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The simple things.

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Posted 3/27/2013 11:20 AM (GMT 0)
You know, this post isn't any thing special (well maybe sorta) and not meant to make light of issues, its just a big SHEEW...FINALY!
I feel SO much better this morning! I had my first BM since Thursday evening of last week! The meds finally started to work!
I was seriously getting concerned that I would wind up in the ER for not having one.
It seems some of the simple obstacles are the hardest or most worrisome.
Now for the next step, getting the cath out this Friday.
Thanks for lending an ear and a shoulder to lean on, to read about my weird thoughts and rambalings! :-)
Posted 3/27/2013 11:34 AM (GMT 0)
Congrats on the major milestone... tongue    Ahhh the simple pleasures of life.

That's nice you don't have to have the catheter in very long.  I get mine out Frday as well.

I wrote a post previously about my little ER visit dealing with bowel issues - it wasn't fun. I still haven't gotten back to 'normal' in that regard since that day. I'm taking stool softeners and miralax to try and help move things along with not much success. My insides no longer seem to operate as they used to - which is something I imagine I will have to learn to live (and sleep) with.

Good luck on your recovery!

Posted 3/27/2013 12:21 PM (GMT 0)
James, I know the feeling. I remember the Uro saying you can't leave the hospital until you have a bm. After spending two nights in the hospital, I can't tell you how excited it was to finally have one. My daughter reminded me when she was very young she had trouble with bowel movements. We would reward her with an M&M when she had one. She only wished she had a bag of M&Ms at the hospital for my milestone. You will have mixed emotions about getting the cath out. Terror at the few seconds of pain as it is yanked out....but pure joy once it is removed. Good luck!
Posted 3/27/2013 1:09 PM (GMT 0)
I don't recall any pain at all when the catheter was removed.  All I remember is the sensation that about two feet of tubing was being removed. 

I don't know how other uros do this, but mine had me stand straddle legged and then he simply deflated it and pulled it out. 

I wonder how many guys found the procedure painful.  I can see where it might cause pain, but depending on how it's done, I think the pain can be avoided. 

Congrats on the BM.  I remember the anxiety of trying to get past that hurdle.

 

Posted 3/27/2013 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
Took me a few minutes to figure out what a "BM" was but congrats to you sparky... turn
Posted 3/27/2013 1:43 PM (GMT 0)
LOL Casper your killing me.. Yep your on your way not to recovery after you get rid of that rubber snake you will almost feel human again. :)

Cajun Jeff
Posted 3/27/2013 1:48 PM (GMT 0)
I had a total of 21 catheters in my PC journey, and not a single one of them ever hurt coming out.

david
Posted 3/27/2013 1:50 PM (GMT 0)
When the nurse clipped the inflation side tube, my cath fell out in the floor. No pain whatsoever.

My first bm was at the hospital - not sure if the nurses were happier that it happened, or that I would be leaving in the foreseeable future.

Posted 3/27/2013 1:56 PM (GMT 0)
I guess the good thing about going the HT/RT route is you never have to worry about BMs and catheters.... :-)
Posted 3/27/2013 2:23 PM (GMT 0)
Big day Friday for James and MrAnxious-No-More!

Getting the cath out just felt a little strange.The nurse in my doctor's office did it. She disconnected it from the bag, put something on the tube like a funnel (I wasn't really looking) then poured a fluid in the funnel and said, "Now tell me when you feel like you have to pee REAL BAD!!!" When I yelled "Now!" she pulled it out. It felt very unusual. A guy who had his done after me said at that point said he peed across the room in one long stream. But it is refreshing after it is out. Next step, diapers. Good luck to both of you Friday.

As far as the BM, it was a great day to have that BEHIND ME. I used the stool softeners for several days after to keep it coming, so to speak. These are things you don't read in all those books. It takes a place like HW to get the message to newcomers.

Hope you both HEAL WELL!

Bill
Posted 3/27/2013 2:28 PM (GMT 0)
So, Casper, apparently you got through your IMRT without the traditional hemorrhoid flareup.

Getting my catheter out was more or less a non-event. It just felt odd and slippery and then it was gone.

I hope all you new guys do well on your middle-age potty training and get back in your big boy pants in no time.

Perhaps we surgery types could get volume pricing on this shirt which would be perfect to wear home from the hospital:

I Pooped Today T shirt

Post Edited (PeterDisAbelard) : 3/27/2013 8:55:47 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/27/2013 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
Yes; it is funny how it's the simple things that get your attention. I remember how good it felt to pass gas for the first time,  that first day after the surgery. Who knew that could feel so good!?!?! It took me 3 days to have my first BM. That was a relief, too; but I was never told that some pee could spray out of the penis when you strain to push. That threw me for a loop the first time it happened! I thought maybe my cath had come loose.

As far as having the cath out; it happened so fast, that by the time my brain realized there was pain, it was gone. If that instant of pain had lasted longer, I'm sure I would have had more of a reaction. But it goes quick, and then there is that relief to finally have it gone.

-DadOf12

 

Posted 3/27/2013 4:25 PM (GMT 0)
yes. those "simple things" are nothing to take lightly. I had relatives calling me all day long asking if I had farted or had a bm yet. They were asking for hourly updates.

The whole thing is a process of "simple things" and you're well on your way.

We think of all the possible things that could complicate these "simple things" and when we do that it doesn't become so simple.

The mind can play tricks on us. After removing my cath all seemed perfect until 6 hours later when i thought I was having voiding issues. Called my surgeon and he told me i was working myself up. Told me to drink a lot of water and to take a hot shower to relax. Sure enough, as I lay in the shower sobbing like a baby from the mental exhaustion of riding that process the previous 8 days I started to pee. My wife was standing outside watching my bloated, scared, sobbing and peeing in the shower telling me "see, just relax, it's fine".

The process goes on with psychological issues after these "simple" steps. More on that later if necessary. The good news, is that as you can see, we own the process and naturally meet our own expectations.


ps - I had nightmares about the cath removal. I promise you I didn't even feel it coming out. Nothing at all. I promise. The funkiest sensation was the drain removal and that's already behind you.
Posted 3/27/2013 4:51 PM (GMT 0)
You guys sure make me laugh, always anxious to log on and see what's new each day! Like most of you, when the cath was removed it was a second of slight pain (I'd had some uretha infection) then relief. Been about 2 weeks and trying to learn potty training all over again. Thinking I need to buy stock in Depends! Getting a little better I think every day, but not as fast as I'd like!
Posted 3/27/2013 5:05 PM (GMT 0)

PeterDisAbelard said...
So, Casper, apparently you got through your IMRT without the traditional hemorrhoid flareup.

Getting my catheter out was more or less a non-event. It just felt odd and slippery and then it was gone.

I hope all you new guys do well on your middle-age potty training and get back in your big boy pants in no time.

Perhaps we surgery types could get volume pricing on this shirt which would be perfect to wear home from the hospital:

I Pooped Today T shirt

never had any hemorrhoid flareups either....man I'm missing all the good stuff! If it makes you feel any better Ive got some seriously painful manboobs... smilewinkgrin

Posted 3/27/2013 5:08 PM (GMT 0)
You know you're getting old when the highlight of your day is having a BM idea
Posted 3/27/2013 5:51 PM (GMT 0)
I remember that first bm... about 2 days of hobbling around the house... every time I'd sit to try it would pass. But it was a relief when it happened.
As for the Cath... no pain, just a bit weird. I did end up with some scaring of my urethra, which had to be "stretched out" a few weeks later. Now that is a story, I'll have to tell someday.
Posted 3/27/2013 7:11 PM (GMT 0)
iSpark congrats!

Steve n Dallas said...
You know you're getting old when the highlight of your day is having a BM idea

LOL experience speaking?

:)
Posted 3/27/2013 7:42 PM (GMT 0)
Lol, you guys crack me up!
I'm getting old...lol

And yeah, that JP drain was a very funky feeling when the doc quickly pulled it out! I was expecting a shortish tube like 3 inches or so inside me, I swear that thing was at least 12" when he took it out. shocked
I was like oh crap crap crap, all that was in me??
Posted 3/27/2013 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
12 inch tube? Sometimes I like *not* seeing things.
Posted 3/27/2013 8:56 PM (GMT 0)
All you guys with effortless de-snaking....

My story should counterbalance the lot of you. I had the serpent in place for 54 days due to leakage from my JP drain. (that stayed the whole time, too.)

When the big day finally came, the nurse did the deed. She had me lay back on the exam table, take a deep breath and then blow it out. about the time I was about half blown out, she gave a yank like starting a lawnmower, but had to get a fresh grip and give a second yank to achieve extraction.

the thing came out kicking and screaming. Would have been easier to pull a cat out by the tail. Anyway, when the rubber hose finally came out and went snap!, the pain was instantly replaced with overwhelming relief. In retrospect, it felt so good to be rid of the thing, that I would have had a woody - if I could.

I asked the nurse if I could examine the cath. It appeared that in its long stay, it tried to put down roots. Or at least bark. Calcium had built up on the surface of the bulb, and it didn't all flake off when the bulb was deflated, and it remained about 3 times the diameter of the original catheter. I had some concern about bladder stones afterward, but those concerns proved groundless as I could pee like a horse afterward and all the "bark" washed out.

It was a bonus, also to be able to sit down in a hard chair again.
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