Let it flow

The operation aftermath

In this blog I’m going to describe the aftermath of the TURP operation (transurethral resection of the prostate or more simply urethra rebore). I wish I could say it’s a pleasant story, but I will tell it the way it is. It is however a good story.

The TURP procedure chips away at the prostate and those chips are then passed in the urine. It hurt to pee and it seemed to me the main pain was coming from the catheter site. It was a sharp stinging sensation and became more painful as the bits of prostate were passed. Yes, it was very disconcerting to see these small blood clot-like particles in my pee but it is a normal progression after the operation. Tiredness also came upon me and I needed a thirty-minute lunchtime nap for the next couple of days.

The fountain of youth

My flow, if Mr Cahill is to be believed (in my experience he IS!) is strong enough to go over a wall, I promise to try this in due course but not just yet. I am going on a cruise in September and the cabin has a balcony, which gives me untold options.  Sorry, I digress….

The sensation of your bladder emptying fast is odd and it leaves a burning sensation. This eased after about seven days coincidently with the end of the bloody pee. 

But it wasn’t quite over: ten days later, the wound scabs dropped off the prostate and so I was passing blood again for another three days. That has now stopped but the burning pain is still there. I’m advised this should ease in the next few days.

The last exercise men think they will ever need

I’m going to focus a lot on exercise. In later blogs I’ll cover how beneficial exercise is going into the treatments I’m having (the TURP, radiotherapy and drugs) and also how it aids recovery. But firstly, let me speak frankly about a muscle that many women are more familiar with – and aware of – than men.  The pelvic floor. My first familiarisation with the pelvic floor was after Catherine, my daughter was born and the difficult labour my then wife had. (As an aside, the agony she went through made my TURP seem like a walk in the park.) As part of her recovery she was given pelvic floor exercises and I found it difficult to imagine where it was and what it must feel like.

‘Engaging your pelvic floor’ is very much a phrase you hear directed at ladies in women’s exercise classes.  For good reason for many.  But we men also need to know about this muscle: here’s why.

Before my op I signed up to a NHS app, ‘NHS Squeezy for Men” . It’s very helpful and describes the knack of pelvic floor exercise and how to squeeze as well as giving a reminder three times a day for six lots of exercises per session. (£2.99, well spent). So why is this so important? Whether you go for radiotherapy or a prostatectomy the chances are your pelvic floor will be weakened. 

So – to the knack. I can only describe my pelvic floor as a kind of vague feeling ’downstairs’. Imagine that you are about to sneeze: your body reacts by tightening the valve in your bladder and back passage. That’s the pelvic floor saving your blushes! 

Facing cancer with fitness

I hold the view that if you face a battle of any sort, preparation is vital. I know it’s a cliché but ‘fail to plan and plan to fail’. My preparation for going into battle with cancer meant being at my best physically and mentally; I will deal with the mental and emotional side in a later blog because it’s tough knowing you have cancer and also tough for those close to you.

In terms of physical fitness, anyone who knows me, knows I’m a bit of a fitness nut and prior to my diagnosis was particularly partial to a range of group exercise programmes from the fitness masters Les Mills.  I do their BODYCOMBAT (martial arts-inspired workout: great feel-good session that also busts any stress you may be feeling); BODYPUMP (a resistance class using weights to challenge all muscles in your body – including ones you didn’t know existed and, yes, the pelvic floor is ‘engaged’ throughout!) and BODYBALANCE (an extraordinary stretch class that isn’t quite as relaxing as it sounds but is remarkable for flexibility).

Suffice to say, I was fit going into the op and my Mr Cahill was delighted with me for that!  He told me “Surviving cancer and tolerating treatment appear to be helped by strength and fitness. It is also a great help to surgeons if someone has low body fat as it enables us to operate more easily and safer. Better: especially if a tumour is found in the lower body, such as prostate cancer, when we may need to access it through the abdomen.”  Mr Cahill also firmly believes that having a good level of fitness dramatically improves the recovery process.  “Cancer treatment results in the loss of energy, strength and muscle mass. This is associated with negative feelings. Exercise can help redress these problems and men who commit to exercise in tandem with their treatment do much better.”

This week I have been to two BODYCOMBAT cardio classes, one BODYPUMP resistance class, another BODYBALANCE class, played an hour and a half of tennis and nine holes of golf as well as enjoying a good few longish dog walks.

And so it turns out: eight days after my op, I went to my Les Mills BODYBALANCE stretch class that combines, Tai Chi, Pilates and Yoga and coped with that fairly well. After nine days I played two sets of tennis…

There will be an entire blog on my fitness regime and the help and fitness coaching I am having in a couple of blogs time. But, for now, I can honestly say my high level of fitness going into this prostate cancer process has been my saving grace.

My next blog will go back to the start of my story of how my episode of prostate cancer began.

And finally…

I mentioned in my last blog the wonderful care I had during my stay in Wilson Ward. In particular I’d like to thank nurses Amy and Michelle and Dr Eva Bolton for taking such good care of me.

Let me leave you on a happy note if I may.  On Easter Sunday my soon-to-be son-in-law David asked my wonderful daughter Catherine to marry him. And she said yes!

As ever thanks for reading.