How long should I experience pain after a TURBT?
Hello All! First post here. I suddenly and without any real symptoms as such got diagnosed with a large non invasive high grade bladder carcinoma. This also was accompanied by a benign tissue mass restricting my urethra and several diverticuli. The surgeon removed the tumour and cleared the blockage and repaired some of the diverticuli, so there was lots done at the same time. I was in discomfort all the time for about 2 weeks, and a lot of pain whilst urinating. I was bleeding also for over 2 weeks. The pain really eased into week 3 and at that point I completed several of my medications. However for the past 5 days the pain whilst urinating has really increased once again. I had my first BCG treatment yesterday and now obviously it's very painful. I really don't know if this is normal, or something is wrong. Just seems odd that the pain disappeared almost but is now back?
Hi avrodamo, welcome to the site and thank you for posting your question. I've experienced a couple of TURBT's and have been receiving BCG on and off for over a year. I've become quite used to what the recovery from this will be. What I can definitely tell you from my experience is that it'does take a lot longer to heal and recover from these procedures than you would expect. What we tend not to take into account is how much trauma is actually placed on the bladder and urethra when they carry out these procedures. It took me nearly 6 weeks to recover properly from my first TURBT. I actually believed I had an infection because of the length of time it was taking me to heal. I"be also like yourself had a period when the pain went away, only for it to return again. Whilst receiving BCG the pain you experience whilst urinating can last for a few days. I've found that during any treatment when I'm having anything inserted into my bladder that post the procedure drinking plenty of water and not consuming any foods or liquids that could irritate the bladder helps tremendously. You will find by consuming large amounts of water that you increase the need to pass urine more often, which of course is when most of the pain occurs. This however does speed up the healing process so something I truly recommend if you haven't been doing so already. The main thing is to try and be patient and allow the process of healing to take place. You just need to know that your symptoms are very normal for the treatment you are receiving. If however you are not convinced that this is the case it's important that you bring this to the attention of your doctor or medical advisor and to never needlessly suffer. I do hope the rest of your BCG treatment goes well and the pain you are experiencing will pass in time. Please keep us updated on how things are going for you and remember that the community will always be here to support you. Take care - Noel, (BladderCancer.net Team Member)
