After a surgery, it's common for your body to need time to reorient itself and resume normal function. This is normal and usually a minor inconvenience, but when it impacts your bladder, it can make the recovery process both difficult and uncomfortable. There are a number of bladder issues that can occur as a consequence of surgery, even when the procedure had nothing to do with your urinary system. Recognizing when a small side effect has turned into its own medical problem, however, is an important part of ensuring that you make a full recovery.
Treating Infections
Your bladder is already prone to bacterial infections, but the tendency can be especially pronounced following surgery. Surgical patients often find it difficult to urinate, and retaining urine in the bladder for too long can promote the growth of bacterial colonies that would normally be flushed before they can gain much traction. Combined with the shock to your immune system that usually accompanies surgery, and it's easy to see how a urinary tract infection could form. Bladder infections are rarely serious, but you will need to see a urologist or your doctor to have the trouble cleared up before it can spread to your kidneys.
Handling Bladder Spasms
If you have ever suddenly felt an urgent need to urinate without warning, you may have already experienced a bladder spasm. Spasms occur when the muscles controlling your bladder bear down, leaving you feeling uncomfortably full up and running to the nearest restroom. These spasms have a variety of causes, but they often begin after a patient has been sedated, used a catheter or undergone surgery in the area of the bladder. Typically, they can be cleared up through a regular bathroom regimen and strengthening exercises, often accompanied by a prescription medication.
Dealing With Incontinence
Sometimes, bladder spasms can turn into full-blown incontinence, an embarrassing condition that can make you hesitant to even leave the house. Although most people prefer not to discuss it, incontinence rates in prostate cancer patients have been found to be as high as 87 percent following surgery, and other operations may produce similar results. In most cases, this difficult time must simply be waited out until your urinary tract recuperates, but you should always speak to your doctor if you experience incontinence after surgery.
Recognizing Urinary Retention
One of the most serious bladder issues connected to surgery is urinary retention, when you feel the need to urinate but cannot actually do so. This is caused by a malfunction in your nervous system, which is often knocked offline by anesthesia and is then unable to communicate with your bladder for some time afterward. Without a cue to empty itself, your badder continues to fill, and urine can quickly back up into your kidneys, causing extensive damage. Generally, your doctor will wait to discharge you until after you have successfully urinated, but if you find that you cannot relieve yourself at home, you should return to the hospital immediately for urgent care. Most patients find that their bladder issues clear up within a few days, weeks or months, but if your troubles are impacting your daily life, don't hesitate to contact your doctor or urologist for a professional opinion.
For more information, contact Alliance For Women's Health, Inc. or a similar company.
Share19 August 2016
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