CIC suddenly stopped working after initial 10 days of success

Thanks, Thomas. My urologist/surgeon wants to do a cystoscopy to examine the shape of my prostate. Maybe that will answer the question.

The guys responding to my initial question said that maybe I was using the catheter wrong or it was plugged. Mine wasn't plugged, as I use an earwax syringe to flush it out after use. Another suggested that maybe it wasn't in far enough. It was, all but about two inches, and I rotated it, etc. and had no luck.

The thing that really perplexes me is that for a period of about 18 hours, with five attempts, I still had no luck, either urinating or via the catheter. That's when I went to the ER.

Charles, try to remember what you did differently on that fateful day. Did you drink too much and tried to hold it in ? Too full a bladder can push on other organs nearby which in turn impinge on the urethra, and you had it.

The person Thomas mentioned finally went to see a urologist and was told he had a false passage. That might have happened to you also. Hopefully the 10 days of Foley closed it.

The way to avoid false passage is to be gentle and patient while inserting the catheter. Hank

Thanks, Hank. I've racked my brain trying to think of something I might have done differently. I was catheterizing about 5X/day, and, being new at the procedure, was very careful about lubing, insertion, sanitation, etc., and have come up with nothing.

You're the first to mention the possibility of a false passage, which I had never heard of; but since it happened on 5 separate occasions over 18 hours during that one day, and also happened (i.e. no urine) when I tried to urinate before using the catheter, I don't think a false passage is likely.  

 

Would someone please explain what a false passage is?  Thanks.

If you self cath the same way each time, and have a false passage, you are bound to enter the same path, which happens to be the false passage pathway. False passage can be created by any instruments any time getting in the urethra, so it's not that rare. I am not saying you have a false passage. Only a doctor with a scope can be certain. It happened. Hank

Google "urethra false passage". Look at the images. Hank

Think of a road detour with a dead end. The road is your urethra and the detour is the false passage with terminates not in your bladder but in a dead end. Coude tip catheters help prevent false passages and they also help to navigate around them. If you think that's what you have, have your urologist take a look as they can be easily repaired/healed.

Jim

I was really relying on the 14FR speed cath with coude tip, but due to what the ER doc says as "bad luck", I lost maybe a liter of blood in very scary urine.    I am feeling "lost" right now.  Then, I had a blockage for several hours when bloody urine restarted.  The blockage and bloody urine suddenly cleared up in a taxi, on the way to ER.  A miracle for me.

Btw, when I had red-blood urine for 12 hours, I estimate blood loss at 1L, maybe more.  My blood pressure dropped to 120/77 range from my normal 155/90 range.  Was watching my blood oxygen (from an inexpensive oximeter) go as low as 95%.

Blood pressure is now back to my normal range.  Oximeter reads 96-98% as of now.

My reason for being in this forum:  I don't want to wear this bag forever.  My prostate is 50ml with no nodules (no cancer, the uro says), and PSA was normal per the uro.

I'm consuming herbal remedies now from a TCM,  

Can you point me to an "exit door" because I'm in a Catch-22 -- how do I "prove" that herbs work without removing the Foley?

Thanks for your posts.

Thanks for this info!!

What is the "scope" procedure/instrument?

 

Scope : cystoscope. Hank

Hank,

You asked before if a liquid lubricant is available, instead of the jelly type.  I saw a liquid KY lubricant at Walmart.  They also had a Walmart (Equate) brand version, less expensive.

Thomas