Some aftercare tips to help you recover from prostate cancer surgery
Recovering from prostate cancer surgery takes time, but if you carry out the right aftercare procedures you should have no trouble getting back to normal. Here are some tips to help you after your surgery.
Let your head clear
In the days after your operation, you may feel tired or confused. This is particularly common if you have had a pain medication or a general anaesthetic. If this is the case, you should rest for a day or two until you feel yourself again. Do not drive and try to avoid making important decisions until you are back to normal.
Consider incontinence pads
You may find that for a couple of weeks after the surgery you experience some small accidents with your urine. This is nothing to worry about and should resolve itself before too long. In the meantime, you can use incontinence pads to absorb any leakages and stay hygienic.
Support your scrotum
Another after-effect of prostate surgery is that your scrotum may swell up and become uncomfortable. The best way to deal with this is to keep it supported. Wearing athletic support or using supportive underwear should help with this.
Avoid straining
It may be several days after surgery before your bowel movements return to normal. You should not worry about this and should not strain on the toilet. Drinking plenty of water and eating high-fibre foods should help, but it won't be long until you are back to your old habits.
Avoid baths
You should be able to have a shower a couple of days after your surgery but should avoid having a bath. This could interfere with the wound closure and could delay healing. Once your stitches have been removed, the wound will be healed enough to allow bathing as normal.
Follow your surgeon's advice
There are different levels of prostate surgery, from keyhole to open surgery. The more invasive the surgery, the longer it will take you to recover. You should take advice from your surgeon on how soon you can go back to work or resume your normal activities. In the meantime, you can take light exercise but should avoid any strenuous activities.
The main thing to remember is to follow any advice given by your surgeon or other health professionals and ask questions if there is anything you do not understand. This should enable you to recover as soon as possible and return to your normal life.
For more info about prostate cancer surgery, contact a local company.