Urinary retention<\/a> is a common side effect after anesthetics. If you can\u2019t wee after surgery, chances are that they\u2019ll give you a catheter. After penile surgery, that\u2019s going to be quite uncomfortable! <\/p>\n\n\n\nI had one in for two days and I had about 20 erections over that period. The pain of having an erection with a catheter in is indescribable, so try and avoid that! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Surgeons typically put a catheter in while you\u2019re under and they\u2019re working on you. Then, it’s taken it out when you move into recovery. What I\u2019ve found to really work for me, is to get up and active as soon as you can after surgery. It’s important to get everything bouncing around and opening up again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As soon as the nurses let me, I get up and go for a few walks. Just up and down the ward, maybe an hour or so before I need to go to the toilet. Don\u2019t get stressed and worried about it, just try and walk around a bit and then when it\u2019s time to go for the first wee, you\u2019ve got a fighting chance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first one will sting a bit, like you\u2019ve had a month in Kavos in 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Catheters<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Catheters are my absolute worst nightmare. A nurse greases up the end of the pipe which seems to be about an inch thick. (it\u2019s not really) Then pushes it down the hole in the end of your penis until it ends up in your bladder somewhere. Some kind of wizardry happens and all the wee ends up in a bag. As previously mentioned somewhere else, don\u2019t get an erection while you\u2019ve got a catheter in or you\u2019ll cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although, if your wife\/girlfriend etc likes to mention anything about how painful childbirth is… you can play your ace. “10lb baby with a massive head? Suck it up sweetheart, you don’t know you’re born”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whilst the process of getting a catheter in is really quite uncomfortable… Taking one out is surprisingly nice. Like when someone pulls a finger out of your bum. Apparently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cannulas<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Most nurses put so many cannulas in, that it\u2019s easy for them. 9 times out of 10, you don\u2019t feel a thing. Every now and again though, the work experience kid is let loose on you and you end up like a pin cushion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I still have nerve damage in my right arm. (10 months on) A thick cannula went right through a nerve and I felt everything from my elbow to two fingertips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The way that I make everything nice and easy, is to drink plenty of water before you see a needle. That usually helps to plump everything up nicely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or you could use one of those nice electric blankets the chemo types have.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Anesthetics The people that knock you out are masters of the dark arts. Plus, they’re a huge part of keeping you safe when you\u2019re under the knife. Always the most charming clinicians, quick with a joke to put you at ease. It always seems to me that anesthetists, more than anything else, just love giving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hide_page_title":"","_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[9,17,19],"class_list":["post-503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-penile-cancer-information","tag-penile-cancer-surgery","tag-penile-cancer-treatment","tag-surveillance"],"yoast_head":"\n
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