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Surgery was yesterday morning. All went well. I was given an antibiotic pill first thing to assist with any possible infection. I think the surgery itself took just over an hour and I’m not sure but I think I was in recovery about an hour and a half. Took a bit for the cobwebs to clear but by the time I was back to the day surgery unit I was good. No pain, no nausea. The only discomfort I had was just a bit of a sore throat from the tube they inserted during the procedure and of course the feeling of the catheter in my urethra.
Had the catheter explained to me and the nurse (nurses are so great and caring!) changed out my bag and explained how the night bag works. The leg bag is secured by two velco straps and is easily removed to empty or adjust. They even asked what side of the bed I sleep on so they attach the leg bag to the leg closest to that side of the bed! The catheter is clamped then adhered just inside my groin to restrict the movement of the catheter which is a big help. She was very pleased with the color of the urine, a light pink. I was given a prescription for T3. After about an hour in the unit I was allowed to leave.
Got back to my place about 3pm and was hungry so made a pb & j sandwich. It was like eating tree bark! I didn’t realize how dry my mouth was and it took lots of water to get sandwich down. I was tired and headed to bed about 630pm. Hooked up my night bag and was good to go. I was worried about moving through the night and the catheter position but had no problem moving onto my side a couple of times. I’m not really a back sleeper but had to problems. I woke up about 11pm and thought about getting up for a bit but sleep won out. Had a great night. Slept until 945am this morning!
My night bag was completely filled, 2000ml’s. For those that don’t know, this bag goes on the floor at night and connects to the bag on my leg. Connecting the two bags is very easy as is separating them. I had a bit of a raspy voice (from the throat tube) but the throat discomfort is gone. Still no pain or nausea. I feel absolutely normal, like I could carry on my day to day activities, but I know better. Still have a bit of a dry mouth. Lots of hydration. Took my dog for a very short and slow walk this morning as well.
Arrangements have been made for home care to come in on Thursday to remove the catheter. Awaiting the call from the docs office to book a follow up but he did mention 2 weeks, about the same time it takes to get the pathology report. So, as of now, all is good. It’s kind of neat to be talking with someone and peeing at the same time and they don’t have a clue!
Very happy for you that all went well and that your post-procedure side-effects have been minimal. I’m a bit jealous of the simultaneous conversation/urination scenario. Why didn’t I think of that when I had my TURBT? Glad to hear you are home and not having any discomfort. Good news!
Hi Scott
Good to hear you came through the procedure so well. I am heading in tomorrow and can hardly wait. They bumped me up a week because of a cancellation . I was hoping the catheter could come out next day… but see yours will be three days. The weekend is coming my daughter- the nurse – was going to remove it but she leaves Friday . Glad you are home and the surgery part is over !! Take care and quick healing.
Cheryl
Just a quick update on my recovery. Still have not received the pathology report, hopefully tomorrow afternoon! Recovery is going well, feel great, like I can do almost anything. Doc says after this long weekend I can step up activity but to monitor my pace. Any sign of blood, back it off. I seem to have stopped passing very faint blood droplets a few days ago, which has only ever been one or two at a time and not constantly. A couple of clots passed as well. Hopefully I get my results tomorrow.
It has been a week and a half since I had surgery (TURBT). I’m waiting on an appointment with the Doctor to discuss the pathology report and find out what is next.
I am still experiencing a lot of pain when urinating. There is at times quite a lot of blood in the urine or if it clear there a small blood clots in the urine.
The pain is the same pain that initially brought it to my attention that I had a problem.
I feel like this pain and blood should have subsided by now. I don’t know if this is an issue or if it is normal?Hi Bwarmer:
It’s sometimes a bit hard to judge what is normal after a TURBT because we all recover in different ways. It also depends on how much tumour removal happened – i.e. number of tumours, depth and size of tumours, location of tumours. I’ve had tumours in the lower area of my bladder and top. The lower tumours were the most problematic and caused way more discomfort than the one single one that was on top of my bladder with my first recurrence.
Please make sure that you are drinking lots of water, avoid caffeine and don’t do too much in terms of lifting, vaccuming, heavy chores etc. You need to allow for the surgical sites to heal. The sites need to scab over since they are open wounds. Doing too much can disturb what healing there has been and set off bleeding again. I made that mistake because I didn’t know and wasn’t given too much post op advice at the time.
Some people do bleed more after a TURBT than others. It can take 4-6 weeks for bleeding to stop completely but can start again if a person is doing too much. That being said, if you think it may be a problem, I strongly recommend that you check in with your doctor. ((((HUGS))))
well that’s good information and makes me feel better and makes me realize I should be taking it easy. I started back running, which now I feel I shouldn’t have done.
thx.Hi Bwarmer:
That’s probably the reason you’re still bleeding. Running is a heavy activity especially in the summer when it is hot.
It is difficult to slow down and many jump back into full routine far too soon. The exercise advice that I have learned for the first 2-4 weeks post TURBT is – start with short walks as able and gradually increase the distance and time. I suggest starting with that and leave the running for a few weeks. When you start running keep it to a short distance for the first few runs and maybe run slowly. If there is no bleeding then you can gradually increase the distance and speed.
It is deceptive because as mentioned the surgery is internal. There is no abdominal scar/outside surgical site to deal with so many people get the impression that it wasn’t a big surgery. It is a bigger deal than people think. As mentioned, the surgical sites in the bladder need time to scab over. Taking it slower will allow that to happen. As will drinking lots and lots of water.
The unfortunate thing is that many surgeons do not tell their patients to rest up and many people get into difficulty because of this. If you feel tired during the day, don’t fight it by trying to do more. Give yourself permission to take a nap. The fatigue is a sign that your body needs more rest for healing.
We do lose some blood during the TURBT surgery and with any preop bleeding due to the tumours and/or post op bleeding that really adds up. So our bodies need rest in order to rebuild the blood supply as well as heal the surgery.
Best of luck going forward. ((((HUGS))))
Hi Bwarmer,
14 years ago, I discovered my bladder cancer from going for a 5 k run on a very hot and muggy day. I had this tremendous urge to pee and when I did, it was a firehose of blood. After my surgery, I made the mistake of going into the office at work and doing a presentation, which I thought was no big deal…that I would be merely standing and talking. I was wrong, even that (at least for me) caused bleeding and delayed my recovery.
I am a 14 year survivor and able to do all the running, bicycling and swimming now. I just had to give it time to heal. It took 3 weeks in my case. BTW, I ate lots of blue berries, strawberries along with my porridge for breakfast. I also drank a cup of green tea, which I found very soothing. Lastly, as Marysue indicated…LOTS OF WATER. In my case 3 tall glasses a day.
Wishing you a quick recovery!
My best,
Hi Nightingale:
In my case I drink 3-4 tall glasses of water a day because Calgary is a mountain desert climate with low humidity most of the time. That is another factor when figuring out how much water to drink. I know most recommend at least 8 glasses (assuming 8 ounces per glass) per day for about 64 ounces. I shoot for more as much as possible because of the aforementioned dry climate, the fact that I have lazy kidneys and the extra water has helped my dry eyes, skin and hair on top of benefiting my bladder. I drink that water on top of all other liquids that I consume during the day.
I did read somewhere a doctor wrote that most people are at least slightly dehydrated because they don’t make time to take in regular amounts of liquid and food. I have learned to always carry a water bottle when I go out somewhere. The other thing I’ve learned is to observe the colour of your urine. If it is clear or very light yellow you are generally hydrated enough. That is why our urine is often darker first thing in the morning because if we did sleep through the night we haven’t has anything to drink for several hours.
In my support work with BCC patients I’ve been shocked at the number of folks who have told me, “I hate water.” I always reply, “You had better learn to make it your new BFF. Your bladder depends on it.” That being said, I’ve always told folks to add other sources of liquid to their diet – herbal teas, flavourings to water. green tea, and consume fruits like watermelon which have a lot of water content. It all adds up.
Water and more water people! Your bladder will thank you. (((HUGS))))
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