Getting Up. They will get you out of bed on the day after surgery to walk around a bit. Don’t overdue it on the first time out. You don’t know how bad you feel yet. They will progressively get you up more and more frequently. I was up three times the first day and 4 times the next. After that, I got up every three hours. If I felt good, I walked farther. If not, I kept the walk short. Getting out of the bed twists the incision. It would have been helpful if there had been an overhead bar or rod to grab onto to help pull yourself out of bed. Food. At first, you will be on a “liquid” diet until you pass your first gas or have your first bowel movement. Surgery really does a number on your bowels. I did not have a BM until after I came home from the hospital. I did have significant gas problems. I could feel gas building up in my intestines starting on the second day. It would rumble around in my intestines causing uncomfortable pressure. Finally, on the third day I was able to express the gas, which was a tremendous relief. I had been on IV antibiotics and might have had an intestinal yeast infection. They did not test for it but the gas had a yeasty odor to it. Once you’ve passed gas, they will put you on a regular diet and the food will be better. I would caution you not to eat too much, though. You will soon find that having a BM is not very comfortable for the first couple of weeks because of the pressure that it puts on the area where your prostate used to be. In my case, I had a hard bowel movement the second day home from the hospital and it caused me to bleed about a teaspoon of blood out the end of my penis around the catheter. I highly recommend starting a stool softener as soon as you start solid food.
They did not start me on a stool softener until about five days after the surgery. I would even recommend trying stool softeners before the surgery to see what works for you so that you’re not experimenting at a critical time. After some experimentation, I finally determined (for the first week or so) that an over the counter softener AND about 5 ounces of prune juice after every meal seemed to do the trick for me. Going Home. I was released on the third day after surgery and, in hindsight, it was too soon. I think I could have avoided issues caused by hard bowel movements if I had stayed an extra day and gotten my bowels functioning satisfactorily. Before they send you home from the hospital, they will remove the drain tube and bulb that drains fluid from building up at the site of the prostate. The tube extends about 12 inches into your body so it is not a pleasant feeling when they pull it out. The pain only lasts for a moment. The ride home was uncomfortable. I had to travel about 15 miles. Sitting up puts pressure on the area where you’re prostate used to be. Also, the seat belt puts pressure on the incision but don’t ride without a seat belt. Use your hands to hold the belt above your stomach. David's Prostate Cancer Surgery Story continues........... |