My Cystoscopy - yesterday

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I am a male aged 34, hardly go the doctors, last time I was in hospital was 30 years ago. had a week to mentally prepare myself for this due to an emergency appointment for peeing blood. I (like you are now) read the horror stories from google and was terrified. My ultrasound and X-ray showed something in my bladder so the consultant said he was going to do a flexible cystoscopy and check my prostate. The prostate check took seconds, felt a little uncomfortable but not painful. Then, the cystoscopy. There was a hot nurse about 22 with the consultant I had read some people talk about erections. Others I'd heard talk about 'the shrivel'. The nurse asked me to take my jeans and boxers down to my ankles and put a gown on. I was alone while I got ready. There I was, laying on a bed. Boxers and jeans by my ankles covered by a gown. I delayed telling the nurse I was ready for a min while I psyched myself up. Then I thought, I have to do it. "I'm ready". In they came, consultant and clinical nurse. Next thing I knew the gown was lifted and very quickly gel was rubbed on my 'bell end'. I could feel something gel like being injected down my urethra. Didn't hurt at all just felt different. Then before I knew it the scope was in. I didn't feel anything until it was gliding down my urethra, it stung for about 5 or 6 seconds. Similar to how it feels if uve ever got shower gel in ur japs eye when u pee. Not too bad, I've had worse headaches. Just a slight sting. Then as he went past the prostrate a slight pinch that made me tense up but again not too bad. Once in I didn't feel anything.

Unfortunately I am now going to have to have these regularly for the rest if my life. Now I've done it once i really don't care. It's not bad at all. The anticipation of your first one is terrible. The doctors and nurses aren't interested in what your penis looks like they don't really look at it, only for a second. Don't be scared if you are having this done. The first 3 or 4 weeks sting a bit, but after that it was fine. As I was driving home, my arse was hurting a bit but that's ok today.

Any questions let me know.

3 likes, 38 replies

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  • Posted

    Procedure carried out on 15 May 2015.

    Just thought I'd aknowledge and support Craigs' post above. Nice one Craig.

    I had my Cystoscopy this morning and like the rest of you reading this now, I was very anxious. And, like most things, the thought of the actual event is often a lot worse than the procedure itself.

    The procedure has been at the forefront of my mind the whole week, I hardly slept the night before (last night)

    Arrived at the hospital, 'Checked in'.

    Called shortly afterwards and escorted to another waiting room, this time however, was taken into a curtained cubacle where I was asked for my urine sample. My blood pressure was taken which was higher than normal (Anxious Reading I guess) was then told to change into the hospital gown and paper pants.

    I was then told to take a seat in the waiting room, there were about 10 of us and I was told that I was 7th on the list and it was going to be a busy day, with 19 procedures planned.

    I sat there and waited, struck up a conversation with an old gentleman next to me which kind of put me at ease a little as he had the procedure before. And, it did pass the time a bit more.

    I was aware of the people (particularly the men) returning after the procedure which didn't seem to take long at all. They all seemed to be not too uncomfortable after the procedure.

    I had a nervous pee pee beforehand as I knew I'd be called any minute. Indeed I was. I was anxious and the nurse could see this. She was brilliant.

    She escorted me into the theatre, there were 4 members of staff in here 2 male and 2 female, My urologist was male and excellent.

    I was told to lay on the 'bed' and to take my paper pants down to my ankles.

    I was then told to lay back and 'relax'.

    I had a nurse immediately to my right and she held my hand on my chest to reassure me, asking me if I had any holidays planned etc, etc, I knew what she was attempted to do and it worked to a certain extent. 

    A screen went up so I couldn't see anything, then with the help of another nurse, they cleaned the appropriate area. 

    The nurse to my right then said, I'd feel a sensation of liquid being injected into my urethra (penis tube).

    I tried NOT to look at anything at all, but almost immediately after this, I could see the Urologist insert the scope.

    They then fill you bladder with water, again no pain really just discomfort and the feeling you wanted to pee urgently, but you don't.

    Here is where I'm going to reiterate what Craig has said. 

    On a scale of 1-10 the discomfort was only around the '6' mark, which surprised me, there was a slight stinging sensation, but as Craig says, it was certainly no worst than getting soap (and felt exactly like this to me) up your 'Japs eye'.

    The amazing thing was, it seemed like no time at all and the scope was slowly pulled out. 

    I thought about every second of the procedure whilst undergoing the procedure... the pain level, how long it took to put the scope in, how long it was in the bladder for, and I can honestly say that it was no longer than 3 minutes, maximum. All done!

    I walked out of theatre quite happy about the whole thing.

    You then need to have a pee before you're allowed to go home.

    I did have a pee within a minute of two and it did sting, I am now some 5 hours after the procedure and just had my 3rd pee since, this is the most painful part, as it is still stinging but not too bad.

    I got to say at this point, the NHS staff, Urologist, Nurses are so amazing, I love those guys and girls.

    That's it, I just wanted to write this post as it's within a few hours of having the procedure carried out and agree totally with what Craig has said already.

    If I could give just one piece of advice it would be RELAX this I promise which make it so much easier.

    Good luck all. and just  RELAX !

     

    • Posted

      Thanks Mike. I've had 4 now and am happy to say I've been cancer free for 11 months. I don't feel a thing now during the procedure, must be used to it I guess.

      The NHS are great. My hospital is A in tree University Hospital in Liverpool. I'm on 6 monthly Cystoscopies now.

      Glad it wasn't too bad for you mate.

  • Posted

    Just had a flexible cystoscopy 3 days ago. This had been a huge stress on me for the last 3 months. The actual procedure is easy and pain free. The worrying and uncertainty is the worst part. Actually no...The damn irritation from having been scoped is the worst. It amplified the irritation I was already having. It's only been 3 days but praying for relief soon. The doctor didn't prepare me for what the after result would be like. Had I known I'd be dealing with this much urethral irritation and discomfort I probably would have opted not to go forward with the procedure. He didn't even go into the bladder. He just checked the whole urethra.

    A little back story...I've been dealing with urethra irritation and discomfort for the last 3 month. Blood and urine come back negative for infection. Microscopic blood seen in urine. Prostate is ok and so is PSA (1.9). Was on cipro for 19 days, then Ceftin for 14. Uro said symptoms overlap prostatitis and interstitial cystitis. But first uro never scoped me. He mentioned it and almost did it but then decided not to.

    I was hospitalized 2 weeks ago for what turned out to be a viral infection. I had high fever, chills, and chest tightness, as well as the urethral irritation. The kept me because of high fever. Wanted to rule out bacterial infection. Saw a uro in the hospital. He checked prostate and said no prostatitis and unlikely that i have interstitial cystitis. He recommended I get a second opinion with another uro.

    Im now on my 3rd urologist in 3 months. Still some microscopic blood in urine. This new uro scoped me and said no strictures or scaring in the urethra but did see some inflammation in the urethra. I'm 39 btw and have never had any urinary issues. He said he could only treat symptoms since there wasn't anything else there. Gave me script for valium to relax pelvic floor muscles. He said I could have non bacterial prostatitis as well.

    He want's to follow up in 6 weeks. Not sure what will change in 6 weeks that hasn't changed in 3 months.

    QUESTION... For those of you who have been scoped how long does the irritation last after the procedure? The initial sting/ burn was over after the first few pees, but the annoying irritation and discomfort throughout my urethra is just really uncomfortable. Does this really take 3-4 weeks?? How long did you have to abstain from sexual relations or ejaculating? I'm concerned about causing further irritation to my urethra.

    I know stress and anxiety play a huge part in this but I'm just looking for some peace of mind.

    Thanks.

    Mikey

    • Posted

      Hi Mike, first three of four pees stung a bit bit then was fine, back to normal. With you having blood on your urine, I'd push for a scope to rule out anything wrong with your bladder. Hope you feel better soon.
    • Posted

      Thanks craig. The uro did the scope but only of the urethra. During exam prior to scope he was rubbing around the urethra and I felt some slight irritation. He said he could feel it through the shaft. When he scoped me he said he saw some inflammation in the urethra but no strictures or scaring. My only concern is its been 3 days and the irritation and discomfort hasn't let up much. It's actually worse then the discomfort I've been dealing with. I'm not sure why he didn't do a full scope including bladder especially since I told him the last uro said he thought I had interstitial cystitis, even though the first uround didn't scope me.

      I just want some relief. I feel like the scope aggravated the inflammation of my urethra and I can't reach doctor. I even emailed him but no response yet. Will see how I'm feeling on monday.

      Thanks again.

    • Posted

      You could try some strong pain killers, after my op to remove the tumour I was sore for around 3 weeks. Hurt to pee,had to sit down gently. Had a 22mm cathether which was pretty big! They gave me some codein which helped alot. Yeah strange he didn't go in to the bladder. It takes minutes to check.
    • Posted

      Thanks. I'm taking Aleve for now. Seems to help a little. Overnight is fine and I can sleep after using a heating pad for a few minutes. Mornings I feel great until I take that first pee. Then the irritation starts and lingers all day. Kind of feels like it comes in waves. Also have a heaviness in my perinial area and rectum.

      I had hoped he would do the entire procedure just to rule everything else out. My fear now is that in a few months if the original irittation persist I'll have to have this damn thing done again.

      I'm scheduled for a dual procedure - Endoscopy and colonoscopy on Jan 5th. A CT scan of abdomen found some enlarged lymph nodes in lower right abdomen. So gastro wants to take a look. I also have a hiatal hernia and GERD so they want to check it again. Last time I had endoscopy was 3 yrs ago.

      My anxiety and stress levels are through the roof. Irritation since Sept 24th. 3am that night got up to pee and burned like hell. 2 weeks prior my primary doctor had ordered full labs during my annual physical and found microscopic blood in urine. When I saw uro for the first time Sept 24th he saw microscopic blood in urine and wanted to rule out infection even though his urinalysis didn't show infection. This has been dragging on since. Antibiotic after antibiotic. I'm even taking a supplement called Cysta-Q that helps heal the bladder in case it's interstitial cystitis. And taking Prelief to remove acid from my foods.

      Thanks again craig. I'm a mess here trying to figure this out. Talking to others definitely helps. I'll see how I'm feeling by Monday and if not any better I'll call uro again.

    • Posted

      Hi mate,

      My first cysto was the most uncomfortable. The irritation could simply be made worse by the scope. Rveryone has different size urethras etc. My specialist nurse told me after my op that the inside of of the penis has small cuts which is why it hurt go pee, sit down etc., this was abt three weeks until healed.

      The other things I had to identify the reason for peeing blood was an ultrasound on my kidneys and xray of my bladder. My bladder showed something which than lead to the cystoscopy.

      I would keep pushing until they get to the bottom of it.

    • Posted

      Thank you. I do have a sonogram scheduled tomorrow morning of my gallbladder. This was scheduled by my Gastroenterologist. To rule out gallbladder stones. Jan 5th I have the Endoscopy and colonoscopy to rule out other things. Then I go back to urologist for follow up on Jan 27th.

      How long was it suggested that you abstain from any sexual activity or ejaculation after your first scope?

      Mikey

  • Posted

    hi craig , im a 47 year old male , and am due to have a flexible  cystoscopy on the 11th of jan , ive read a lot of the comments on here , and most seem positive...i had a CT scan back in november of which my doctor has confirmed today that nothing sinister is going on , no kidney stones , no urethra damage or problems related to the urethra ,  bladder issues ,or blood in urine ... everything has basically come back negative , although i am still getting some  slight discomfort and burning problems at the end of the penis  when i initially wee in the morning , so , im sorta stuck in between the devil and the deep blue sea on wether i should go through with the procedure anyway ,   i know infections can occur ,and obviousely i dont want to come out with more problems than when i went in with ... but i read your initial post , and was wondering what your thoughts are on my dilemma , and what sort of symptoms you had initially ...thanks ..
    • Posted

      Hi Darren,

      Initially I was peeing lots of blood. Not every pee but every 3 weeks apart. It was like peeing Ribena. Turned out I had bladder cancer. I didn't have any pain or discomfort at all.

      The whole procedure only takes two or three minutes. I'd have it done mate just to rule anything out.

      It really is nothing to worry about. I've had about 8 of them now and am back again in March for another one.

      Hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else.

      Craig

    • Posted

      Darren how did it go?was yours in hospital or office? Local or general anesthesia?
    • Posted

      Hello.

      I am very upset about the aftereffects of mine. Been 11 days..and burning at tip of penis when blood gets there..like erections in morning. .or even when taking Viagra.i had some sensitivity on left near to before..it is much worse now.

    • Posted

      I was diagnosed with bladder polyps after a cystoscopy, my operation was cancelled because they found a problem with my heart, i have now been cleared for the anaesthetic and have my pre op tests 16feb 2016, i know it may be bladder cancer but i,m terrified because i,m 68.  It took a year to get this far attending A and E and trying to get my doctor to refer me because of discomfort, its been a hell of a journey!   All i can think of will i die and why has it taken this long to get an operation if its cancer.

       

  • Posted

    Hey guys. Can't across your post last night and had the scope done this morning. Thank you putting my mind at ease. The burning when I pee kind of sucks but it certainly isn't the worst thing I've ever been though.

    • Posted

      I just wanted to report back, to anyone that is looking at this thread, it's been 6 hours since I left the office, 3 pees and the 4th had no burn at all. So 6 hours later you wouldn't even know it was done.

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