After Laser Prostatectomy

You may go home the same day after your laser prostatectomy. Or you may stay up to 2 nights in the hospital. An adult friend or family member should drive you home. To get the best results from your laser prostatectomy, follow your doctor’s instructions and keep your follow-up appointments.

After your procedure

Your prostate will likely be sore at first. This will improve as you heal. Here are some things you can expect:

• You may be sent home with a catheter to drain urine from your bladder. If so, you may wear a leg bag for a week or so. The catheter will allow the surgery area to heal and help you avoid painful urination.

• Your doctor may also prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection and pain medication to ease any discomfort.

• In about a week, you’ll visit the doctor to have your catheter removed. If swelling still makes urination difficult, the catheter may be left in for another week. After the catheter is removed, you may need to urinate more often. This is normal and should get better with time.

Healing

For the first few weeks after your surgery, you may notice that your urine is cloudy or that you have blood or blood clots in your urine. This is normal while your body rids itself of the treated tissue. These symptoms may begin to improve during the first few weeks, but it may take up to 3 months before they go away. Your doctor can tell you when you can resume sexual activity and how soon you can return to work.

Special instructions

You may be told to:

• Avoid certain activities, such as sex, driving, and strenuous exercise. Talk to your doctor about when you can resume these activities.

• Avoid lifting anything over 10 pounds and avoid bending over to lift things from the ground.

• Drink plenty of fluids to flush out your bladder.