Protatectomy - How do I get to sleep?

I'm sitting here in the kitchen, catheterized, wearing a bag, my abdomen is making more noise than my kid's clunker. I'm in pain even with the hydrocodone. Now my back is starting to hurt. It has only been 60 hours since the surgery by Da Vinci. Is this normal?
How long before I can sleep?

Hi Worried Guy,
Welcome to HealingWell. Within a couple days I bet you feel quite a bit better. Al that noise is normal. They filled your abdominal cavity with CO2 and it takes a few days to fully get that stuff out. it is uncomfortable when there are build ups of gas. I remember sounding like a geriatric marching band for a few days. Take it easy and let it heal. If you feel the need, call your doctor.

Again welcome. I see your numbers indicate a pretty high PSA. I had high numbers as well, and I hope it's good for you to see me doing well. Stick around...you found a great gourp...

Tony

Another important thing is to walk. As you know they get you up and moving as soon as possible in the hospital. This will help to clear the remaining gas and more importantly get your internal processes going as they should. It will also help your system clear the residue from the anesthetic and other drugs you were given. Just do laps around the living room if that is what you are up to.

As to pain killers, try to go easy. Give the over the counter meds a chance before going to the narcotics. The narcotics can cause constipation and you want to avoid that. I am not saying that you should suffer, but that you need to look for the right balance.

Thank you... I see now that I am not alone. Maybe it's the drugs but when I started reading your signatures with data I began to cry. I haven't even told the people I work with what happened to me. They think I am busy with a project. I might have to rethink that position.
It is 3 days post op and 6 hours past night meds so I'm hurting. Two hydrococones and I'll try walking in about an hour.

I think we all have felt what you feel. The pain itself we can usually manage, but when you have your world turned upside down, start thinking about incontinence, sex life, the guys at work, etc., and you are just sitting in the kitchen "doing nothing", it all adds up to overwhelming emotions.

Just start doing something to get your mind off of your situation for a while and it will help. Walking is good, reading a good book, whatever it is you like to do will help. ( no motocross ).

It will get better !

I had both open and the robtic after the robtic failed. Like the others have told you, will feel better very quickly. Walk is the key word here as well. Walk in your house if you have too.

There were a couple of nights I found sitting up in a comfortable chair helped but be careful here because you feet and legs could swell.

I never liked the leg thing so I just used the bag. I put a string on it and to that I attached a clip that held the string to the sheet so if I got up, I just used the sting to carry the bag just off the floor.

The sun is shining and things are looking a little better.
Like "wd40" I took off the leg bag and immediately began using the overnight. It is very convenient. Unfortunately my wife won't let me drill a hole in the floor above the sump pump. Nor will she buy me the 50 feet of tygon tubing. Women!
I have my bag in plastic grocery bag, clipped inside a plastic trash can, sitting in a reusable Price Chopper bag. I used my computer bag strap to hold it together and carry it around. The other end of the strap can either be clipped to my bed or my waist. I have only forgotten about the bag 3-4 times and having it clipped to me helped.
I am walking around the house and if I scrunch my ears just right, I can hear Jerry Lewis singing the telethon theme.

Jack, I was one of the fortunate few, from my open surgery, I never had swollen or discolored testicles, don't remember that being much of an issue other than general soreness.

Hi Worried Guy,

Welcome again.  I was able to get more rest during the day than at night.  I leaned back in the recliner and put in some ear buds with relaxation music. 

I think you should reconsider telling your coworkers about your diagnosis/treatment. Is there any benefit to not telling them?  You need as many people to support you as you can get right now.  It could help a lot with your recovey.

Keep healing, keep asking questions, there is lots of help here,

Dan

 

I'm up for my 2:00 am feeding and draining. 4 days and I feel like I finally have a handle on this situation. My cath is scheduled to come out 7/31 so I only get to enjoy this for 6 more days.
To sleep I take one Tylenol 3 with codeine (left over from sinus surgery 5 years ago.) At 8:00 PM. and then one more now at 2:00 AM. In the morning, I take a hydrocodone (prescribed) and once more in the afternoon. I am not a junkie but for now I need this. Maybe in 2 more days I'll stop.

Thanks for the tip about lubing the tip. I have noticed some pinching but that was the least of my worries. I seem to have developed a new skill - my p*n*s can retract itself all the way inside. I hope don't have to put a strip of duct tape on it to find it in the winter! Try explaining that to my wife!

Good morning All,
Finding you here has really helped. As you can probably tell I'm an independent sort and would never discuss this stuff with anyone. (Even my coworkers don't know.) But here I am, telling perfect strangers everything. Reading your signatures yesterday morning, brought me to tears. I can't thank you enough for your honesty and openness.

I'm glad to hear the new "duck and cover" trick I seem to have developed, while disconcerting, is not unusual. At least the presence of the catheter lets me know it hasn't fallen off.
Good thing I don't have a foreskin or I'd be inserting an eyelet into it with enough chain length to hook it onto a navel ring.

Hey, Worried. I feel for you. Ask your doc if the hydrocodone dosage can be increased. I took half of what I could have taken my first few days at home, but I was just uncomfortable more than I was in actual pain. If he has not told you to avoid any other pain killers like Aleve, etc., take one of them to start, but if you have been told not to do so, don't self-diagnose here.

Get in bed and lie on your back (I'm a stomach sleeper here, so if you are, too, it'll still work for you). Hook your bag to the bed rail. Put in a DVD that you have seen before that really entertained you. Part of what is going on is that you have been psychologically traumatized as much as you have been physically invaded and a big portion of your past self is not there any longer. That surgery is a really, really invasive procedure even with the robot and a skilled surgeon at the helm. Don't underestimate the subtle psychological drama you are feeling. It's both valid and real.

Part of what will help you to get some sleep is to take control of the emotional mess boiling around inside. Every one of us who has had that procedure has some measure of fear going on in our heads right after surgery, and those who say they did not are liars, truth be told. So much is new, so find some ways to be good to yourself. I had to distract myself intentionally for the first few days, but as a result, I slept fine. You know where your "happy places" are, so you have to decide to visit them. It sounds silly in a way, but the mind has as much control over this transition as the body does. The energy expenditure on distraction ironically also distracts you from the discomfort and stomach gurgling.

First see how much hydrocodone you are allowed and be sure you are on the maximum allowable, but don't neglect your own ability to control what you allow yourself to think about. RIGHT NOW--you need rest more than anything. Your body has gone through a major trauma, and it has a longer-than-you'd-like road to recovery. Patience and support from your loved ones is a big, big deal right now, too.  Do not be a hero and try to do things that are beyond your ability. Above all, if the doc says for you to walk around, DO IT. No matter how crummy you feel, DO IT. It's amazing how much that begins to help.

I'm not much help here, but as a "mind over matter" guy, I can tell you what worked for me. That catheter is a total inconvenience, your abdomen feels like raw hamburger in places, and your entire peritineum aches--right? Decide who is going to win--and don't let it be them!

Peace to you, man!

After care isn't discussed to the extent it was when I first arrived here, but there used to whole long threads about how best to make the recovery as comfortable as possible. A couple things I found very helpful was to drink all the water that you can stand, to flush out the surgery drugs, toxins and bits and pieces left after surgery. You're hooked to a bag, and don't have to worry about going back and forth to the bathroom each trip, so drink, drink, drink. Second, walk. Walk as much and as soon as possible. Walking will help to get the gas from surgery adsorbed, build back some strength, kick start the biological processes of digestion and elimination. Third, if you have one, sleep in a recliner the first week or so, or even longer. If no recliner, then put pillow under the knees and shoulder to simulate the position, also practice getting into and out of bed ahead of time mentally so you can know what you need to do to move in and out. Fourth, the painkillers are ok, as long as you need them, but get away from them as soon as possible. Continued reliance will slow the return of your system to a healthy state. Fifth, get back to a light but normal eating routine. Try to get your 3 a days in, even if your appetite isn't what it could be. Ok, 5 is more than a couple, but did I mention walk, walk, walk, and drink, drink, drink?