Last Tuesday I had pelvic floor Botox for the 3rd time. It is due every 6 months, however I was missed off of the list last year so there was a big delay between the injections. The Botox has been extremely helpful to me because it gives me a good few months without bladder pain, shooting nerve pain, urgency, waking up multiple times at night to pee, going to bathroom multiple times in an hour etc.
It is a quick 5 minute procedure, but under general anaesthesia the whole process can take some time, and the recovery part can be a little uncomfortable. Botox is done as a day surgery, however because of my past retention issues, I get monitored. The first 2 times I stayed in the ward (2nd time I had a laparoscopy so was staying anyway) and this last time I was admitted to the ward for the whole day and if I retained too much, I would've had to stay overnight. Luckily, after 5 bladder scans, I was able to go home!
General anaesthesia involves intubation which is when a tube is placed in the throat so you are able to breathe during the surgery. The tube can cause a sore throat after it's removed. In the recent procedure I think they used a bigger tube because my mouth, throat, and the bone under my neck felt very bruised. This has never happened before so usually the recovery is a little less harsh. There's not much pain but there is some soreness in the cervix for a few days after the Botox because the local anaesthetic they apply to the pelvic floor will disappear. You may also bleed a little after the procedure and when you pee the first few times, but that is normal. If you are bleeding heavily or are concerned for any other reason, please do seek help! Due to the anaesthesia you may not have any bowel movements for 2 days or so but you can try to take some laxatives. I managed to move my bowels on day 3.
I highly recommend taking strepsils until your throat feels better, keep painkillers in case you experience any pain, heat patches helped with my soreness, and make sure you get plenty of rest!