Postoperative Instructions

Transurethral Resection of Prostate (TURP)

Diet

After anaesthesia, begin with clear liquids. Depending on how you feel, you may resume your normal diet. Drink plenty of water. The more blood you see in the urine, the more water you should drink.

Urinary Catheter

You will have a tube in the bladder called a Foley or Indwelling catheter. This drains urine from the bladder and exits the penis. There will be continuous bladder irrigations running through the catheter for 1-2 days. Be sure the catheter is well secured to the leg at all times. Take care not to pull on the catheter when rolling in bed or changing position. The nurses will show you how to attach the catheter to a leg bag during the day and a big bag at night. The catheter has a balloon on the end of it to keep it in place in the bladder. This may give you the feeling you need to urinate. Be assured the catheter is draining and the sensation is from the balloon. You may also notice urine or blood-tinged urine leaking around the catheter out the tip of the penis. Typically, this is due to a bladder spasm and is not a cause for alarm. If the catheter stops draining, tell your nurse immediately, as they may need to do a bladder washout through the catheter. When the urine colour becomes clearer, the catheter is removed (called a “Trial of Void”). Once the catheter is removed, it is normal to have burning and stinging with urination for a few weeks after surgery. It is also common to have more frequent urination and a greater sense of the urge to urinate. There may not be much warning from the time you feel the urge to urinate to the time when the bladder is ready to empty. You may have blood in the urine intermittently for up to 8 weeks.

Activity

It is very important to walk several times a day. Walking prevents blood clots in the legs or lungs. You may go up and down stairs. Avoid any strenuous activity or lifting more than 5kg for four weeks. This includes any heavy lifting, running, riding a bicycle or golf. This also includes activities such as gardening, raking leaves, mowing the lawn, or other strenuous chores. If you see blood in the urine, increase the amount of water you drink and avoid strenuous activity or heavy lifting until the blood clears.

Medications

Take the medications prescribed at the time of your discharge from the hospital. If you are taking any medications on a regular basis prior to your admission to the hospital, you should continue to take those as well. For any aches, pain or headaches, you may use paracetamol. Do not use any anti-inflammatories for six weeks after surgery.

Avoid Constipation

Anaesthesia, surgery and some pain medications can all increase your risk for constipation. Do not strain to move the bowels as this can impair the healing process and start bleeding. Take plenty of fibre, water, and an over-the-counter stool softener to avoid constipation.
To avoid constipation, over-the-counter stool softeners or laxatives, such as Coloxyl, Dulcolax, Miralax, Metamucil, Movicol, or Lactulose, can be taken by mouth twice a day. Decrease or hold the stool softener for diarrhea or loose stools.

Postoperative appointment

You will need to be seen in the office several weeks after your discharge. You can call the office on 08 8119 0961 to make a follow-up appointment if you do not already have one. You may drive to this visit.