After Prostate Cancer Surgery
When you wake after surgery, you’ll be in the recovery room, where we’ll DO WHAT??? From there, you’ll be transferred to your own room. You’ll see that there are several tubes inserted into your body and are working on your behalf. The intravenous (I.V.) line is providing hydration, while a drain inserted beside your incision is helping to prevent infection. Because you won’t have bladder control at this point, you’ll also have a catheter inserted to drain your urine.
Here are some things you can expect from this point:
- It’s important to get you up and moving. The morning after your surgery, you’ll be helped out of bed and expected to take a short walk.
- If things progress well, your diet may be advanced later that evening. WHAT DOES ‘ADVANCED’ MEAN?
- We’ll plan on sending you home the following day. We’ll remove the drain and instruct you on how to care for the incision.
- When you go home, you’ll still have the catheter draining your urine. It will be connected to a leg bag to allow you mobility; and we’ll remove it in my office a week after surgery.
- You’ll be provided a prescription for pain medication, iron and stool softener. ARE ALL THREE PERSCRIPTIONS, OR IS ONLY THE PAIN MED A PERSCRIPTION? WHY THE IRON? WHY THE STOOL SOFTENER?
- You may shower when you are home; but take care not to scrub around the incision.