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Cath out today Day 6

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Posted 10/11/2011 9:12 PM (GMT 0)
Went in Monday 6 days after RALP surgery and had my catheter removed. No pain just a weird sensation as it came out slowly. Glad to be unteathered, I can sleep on either side now! Since I was healing so well the doctor almost removed it on day 3 after doing a cystogram, but decided a few more days of healing would be good. After removing the catheter I drank plenty of water as advised but when urinating the stream seamed a little weak. I called back to the office and was advised as long as I am passing urine I am good to go, but they wanted me to have an ultrasound the next day to make sure I was emptying m bladder completely. Arriving at the office on Tuesday after urinating at home my bladder was completely empty.

The doctor explained this close to post surgery the healing process is still going on. The urine stream is what was expected this close to surgery and due to inflamation and catheter irritation. I spoke to a few friends who also experienced something similar after the cath came out and improved over time and gradually got a strong stream.

Looks like the pads are now my new friend while I learn to control the sphincter. I noticed getting up from sitting or the bed there is a little dribble or need to go to the bathroom to finish a pee. Day two I have a litle more control, less stream after getting up but still some dribble.

Anyone here have the same experience after the snake came out?

 

Posted 10/11/2011 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
good luck to you as you enter this next phase in your recovery
Posted 10/11/2011 9:31 PM (GMT 0)
First milestone after surgery is the rubber snake removal and it does feel good to be free. I pretty much had the same experience you are having the first couple of days with continence.  I was able to stay dry all night after about a week later and was totally dry 2 1/2 weeks later.  I found each day I got more control of the sphincter.  Good luck as you progress with your recovery.

Terry

Posted 10/11/2011 10:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, nice to meet you, my name is jaxum.

Had my catherter out after one week and had to call 911 eight hours later, the pain was so intense after trying to pee the second time

i went to the ER had catherter put back in for one more week, it takes lots of time to heal.

after cathereter came out second time ten days later, i used several pads at night adn about four pads during the day,

i am now three weeks post robot radical, and i use about four pads a day two durring the day and two at night.

yes i drip a lot at all the ususal times, lifting, sneezing, coughing blowing nose, farting, etc...

every day a little better, one thing i want to warn you about is the rash you can get on your penis from the moist environment

get some zinc oxide, baby rash ointment put just a little on....

good luck and welcome aboard!

jack

Ca

blush  

 

Posted 10/12/2011 3:46 AM (GMT 0)
GetU,
I hope the few drips you are getting are the extent you will have and it gets better from there fast. Do not get discouraged if as the swelling goes down in there you get more leakage for a while. When I had the cath pulled out the pee would have shot across the room if the doc did not have me prepared with a blue pad. As far as stream goes once you heal up many of us find that we can blast the porcelain off the back of the urinal.
Best regards for a quick recovery.
Mike
Posted 10/12/2011 4:12 AM (GMT 0)
Getu,

I hope you had this really hot looking nurse that took it out as a reward for going through your surgery. Mine was a wonderful old nurse that didn't mess around and just yanked the little guy out. I am surprised that you got it out so early. The usual course is two plus weeks to let enough healing take place. Just read Purgatory's post tonight to hear a horror story about what can go wrong really can go wrong.

I had an open RP to go after the cancer that had escaped the capsule so I may not be a good comparison for the pads. At first, after the cath came out, I went through about 13 depends and pads a day. At my fourth month, it was down to 4-6 depends and pads a day. At six months, I am down to two depends a day, so I am making progress. I just had my sixth month check up today and the Uro told me that I should continue to make progress. With my pathology I should be testing positive with PCa, but have been lucky enough to have a few months to heal and make progress before I have to start HT and IMRT which puts progress on hold.

I remember at my six week post-op checkup, my Uro said that the lack of continence is awfully difficult and it is. Best advice i can give is be patient and have a sense of humor. Wear dark pants, the dark color will be your best friend for the next few months. I have had two accidents in business meetings when my pads were oversoaked so my pants took the overflow. If it happens, have a sense of humor and you will find people are extremely sympathetic.

Good luck on your recovery, don't push it too fast, your body has a lot of healing still to do.

I was at Costco Saturday buying a case of depends since they are cheaper there than other places, and the cashier as he was scanning innocently asked who the depends were for. I just smiled and said they were mine and that I had Prostate Cancer. I bet he never asks a shopper that question ever again!
Posted 10/12/2011 10:15 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the replies and your experiences everyone, they have been very helpful during my journey. The last two nights since having the catheter pulled I was dry all night, I've been doing the kegels and I see some progress in the dripping especially when getting up and down from a sitting or lying position during the day. The stream is a little stronger after two days, not as strong as before and a little spraying. It was explained it will take more time for healing to take place before I got a very full stream or a stronger stream as before surgery. I guess sometimes it is forgotten I just went through major surgery and just because the outside is healing fast there is still a lot of healing going on inside. I have gone through 14 pads in two days and 2/3 of those on day one of catheter removal.

I would have liked to been there to see that cashiers face Devasted1. One of the things I have noticed through this whole proces is how little support you see in public for prostate cancer. I told my wife I am going to get with my physician to see what I can do to bring PCa more out in the open to garner more support and how I can get involved to help other patients. Everyone I have talked to in person or online that has been affected by PCa has been so open to discuss their experiences. Even trying to find a light blue ribbon or wrist band locally has been difficult. I'll have to hunt those items down online.    

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