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Turp operation or laser ?or leave alone?

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graham30431
graham30431

Hello there I am 59 years old, I have been diagnosed with bph for several. Years now , psa ok around 2.5 checked every year, symptoms getting worse, peeing several times during the night , also severe retention if leave it too long when need to go .do not leak! (Yet) and would appreciate feedback from others who have had the procedure ( good and bad) The alfuziin 10 mg tablets seem to make little difference, and wondering whether to go ahead or carry on.

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  • jim31207
    jim31207 graham30431

    Posted

    Just got home after having my TURP yesterday. I am amazed at how little pain I have had.  Overnight in the hospital I started feeling some sharp pains in where I assume my prostate is and thought to myself "yep, the anesthesia is wearing off"  but the pain subsided as quickly as it started. ( Have not had a percoset or Tylenol). That happened twice and that has been it.  I would have thought I would be very uncomfortable as a large section of the prostate was cut away. I came home with a catheter of course and they want me to leave it in until Monday morning. I am disappointed about that...but I am not going to argue.  The Dr and Nurses have been very pleased with my vacuating.  No clots and has been full.  The color to me is dark but they seem very pleased.  The Dr. said she was confident that after I heal I am not going to experience incontincy. (Of course what is she going to say..ooops, I snipped something I should not have so load up on Depends?)  The only trouble I have had began in the hours after midnight.  I am a stomach sleeper and was so uncomfortable on my back so I tried getting on my side.  A little while after that I had that feeling I am sure you all have had when you have a catheter in you-you are starting to urinate and it it fills up the tube. Only this time it was very intense and some of it came directly out of my penis.  I called the nurses station and they came in and cleaned me up. Literally 5 minutes after they left the same sensation returned and I literally vacated in the bed.  They had to change the bedding etc.  The male nurse consulted with The Nurse in Charge who wondered if the tubes were getting crimped or if I was having bladder spasms. I spent the rest of the night in the bed on my back.  This morning when my Urologist and her assistant came by they seemed very unconcerned about it being  a problem and were quite reassuring. I had not had another episode up to then. So a few hours ago when my partner arrives to help me be discharged, the attending nurse changed my bag to a smaller one and went off to get supplies for us to take home.  I am sitting on a chair, felt that urge and here it came again, all over the floor.  The nurse called the Doctor who said it is most likely due to the way my prostate is formed and the way the catheter needed to be inserted.  The attending nurse also irrigated the bladder-that means filling a syringe with saline water or something similar, and using one of the catheter tubes, injects it into me to determine if there is blockage-clot matter etc.  There was not any.  She stated that this is common and she has seen it before-some men are just built differently and have to adjust accordingly.  

    The only other issue is I am one of those men who is regular like clockwork and I am now dealing with constipation for which they prescribed an over the counter stool softner. So far, I don't know what to conclude about the procedure as it has only been a day since it was performed.  Once I get the catheter removed and see how I react I will have a better understanding of the success of the procedure.  The Dr. gave me photos of my prostate just before and after  the procedure.  Seeing the before, I don't know how I have been able to urinate at all. So I really had no choice.  I have been dealing with this for about 4 years now so I am hoping that since some guys contend with it for a decade or more before getting relief, I may be ahead of the curve.  I know I will not be making an attempt at sex anytime soon-I read where one man here tried within a month and had terrible pain after he ejaculated.  I am going to wait for at least a month or more before I attempt to ejaculate. First things first-want to get all of this blood out of me along with the catheter.  

    • bob120
      bob120 jim31207

      Posted

      Hi Jim,

      Peeing outside the cath is probably bladder spasms or a blocked cath tube, but it bodes well for you peeing well on your own once the cath is out.

      Peeing bloody urine is par for the course. Hopefully you will see it start to lighten up to a rose color in a few days.

      Once the cath is out, some urgency and dribbling is also normal. A bedside urinal will save you a run to the bathroom at night. I wore depends for about 6 weeks, until I was free of accidents and dribbling.

      Good luck.

      Bob

       

    • kenneth1955
      kenneth1955 jim31207

      Posted

      Jim With a TURP you will have a orgasm but no ejaculate.  Did your dr tell you about the dry orgasm.  Take care and drink alot of water  Ken
    • bob120
      bob120 kenneth1955

      Posted

      Hi Ken,

      Actually I believe there is ejaculate, it just travels up into the bladder instead of out the penis. After my turp it was several weeks before I had my first post-turp orgasm. It was great. I had forgotten all about the dry orgasm and when I went to get dressed I couldn't understand why there was no semen, until I recalled it was due to the retro orgasm. The experience for me was unchanged, just no mess to clean up afterward.

      Bob

    • kenneth1955
      kenneth1955 bob120

      Posted

      Yes it called a dry orgasm.  It goes into the bladder instead of coming out.  Had them with a pill that I took.  It was very uncomfortable for me for about 45 minutes my bladder hurt...Did not care for it.  Thats way I had a uro-lift  Take care  Ken   
  • jim31207
    jim31207 graham30431

    Posted

    Second day after procedure.  Changed to the large bag when I went to bed last night.  It was almost full this morning and relieved to see the color was that of tea.  This morning I switched to the smaller bag (I have a HVAC company coming this morning and want to be discrete!) and noticed pieces of I guess the prostate material that was cut away. Also some blood on the catheter right at the tip of the penis where it is inserted (I can see blood there).  Still constipated and look pregnant as a result. Other then the discomfort of having the catheter inserted, I feel no pain.  My intention is to drink as much water as I can stand.  Also, since my partner had to go to work, I am home alone and will attempt to irrigate the catheter later myself. I work from the home and intend to work as much as I can. I will be so happy to get the cateter out on Monday, Lord willing.  

    Bob, I will probably get the Depends as well. Did your Doctor have you take an antibiotic after you were discharged?

    • bob120
      bob120 jim31207

      Posted

      Hi Jim,

      Yes I was on antibiotics for about a month. I was also constipated for 5 days while in the hospital. None of the stool softeners worked. What did work was the dulcolax suppository. It looks like a 45 cal. wax bullet. I inserted it past the sphincter and held it in with my finger liike a stopper while sitting on the bowl for 20 minutes, until it completely dissolved. Action was immediate. Didn't need to use it again.

      Bob

    • jim31207
      jim31207 bob120

      Posted

      Hey Bob-I really appreciate you sharing your experience. I took some Murolax about 3 hours ago-so far nothing.  I have used the ducolax in the past when I was hoping the reason for my urine retention was related to full bowels.

      My latest thing is I took my dog out to do his thing about 20 mins ago and once again I had that urge that I needed to urinate.  Did not feel like spasms-there was no pain, no odd feeling, just that I needed to go.  I felt like I could hold it back but I just let it go-and out it came-everywhere BUT in the catheter and tube. I would have been humiliated beyond belief if a nighbor had been out.  Ha.  The hopeful thing is that the last few times I have emptied my bag it has been clear to yellow.  Getting ready to call the Urologist's office just to make certain they think it is a sign of healing and not some sort of setback. 

    • bob120
      bob120 jim31207

      Posted

      Hi Jim,

      I think it's a good sign that your bladder has plenty of power to push the urine past the cath. Sometimes if the little balloon at the end of the cath gets deflated it can cover the top of the cath. At any rate you might want to see if your urologist wants to take the cath out, or give you instructions to do it yourself. At the point I was peeing outside my cath for two days I just cut the short tube that is used to inflate the balloon, to let out the sterile water that keeps the baloon inflated. Once the sterile water spilled out I just stood in the shower and slowly slid the cath tube out.

      Bob

    • bob120
      bob120 carl11484

      Posted

      Carl,

      I don't know. I never even heard of pre-cancer prostate cells. I do know I have avoided getting a prostate biopsy when my PSA was over 6.5 because I had heard that biopsy needles could spread cancer cells if they are there. Whether this is true or not I don't know, but didn't want to chance it. An advantage of the turp is that you can have all the removed tissue tested in pathology to see if there is cancer present. In my case they found the removed tissue to not have cancer.

      Bob

    • carl11484
      carl11484 bob120

      Posted

      Bob ..

      I've seen 3 urologist (for other opinions) after being hospitalize for my enlarged prostate last year.

      The urologist at the hospital during my stay did biopsy. Then my original urologist. Then I wanted to have a specialist that was strictly a prostate cancer urologist.

      Anthe specialist and the urologist at the hospital both confirmed that 7 of the 12 cores had pre cancer cells.

      Took all my results to my regular urologist an he suggested I continue care with the prostate cancer specialist.

      So why would two doctors tell me that???

      Carl

  • jim31207
    jim31207 graham30431

    Posted

    The third day after my TURP.  So sick of this catheter. The urine is normal now. I drank Orange juice, had a small cup of black coffee and a bowl of cereal with almond milk at breakfast. Finally had a bowel movement (did not have to use the ducolax suppositories Bob).What I did not like was all the blood that came out of my penis around the cath tube during the bm. This is the longest I have ever had a catheter inserted and I know it is the cause of some of the blood as the uretha is irritated.  Bothered me more last night.  As I am typing this it is tolerable. 

    The Nurse for my Urologist advised me to take the bladder  anti-spasm medication twice a day through tomorrow, then skip Sunday as I am supposed to remove the cath Monday morning. She explained that the med does restrict the bladder from pushing out urine but because I have a tube inserted the bladder will drain.  I took one pill (I had been given one in the hospital as well) and later I could feel how different I felt in the bladder.  I could feel that sense of restriction. WIthout consulting her, I elected not to take the medication again. Because I have no plans to venture out in public other than being in a car, I am not as concerned now with urinating outside of the tube. I am thankful it is all working.

    What I would suggest to the medical community is they create some type of booklet to walk us men through this procedure. Something definitive that explains how much blood to expect, when to expect it, and so forth.  I know we each heal differently and I believe my procedure will be a great success, but there are enough commonalities in the post-procedure recovery that it would be helpful and reassuring to get an official publication.  Even such things as showering or taking a tub bath with a catheter bag would be instructional.  

    I can tell that drinking glass after glass of water is enormously essential.  One thing I had to learn was to not get concerned if after drinking a few glasses of water I see nothing in the bag shortly thereafter.  As was explained to me in the hospital, what we drink first gets into the bloodstream then makes it way to the kidneys for filtering before finally making its way to the bladder. The process can be an hour.  That is something that is important to remember.  While in the hospital and hooked up to an IV there is constant fluids flowing in and out.  That is different from drinking liquid.

    • bob120
      bob120 jim31207

      Posted

      Hi Jim,

      It sounds like you are doing great! My doc also gave me an anti-spasmodic patch but it gave me dry mouth so I stopped using it the first day. Good luck on having doctors admit any of the less desirable after effects of any procedure. It would scare away too many potential patients. Even though they are not terrible, the doctors want us all to believe it's a walk in the park, which it certainly is not. It's not just bph procedures but is true for just about all surgical procedures and medications.They downplay any negative side effects and after effects and tell you that your case is unusual. It's only on forums like these that information is honestly shared.

      Bob

    • jim31207
      jim31207 bob120

      Posted

      Well I was feeling on top of the world.  Then blood started reappearing.  My bag had been completely clear I am drinking so much water. Around noon  I had noticed my uretha has been quite irritated-the bag won't stay in place on my thigh as it is held in place via strips of eleastic and I have adjusted it so much that I am wondering if the constunt tugging on it has contributed to the blood. This is the first foley catheter bag I have ever had that was not attached to my thigh with a tape that takes rubbing alcohol to remove. The hospital gave me two bags-the small one I have always had that is meant to be worn under garments, and a very large one that is hung on the side of a chair or something. That one is sized to help the wearer get through the night. Anyway, I have been sort of crushed.  Hoping this is normal and not a problem.  From what I have read here and elsewhere I suppose the blood will come and go.  But when I emptied about 5 bags that were completely clear I guess I got lulled into thinking it was done.
    • kenneth1955
      kenneth1955 jim31207

      Posted

      Jim  I had a catheter for 2 days when I had my uro-lift done wore the small bag at night there was blood coming out but I think it was from the tube irritating the urethra After the tube came out had no more blood  Take care  Ken 
    • bob120
      bob120 jim31207

      Posted

      Jim,

      I taped the tube to my thigh creating about a 5 inch loop of slack between the tape and the entry point into my penis. That way the weight of the bag was not pulling on the tube inside of me.

      Give the blood some time. The important thing is that a small amount of blood can color a large quantity of urine. It's mostly urine, unless the blood is thick and clotting.

      I bled off and on for 8-9 weeks following my GL, and for about a month after the turp, but the blood was fresh blood after my turp and looked like whole blood which coated the inside of the cath bag, instead of burgundy wine, which is mostly urine.

      After two weeks I got my hemoglobin checked and needed 2 additional pints of whole blood because the count was below 8. But I had the turp due to uncontrolled hemorraging so it was a different case than the normal turp.

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