TURBT and intravesical chemotherapy

Hi there, from your post & its title, I guess you mean you're about to have TURBT with mytomycin. The TURBT procedure is about 30 - 45 mins under general anaesthetic. The chemo is often at the discretion of the surgeon. If they use it, you will wake up with a catheter. After about an hour this will be used to drain out the chemo. When you have managed to pass urine, you will be allowed home, but be prepared for an overnight stay. You don't need to do anything special as the chemo is gone. I don't know if IC will make a difference, others here may be able to advise.

The after effects of the TURBT & chemo can be unpleasant. Expect frequent, painful urination, which should gradually improve over the next week or so. You will likely be fatigued and need to rest. Make sure to drink plenty of water ir watery fluids, to flush through, and take pain relief if necessary. After about 2 weeks you might pass scabs and have a little bleeding. 

In the UK the wait for results is at least 2 - 3 weeks, sometimes longer. Then you will get a grade & stage for the tumour & you will be advised of appropriate treatment options. This might include intravesical BCG treatment, which is when you do have be more careful about toilet procedure. 

Hope all goes well for you.

Thank you Teasswill for your precise info :-).

Hi Mamou,Welcome to the group.Can I ask what sort of symptoms you get with your IC ? Jane

I there, I've had no symptoms for 4 years, but before, urgency, frequency (up to every 20 minutes), pain that would increase until I passed urine, impossible to sit for more than 30 minutes, I couldn't do anything or go anywhere. It was very stressful. 

Hi Mamou,I had IC from my early 20’s until I had my bladder removed aged 58 in 2019.It is so painful and affects the quality of life.I wish I could advise you on having IC with chemo but I only had surgery.I don’t think there is anyone else on the board with IC.There is the cystitis and overactive bladder foundation site that has a forum,they might be able to help.Best wishes for your treatment.Love Jane

Thank Jane :-)

Please let us know how you get on.Love Jane

Hello, 

I recently had my first Turbt with mitomycin chemo directly after surgery. I didn’t experience any discomfort following the mitomycin but I did have a three way catheter with constant irrigation for 3 days. I think the constant irrigation is common in the uk but I’m not sure about elsewhere. 

Constant irrigation with a three way catheter is where they continuously feed liquid into your bladder 24hrs a day to prevent blood clots from forming and preventing urination. 

I just wanted to let you know about the constant irrigation and reassure you that although it is inconvenient and causes some discomfort this isn’t painful. 

this is my first entry on a Macmillan support group so I hope this has been useful and very happy to answer any other questions you may have about the procedure from my limited experience. 

I hope everything goes well for you and wish you a speedy recovery 

Hello, thank you so much for your message, quite reassuring. I have had constant irrigation after my first cystoscopy, and it is one thing I was going to ask my urologist about :-). Hope everything goes well for you too :-).

I had mitomycin after my second TURPT. I had burning like everyone mentioned and some discomfort, but nothing that required pain medication. I took phenazopyridine, on-and-off, for a few days to get rid of the burning when I urinated, which subsided pretty quickly.