Abstract
The objective of the present study was to elucidate the experiences of post-radical prostatectomy patients while living at home following admission and discharge up to the point at which they perceive the improvement of dysuria. Semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey were conducted on five patients in their 60s or 70s at four months postoperatively, and the data were analyzed in a qualitative, inductive manner.
The most agonizing experience for patients was the "agony associated with dysuria, which had persisted since surgery", and the patients experienced "dealing with dysuria in daily life" while also feeling miserable about having to use incontinence pads and diapers after discharge. The patients engaged in "measures for dysuria" such as pelvic floor muscle exercises and routine exercise, adapted and applied the "information obtained from medical personnel and fellow patients", and gradually felt "improvement of voiding symptoms and a sense of liberation". Whereas patients were concerned about the cancer and surgery preoperatively, following surgery their awareness was focused on the agony associated with dysuria, and after the dysuria began to improve, they exhibited "a change in awareness regarding dysuria" into concerns about cancer recurrence.
