Surgery went well!

@layingthegroundwork Lots of good tricks-be sure to use Gatorade the first few days, keep the diet very light, use gas relief pills as the bloating and gas came on day 2. Use a good amount of vasoline or antibiotic cream on the catheter where it exits the penis, don't allow it to go dry. Watch for more urine flow day 2-3: I had to get up at 3 am to empty the bag, again when I awoke as it was completely filled each time. Take narcotics at night to sleep, don't mix with sleeping medicines like trazadone.

Blow by blow here, while it's still fresh in my mind-one thing that causes some congestion is not being able to have a bowel movement. The dr. said that the lower loop of the bowel is in some shock, so it takes a few days to wake up and work. So, here at day 3, I was glad that it occurred. The dr. said to use chewing gum, since it causes some reflex to occur that stimulates digestion-it worked, along with a very soft diet of apple sauce, apple juice, jello, yogurt, and honey. Also, the traditional organic smooth move tea really helps the day before and again afterwards. I used miralax each time that I took the narcotic medicine-since the medicine causes constipation. The big thing is not to force the bowel movement, as that causes strain on the area.

@charlesprestridge An Ice machine (ice pump) is a great idea, but might be overkill. I had one in the garage, but didn't pull it out because the ice pack approach was enough for me to take the pain down a notch.

I did have a TON of acute abdomen pain and so glad that mostly passed within a few days of surgery.

We had an ice pump leftover from my son's soccer days. Anybody who says soccer is a non-contact sport does not know soccer. No pads and lots of impact.

@drcopp I also had the bladder spasms issue....but for me it mostly showed up every time I needed to do a bowel movement. Definitely not pleasant. I also knew that everytime I had spasms, there would be blood on the catheter area.

The good news? Once I got the catheter out, the blood quickly stopped and the spasms also stopped. Hang in there!

Very good! Walk a lot. Great attitude already!

Metamucil sugar free works the best along with MiraLAX.

Yes, good idea. I also started solid foods yesterday, little by little, as my stomach had shrunk a bit. I also found a good squash soup from Pacifica that filled me up and felt good as a warm meal.

I'm a retired PT (physical therapist) so I have been using my PT brain to figure out better ways to move with the least amount of pain. I stand or lie down for everything, as it makes the penis area the least painful. I use a bridging maneuver to move in bed and have placed absorbent pads on the bed and lounge chair.
I am buying a raised toilet seat that people with arthritis use, as sitting on the short toilet seat cranked on the catheter so much, I could not take the pain.

When standing, I raise my heels, march lightly, and do mini-squats to prevent blood clots. In bed during or when lying down in my lounge chair watching TV, I continue with 10-20 full ankle pumps. The RN and Dr. said that blood clots are an issue with this surgery.

Anyone have any tips on reducing the tenderness and pain of the catheter against the end of the penis, besides vasoline or antibiotic cream? Searching the internet now, will call the RN tomorrow.

Another tip-from my RN, use a regular sized plastic water pail to carry your large catheter bag, don't sit for long periods or at 90 degrees.

@drcopp I don't, but my first suggestion is not to drop your cell phone on your lap like I did. Yeah, not pleasant.

I also felt like the catheter hose section from the tip of the penis to the leg foley sticker section was cut stupid short. That created more torque and was going to be perfect.

The good news....that particular pain and bladder spasms all end once the catheter is removed, or at least for me.