Rosie, et al.
Well, I got some good news today: Path. came back: Ta, G2. So I'm celebrating. But now, of course, I have more questions from all you lovely, helpful people:
The Doc said that he cut deeper than he thouht he was going to (just to be on the safe side). Also he said he hadn't planned on a cath. but he had to dilate my urethra (still bleeding from the tip after a week) so he was forced to send me home with a catheter. The catheter doesn't bother me at all once it's in place (just the pulling when you stand up or sit). I even went to work on Mon. and Tue. urologist said I could yank (gently) it out on Tuesday if I wanted. But I'm not quite ready.
I'm convinced that what caused all the pain was the bladder filling up and putting pressure on the "raw" area sending it into spasm.
Rosie, I'm guessing the 4th time you had your TURB it was the deepest resulting in all that "pain, spasms, etc." (just a guess of course).
So I wonder: Is there a rule of thumb as to when the bladder heals itself? Even 40 or 50%? after a deep cut of a 4 or 5 mm. tumor? And the spasms subside? Or do you just have to endure the spasms and they eventually get better? Probably different for each person.
When I apply pressure on the lower abdomen, where the bladder is, I still feel a dull pain. Better than a week ago, of course. I'm wonder if this is a good guide to bladder healing? No pain = healed bladder?
From your suggestions, it seems Ditropan would help the spasms but my urologist didn't like the idea of me using ditropan without a catheter. He says it slows down the emptying and can cause problems.
I'm leaning towards extracting the cath. tomorrow AM and see what happens. I'll try and drink lots of water and hope that helps. If I start to get the bad spasms again and the urine shut down, I grabbed a catheter kit from work and I'll insert it back in. My urologist said he doesn't want my bladder to get distended since the surgery area is pretty thin.
Thanks again! Sorry to go on so long!
Bob P.