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A couple of weeks back I had a TURBT, and the tumor was 2cm, low grade and superficial. That is good. What I’m having bother with and need help with is the recovery.
Soon after surgery I got a pulmonary embolism and was put on anticoagulants. Then a few days after that, my surgery scab came off, I started bleeding and passing clots. This got worse and worse until I went back to the ER and the’ve had me in there for a week – I just got home now. They sucked out the clots and had me on continuous irrigation for 5 days. But there’s still clots in there and I’m passing a few, but there must be a big one that blogs the urethra and causes immense pain. But they still sent me home and I’m worried/scared about how to get through this recovery.
Hi Thomas:
I’m sorry to learn that the TURBT surgery had complications. It was the last thing that you needed on top of the stress of a cancer diagnosis. I have a question. Were you prescribed any painkillers? Pain post TURBT is common, especially after all the extra drama that you experienced. I was given Tramadol (I think) via IV post op and then a script for something else to take at home. I was also told I could try extra strength Tylenol which turned out to be enough for me and I didn’t fill the script. I was also given a post op antibiotic to prevent infection.
The reason I’m bringing this up is that it is important to be able to relax and sleep as well as possible to be able to heal. Many people are hesitant to take post op painkillers for fear of addiction etc. Since it is a short term consumption that can be tapered off rather quickly, possible addiction issue is generally nothing to worry about unless advised otherwise.
Other things to assist with healing – don’t rush to get back into the full swing of things. Avoid heavy lifting/work for 4-6 weeks. As you have already discovered you start to bleed easily. If you do too much too soon you will disturb the healing over of the wounds in the bladder and start to bleed again. Rest a lot, take short walks as you are able. Drink lots of water, herb teas like peppermint and chamomile. Stay off caffeine until you are healed. Many of us, including myself found that caffeine irritates the bladder. I’m a tea drinker and to this day I still experience bladder irritation if I don’t drink enough water to offset my consumption of tea. I used the post TURBT recovery time as a good excuse to take naps, catch up on my reading and binged watched a few shows on NETFLIX. Ask your doctor about when it would be safe to return to work, drive, have sex etc. For the majority it is like the heavy lifting – 4-6 weeks. The good news as mentioned the tumour is low grade and non-invasive.
The other thought I have is that your urethra could be massively swollen from all the intrusion and is taking time to heal. Even though I’m female I experienced this not only post TURBT (I’ve had 2), but post BCG treatments and post cysto. Heat and Tylenol helped with this. All this being said, if you are having difficulty urinating properly call your doc or head back to the ER to get checked out. This is one thing that you can’t mess around with. You don’t want to develop infection or injure your bladder any further. Best Wishes and don’t hesitate to post any additional questions. Hope this helps. (((HUGS)))
Last night, after much pain, a massive clot finally passed and I achieved relief. I’m now resting up and relaxing as I continue healing. The last few weeks have warn me out and I’m taking things really easily.
Hi Thomas:
I’m glad to learn that the clot business is finally over with. Now maybe with some extra sleep you will feel better real soon. All the best. (((HUGS)))
Hi Thomas,
Similar to you, I had a low grade non-invasive BC. I had a stent left in my Ureter to prevent it from closing up while I healed. I remember bleeding for approximately a week; not a lot, just a bit and I also recall having blood clots. I made the mistake of going into work 3 days after my operation to do a presentation and bled a lot. After that I took a full week off to relax and let my body heal. It worked and I was able to remove the stent 10 days after my procedure.
Lesson: Take the time to let your body heal. I was and am a physical fitness freak and was chomping at the bit to go for a run, but resisted for 2 weeks, before starting out slowly with short walks, then gradually building up to running my normal distances.
Today, I am a 11 year survivor.
My best,
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