Glandless...New to the forum

In another thread, Glandless, a new member, said....

'I am new to this site and glad I found it. I am 6 days post RALP and get my catheter out tomorrow. So many similarities to your stories- never as much pain as discomfort. My wife and I felt like new parents with a baby to care for but no knowledge on how to do it correctly. We were paranoid about cleaning the various parts of the catheter along with my penis and scrotum. If there was ever any mystery about that part of my body in her mind, it's gone now. I stopped the opioid pain killer after three nights and Tylenol has been sufficient to deal with the discomfort. I was surprised to feel the absence of the prostate above my perineum when I sat on an unstuffed chair. Again, unusual rather than painful. The worst aspect so far has been the lymph fluid collecting in my penis, scrotum and left leg where the catheter anchor is attached, causing lots of black and blue swelling. I saw another person here liking it to having Jabba the Hut with a tube out his mouth living between your legs. Spot on. Walking has been fairly easy all week, but my wife won't let me climb any stairs or go on any steep slopes yet. I was never truly constipated, but bowel movements have been a struggle all week long. Stool softeners are my new best friend. I welcome advice from those who have been on this path ahead of me.

Glandless - Welcome home from the journey. See link below for preview of tomorrow...

https://youtu.be/ncxn01u7mro

Your description is pretty much typical and very similar to my experience. Little outright pain but lots of discomfort to the point of thinking pain would be easier to treat. The swelling and bruising was a problem for me also and it took a fairly long time to go away. I had to use a pillow when sitting in an upright chair for a while due to the ache. Daily Miralax as suggested is the perfect constipation solution, gentle and no side effects but takes a few days to work. I would just mix in with smoothie at lunch. Increased fiber intake helps a lot also.

Tomorrow will be a test in some ways. After the catheter is removed, which can aggravate the urinary path a bit, there will be the usual immediate leakage, etc but you will put on the Depends underwear or pads you bring with and head home after all the instructions are given. When you get home, you will have some idea of how much immediate urinary control you have as the pad condition will vary anywhere from essentially dry to saturated. The first day and night go a long way to establishing where you are starting from. I was one of the lucky ones who was in good shape right away (dry Depends and in underwear for doctor visit a week later) although it takes a while to master that skill through all events such as yawning, sneezing, lifting, etc that beat the defense system with little spurts. The flip side is no control at all which most men do not experience or is limited in duration. Every man has a different story so be prepared to be amazed at all the variations like one guy playing 18 holes or running a 5K event a month later and another wondering if it ever ends at 6 months.

Stair and walks are fine, just don't do anything difficult like starting a snowblower or lawnmower or putting a heavy suitcase in the overhead compartment for a while. It is easy to forget in a few weeks when you usually are feeling better.

You will never be embarrassed again with anyone asking you to drop your pants or about anything medical after all the steps leading up to treatment and the surgery itself. It has a way of taking away any sense of modesty. When they say they will leave while you change clothes, I just say wait a sec and I am done. Saves times.

Good luck tomorrow.

Mumbo said...
Glandless - Welcome home from the journey. See link below for preview of tomorrow...

https://youtu.be/ncxn01u7mro
.

I thought you were going to link to this…
https://youtu.be/ulyzbvts9aa
Best of luck with your recovery, Glandless!