Discharge instructions for Prostate Brachytherapy. The great majority of patients treated for localized Prostate Cancer with Brachytherapy will be treated as outpatients. The patient will be taken to the postoperative recovery room until the effects of anesthesia have worn of sufficiently for discharge from the hospital. You will need to be accompanied home as you may not drive an automobile for 48 hours. Even after this prescribed period, if you are taking narcotic medication for pain you should not drive. You will most likely go home with a Foley catheter which strains your bladder. Catheters are generally removed within 1 to 2 days by your Urologist. In some cases, a catheter may be needed for up to seven or more days. Do not disconnect the catheter from the drainage bag unless directed so by the doctor or nurse. Wash around the catheter with soap and water and rinse very well. You may notice urine passing around the catheter instead of through it, this is normal as long as you do not feel your bladder becoming distended. If you feel uncomfortable or have a distended bladder please call your Urologist. You may take a shower with the catheter in place however avoid taking a bath until your catheter has been removed. Your urologist will prescribe a medication for pain and an antibiotic. Please take medications as prescribed by your doctor. Finish entirely any antibiotic prescription. Some patients may be taking, on their Urologist’s recommendation, Cardura, Flomax, Hytrin, or Uroxatral. Continue these medications unless otherwise advised by your Urologist. Resume taking the medications you are using before surgery unless instructed otherwise. Do not take blood thinners or aspirin products after your procedure until instructed by your urologist. Take it easy for the first 48 hours after the procedure. Do not drive or operate dangerous equipment for 48 hours if you have had a general anesthetic. You may resume your normal daily activities. Use common sense and you may do anything that does not cause you pain or discomfort. Avoid strenuous exercise, heavy lifting, bike riding, and yard work for two weeks as the vibrations of movement may cause some bleeding. Silicon Valley Urology Center
You may experience urinary urgency and/or frequency for the first several months following surgery. This is normal. Your doctor may be able to prescribe medications to alleviate some of these symptoms. You may experience no discomfort after the procedure; many patients take no pain medication. However, some of the following symptoms may be noted.
Bruising and swelling in the skin under your testicles
Getting up frequently to urinate at night
These symptoms subside with time and healing. You may have a small amount of bleeding in the urine. Generally the urine is pink at the beginning and the end of the stream. This change in the color of the urine is normal and should be relieved by increasing your fluid intake. If you are passing blood clots you should contact your urologist. If in your urine you noticed the passage of some of the “silvery” seeds that were implanted, please contact your Urologist. Call your Urologist’s office to arrange an appointment so the catheter may be removed, and also to set up further postoperative visits. Approximately 1 month after your Prostate Brachytherapy you will be contacted so that a pelvic CT scan can be arranged to calculate and document the correct position of the implanted seeds and therefore measure that the radiation dosage delivered to the prostate is correct.
Call your urologist if your experience any complications such as increasing pain, high fever above 101 Fahrenheit, persistent nausea, or the inability to empty your bladder. We wish you a speedy and successful recovery.
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