Catheter tips

Wheel

i recently was asked by someone regarding my catheter experience and thought it might be helpful to share some more specifics with everyone looking forward to it.

I had my catheter in for 11 days because of a holiday weekend at the end before my appointment to get it out. I went for Cystogram the same morning I had my catheter out. The cystogram in effect is to check your seal of the surgery in reattaching your urethra to your bladder to make sure their is no leak with urine coming from bladder into urethra. Not likely regardless but especially with the surgical procedure my Doctor used not cutting the Puboprostatic ligament which keeps your urethra same length by it not needing to be pulled back up and is easier to reattach and why also you don’t lose penis length. It does not need to get pulled back up or cinched up to get reattached since the ligament was not cut. The cystogram was fairly quick, your catheter stays in place, they have you drink I think something white or something with contrast then the xray radiologist and Doctor watch real time to see basically your surgery reattachment has no leakage. There is no pain to it. Then I went upstairs back to the Doctors office to get the catheter out. I needed to wait around 30 minutes for the Cystogram results to get ready and conveyed to Dr’s office. I was scared thinking the removal of the catheter would be painful and remember worrying right up to getting onto the table and laying down and then suddenly the nurse says okay, and I asked was it out and she said yes, I never felt anything. Not knowing what my continence level would be and again concerned I was well prepared when I went to get the catheter out. I had brought loose regular jockey briefs( I had always worn loose boxer briefs) to put on that I could place a mens pad inside like women do for their periods. I also brought a mens pull up diaper that I could use. I asked the nurse what I should use right now after the catheter came out going home and she said the diaper was probably the easiest and it was, I just stepped into it. Now not knowing what was going to be happening I switched to the loose jockey briefs and placed a mens pad inside. Then it was no longer loose. The larger jockey size was because once you put the pad inside , it became crunched against your jewels and a regular fitting brief would have crushed me. At night I did put on the diaper. Now all these precautions ended after two days when I definitely knew I was not leaking and I felt safe just returning to my regular boxer briefs. 

Now while your catheter is in, just get a regular plastic size mop bucket that you can place your catheter in at night when you go to bed. It sits on the floor next to you in the bed. The catheter is sitting in the bucket on the carpet below your level in bed so it drains. I actually would just carry the bucket around the house with me going up and down the stairs and sit it down by me on the sofa. I actually never used the smaller catheter bag you could switch out to on your thigh. I always used the big bag even when I left the house. I would wear surfer like longer shorts or bermuda type shorts that dropped to your knee. I then had a plastic shopping bag like a trader joes, or something similar that I could place the catheter in that I carried. It just basically while outside anywhere it looked like I was carrying a shopping bag. When I went walking up and down the street it again looked like I was just carrying a bag. The catheter tube would just come out barely under my shorts by the knee and loop right down into the shopping bag. It was barely noticeable. Also take that shopping bag with you when you get the catheter out.

Marlon

i too had a catheter for 12 days. I was in a lot of pain from the incisions and had a hard time getting around. I used an old walker to help get around the house. I hung the catheter bag on the frame, as well as a tote bag for my phone, a book, TV remote, and meds, etc.

On_A_Journey

I'd rather get a frontal lobotomy than get a catheter again.

After my prostatectomy, mine was in for almost three weeks! My surgeon took off on vacation straight after my surgery and wouldn't allow anyone else to monitor the void test after it was removed, so I just had to wait.

I had a very uncomfortable experience with it in hospital. It didn't seem to have the capacity to handle my flow at the times when I was letting myself pee normally, as I was often urinating around it and within it at the same time. The nurse tried to re-position it on Day 3 and I found the experience to be excruciating. It instilled a fear in me about its eventual removal. And nothing changed with my overflow after that anyway.

At home, the bag was velcro'd to my leg during the day and evening, and placed in a bucket at bedtime. It worked well. There was one funny observation during this period - after a week or so after being home, I allowed myself a beer - and filled the bag 3x the amount of beer within an hour! Guys, you know what I'm talking about - once the seal is broken, etc. LOL!

Eventually getting the catheter removed was extremely uncomfortable. I felt every millimeter of withdrawal, and I made up my mind there and then that I would never put myself into a position that I would voluntarily need one again.

I controlled my leakage after that with a moderate men's pad, and it wasn't too long until I went to a light pad, then a shield, then nothing for a while. I never had to use diapers.

Fast forward eight years and my slight but manageable leakage was beginning to deteriorate rapidly. It got to the point where surgical intervention was necessary (I had an ATOMS sling installed), but unfortunately, the pre-op test a couple of weeks prior to surgery included a 'scope which was carried out under a local anesthetic which didn't really do much. Oh, the pain! More fear instilled. And despite it only being a one-night stay in hospital following the surgery, it involved the use of a catheter once again. I was dreading its removal and once again, I found it to be a very unpleasant experience. I don't know how I didn't break my teeth, I was gnashing them so hard. Never again.

Clevelandguy

Hi,

With my catheter I found it easier to sleep on a sofa which put me closer to the floor(less pulling). Tried the bed thing but there was too much discomfort. Was very happy when they pulled it in my Urologist office, did not notice much discomfort. By keeping the head of my penis coated with neosporin helped.

Dave 3+4

Josephg

I had my catheter in for almost 3 weeks, as the urethra was not fully healed at the 7+ day mark. I found it to be 'annoying' because I could feel a slight pull, whenever I moved significantly. Not painful at all, just noticeable.

I had the small bag strapped to my leg during the day, and a large bag in a bucket on the floor for night sleeping. I was up and around the day after the surgery, and climbing stairs and going outside on the second day after surgery, so the catheter did not negatively impact my daily activities following surgery.

The only time that I felt discomfort, was when a blood clot blocked to flow of urine through the catheter. I made 1 trip to the local ER, and they flushed out the blood clot, and I was OK again.

The removal of the catheter was a complete nothing burger. It was out before I even noticed that it was being removed.

For me, the catheter was more of a distraction and minor annoyance, than anything else.

swl1956

Longer story short! I had foley catheter in for just a few days after my ablation procedure which was annoying but uneventful. Removal went easily, and I passed the voiding test, BUT only a couple hours later I could not pee. Turned into emergency situation which resulted in me having to self catheterize every few hours for several days until prostate swelling subsided. Worst experience I've ever had! Those several days seemed like months. It's left me paranoid about ever needing a catheter again. If I had to do it over, I would have asked to leave the foley catheter in longer which may have given prostate more time to reduce swelling? Just reading these posts is giving me the heebie-jeebies 😥

MACH1

I had to get emergency Foley catheterized 3 times and then opted for supra pubic catheter which got removed two weeks ago. The SPC was in for 3 months which allowed my urethra to heal. Had 2 UTIs - one with a Foley and the theater with the SPC. The UTI with the SPC was a bacterium that was resistant to all oral meds so I had to go to the hospital seven days in a row for an IV antibiotic.

Incision from the SPC oozed all the time it was in but after removal it is healing nicely although it itches a lot. I would not wish what I went through on anyone.