Flexible cystoscopy (male)
Posted , 48 users are following.
I'm a 36 y/o male and underwent a flexible cystoscopy last week. Thought I'd register with this forum just to share my experience with other chaps who might be worried about the procedure.
Once you're prepped and ready to receive the cystoscope, the procedure, itself, lasts probably around 5 minutes, or so. The cystoscope is approximately the thickness of a pencil with a rounded end containing a flashing light. The first step involves disinfecting the area around the genitals... just a few dabs/wipes of antiseptic. This is followed by an injection of anaesthetic gel into the urethra (pee hole). The gel is injected from a syringe with no needle attached. The surgeon injects the gel with a fairly quick firm push on the syringe plunger and this feels weird and a bit uncomfortable (but not painful). The anaesthetic does sting slightly as it goes in, but it's not what I'd call painful, as such... just pretty uncomfortable for a few seconds.
In my case, the surgeon left no real time for the anaesthetic to 'work' and proceeded straight away. As it happens, the cystoscope was somewhat tangled-up and he spent about 30 seconds to a minute dealing with (which I was quietly thankful for as it probably gave a little more time for the anaesthetic to take effect). Usually, I watch needles going in and am not squirmish about things being done to me but, in this case, I had no desire to watch the cystoscope going in! Instead, I focused by attention on the video monitor, which kinda detaches you from the experience somehow. Although I could feel the cystoscope going in, I didn't feel any pain or discomfort... until the scope reached the area of the prostate. If you're having this procedure, it's likely you have possible prostate trouble and, as most prostate problems involve enlargement of the prostate, the urethra will be narrowed at this point depending on how enlarged the prostate is. I suspect how much discomfort/pain you feel at this point of the procedure will depend on how enlarged your prostate is and how much it occludes the urethra. In my case, the urethra was very narrowed as the median lobe of my prostate is enlarged (the source of my symptoms). The surgeon paused at this point and asked me to relax as though I was trying to urinate. I tried to do this, but as soon as the scope moves forwards, you naturally tense-up, which defeats the object of trying to relax in the first place! This was the most uncomfortable/painful part of the whole procedure for me. The pain was enough for me to screw my eyes up and shout 'owww' a few times, but it wasn't unbearable and only lasted a few seconds until the scope had passed the narrowing. After this, the scope enters the bladder and the surgeon has a good look around... you cannot feel this at all. In my case, my bladder was then filled with 400ml of water through the cystoscope as I was to have a flow study conducted immediately afterwards.
When the cystoscope comes out, it's a very strange feeling as you feel a bit like you're urinating (but you're not, obviously), but it's not painful. For me, the after-effects were minimal... I was anxious about urinating afterwards, but it wasn't too bad at all... some slight stinging the first couple of times, but that was all. Certainly no need for pain-killers.
All in all, the flexible cystoscopy wasn't too bad for me. It's not an experience I'd be in a rush to repeat(!), but it needed doing and it didn't last too long. I'd say it's no worse, really, than having something like a root canal at the dentist (which I've also experienced). Uncomfortable with the occasional fleeting bit of pain, but nothing too major.
Good luck!
5 likes, 62 replies
Ccottrelle ian_uk1975
Posted
matt3016 ian_uk1975
Posted
Im a 28 year old who had flexible cystocopy yesterday 14/11/2016. I was very nervous and worried about the procedure, im not very good with pain and reading through this forum helped me alot. My GP's didn't explain to me what to expect or how the procedure goes.
?Over the weekend was crap, constantly worying and doing my girlfriends nut in keep going out about, like what happens if they cut me, if they ruined my penis!!
The procedure was one of the most painful things i have ever put myself through, that being said, i have had lumber punctures , blows to the head before which werent half as bad as this was.
?They push cold gel into the tip which is supposed to numb the area, however this is not the case, then the Dr put the scope in and it hurt and kept feeling like i wanted to pee, the two nurses were really good, and tried to calm me down, telling me to relax but trying to relax is easier said then done.
?The Dr was really good kept talking to me all the way through it but it was hurting and stinging at the same time.
?Then all of a sudden there was this massive sharp pain that made my eyes water and i was screaming for them to make it stop... The Nurse said relax and try to wee so the scope could go in much easier.
?The Dr said the most painul bit was over and was now in my bladder and he offered me to look at the screen. I looked at the screen and was quite amazed, he took some pictures and he was making jokes to calm me down although it was still painful.
?The whole procedure left me realing in pain, tears and all.
?I was stinging constantly felt like i wanted to go a wee all the time. The nurse took me and my girlfriend to another area where i got changed and went a wee for the first time, OMG it was so painful and stung, for the rest of the day i wanted to wee but stopped myself because of the stinging.
?When i got home i had to take painkillers to ease the pain, every direction i turned had pain.
?My penis is bruised, and still stinging 24hrs later.
?Overall its not and experience i ever want to go through again, if i have too i'll have it done under GA.
?Please please , if you have to have this done, opt for a general anesthetic or take a sedative beforehand.
?This really isnt as described on the NHS website.
?
michael11030 ian_uk1975
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graeme23 ian_uk1975
Posted
I had a cystoscopy today and was probably one of the most painful things I have ever experienced. This was after having anaesthetic gel being applied and plenty of time to take effect. I felt extreme pressure and was shouting at the doctor to remove it and quickly. As soon as it was removed the pain immediately subsided. I have suffered from kidney stones and thisvpain was as bad as that. I will never allow this procedure to be performed on me again unless I'm sedated or given a general anaesthetic. I realise that for the vast majority of men having this procedure it is a mildly uncomfortable or any pain experienced is minimal but it is not like that for everyone. Good luck to those of you having this procedure.
michael11030 graeme23
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anthonie92773 ian_uk1975
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gary3584 ian_uk1975
Posted
this is bull s**t!!!!!!!! I just had it done and it was the most pain full thing ever!!!!!
I can mornallbut I was yelling at the Dr. to stopy take alot of pain, but I was yelling at the Dr. to stop!!!!!!! What is this the dark ages p- it was barbaric!!!! and all the blood, it is now 5 hours later an I can hardly move and I have peed 4 thmes and it still burns very bad. Don"t lie to people!!!!!
kenneth1955 gary3584
Posted
raffie kenneth1955
Posted
can an the doc do this from prep to finish without female nurse assisting for those that are uncomfortable being intimately exposed with strange women in the room?
Regards,
Raffie
kenneth1955 raffie
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michael11030 kenneth1955
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kenneth1955 michael11030
Posted
raffie michael11030
Posted
Good Morning Everyone:
Michael, you’d be surprised how much it matters to a lot of gentlemen who gets involved in their intimate care prep, testing, or procedures.
Many men are NOT comfortable being so intimately exposed much less handled by a strange female. Especially when there is more than one woman in the room and they are all much younger than their male patient. How would women feel having a group of men standing behind her physician while getting a pelvic or breast exam? I don’t think they’d be too comfortable. Most would object & the guys would have to leave. It should be the same way for male patients. If they don’t want women caregivers then they should be replaced by male caregivers.
A lot of the new urological procedures are moving out of the hospital OR and into the physician’s office surgical suite. Procedures that once were done under general anesthetic are nowadays being done under locals.
To get the guy’s mind off of what the doc is doing below, they’ve added another female to the mix to stand up by your head and talk to you throughout the procedure. She’s supposed to lock her eyes with yours but as is human nature she stares over the curtain more often than not.
I would think a guy would have a better chance of holding a conversation with another guy or even their spouse or girlfriend rather than a stranger.
Since it’s an office setting it’s the doctors preference as to who they hire but if enough of their male patients were to object to female caregivers they will have to make a change or lose patients to the doctor who
cares about what their patients think.
If urology departments and urologists were to poll their male patients, I think they’d be taken completely by surprise as to how many men would prefer male attendants over females in an intimate related medical setting.
Discrimination against hiring people based on their race, religion, gender, national origin, age or other protected status is generally prohibited under the laws of the U.S.
In some very rare circumstances, the very nature of the job requires employers to choose candidates based on what are otherwise protected characteristics.
So companies (like US hospitals, imaging centers, clinics, airlines, and even Hooters), use what is called a Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ) exception to hire the candidates they want.
Hooters has tried using it for years to hire only female servers. Airlines tired it also to only hire female flight attendants and they had to be under a certain height.
Both were taken to court via class action lawsuits and both lost even though Hooters keeps on trying and losing.
In order to use the BFOQ exception, an employer must prove that no member of the group of people they are discriminating against could perform the job.
So what does this have to do with hospitals you ask?
Imaging centers, Medical Centers, hospitals, and clinics all claim to be equal opportunity employers.
At the same time some are making this claim, they are hiring one gender preferentially over the other for providing care using a BFOQ exception to our discrimination laws.
In just about every case our healthcare facilities are saying that they will use the BFOQ argument for same gender care because they choose to only hire females for tech, staff, and nursing positions for departments that serve female patients like mammography, or say labor & delivery to protect the patients privacy.
What they are choosing to ignore is that by using the exception in this manner they are also saying that male patients also have a right to male nurses, techs, and staff at these facilities to protect their privacy.
Problem has been guys very seldom demand same gender care and I think it’s because they are afraid of looking weak (that’s society’s fault), and aren’t told by anyone it is their right to choose.
Facilities would have to stop trading men’s lives for dollars and start hiring more male staff if they told guys they had the right to choose.
Hospitals, clinics, and imaging center administrators and their senior staff are of the belief that the gender of the care giver is not an issue for male patients, therefore it’s okay in their eyes to go ahead and hire only females who can then care for both genders.
That misconception has no basis in facts and the opposite has been expressed in court cases about the same gender BFOQ for urology staffing.
Facilities that use this exception open themselves up to the possibility of class action lawsuits from male patients and male staff. Just like hooters and the airlines.
The one place this exception doesn’t hold up is the physician’s office. There, you are at the prejudices of
your doctor as he/she hires their own staff. All one can do there is ask them to hire an equal amount of men and women if they care for both sexes.
So if you’re a guy and especially if you’re being treated at a big medical center, do not ever forget, you have the right to choose male caregivers if you are uncomfortable with female caregivers.
Another thing you can do is have a conversation with your doctor. Ask them if the hospital they have rights at supplies same gender care for patients. If you ask why not then ask your doctor to advocate on your behalf at the hospital to hire the necessary staff to make it possible. Doctors have clout at hospitals.
If they don’t advocate for their patients, they will lose those patients.
Be wise and be smart. Don’t ever be afraid to ask. It's your body. You and you alone have final say.
Regards,
Raffie
Swingyerpants ian_uk1975
Posted
Hi thank you for leaving such a detailed response to your cystoscopy. My father is currently awaiting an appointment for his Cystoscopy and at 67 years old, never having any surgery ever he is rather anxious. As he doesn't own anything even relating to the interWeb as he calls it, I showed him your post and read out your experience and it has helped him so much with the questions I, being female couldn't answer
Lallyrs ian_uk1975
Posted
He got a secondary infection and was rushed back to hospital three times with suspected sepsis. Three months, five courses of strong antibiotics later and he still has the infection. The doctors have said that it’s e coli, but the truth is they don’t know!
The specialist said that secondary infections are not common, but serious when they do occur. The doctors however, say that they are common!
They first attempted the cystoscopy under local anaesthetic, but he found it too painful. There was also a large bluebottle flying around the operating theatre!
This was a private hospital that the NHS contracted treatment out to.
The second attempt was done under general anaesthetic. It was still very painful, when he came round and couldn’t pee properly for three or four days.
Thankfully they found nothing, he just has blood in his urine!