Recovery

Three weeks of discomfort, then a couple of days in the hospital, followed by a full week of home rest and daily hospital visits for IV antibiotics. The big day came last Wednesday when the catheter was meant to be removed. After carrying the urine bag around for more than a week, I was ready to have it removed. But at the same time, I was concerned that I may still have issues going to the toilet once it is removed. I also read that patients may experience urinary incontinence. I actually went to the pharmacy to get "pouches for weak bladder" (there doesn't seem to be a term for the product) ahead of the doctors appointment.

So the urologist explained the procedure. Before they remove the catheter, they will infuse (made it sound like an exotic fruit tea) me with saline to test if I can go to the toilet after the catheter is removed. The infusion was cold and woke up my bladder pretty quickly. I was meant to be infused with 300ml of saline but my bladder was already feeling very full at 150ml.  As a compromise, we agreed on 250ml - well what else could I do, I was lying down flat feeling pretty vulnerable. When it was time to take the catheter out, I was assured that it would not be anywhere as uncomfortable as when it was fitted in. Honestly, it is debatable. And the special instruction was to keep the saline in. I got through that somehow, and they gave me the measuring jug to empty my bladder. All 250ml came back out, so no blockages. And I also don't have urinary incontinence.

I am still on medication for several weeks more. A day after having the catheter removed, the doctors ran some tests and confirmed that the markers for inflammation and infection have come down significantly. That meant that I could switch from the daily IV to oral antibiotics. There will still be follow ups with the doctors and a scan in a couple of months to confirm that my prostate has fully recovered. The previous MRI showed that my prostate was twice the average volume which explains all the pain and discomfort I had experienced.

After close to a month of dealing with this issue, I felt a great sense of achievement to be able to go to the toilet. Honestly, we have to thank God for all the simplest things in life. Intricately stitched by the mighty hands of God, every part of us is a miracle. We are reminded of the miracle of life when we see a newborn, but we can sometimes forget that our body is a miracle every single day. Current influences suggest that we are inadequate and we should despise our bodies. It makes us feel as if we can do better than what God has already done.  We can lose sight of what we are designed for and to give thanks for that.

While I was waiting to see the doctor on Thursday, over a cup of hot chocolate, I gave thanks to God for the miracles that make life look so simple to us.