in about 12 to 15 weeks one day you will wake up and feel almost normal. Good luck to you.

Sleepless09: I was wondering about my scrotum changing color. The only discomfort I am experiencing is deep inside from the catheter. Also the penis tip is a bit sore. None of this I would characterize as pain, only an annoying ache that is difficult to ignore. I avoided the pain meds prescribed due to the constipation factor but now am using them. two and sometimes three times a day. Milk Of Magnesia more than compensates for that nasty side effect. I was hoping to have the cystogram and see my surgeon at the two week mark and have the catheter removed. However he is off next week so I'll have the darn thing in for three weeks. Oh well I can't complain as I feel so good having chosen the da Vinci method and I find myself evangelizing about it to others I speak with. All of the comments from my initial post are very supportive and comforting. Thank you to you all.

Be of good cheer.

Welcome Sherkaner,

I got my cath pulled on the eigth day.  I was in a terrible amount of discomfort.  I don't know I could have lasted another hour.  I was in a lot of intense pain immediately after the cath was pulled, too.  I was given some topical lidocane to help ease the pain.  I brought the leftovers home with me and used it every once in a while.  I am over three and a half months out and I can still feel the effects of having had the catheter.  Keep healing, look for weekly improvement at this stage of recovery.

If you have a chance to post your stats in a signature we would be better able to follow your journey,

Dan

Sherkaner, I can't understand why your doctor going on vacation should delay your getting the catheter out. Anyone I know of has had their catheter removed by a nurse, either in a hospital, or in a doctor's office/clinic. Last thing in the world I'd want is a doctor trying to do a nurses' job. My surgery was in Edmonton. I returned to Winnipeg where I live. I'd arranged to have the catheter removed by a urologist's office here. On the appointed day I met with Brenda, who assured me she'd been yanking catheters for 34 years, and bingo, out it came. Easy as a whistle. I complimented her and she said when you did as many of them a week as she did, you got the hang of it. In all the time I was at the office I never saw any of the urologists there, not even in the hall. It was noon and I expect they were all at lunch, finishing up surgery, or on the golf course.

I'd suggest you find your self a Brenda and get it out on day 10 or 14 if that's what your doc wants (my daVinci surgeon usually removes catheters in one week.) Then, if he wants to see you, go on back in when he returns from vacation. If his whole office is closed, go to another one. Just as you want a surgeon with experience you want a nurse with experience. A nurse because he/she will do this for a number of doctors (when you find the right one) and will be an expert. Also, nurses have the caring empathy that leads them to learn to do it gently. You don't want a dentist cleaning your teeth, and I'd not want a doctor removing my catheter.

There are two reasons I encourage you to get it out when it's time and not wait for the doctor:

1) I have a theory that the sooner you start to exercise the muscles that control the urine flow the better. The longer they are out of service, and stretched by the catheter, the tougher it will be regaining control.

2) As nice as it is to have a catheter and drink all the tea you want at bed time and still sleep through the night, come around days 7 - 10 you're going to be fed up with the rubber tail and sanity, to say nothing of the family not locking you in your room and not letting you out until you can be nice to the rest of the family, dictates a timely removal.

Good luck .... Sheldon AKA Sleepless

The cath is the worst part of the recovery. While mine was not painfull, it eas uncomfortable, all of the time. As said earlier, I could never get comfortable. My cath after surgery had 15 ml in it. I earlier had a TURP procedure to find my cancer, the cath then had 30 ml. It was painfull and uncomfortable and hurt coming out. I guess they had cut inside right where the cath went. If my doc agreed, I would look to get it out at the two week interval, with his permission.
Good luck, we all are pulling for you.

Given the number of days out that you are from surgery it is surprising that you still need prescription pain meds. When you call your doctor's office you should probably mention your pain. It may just be how your surgery went, but your doctor should have a chance to consider the issue.
While about seven days is normal for having a catheter in, some go much longer. Again, you want your doctor thinking about your specific case and what is best for you.

One more thing about pain meds -- they cause constipation and you definitely do not want to be straining things down there. Follow your docs instructions about laxatives and stool softeners and when you call ask if the fact that you are still on the pain meds should change these.

geezer, everyone's pain threshold is different. Some guys think they are tough, macho men for not taking pain meds after surgery. Any dr or nurse will tell you that you can retard the healing process by taking on unneeded pain. It puts your whole body under stress when you are in pain.

Sherkaner may or may not need more pain meds, in his heart, only he knows how much he is hurting. Just a bit sensitive on the pain med remarks, what is a pain level 2 to one person might be a 8 to another.

A good doctor will make sure his patients have what they need, but not at the expense of making Pain Pill Junkies out of them. At our local ER, it's been estimated that 75% of the people waiting there are looking for any excuse to get pain pills. That's a sad testimony.

David in SC

Hi Sherkaner,

I had more "surgical" pain recovering from a hernia op than my (open) RP. The catheter was painful sometimes, especially trying to sit at the computer. Only post-op pain issue I had was bowels restarting after the anesthetics and constipation from pain meds (and anesthetics). And some rectal pain (and penis pain) which is still around but subsiding. I may have bruised my penis with the catheter in and doc says rectal pain will subside. I also leaked around catheter when doing a BM. Sometimes even a bit of blood. Keep the tip of your penis clean and the catheter at your penis. On suggestion from nurses, I pulled my penis back off the catheter rubber a bit to ensure cleaning the catheter (and penis) properly. Don't use vaseline or any oil based product on your penis or catheter. Use K-Y as has been suggested. 

Welcome to the other side of surgery and welcome here. Lot's of good people here.

Mike

It would be interesting to find out why there is such a difference in pain for what is basically the same operation David needs meds for about 6 weeks and Mike had very little pain at all I fortuantly am in Mike's gang less the 1 week from a 5hr op I can do most things pain free (can cough but not tried the sneezing yet) not on meds other that antibiotics in somethings I fell a lot better than pre op (I will discuss this in another thread) I know all people are different but was wondering if it might be the doctors technique I cannot believe that it is all down to different people's pain threshold

BM movement I was made to have a BM in the hospital on the third day after the op and after that you do not have a problem with BM in Thailand it is normally the other way around

I've looked over a few threads.
Thank you all who show concern to us new members.
If surgery was day 1, then this is day 8 for me.
The advice you've all have shared here will help.
In addition to some common discomforts, I have a prickly rash on the front and sides of my torso and on my legs. Some days it itches a lot. I discontinued the pain meds yesterday (again) and now I will discontinue the stool softners. Those are the only 2 new things in my diet.
I also wake up almost hourly during the night soaked in sweat starting the 2nd of 3rd night. Nurse says that's not a normal post-op reaction.