Hi, I had a bladder stone removed and the prostate opened up by green laser a few days ago. Full anaesthetic. Things seem to be working OK but am finding myself really debilitatingly fatigued.
Is this normal? How long before I feel back to normal? Is this caused by the anaesthetic or the surgery?
Thanks!
Full recovery from green light laser can take an average of about 8 months in some cases and BPH can recur in a few years. The older you are the more fatigued you will feel. Sorry that I have to give you this update but that's what I had to go through.
Dave I hope things work out for you but it will take time. But I have to ask Were you having a problem with your prostate. You do know you do not have to have anything done to the prostate You could just have the stones removed Take care Ken
Thanks Ken, my urologist told me that the prostate needed opening up as it was restricting the flow. That caused the stone as the bladder was not emptying properly, so the stone would recur if the prostate was not opened up. Makes sense to me, and as far as the results go, so far so good. No pain, no blood. Just very tired.
I didn't nor did two friends. I travelled home by train on day two, went to the races on day three walking around all afternoon. Day four walked 2 1/2 miles each way to an appointment when there was a bus strike.
No urgency, no retention and only a slight spurt of blood at the beginning of urination.
One friend travelled home about 550 miles by train the next day and took a group out deer stalking after about ten days. The other had his in the morning and was released without a catheter in the afternoon. Back the next morning to check his flow and retention and then off shopping with his wife in London's Kings Road before flying home.
Friend ones prostate regrew within five years, mine after nine and the other is still going OK after fourteen years. We all had them done by different British urologists at different hospitals. Two as NHS patients and one privately.
I was 70 when I had mine done and the other two were in their 60's. None of us had retro. Recovery from my later Thulium/Holmium procedure ( similar to HoLep) was much the same but with went home with a catheter in. Then I had retro that had already started due to Tamsulosin.
I really don't understand the outcomes some posters have that others then take as standard for the procedure.
Anaesthetics affect some people more than others although present day ones are much kinder to the system. In the past fourteen years I've had four. Two for prostate procedures, one to have a heart valve replaced and one for another cardiac procedure. I felt fine after each of them.
There is no "normal" after surgery. Everyone is different and reacts differently depending on age, physical condition, other health issues, etc. I am 69 and have had two bladder tumors removed in the last 8 months, both times under general anesthesia. I recall being tired the day after but not much beyond that. I am not overweight, am in excellent physical condition (still running 4 days/week) and have no other significant health issues. OTOH, I had no work done on my prostate (not yet!) and each surgery took less than an hour. The point being unless someone had the exact same surgery and is in very similar condition, health and fitness-wise, it's difficult to use others' experience as a guide. Have you asked your doctor about this?
Thanks all. I was told to expect tiredness, interesting to see the different outcomes. I have been swimming every day for the last four days (surgery last Tuesday) but not sure I could walk two and a half miles 😜. I shall take it steady and not expect too much too soon.
Thank you for getting back to me. Also happy father's day. The reason I ask was were you concerned about retro at all and did your doctor explain everything to you. I have talk many times with my urologist I never had bladder stones but I have had kidney stones. I know there not the same but they all can be painful They were the size of jaw breakers in both kidney. My doctor told me that they like to do a prostate surgery with stones because it makes it easier for them to get to the stones with the prostate out of the way. But if the patients does not want the prostate touched they just more it on the side. I don't know how old you are or if that was a concern but did the doctor give you any other options. I had a Urolift done over 3 years ago and it had been fine. My doctor has removed bladder stones from a few of his patients He did a Urolift and then got the stones out. It does the same as any of the procedures that cut away the prostate it make a tunnel with out cutting and causing any side effect. But in the long run we are all different and we all have to do what we feel is right for us Just be happy Ken
It's not like ordinary surgery as no cutting through muscle or stitching is involved so that is the main problem after most operations.out of the way.
Anethesia can take a week to shake sometimes. Depends on what they gave you. Had a upper endoscopy. Slept for days after that. Couldn't shake that fentynol. Lol.
I would guess it was the GA.
I had both a stone removal procedure and a HoLEP carried separately out under spinal anaesthesia and suffered none of the after effects you describe.
We all react differently to GA and I react badly so hence the spinal.
Give it a little longer but if you are worried contact your doctor.
Good luck for a speedy recovery.
How did the spinal affect you ? I wanted it for Thulmium/Holmium procedure but he said that it was going to be too long a procedure to use it. He said later that it had taken about three and a half hours to do. My earlier GL one had only taken about two hours but my prostate then was nearly half the size.
No after affects from any of the "spinals" I've had.
The surgeon told me that the HoLEP would take just a little over an hour (my prostate was 100cc in size) and he was happy that even with delays the spinal anaesthesia would last long enough and it did.
My stone removal procedure only took about 40 mins to complete and that was also carried out under a "spinal".
In your case it looks as though there was no option other than a GA given the length of time of the combined procedures.
A friend in the early days of GL was on the table all ready and the laser would not fire up. The Laserscope rep was in attendance and dashed to another hospital to borrow one.
Good Evening Derek...Maybe that was a sign for him not to have it done. How did he do???? Ken
He had it done and has done so well after 14 years that he has not needed it to be re done. His flow is not so good now but his original Uro said that Cialis is all he needs for that.
Another friend had a ten hour train journey to his hospital and was told it was cancelled as the operating theatre had been flooded. About turn to the station and straight home.
It is good that it did work out for him. Was there not a way the hospital could have called him in the morning of the day of the surgery. They should have know. Oh well Live and learn Ken
When I had my repair done on my Urolift I was suppose to have on Monday. I waited 2 hours and then they sent be home. They could not get the machine. They called me the next day that the it was in. I had it done Wednesday morning But I am only 15 minutes away.. Ken