Prostate Trial Voids - What Are Steps Your URO DOC Uses?

I can not comment on your equipment question but if you have not removed a catheter on your own before, you can see my play by play experience listed under "HIFU EXPERIENCE". It will be near the bottom of all my posts. ( actually, I have removed Foley catheters twice, and both experiences are listed there.

Hope this helps a little.

Can't the uro measure retension with ultrasound machine? Thats what mine does.

Hi Randy,  I'm not a doctor and have never been involved with a void test.  But I did have the Rezum procedure on Aug 23.  Just last Thursday, after going through 5 cycles of the Foley (Foley for 3.5 days and no Foley for 3.5 days, repeat,  over a 5 week period)  the doc indiated that I no longer needed the Foley; that I had recovered from the Rezum procedure to the point that I could drop the Foley Cath.  Anyway, my doc never did do a void test.  What he did do was run an ultra-sound over my bladder area to determine the amount of urine I was holding.  If I was retaining more than 200 cc then the Foley be would re-installed. Last Thursday his ultra-sound showed that I was holding 150cc which was enough to discontinue the Foley Cath (the Foley was a big pain) ..eeerr!!  Good luck, take care.

Usually they do urodynamics test. That way they know exactly how much fluid is in your bladder ( cause they put it in) , flow rate, bladder muscle contractions, etc. Maybe cause of the Cath he doesn't know if you will void normally. I would just ask him . My uro's nurse did all that. Then he came in and scoped me. That was a fun day.

Hi   Randy,

IMHO you need to take control of your situation and do what you want with your own body and situation.

 I had a similar experience. I had a Foley catheter for over a week, and my doctor told me to cut it and take it out. I was concerned, since I hadn’t naturally voided since before my PAE.  His office is as least an hour drive from my home. I didn’t feel comfortable removing it without having a reasonable option. That option was NOT to go trough the process of having another Foley inserted.

 Upon reading the discussions here, I already had some self catheters handy, and made an appointment with my Uro’s office so they could teach me how to self cath. I learned a lot from JimJames here beforehand.

So I removed the Foley at home and drove 10 minutes to my Uro’s office. I did not drink alot before I went there. I could not naturally void, so they showed me what do and I self-cathed.  I’ve been doing that ever since, and now also naturally void a little on occasion, as well.

Remember it's YOUR body and life. Do what feels right to you.

Good luck with your situation.

These Foley happy urologists make me crazy. Take the thing out, see if you can pee naturally, without forcing liquids. If you can't, demand/beg to be set up for a self cath. When you're recovering from. Rezum you have good and bad days and events. But many can get along well enough that can't pass the tests. And you'll recover full function faster if you are trying all the time. Last but not least, you can live normally if you have to self cath for a few weeks. Not so with a Foley

Randy,

My problem is acute urinary retention. It is caused by drinking large amounts of liquid at once. So my urologist wanted to check my chronic retention with an ultrasound. I was told I needed 32 ounces of water in my bladder. So on the way to the hospital I drank 32 ounces of water. A half hour later, the technition did the ultra sound. She said the bladder wasn't full enough so I had to drink another 16 ounces of water. After the first part of the ultra sound, I was told to go into the bathroom and void.

Predictably the 48 ounces of liquid caused the acute retention and I was able to void less than an ounce before becoming completely blocked up. So my retention was 47 ounces, brought on by drinking way to much liquid in a short amount of time. I found it kind of amusing because it was so predictable.

The test of course, told the doctor nothing. What I've done, on my own, is to wait until I have a strong urge to go. I then void into a graduated jar, recording the amount. I then self cath myself to measure the urine left in my bladder. The results have been very close to zero every time. So I will report to the doctor that I have no problem with urinary retention except on the occations that I can't void at all. The acute thing.

Good luck with your test.

John

Randy,

If I'm understanding you correctly, my uro wanted me to do the same thing but I didn't feel comfortable removing the Foley myself, so we did it in the office - then he forced water up and I, too, was unable to void.  I had about 4 unsuccessful trials without catheter (TWOCs).  Each time I had to either go to the emergency room or the uro's office to have the Foley reinserted.  Really terrible experiences and I feel I didn't do my bladder any favors.  Then I learned to self-cath:  it was easy to learn, by far a better option than the Foley, not painful like when someone else inserts or removes the Foly, much more natural in that you can try to void any tiome with the security that if it really starts to build up you can always cath.  (I've found that the Coloplast male compact is the best).  I really regret that I didn't learn to self-cath immediatley after I went in to retention - as my uro had advised.

Good luck!