HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

How long before a good night's sleep?

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 7/15/2012 11:09 AM (GMT 0)
Ever since I have had the catheter removed I can't seem to go more than a couple hours without having to urinate. Sleeping seems to be in 2 hour intervals and easier in a recliner than a bed.

I hope this improves over time, is there anything I can do to help or is this just another part of the process?


Dave
Posted 7/15/2012 11:29 AM (GMT 0)
Ask your URO about getting some anti bladder spasm medication.

Avoid spicy, acidic, or citrusy foods, as well as alcohol and caffeine.
Posted 7/15/2012 11:49 AM (GMT 0)
Oh TXdawg! Have you come to the right place!

This will help. Honest. Get a notebook, a plastic cup and a small kitchen scale. Each time you pee weigh it and record the time. A typical guy produces 1 ml of pee per hour per kg of body weight. I'll convert that to "American" for you. If you weigh 180 pounds you will produce about 3 oz of pee per hour. Remember, back in the day, when you could hold 24 oz? Right now your bladder is smaller. All the time you had the catheter in you did not stretch it out. It is up to you to work on it. Try going a little longer each time. If you take data you will see your progress before you notice it. Odds are you will get better quickly.
Also don't drink anything after 2 hours before bed. That won't help stretch the bladder but it will help you sleep.

Sweet dreams
Jeff
Posted 7/15/2012 12:29 PM (GMT 0)
Not nearly scientific as my mad scientist friend Jeff, but I found that each time I had the urge, to go, I would lay there as long as I possibly could. There is some risk as you may have an accident here and there, but within a week or two, you will find that you can go 4 or 5 hours. I have a quirky thing about getting up at night. I rarely ever get up, Nd can sleep through the urge. Just don't get in my way when I do.

It will get better.

Goodlife

P.S.
You have probably heard us talk about the GFMPH weekend in September. Jeff is the host, and I tell you, it is a weekend that wil change your life. I actually come away thankful that I have PCa, because of the friendships I have gained through these times. Sonny and Jeff, who are on a motor home tour of the country are also major players in these weekends. If there is any way you can make it, I promise you it will be worth it.
Posted 7/15/2012 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
you are still slightly less than 2 weeks out of a major surgery, what you describe should slowly resolve itself soon. the trouble with taking a med for the spasms if that is a problem, i.e. ditropan, is that it can make the bladder lazy, and for some men, actually retards the getting continent part (if you are on the meds more than a few days at the time). some of the other suggestions make sense to me. i hate to throw the "p" word at you again, but patience is needed even at this early juncture after your surgery.

good luck as you continue to recover.

david
Posted 7/15/2012 2:16 PM (GMT 0)
You are feeling the exact same thing I did. I wondered if I would ever get a good night sleep. I was up more after surgery than before. You need to realize you had major surgery. I recall it took me several weeks before I could sleep throught the night. I remember an old joke someone said. it went something along these lines. when do you pee. The response was I pee every morning at 7:00 am. The problem is I don't wake up until 8:00. At least you are waking up and on your road to recovery.
Posted 7/15/2012 2:54 PM (GMT 0)
All good points guys and I have no issue with being patient with this. Fact is I feel pretty fortunate right now, although I have to pee a lot I'm taking in 100oz or so of liquids to flush everything out and still no real leaking, I'm wearing a pad and changing it each day after a shower so I have no real complaints.

Thanks again, it's just reassuring to learn that everthing so far is part of my new normal.

Dave
Posted 7/15/2012 3:35 PM (GMT 0)
I had a similar situation right after my surgery and the catheter was removed. I would get up 5 times a night for the 1st week after catheter removal, with this slowly decreasing to getting up just one-two times a night within about a month and finally just once a night after about 6-8 weeks.

Now (two years after surgery) I get up one time a night (at most) about 5 nights a week and manage to sleep through the whole night about 2 nights a week. This is a huge improvement over pre-surgery when I would get up 1-2 times every night.

Dan
Posted 7/18/2012 1:37 PM (GMT 0)
It gets better.  I am ten eleven weeks out and usually continent until evening.  I have been getting up one a night for the whole time but last night I made it from 11 to 6am without getting up.  Wow - it felt like old times.  If I can get the evenings to dry up then I will only be working on ED issues.  Iam starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply