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Homepage – Forum Forums Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer best way to make cysto exam less painful

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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  • #7765
    Stu
    Participant

    My only cysto exam that found my tumor was, to put it mildly, brutally uncomforable. It was done in a hospital and I don’t believe they used any xylocaine freezing at all !

    They did use Xylocaine before my 6 BCG treatments, which I tolerated easily.

    I will insist that prior to my post TURBT cysto in 4 weeks that they freeze my urethra before the proceedure. If it slows them down, its OK

    Just wondering if there ANYTHING in addition I can do to help make this procedure more comfortable ( aside from making sure they use the Xylocaine )

    #15355
    Jack Moon
    Keymaster

    Hi Stu

    My Uro always does the freezing prior to each cysto. The only time I have experienced a little discomfort during a cysto is when my Uro used a rigid scope to get a biopsy, and he warned me ahead of time.. Normally he uses a flexible scope.
    Good luck with your next cysto.
    Jack

    #15356
    Greg
    Participant

    Agree with Jack. Make sure they are using a flexible scope. I had the rigid one once due to the nurse “choosing” that one and, though I was warned of its “discomfort,” I was not a happy camper! Relaxing, deep breathing and actually watching the play by play on the flat screen all help distract from the reality of the doctor “boldly going where no man has gone before!” The numbing gel is also a must!

    #15517
    Kari Rud
    Participant

    Hello Stu,

    I suggest that you contact your surgeon and ask him if he could please explain why the procedure was so painful and what you can do to lessen the discomfort.

    This would make him directly aware, he might have useful suggestions, and in any event he will proceed with greater understanding, having been thus alerted.

    Warm regards,
    Claire McMordie
    (Calgary)

    #15518
    marysue
    Participant

    If you had a rigid scope exam that will hurt more than a flexible one. My first uro insists on using a rigid on females. I endured several very uncomfortable exams and then changed uros after the last one with the first doc being so painful that it felt like a hot poker had been shoved up me. I screamed in pain in that one and since he wasn’t apologetic about it, he left me there crying on the exam table. I filed an abuse complaint against him. The head of urology transferred me to a new uro who uses a flexible scope and is very patient and has helped me overcome my fears. He has me deep breathe several times before he inserts the scope and distracts me with a running commentary during the exam. Another thing that I found helpful is to insist that the nurse put in the freezing very slowly. When they don’t I’ve discovered that a lot of it backs out and doesn’t go down the urethra therefore you don’t get properly frozen. I also found out that the hospital was using less freezing at the time of my painful cysto as a cost cutting measure. That was abandoned due to my experience. The standard dose I believe is 11ml which is a fairly big shringeful.

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