Bowels rebooting post surgery? Never trust a fart!

@ramblinman (normal bowels)

I had the same thing, & my oncologist suggested MiraLax (Costco: LaxaClear), which I've been on ever since. I adjust the daily dosage to have the desired consistency.

@ramblinman I discovered it while studying post surgery diets. It apparently was used by nurses for hospital patients with these issues. Do a search and you'll find quite a bit on it.

Here are a few recipe and a few notes
Prune Juice Laxative Recipe
• 1 cup (8 oz) prune juice
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Warm it up and drink it 🙂
• Use a stovetop or microwave to heat the prune juice until it’s warm (but not boiling)
• Stir in 1 teaspoon of unsalted butter. If you prefer, you can slightly reduce or increase the butter to match your dietary needs.

Moderation is Key: Most individuals only need to use this prune juice remedy once daily or once every other day for quick constipation relief. Observe Your Body’s Response: If you experience cramping, bloating, or diarrhea, reduce the serving size or frequency.

Why butter?
• Introduce Healthy Fats: Fats can help stimulate the production of bile and other digestive juices, potentially speeding up intestinal motility.
Ease Consumption: The slight creaminess of melted butter makes warm prune juice more palatable for some people.

@fritzo Thanks very much for the information and recipe!

The good news: my high fiber diet routine has gotten me close to normal bowel function two weeks post surgery, so super happy about that. And, the use of wet wipes and a HappyPo water bottle as bidet has really helped with irritation pain (thanks for those super helpful suggestions!!!!)

Now focused on continence issues.

• I get some powerful bladder discomfort at least every two hours, day and night. It's my body saying, time to pee. I make a dash to the bathroom and that takes the pressure off. I'll take this because it's better than leaking all of that fluid.

Question: How long before your bladder capacity goes back up? How long before you feel like you can hold it again?

• With that sudden urge to pee, I worry that if I'm out and about and not near a bathroom, that if I don't relieve that pressure quickly (it comes on pretty intense), I'll have an accident while I"m out.

Question: How do you manage the sudden need to go while you are out and about?

And, yes, I do have stress incontinence going on with movement and some leakage at times, but not dramatic. So, feeling fortunate.

Other quickie questions:

• Definitely have a similar feeling of blue balls (but obviously, not caused by the old reasons). For people that have had this, how long before that goes away?

• Do other people have that feeling that when you have that strong urge to urinate, that you feel irritation the entire length of your urethra? Never had the sensation before it got chopped and reconnected.

Thanks all-appreciate you all so much!

@fritzo

“Question: How long before your bladder capacity goes back up? How long before you feel like you can hold it again?”

Early days, I was like that - seemed like I had to pee every 15 minutes. Care team told me simply to do a few quick kegels, which sends a message to the bladder saying, “Hold on, I’m not ready yet,” and to wait 10 minutes if possible…then 15 minutes…then 20 over time, in order to allow the bladder to learn what full means. Right after surgery, your bladder acts like a pass-through, I think, and whatever comes in wants to immediately come out, and it has to be retrained.

I think you’re well ahead of where I was at that point, because it took me a solid two months before I could make it to the bathroom. Before that, I was releasing all my fluids in my briefs.

“Question: How do you manage the sudden need to go while you are out and about?”

The same as any leaking - if I need to go and there’s no bathroom available, then I’ll have to go in my briefs…that’s what they’re there for, after all. Then it’s a quick stop at the first available bathroom for a change of bottoms and on my way.

Real-world example: I had to drive about 75 minutes up to the cancer center for my pathology results and initial ED clinic visit. There’s one rest stop on the way, a couple of exits with some fast food places, and a few long stretches with nothing.

I stopped at the rest area, which is about 15 minutes from my house…then I stopped again about 20 minutes past that for another change. The rest of the time, where there was nowhere to stop, once the bladder pain started, my only recourse was to lift myself up in the seat a bit, to get the downward pressure off my bladder, and then my bladder emptied and the pain passed…for another 15-20 minutes, so I had to do that a couple of times.

“Definitely have a similar feeling of blue balls (but obviously, not caused by the old reasons). For people that have had this, how long before that goes away?”

Probably a couple of months…sort of a tightness combined with soreness and mild irritation, especially when bending over. Honestly, four months later, it still creeps up every so often, for a day or two. I assume it’s just part of the healing process.

“Do other people have that feeling that when you have that strong urge to urinate, that you feel irritation the entire length of your urethra?”

Yes, definitely, but I’ve had that as long as I can remember, whenever I would delay emptying. By the time I’d get around to going, I could feel the discomfort right down to the tip of my penis, almost like the fluid was right there in the tip, screaming to get out, but my little opening was valiantly holding it back until I could make time to go.

@fritzo
Oh it will all start getting better and better as time passes : ))), and 2 hours is not that bad at all since you are just about 3 weeks post op- I go to bathroom about every 3 hours ha ha, many females do. We are just more aware of WC locations wherever we go ; ).

If you go out you will have a pad in your briefs anyways, so do not stress too much about it. Even if you start leaking only the small amount will escape , not the full bladder since you have pretty decent control of your sphincter now.

Very strong urge to urinate at this early time of recovery is normal unless it is accompanied with bladder pain, burning and change in urine color and clarity which can point to infection.

My husband has home office on a second floor, just above the nook area where I usually sit so I remember vividly hearing loud and fast *tumpf -tumpf-tumpf- tumpf (him speed walking to the bathroom) and than quiet and slow *shuffle ...shuffle...shuffle back to office lol. It will all pass very fast : ))) - you will see.

Oh my goodness @turtbean to the rescue! Thank you so much for these answers. Overwhelmed that you spent the time to fully answer these questions-thank you!!!

Other than my very first day off the catheter, my bladder woke up enough to give me a sharp warning (not pleasant-but I'll take it) that I need to pee now and most times, I've gotten to the bathroom. Yes, I'll soak pads, but haven't spilled over to the brief in a big way. I've actually been off the briefs for the past three days without too many clothing mishaps. At night, I've been wearing a Tena Overnight pad, which has been good for peace of mind. It holds a ton.

But. going out terrifies me because if I don't make it to a bathroom, I'll have to let loose. So, good to know, just embrace the go and wear a brief and roll with it.

Kegels to buy time and build more time....I'll give it a go. Thanks for that tip. New homework that I'll embrace. This seems like it's really important.

Yes, I'm just Day 6 off the catheter and I deal with leaking and spurts on exertion and movement, but feeling fortunate to be at this point this early. My surgeon said that his fascia sparing surgical approach helps continence issues. I looked at the data and it looks to be true, so hoping I keep progressing. Note: The studies show no improvement in ED outcomes, but I've gotten some hints, so we'll see.

And the ball/urethra pain...just good to know I'm not the only one.

Many, many thanks!

@surftohealth88

Hah-love your speed walk and then slow shuffle sequence back description. Yes, that's me – 100 percent! Hilarious.

I'm actually just six days off catheter, so thankful for progress from that first day where I had no control at all.

Before my treatment decision, the oncology nurse early asked how many times I got up at night to go, I said just when I wake up in the morning. So, I was spoiled that I didn't have a giant prostate....so having to get up every one-two hours is new. But, hey, I'm in recovery mode.

I'm pretty sure if my bladder tells me it is time, I'll will have to just fully go. That pain/urge says my time is up. Guess my plan is to suit up in RP armor (brief plus pad) for outings and see how it goes. Thanks for the encouragement!

@fritzo - best thing to do is just get out there and get that first one out of the way. Pick a nearby place, and if they have a single-occupancy family/unisex bathroom, all the better. Privacy will make that first public emptying easier.

One word of advice - being out in public, I was convinced the first several times my bladder emptied that I must’ve leaked through to my trousers…but I never did. I was absolutely sure I had, and scooted off to the restroom as quickly and discreetly as possible to find that, yes, while my groin was definitely…moist, the brief-and-pad combo easily handled the amount I voided.

I think simply being in public played on my anxiety about the whole thing.

Good luck!

@turtbean Yeah, not looking forward to going back to work for this reason.

But, gonna do an outing today just to get out there in the world. Thanks for the encouragement.