Day One After Surgery
You may or may not have blood drawn this morning to check your blood count and kidney function. Later in the morning, you should get out of bed and walk around. The first time you walk, there should be a nurse or a nurse’s aide there to help you. Much of the day should be spent in the chair or up walking. Continue to use your spirometer. It is normal to have some discomfort. Ask for pain medicine if you need it. About 95% of patients are discharged by noon depending on when your surgery was performed. Your nurse will also teach you how to take care of the catheter, leg bag and your incisions at home.
Recovery At Home After Your Prostatectomy
After you have been discharged from the hospital, you should walk around your house at least three times each day for exercise the first week, slowly increasing this as you feel better. If you have any of the following problems, please report these to your doctor:
- No urine in your catheter and you feel your stomach is hurting down low just above the pubic bone.
- Temperature > 101.5° F
- Constipation that does not respond to laxatives, or no bowel movement at all after several days. Typically, you may have loose stools initially.
- Swelling in the calves or legs, or pain in the calves.
- Uncontrolled nausea and vomiting.
- Chronic coughing or coughing up fluid.
- Any shortness of breath.
- Any chest pain.
- Any skin rashes or hives.
- Pain not controlled by pain medication.
- Wound separation or severe wound redness or drainage.
In case of an Emergency, please call 314-315-9990 or Go directly to an Emergency Room.
Skin Care
You may shower immediately, as we use Dermabond on your incisions, after you return home. If you are sent home with Band-Aids, please remove these the second day you are home and replace as needed for any continued drainage. Avoid tub baths until the catheter has been removed and for a few weeks later until the incisions are completely healed. It is important to try to keep your skin clean and dry to prevent a rash around your scrotum. If you get a rash, use a hair dryer on the cool setting twice a day to keep the area dry. Some people use creams such as Desitin if they get a rash. You may want to use a topical antifungal cream or powder such as Nystatin if you think you are getting a yeast or fungal infection. These infections frequently present as itching or a red rash.
Diet and Bowel Function
When you go home, you may eat the foods you normally eat. It is important to avoid constipation. While it is generally acceptable to leave the hospital without having a bowel movement, you should have one within three to five days after surgery. It is normal to feel fullness or tenderness in the rectal area during bowel movements. This occurs because the prostate used to be in this area, and your body is adapting to the swelling caused by the surgery. Any symptoms of urgency or fullness will go away soon after the surgery. The narcotic pain pills will cause constipation. You can use an OTC stool softener to take when you leave the hospital, but if you have trouble, you can take a mild laxative such as Milk of Magnesia or Magnesium Citrate. Drink plenty of fluids. Do not take an enema or put anything in your rectum for at least four weeks after surgery.
Fluids
Drink plenty of fluids daily. This will help keep your urine clean, and it also helps avoid constipation. Avoid caffeine.
Driving
DO NOT DRIVE UNTIL YOU HAVE STOPPED TAKING THE NARCOTIC PAIN MEDICATIONS. Most surgeons will also tell you not to drive until the catheter has been removed and for 1 week after catheter removal.
Exercise
It is important to walk several times a day. This prevents blood clots from forming in your legs and keeps the blood circulating. Daily exercise such as walking or climbing stairs carefully will help you recover faster. Gradually increase your activity over the next several weeks. Your incisions are closed with absorbable sutures which do not need to be removed unless skin staples were used. After four weeks, you can return to normal activity, other than riding a horse, bike, motorcycle, etc. for three months.
Work
Some patients return to light work as early as two weeks after surgery; however, recovery times vary from individual to individual as do work requirements. In some cases, you may be authorized for medical leave for up to six weeks.
Follow-Up
You will be asked to obtain regular follow-up PSA tests. Your physician will also want to see you regularly to evaluate your progress in urinary control and sexual recovery. If you are returning to your referring physician, it is important for you or your physician to fax or mail us a copy of your follow-up PSA reports, so we can follow your progress. Please fax or mail to:
Metropolitan Urological Specialists
| St. John's Office |
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Dunn Road Office |
| 607 S. New Ballas Rd., Suite 3100 |
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215 Dunn Rd. |
| St. Louis, MO 63141 |
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St. Louis, MO 63136 |
| Fax: 314-251-6248 |
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Fax: 314-355-6881 |
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| Metropolitan Place |
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St. Luke's Office |
| 10296 Big Bend Rd., Suite 205 |
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226 S Woods Mill Rd, Suite 40-W |
| St. Louis, MO 63122 |
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Chesterfield, MO 63017 |
| Fax: 314-686-4087 |
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Fax: 314-434-1814 |