urinary retention after foley?

fjessup
fjessup Member Posts: 6
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
What is normal urination after foley removal? Should I be able to urinate freely (but just unable to stop until Kegels give control)?
I am blocked; can't "go"; have urinary retention like when I had BPH before. Urine drains indirectly, passively, and spasmodically (squirts at various times), but I can't "go" when I try (standing or sitting). Very blocked and very frustrating and uncomfortable retention. Can't void completely. Is this normal?? Not what I expected at all. Doctor says as long as urine is draining, I am not "in retention." But it sure feels like retention! He says it may take a while for bladder to "adjust"; but it has been almost a week with no improvement. I think he is wrong. What are others' experiences with this? Were you able to pee right away?

Comments

  • lewvino
    lewvino Member Posts: 1,010
    #2
    First day of cath removal I
    First day of cath removal I was voiding every 45 minutes to 1 hour. No problems with very strong stream. I pushed fluids the first few days. About 6pm at night I cut back on fluids. Had no problems at all. Again I think it is everyone is so different.

    Larry
  • fjessup
    fjessup Member Posts: 6
    #3
    lewvino said:

    First day of cath removal I
    First day of cath removal I was voiding every 45 minutes to 1 hour. No problems with very strong stream. I pushed fluids the first few days. About 6pm at night I cut back on fluids. Had no problems at all. Again I think it is everyone is so different.

    Larry

    Urinary retention retention after foley
    Thanks very much. This is very helpful.
    This sounds like the experience of others I had read about before my surgery, where guys said they could pee like a teenager again. I think there is something wrong with my situation. It's like I am back in blockage/retention that I had previously with BPH, or even worse, since I can't "go" directly at all (and could at least eventually, albeit weakly, with BPH).

    Any further posts from others about their experiences I'd still like to here.

    Thanks.
    FJ
  • upnorth943
    upnorth943 Member Posts: 1
    #4
    urinary retention
    A couple of thoughts: Your doctor may be correct that the bladder needs time to adjust. Also, perhaps you have some post-operative swelling. In any case, the downside of not getting out all your urine is the residual urine volume in your bladder becoming dangerously high, potentially endangering both the bladder and the kidneys. You can ask your doc for post-void bladder scan to determine how many cc's are retained in the bladder. Did you have treatment for the BPH? If so, what? Another thought is to ask the doc to give you a temporary prostate stent. (Think of it as a short catheter without a bag or anything external to the body.) It will hold open the obstruction but still allow the bladder and sphincter to work normally. This might give you some time for your bladder to recoup, and any swelling to resolve. Perhaps others here have more ideas about what "reasonable" recovery times should be.

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