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Paul is scheduled for his second TURBT sometime in the next 3 weeks. His first experience under general anesthetic was disastrous and we were wondering if going with an Epidural might be more beneficial to his well being afterwards?
We spoke with the Booking Nurse this morning and she said that it certainly is an option and we should talk to Paul’s anesthesiologist prior to the surgery. She said that it is a longer ‘stay’ time in the hospital (uuuuugh, we want to avoid that at all costs!) as the epidural has freezing affects below the waist, he will need to be able to walk and also to be able to pee on his own, once the catheter is removed.
Having been faced with this little tidbit of information, we wonder if it might be a good idea at all? If the catheter is pulled out and he isn’t able to pee on his own, then the catheter has to be put back in and the chance of his bladder being over extended again is too painful for Paul to go through again.
Any thoughts, experiences or just plain suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks to all and the very best to you.
Petra, Paul and the Furmily.
“Ode to our Fur kids who can live only in the moment!”
Allensongmusic.comMy experience with an epidural for a TURB was that the spinal anesthetic they gave me didn’t wear off after an hour like it should. I was still partly frozen when the perioperative suite closed down for the day so they sent me up to a ward. Nine hours later I got to go home. I have no idea what the anesthetist did to me. Every procedure seems to have a chance of going a bit sideways.
I’m not sure why the nurse thought it would cause a longer stay under normal conditions. Maybe check with your urologist.
Cheers
SJayHello SJay
Thank you so much for responding and sharing your experience with the Epidural. I wonder if you wouldn’t mind me asking a couple of questions…
When you say you were still partly frozen after more than an hour, was it just that you couldn’t get up and walk by yourself, or was it that you weren’t able to pee? If it was because you weren’t able to pee by yourself, did you have to have a catheter put back in,to drain your bladder? And was it terribly painful/difficult to get a catheter back in if that was the case?
Do you think the anesthesiologist put too much medication in to your Epidural, therefore causing longer lasting affects, or do you think something went wrong?
We have also read that having an Epidural is a much quicker recovery time, the issue being with how long it takes to wear off, not so much with major complications right?
Due to the fact that this is SUPPOSED to be a much easier procedure this time around and knowing how badly Paul reacts to anesthesia, it SEEMS to us that an Epidural is a much ‘easier’ way to his recovery? Thankfully we have time to decide and hopefully with other people’s input, we can make it a wise decision that works out for the best!
Thank you so very much for your input, we are trying to weigh out the odds and minimize his stay in the hospital in any which way we can and your experience certainly gives us more insight.
All the best,
Petra, Paul and Furmily.
“Ode to our Fur kids who can live only in the moment!”
Allensongmusic.comHi Petra
The problem was that I didn’t have sensation in my legs fully back, so no walking. Sorry, but I don’t remember if the catheter was in or out. It was 7 years ago! They probably left it in as I wasn’t mobile. In any case, the anesthesia eventually wore off and I went home without further complications. No idea why this occurred. There are potential complications with either epidural or general, but either is usually just fine.
Cheers
SJayThanks SJay, this is really good information, we appreciate you. And congratulations to you for kicking this Disease’ arse in the butt for 7 years!!
We have definitely had enough complications so far, we are hoping to stay in the category of “just fine”.
All the best
Petra, Paul and Furmily.
“Ode to our Fur kids who can live only in the moment!”
Allensongmusic.comI just asked the same question, if a spinal was possible, and then saw your post. I have had I think six spinals now for knee scopes and knee replacements. Yes you need to be able to walk and pee afterwards, but in my experience, it’s just the time it takes. Generally a spinal is better recovery. They can give you a dose of sedative drugs if you wish as you are awake for the procedure, but you do not need the ‘extra’ drugs if you do not want them. I am hoping I will be able to elect a spinal for my upcoming TURBT (waiting for a date) but most of what I’ve read says they are done under a general but I was wondering why not with a spinal.
Joey
Good morning Joey
I would like to start by saying that I’m sorry that you have to even ask if a Epidural is a viable use for a TURBT!!
Paul had a pretty in-depth conversation with the anesthesiologist on the morning of his 2 TURBT and because his first TURBT had gone so badly, he was worried about the affects of anesthesia this time around and was considering an Epidural instead.
The anesthesiologist was very kind and heard Pauls concerns fully. He said that he could do (and has done in the past) the Epidural for Paul instead of the anesthetic. But the risks of needing to stay longer in the hospital were quite high. He told us of one patient that couldn’t leave the hospital for 12hrs after his surgery because he couldn’t get up and walk!
He assured Paul that he would take the upmost care in the amount of anesthetic that he would give him, to make his recovery that much easier this time around. (By the way it was a different Anesthesiologist than the first time) Paul didn’t want to take the chance of having to be kept in the hospital any longer than he needed to be, so he chose the anesthetic.
Whether it was because the 2nd tumour was much smaller and there wasn’t as much to ‘gouge’ out as the first time, or whether is was because the anesthesiologist was far more attentive, maybe a combination of both? Pauls 2nd TURBT surgery went off without a hitch. Thank God!
From the sounds of it, your body tolerates the Epidural better than some, so maybe the anesthesiologist will be okay with using it on you rather than the anesthetic? We wish you the best for your surgery, no matter which way you choose. We love to hear “We got it all!!” from our doctors right! Best of Luck to you!
Petra, Paul and Furmily.
“Ode to our Fur kids who can live only in the moment!”
Allensongmusic.comHello,
I had a TURBT for a stage TA low grade papillary tumour 3.5 years ago at 37 years old. I have a huge phobia of GA. The anestesiologist had no issue with a spinal and neither did the surgeon. I felt a little pressure and discomfort while they were doing the procedure but it wasn’t bad at all. It took a few hours for me to get full feeling back in my legs but I was released the same day from the hospital. Due to the location of the tumour I had to have a stent place in my ureter so I had to keep my catheter in for 7 days after the surgery. Based on my experience I have no regrets going with the spinal. Best of luck.
Hi Petra,
I’m attaching an image of a slide Dr. Erica Frank showed on the Webinar that took place last Monday. It contains information on the proper method and times associated with when the Gel begins to work effectively. I suggest printing it out and showing it to Paul’s medical staff. I say this only because it has become apparent that the medical folks who apply the Gel, sometimes don’t follow the precise times and methods and thus cause the patient to feel a great deal of pain.
I have seen other patients/members post in the forum the great discomfort being felt when the camera is inserted and according to Dr. Frank, it’s almost always because the nurse or urologist did not allow enough time for the Gel to take effect.
It’s a thought/suggestion. I hope this is helpful.
My best,
Thank you Danidjar for your input. I’m not sure if Paul will reconsider the epidural as an option or not for any possible future TURBT surgeries, but it is definitely good to hear that it is still a viable option.
Wishing you all the best.
Thank you Alex,
Paul and I appreciate you thinking of us. MOST of the time, the nurses have been very good about waiting for the gel to take affect, but there have been a couple of time when i wished they had waited a little longer before putting the catheter in for Paul.
I also believe that one nurse in particular this last time around was not as experienced as she professed to be! Always, always a danger sign right! She didn’t feel like the catheter was in and kept on pushing, it was a very uncomfortable experience for him. Then add all of his additional horrid side affects that the BCG is doing to him, is making his life pure torture!
All the best my dear,
Petra, Paul & Furmily.
“Ode to our Fur kids who can live only in the moment!”
Allensongmusic.comI asked about a spinal rather than GA before my TURBT surgery that eventually was scheduled for March 9th. I asked for a spinal, and the nurse was great in that she forewarned the anesthetist and urologist before the anesthetist came to talk to me. I gathered the ‘norm’ was a general as I had expected so it was good they were able to discuss my request before talking to me. They both agreed so I had a spinal. They also moved a TV screen over so I could watch the procedure. The surgeon was great at explaining what he was doing. The anesthetist used a ‘quick recovery’ anesthesia for the spinal. He said it would take an hour to recover post surgery, and it was.
Unfortunately my pathology results came back as high grade and the muscle sample he took was unclear so I’m scheduled for another TURBT mid June which will be followed by 6 weeks of BCG treatments. But this time I know the surgeon is okay with a spinal so one less thing to worry about!
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