Cysto Chronology for Those Who Want to Know

One male follower of this blog, had never heard of a cystoscopy, which the urology department simply refers to as a cysto, but I think it may also just be called a cystoscope by some. Well, good for that reader, and may he never have to know more. I didn't know more until early 2020 when the doctor wanted to peer into my bladder to rule out cancer. He was able to do that, thank goodness, but he retired and his younger replacement wants to keep an eye on a suspicious spot. He didn't quite manage to get  that far on this occasion.

The new guy did his own cysto back in November 2022 before the TURP surgery in February, but wanting to keep an eye on the spot, he scheduled another cysto for June. However, when I reported my concerns last week, he moved the appointment way up. I don't think he even saw the spot on this occasion because he couldn't get the probe into the bladder. There was much scar tissue, and the opening was too narrow.

Let me back up and report how the morning unfolded.

Upon entering the hospital, I grab a mask, sit and wait for registration. An elderly lady is already registering, and I am third next in line. The elderly lady takes a long time to process and I keep my eye on my watch. However, the next two customers move through quickly, and I am soon registered with ID bracelet applied, and I am sent on to urology. There are many poor blokes seated, all of them being required to drink water.

I wait for, perhaps, five minutes until the nurse returns to the desk, gives me a gown, and sends me to the washroom to change. Thankfully, I am not one who is required to sit and drink. When I asked about this, I am told that they would fill me up later.

I fumble with the blasted gown, not quite figuring out how to tie it. With the bag containing my clothes in one hand and the gown clutched tightly behind me with the other hand, off I go to the next waiting room. Alone there, I am able to look in a better mirror to see how to fasten the gown. It takes me only two tries, which is somewhat remarkable.

The next nurse comes to fetch me almost before I can text the family about where I am in the process.

She instructs me to lie on the stretcher (for want of a better word), telling me to lift my gown at the back to prevent getting it soaked. She leaves my male part covered. The previous, older doctor had never been bothered with such niceties. 

The doctor enters and after some chitchat, he begins the procedure, starting with dousing the region copiously with what I will call disinfectant. Germicide?

Then comes some freezing which is inserted into that certain male member. Soon follows the probe.

There is a camera on the probe. I turn my head to follow on the monitor the navigation through my insides.

By the way, I do not find the procedure very painful. This makes me think of the poor guy ahead of me before the previous cysto. I could hear him hollering in pain from my waiting area. We must all have different pain thresholds. I do admit that the procedure is somewhat uncomfortable and a bit nerve-wracking on the first occurrence. Never mind first occurrence; it is always somewhat nerve-wracking.

The probe gets to the mouth of the bladder (I guess that's where it stalled), and I see lots of surrounding red and a small hole. He calls the red area, scar tissue and is unable go any farther with the probe. Now,. when I consider how small the hole was on a screen, it must have been not much more than a pinhole in real life.

He must dilate and asks the nurse to find a smaller diameter dilator (?) than what he has at his ready disposal. I think he was looking for a 10 but only had a 12 and 14 right there. She goes to another table and finds the correct instrument. The doctor inserts it, employs it, and follows with the two other sizes. Or was it three?

Done with that part, they fill the bladder with water. And I do mean fill. I am rushing to the commode before they leave the room, and I urinate with a flow that I haven't seen since the catheter first came out. I can't properly express how good it feels to have a good stream.

They hadn't dilated me on the previous cysto, and the flow was typically slow then. This is great.

I dress, head to see his secretary, and learn that the surgery is scheduled for June 21 and the follow-up for August 01. I fill out the pre-op forms, gather the requisite paperwork, and walk to the entrance where Sue is waiting,

I tell her about it and ask her to drive home although I certainly could have done it.