Just popping my head above the parapet to say hello. I have been reading this forum for a few weeks now ever since we heard the dreaded words "suspected bladder cancer". Reading all your experiences and talking note of all your tips has helped more than you could know - so thank you.
My situation, or that of my lovely 82 y.o dad, is that he was investigated after a 48 hr episode of gross hematuria back in mid June. He was then put on the usual pathway of a flexible cytsoscopy, single tumour found, back for CT scans and then his TURBT, which took place on Monday. Everything has moved swiftly and efficiently to this point. The TURBT seemed to go OK. He was kept in overnight (the norm for our health board). The catheter was removed the morning after the op. His urine volume was then monitored and, after he discharged a certain amount, he was sent home at 5pm. The consultant made, what seemed to my dad, a throwaway comment that there may have been a small perforation to his bladder during the op and he may need to go home with a catheter. He was sent home without one. I spent the next two days with him and everything seemed to be going pretty well. He was drinking plenty and apart from mild stinging and some redness to his urine, he was visiting the toilet OK. (I almost had to prevent him from lifting the ironing board out and he would have tried to clean the guttering if he could!) I went home after that in a very good frame of mind and optimistic about the next steps. My main worry was that he would exert himself too much.
We get to the early hours of Friday morning where he was home alone. He was struggling to urinate and dialled 111 at 2am. He went back into hospital and was seen in the Clinical Assessment Unit where they fitted a catheter and discharged him home in a taxi at 5am.
I found him at home the next day in horrendous discomfort. He was literally climbing the walls. Blood then started leaking from all over the catheter. He went back into the hospital, to a different unit where they stabilised the catheter (irrigation, I think) and regularly flushing it. He is now with "his people" on the urology ward.
Clots had built up and were blocking the catheter, which led to the blood, the discomfort and the lack of urine output. This is being dealt with through the irrigation and flushing. Other than the occasional discomfort from the catheter (and the general noise of a hospital disrupting his sleep) he is otherwise well now and a 100x better than yesterday.
I suppose I'm just seeking a bit of reassurance that this will hopefully calm down and if anyone else has been in a similar situation? There are still clots (they are not big, pretty small, but obviously can "clump" together and disrupt urine output).
My head is spinning with it all. It was all going so well. Hopeful it is just a hump in the road. We don't have a specialist nurse yet, but we do have an appointment for his results in 3 weeks.
Anyway, thanks again to everyone!
Hello Grostman and welcome to the group although sorry to hear your dad has been in so much discomfort after his TURBT. These complications are rare but we do see similar here from time to time. We do have members here experienced with long term catheters and will hopefully be along with advice. I hope all goes well with dad's upcoming appointment. Best wishes.
