Life On catheter
Posted , 16 users are following.
I am detailing my experience below to see if someone else has also been through a similar one.
I had the first catheter for 3 months then urologist removed it to see if I can pee. I had very rough 5 hours in which my bladder was pushing but not a drop of urine came out. In Er, a new catheter was put in , in a very painful and bloody exercise, that gave me uti - swelling my right testicle that took 4 weeks of cipro to cure. This catheter is in for 2 months now, and I am scheduled for laser turp surgery in November.
Question: when is your catheter changed? every month?
What size/type is this catheter?
Have you had utinfection as a result of changing catheter? If yes, were you given cipro?
0 likes, 145 replies
dai12345 nktoronto
Posted
jimjames dai12345
Posted
Hi Dai,
Did you have to drink extra water before your urologist inserted the catheter? If so, then there's a good chance you really aren't retaining 1000ml in real life. As discussed elsewhere, void tests can often significantly exaggerate residual volumes when the patient is asked to drink large quantities of water to facillitate urination.
Jim
Jim
kenneth1955 dai12345
Posted
Jezzaman jimjames
Posted
I went to the hospital today for my TWOC. (Trial without CAtheter)
THe nurse wanted me to stay and start drinking water and then measuring fluids in and fluids out then they would use a Bladder Scanner to determine my PVR, the first time I had my catheter out they did just that to me and having had a Foley in for 3 weeks my bladder wasnt ready for thatkind of shock I think and although I just passed the TWOC I was back in the next day with a nasty infection and severe pain as I had got a very bad UTI. I was in total retention and could not pass a drop. It too 2 weeks until I felt better and I had a catheter in for a month then! I told the nurse this and said I wanted to go away and come back at 4pm afer just drinkning normal intake, ie 2 coffees and a soft drink. SHe agreed that was a good idea and that the room was full of old people doing TWOC's with some going back into retention after being forced to drink too much fluid! So beware of this guys.
jimjames Jezzaman
Posted
Good for you. Unfortunately, we have to learn these things the hard way. Your bladder doesn't have to be perfect to function pretty well most of the time, but stress it like you mentioned with too much fluid in too short a period of time, and the results can be alarming, no doubt pushing people into operations they may not really need.
Jim
dai12345 nktoronto
Posted
No, this was before I had any real problems expelling, although slow, so hadn't taken any extra water. I guess he was seeing my normal retention which could have been up to 1000ml. It was this that made him suspect my bladder may have been stretched to the point of being 'dead'
jimjames dai12345
Posted
This may or may not be of some consolation, but my bladder also was very stretched a few years back from holding too much fluid. They cathed out of me over 1500ml although they did have me drinking fluid beforehand. Still, my guess is that I had been holding between 500-1000 on a daily basis for at least six months. Flash forward a few years and my bladder now functions pretty well even without cathing. Post void residuals now mosty under 100 and often under 50ml.
So, before you perform a post mortem on your "dead" bladder, give it a little time to rehabilitate either by resting it for six weeks with a Foley or by self cathing for at least that amount of time. I chose the latter. Then repeat the urodynamics. The urodynamics test you just did is just a "before" test that can change after some bladder rehab. Also, and I don't remember if you're considering a procedure or not, it's always best to rehab your bladder first or you'll just end up cathing after the procedure anyway.
Jim
Jezzaman nktoronto
Posted
I had a catheter in for 3 weeks which when removed resulted in an infection and Acute retention within 24 hours that laid me low for 2 weeks and another foley for a month!! The best way I believe to have the TWOC (trial wihout catheter) is to have them remove it in the morning and then go home and have a normal day. Do not overload the system with fluids, as you will be asking a lot of your bladder and might end up in retention again. The bladder needs to be rehabilitated over a number of days/weeks, in order to have the best chance of success. You could insist on a prophylactic dose of antibiotics as well, if they will give it to you.
brian60529 Jezzaman
Posted
plus one of the nurses messed up my new cathata insertion or it was messed up before, I spent two days in hospital and bleed for nine days as a false hole was created now I get white streaks which could be uti infection
brian60529 nktoronto
Posted
here in the UK it's recommended to keep a cathata for up to twelve weeks but from what I've read here some guys have them for as little as six weeks lucky them but they got the operation scheduled pretty soon I've had my indewling cathata for nearly 6 months, I meet a guy who had his for two and half years he seemed as happy as Larry and talking about wanting sex again. i want rid of it. it tends to lower your self asteem and confidence