Hydro is Monday and a little nervous

[59 year old]

Well, the Hydro will be done on Monday and I'm a little nervous. I guess I don't know what to expect. Some people seem to think it is very painful afterward and others say it will just be uncomfortable for a couple of days. What has been your experience. I took 3 days off from work. I'm a school secretary and am at a desk a lot, so I thought that would be okay. Is there any prep for this when you get into the hospital. My uro didn't say anything about needing anything specifically done when I'm at the hospital--before she does the hydro. I really like my doctor, so that is a plus. I have not had any major burning or pressure for a few weeks now and am afraid this procedure will start it all over again and it will take forever to go away again. Would appreciate any in put. Thanks.

[donnadb40]

I've had 3 hydros. The first two were a breeze! Just a TINY bit of burning when peeing for a day or so! The third one, the procedure was also a breeze... No pain at the hospital, just a little pain when peeing but I did have bladder pain and pressure for almost 6 weeks after I got home! If you have a doc that is skilled in this procedure and a good anesthesiologist, you will be fine!! Enjoy the pain meds and the sleep while you can!!! My doc D/C me with pyridium plus and darvocet... Keep the heating pad handy but honestly, you will probably not feel too bad! I usually go back to work the next day! Good luck! I will be thinking about you!

[59 year old]

Thank you so much for the reply Donna. I hope it's as easy as yours was. Thanks again. And thanks for thinking of me.

[donnadb40]

You are very welcome! Here's another tip for you.... tell the anesthesiologist to make sure that he gives you something AFTER the procedure to keep you asleep long enough to hold the meds in the bladder because if you wake up, it is most unpleasant!! Your will do GREAT!!!!

[SrMaggie]

The enjoyment of the chemically induced sleep is one of the things I looked forward to when I had the 2nd hydro. Sleep is such a precious commodity and I miss it so much. When I hear that people have overslept, or slept through their alarm I am jealous. I'm up so often that I just pick the time that I'm up that's closest to when I need to move out.

[ICNDonna]

I guess you could call me the hydro queen. I have now had forty in my 31+ years with IC. Hydrodistention helps my symptoms significantly --- when the symptoms return, we schedule another. When I was working, we would schedule me for a Tuesday or Wednesday and I would be back at my desk the following Monday.

I do admit, however, that I'm nervous each and every time. It's a normal reaction to going to a hospital, having an anesthetic and a surgical procedure.

There is no prep for a hydro other than cleansing the area, which is usually done in the surgery room. When I have a hydro, I arrive at a pre-surgery area, where I disrobe and put on one of those lovely hospital creations. They will record your blood pressure, temperature, weight, and ask you dozens of questions. You'll probably be given something to help you relax before you go to the surgery room. When you arrive there, you'll be given the anesthetic (I choose a spinal so I'm aware, but most have general anesthesia and are asleep). When you wake up, you'll be in a post anesthesia recovery area.

If you have questions, feel free to ask. I'm here to help.

Warm hugs,
Donna

[Katrina]

My suspcion is that how painful it is will be comparable to how bad your bladder is...others have said things about meds...I sure hope if your doctor is going to put meds in it is resuce instillation!

I do think that PFD self helps can help prevent most of the burning that may come from a hydro unless you have a instillation of DMSO.
http://icandme.9.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=6 pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) learning to relax the muscles treatment options symptoms of PFD and more

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!! :grouphug:

[mary124]

I have had several, usually have no problems with them. The last one did have a few. But I schedule them on Thursdays and since I have a desk job, I am back to work on Monday. I do have some burning when first going to the bathroom the first few times, (which is normal) and I do sleep the day away when i get home- but the next day I'm up and about. Good luck, you should do fine.

[dmarie]

About 2 months ago, I was in your shoes. I was feeling better from following the diet and was terrified that I was going to get so much worse again. My uro is fantastic. She had tramadol administered in my iv during the procedure and the second I opened my eyes, a nurse inserted a belladonna and opium suppository in my rectum. I was also given 200 mg of pyridium and b&o suppositories to go home. I was definitely worse for about 4 days but nothing I couldn't handle. I then started weekly rescue instillations and I am now at a much better place. I tried to focus on "I have to do this stupid procedure so I know what shape this dumb bladder is in, then my doctor will have more information to proceed with treatment and make me better". Try hard to focus on this cysto as a step in getting well. That certainly helped me. You will be fine. Let us know how you do.

Dawn

[ICLori]

I've had three hyros, and all of them went just fine, no problems at all (didn't feel a thing except when they put the IV line in, LOL, I'm not fond of needles...) and when I woke up, I did eventually (when the meds wore off) have slightly increased bladder irritation for a few days, but it went away pretty quickly, and I did have some burning upon urination (similar to what you feel with a UTI - maybe not even that bad) the first time or two that I urinated, but it really wasn't a big deal.

I've been here for several years, now, and have heard a lot of people describe their hydro/cysto experiences, and I would say that in general, the vast majority of people don't have a problem with them really.

Blessings,
Lori