Mets Day 44 - still in pain

This has been a day of pain.  I've been alternating between a dull aching pain across my abdomen, to a sharp stabbing pain similar to what I felt in the hospital.  I've spoken with the urologists on call at Hopkins twice; once last night and another time this afternoon.  They believe that, as the neobladder has been expanding and holding more urine, it is going through a series of spasms as it shifts from a bowel function to a urine reservoir function.  They also think that the neobladder is pushing on other parts of the colon, and stimulating some nerves which triggers the pain. 

At their recommendation, I have the catheter reconnected to the SP tube, to give the neobladder a break from holding urine.  If the pain begins to diminish, I am to try corking the SP tube and trying to void it through the urethra.  As it is, I have been in so much pain that I cannot tighten the abdominal muscles sufficiently to empty the neobladder.  I've been taking large doses of Vicodin to manage the pain; the trouble is, that can contribute towards constipation, which further exacerbates the pain.  So I've been told to rely on Advil or Tylenol, and not the Vicodin, for pain management.  Vicodin is far more effective, however.

The pain has been such that I have been unable to sleep last night, and any kind of movement of the torso shoots bolts of fire across my abdomen. Sitting up or rolling over is very difficult.  I feel like I have seriously regressed, and I'm back to day 2 or 3 after the surgery.  I'm also bummed because this setback means that I almost certainly will not have my SP tube removed on Tuesday. 

I've been frustrated because I have not yet been able to meet with any physical therapist to teach me the proper way to empty my neobladder.  I've just been making it up as I go along, and sometimes it worked, and other times it didn't.  Hopkins finally gave me the number of a PT yesterday afternoon, but she has not been answering her phone and there is no voicemail. 

So I move incredibly slowly, shuffling from chair to sofa to bed, and oh-so-carefully lowering myself into position.  Sudden movements can be excruciating.  Easy does it.