Posted 7/28/2017 1:45 PM (GMT 0)
Perhaps the Moderator can add this to the stickies on surgery? I wanted to write my experiences down before I forgot. Now that I am 7 days after the operation day, I thought I’d put down some tips for those who do a search as to surgery. I had done a lot of research on this and other sites, but there were things I hadn’t prepared for. I also visited the sites of well known hospitals and looked at their pre and post op tips to add to what the University of Chicago told me. Here’s my two cents. Your mileage may vary.
PRE-SURGERY:
• One thing I forgot to do is make sure everyone touching me in the OR would be In Network with my insurance plan. I’ve read a lot of articles about this problem and hopefully will not receive any surprise bills.
• I suggest renting a recliner. Oh boy, do I wish I did that! I don’t care how big and ugly it looks. I had made a wedge of pillows for my bed but it is not the same thing. With a cath the bed was hard and painful to get in and out of! I should have used a home healthcare company and got one with an electric lift mechanism.
• I had only 12 days between my decision day and surgery, had I had more I would have worked on my core as has been suggested here. So start doing core strengthening to help with your recovery.
• If you are single you should consider hiring a healthcare aide for five days. It’s a lot of work to ask of a friend. My wife did a great job of caring for me, I can’t imaging coming home to an empty place.
• Buy a Grabber! As Seen On TV. You won’t want to bend over much after surgery.
• Lay out carpet runners and big old towels between your bed and the toilet. Lots of dripping for a few days.
• It would not hurt if a couple of days prior you went on a very light, easy to digest, plant based diet. You will be looking forward to your first post op BM and it will be easier if it wasn’t a steak dinner!
• I had pre-positioned a folding table parallel to my bed so everything was within in reach, there’s lots of meds to take and you need to keep a log of their schedule. Do as much of this as you can before you leave for surgery.
• Buy a blindfold so you can nap with the sun coming into your room.
• Have a good thermometer on hand. I had some fever for a few days.
• Have all the chargers you need laid out with extension cords so your electronics are within reach of your bed or recliner.
• Buy a case of bottled water. Strategically place them around your path.
• Buy some Pressure Socks. I had a pair from my international travel days and the hospital didn’t give out any, so if you have those you can sleep better at night not worrying about blood clots.
• I took a 4’x4’ piece of painter’s plastic drop cloth and laid it between the mattress and sheet, just in case the pad didn’t get absorb any accidents.
• Buy lots of continence supplies and keep your receipt to return what you don’t use. I bought lots of Depend type products but those pads don’t absorb much . I have been using small washcloths which are a lot more absorbent and washable.
• At the medical supply store buy a spare cath tube anchor for your other leg, or ask the hospital for one upon discharge. If they give you only one it can lose its stickiness.
• Buy a bottle of Milk of Magnesia just in case you need it when you get home. I did. The prescription stool softener wasn’t powerful enough.
• Have bathrobes on hand. A bathrobe will have a pocket for your phone. I went through several a day because of leakage. We did a lot of laundry. Those “pads”…they aren’t very absorbent, they’re for drips.
• If possible, I’d have stayed two days. Sure, I was “able” to leave by noon the next day but I wasn’t really prepared for the headache of a tube sticking out and yanking Mr. Midnight. Ugh. So arrange this possibility.
• Bring earplugs! I was in a very new, high tech private hospital room and there were so many machines and gizmos, clicking, beeping, hissing, etc. I had to twist kleenex into ear plugs in order to sleep.
• Have some double bagged paper grocery bags with handles ready, so you can walk with your cath.
• I was zonked for a good 5 days after surgery, so don’t assume you can do high cognitive functioning. Pay your bills, balance your checkbook, etc. Today is Post Op Day 7 and I started contacting clients just now. That’s how difficult my recovery was.
• Leave very early for your surgery day so you don’t stress with the traffic and parking. It’s traumatic enough. Surgery day is different than all your previous consult days. You’re no longer dealing with the friendly folks in the Urology department, suddenly you’re the patient of a very efficient, fast moving, no nonsense surgical department, which feels like the heart of the hospital, and they are a very serious bunch. So don’t be late!
• Naively, I had planned to do a lot of reading and Netflix watching in my recovery, but you can’t sit still for very long, you need to walk a lot. My attention span was fuzzy and short.
• If you don’t already have one, buy a plastic stool for your shower. The highlight of your day will be two hot showers, and with a cath it’s hard to stand.
• If you have a pair of crutches, put one in the shower so you can get up from your stool, and the other for your bedside. With one hand you’re holding the cath tube so you really have only one arm to get out of bed or up from your stool, the crutch will help.
• Buy a lot of easy to digest food ahead of time. They’ll tell you that you can eat what you want, but it will be less painful to have a BM if you ate a very light, plant based diet.
• Place large plastic waste bins in your bedroom and bathroom. You’ll be making a lot of wet diapers!
POST SURGERY:
• My operation went “picture perfect” I was told. The problems occurred when I got home, mainly the cath bothered me and my balls swelled up into one painful cantaloupe! So I was not very mobile and had to rely on the pain killers more than I wanted to.
• When they prep you for discharge they will give you lots of instructions and you won’t be able to take notes fast enough. They’ll say don’t worry, they’ll give you instructions. Forget that! Never enough. Record them on your cell phone so you can play back later. We played back their tutorials many times.
• If you don’t have a big recliner and will use a bed to sleep, make a large wedge of pillows so your butt is higher than the edge of the bed where the cath tube goes over to the bag, so gravity will work properly. Halfway through the night make sure the bag isn’t too full! Use a plastic bucket for the bag.
• What made my recovery so miserable, besides the cath, was my balls swelled up and I needed to ice them down with a bag. Quite common they said, so have an ice bag ready.
Well, that's all I can remember for now. I watched on YouTube "Mark's Prostate Cancer Experience", he gave me a lot of confidence but downplayed the possible discomfort I ended up facing.