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Avatar universal

post foley issues

I had surgery a few weeks ago and had a foley catheter for during the procedure, which lasted over 9 hours (it was one of those 'fun' ones where I was awake the whole time). I requested the foley as I had the same surgery four months prior without one, and felt as though my bladder was tearing out of my body (over 3 bags of fluid in 4.5 hours the first time) and urinated blood for about a week afterwards.  Careful what you wish for?  The nurse that inserted the catheter cut me during the cleaning process (about a 5 mm cut)...if only that were the worst part.  When removing the catheter 9 hours later the nurse did not deflate the balloon prior to pulling it out and ended up tearing my urethra (and then tried to convince me that i had my period so that I wouldn't question the bleeding).  I ended up with a severe infection.  My question is how long does it take for something like that to heal? I have been having some level of incontenence and would prefer that to go away.  Was asking for a foley better than allowing my bladder to be over filled and potentially rupture? Is that even possible? I have at least one more surgery coming up and am unsure of which route to go at this point in time, foley or not...
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1446517 tn?1304546575
I had a catheter removed and I had terrible bleeding too.
The nurse was so rough and I was shocked to see so much blood.
I was unable to pee, so they had to put it back in again.
This same WICKED nurse, jammed it into me so hard, I ended up filling out their survey once I got home, and I wrote this all in.
I had a tear that took a long time to heal.

The surgery was a 360 degree lumbar fusion, with 2 artificial discs, which was tough enough.
If you cannot be gentle and compassionate working in a HOSPITAL, then go be a claim adjuster,
The hospital never  apologized or followed up with me and that is not changing what is wrong,
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Avatar universal
I am very sorry for all the problems that you went through. Some hospital don't care. My problem does not seam so bad. but If they would have not tried I would not have any of the problems. I went to the ER 102 fever.  My son took me. I was yellow and was in bad shape.  They took my blood and told me that I had a bad blood infection. The dr told me he needed a urine sample I told him that I did not need to go and that I don't pee on demand. He walk out of the room and said well see.  Within 2 minutes I had a male RN and another nurse come in the room told my son to leave and never even talk to me.  They ripped off my pants and before I could say a thing he shoved a catheter in me. That was the first one.  Never got it in the bladder.  He then shoved a smaller one in and was yelling at me do I have a prostate problem never got it in.  It would have been nice to come in and say something to me what they were going to do.  I never saw a catheter tray any jelly.  I was they sent up to my room where 3 more nurse try again even when I told them no.  It was like I was not even there a piece of meat.  Long story short.  I went to a urologist and he found out that I have a urethral stricture at the entrance of the bladder. Sex will never be the same I don't get has hard and have 3 kinds of orgasm.  I have to take pill to help me pee and that make me light headed.  If I ever end up in the hospital again they will never put anything in me again. So after 5 tri's of putting a catheter in.  The last one had blood on it and blood came out. I had a paper done and notarized  that they cannot do anything with out my permission. I hope thing get better for you..Take care          
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647273 tn?1292091141
Hi,

I as a male have a problem with urinary retention following a general aneasthetic. Over the last 10 years I have had at least 9 surgeries all of different sorts. I first noticed that I had problems in 1999 after a vasectomy. I ended up with a hematoma near the left testicle and had surgery to have the blood clot removed. When I woke up I was in a room with three other male patients and I was in a lot of discomfort.
Due to the swelling of the scrotum and pubic area only about an inch of my penis was exposed. It must have been around an hour and a half when it felt that my bladder was going to explode. When I rang my bell to inform a nurse that I had to urinate, two nurses came in and got me to stand up to try and urinate into one of those protable urinals for males. As I tried to urinate, I remeber a very sharp pain, but nothing after that. When I woke up again I had a catheter in and most of my penis and scrotum were bandaged. During the night that had to move me since they needed to make more room for a fourth patient. In the process the tubing of the bedside bag caught on something and once more I experienced a sharp pain and some bleeding from the penis after wards.
About a year after I was in on a follow up with a urologist for another reason. Neurogenic bladder. The urologist told me that the general surgeon should have sent me through to the urologist to ave the blood clot removed. He basically stated that it was a form of mal practice. Funny enough at the time that I was seen by him he told me that the left testicle was OK. Two weeks later while having been in the local hospital I was transferred to this urologist for an emergency left orchiectomy on my birthday. Again all this time a catheter was place for the duration of the hospital stay.

In 2000 and 2003 I had surgery on my wrists and elbows for carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve release and transposes. On all occasions I requested that a catheter was placed due to the urinary retention. I was in the practice of self catheterization several times a day, but would not be able to do this one handed. At first they objected to this but once they realized that I have a neurogenic bladder the placed a catheter on all occasions.
I had to insist that they tape the catheter either to my thigh or abdomen.

In 2006 I ended up with emergency surgery ot repair an incarcerated right inguinal hernia, and I once again requested that a catheter was placed. This time there was no objection from the medical staff and I experienced no problems with the catheter.

In 2008 while at the local hospital with a bad kidney infection and pneumonia, I myself had placed a catheter due to not being to urinate normaly. During this time I noticed that I was passing gas through the penis and catheter. Our doctor suspected a fistula and after getting discharged, I received a letter of refferrence from my doctor to have a cystoscopy done by my urologist. During this cystoscopy it was confirmed that I have a fistula between my prostate and rectum. This urolgist referred me to a urologist who deals in reconstruction. This other urologist suspects that I have caused the fistula either by self catheterization or by inflating the baloon of the catheter inside the prostatic urethra. I myself think that this was a weakened area due to previous surgery on the prostate and bladderneck in 1995.
Every time that we are catheterized there are risks, the most frequent being infections.
Damage to the urethra and sphyncters is a potential complication. When my catheter was pulled on while I was moved from one area to another caused me to be incontinent for several weeks. One occassion that I remember very well was while I was waiting to get surgery on my prostate and bladderneck. I had a cahteter in and I was sleeping on our coach. My two very young boys had noticed the tubing and got into a fight as to who was going to see what it was. I woke up in quite some pain with both boys pulling on my catheter. My wife came to my rescue.
Currently I have had a catheter in for the last 3 years. The first year a urethral catheter and a suprapubic for the last 2 years.
Having experienced all this, I will allways ask for a catheter to b placed following surgery and a general aneasthetic.
I have even experienced urinary retention after having had my asophagus scoped and stretched due to a hiatus hernia. An aneasthetic was given through an IV. I had to get a catheter put in as I went into urinary retention again.
I have never been given an explanation as to why I seem to have this problem.

With all risks concerend I much rather take the risks over doing damage to the bladder and kidneys.

All the best

RR
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Avatar universal
I noticed that no one had yet commented on your post.

I'm sorry that you went through all of this.

I have some experience with what you're mentioning. I had surgery a year and a half ago because of an injury that I went to the ER for. A nurse in the ER tried to catheterize me, using absolutely non-sterile procedures (nonsterile gloves, nonsterile lube pooled on a paper towel she got from over the sink...) and I utterly refused. My other reason for refusing is some sexual abuse that happened years ago that involved penetrating my urethra with a foreign object. I already had issues with catheters and hate them. I'm female.

After an hour of one person after another coming in to talk me into why I needed a catheter, why they had to catherize me, how I "couldn't refuse", someone said they "noted in my chart" that I refused, and it was left at that.

I had surgery. The anesthesiologist charged for 1.25 hours, as did the surgeon. So, according to common medical guidelines, a catheter was not necessary. Nonetheless, I awoke with a catheter placed! And, it had no tape to hold it to my thigh. I complained, to no avail. But they said, "We'll remove it if you want, since we know you didn't want it." Hey, if THEY knew I didn't want it, why was it put in?

The next day, a physical therapist came in and tried to get me up. This unsecured catheter got caught on a bed rail, and was pulled out, inflated. Even though I was on morphine for the post-surgical pain, it hurt like #^!! I managed to choke out that I needed the charge nurse. A CNA was sent in, and I again choked out that I needed the charge nurse. She got the catheter out of me. It hurt and it bled for a few days. It continued to hurt for about 2 or 3 months afterward, lessening after about a week.

I became partly incontinent and had to wear pads. Now, a year and a half later, I'm still wearing pads, but keeping them dry about 2 days out of 3. So, to answer your question about how long it takes to heal, I'd say probably a couple of years.

I found there was nothing in my chart about any refusal, but some about my being "disoriented" when I came in. Nothing had happened do disorient me: I'd broken a leg in 3 places. I was rational, reasonable, and compliant on everything except the catheter deal.

One thing I learned was that if you refuse anything, PUT IT IN WRITING. Make sure it gets into the chart. Now, the "no catheters" and "may only be altered by (me) in writing and witnessed by someone not affiliated with the facility" is in my advanced directive, on file with local hospitals and with my insurance company - so that they too can tell them that it's refused, and won't be paid for.

My research has revealed that non-medically indicated catheters add an average of $400 to a hospital stay. Some complications cost tens of thousands of dollars, and a few cause death.

I don't know whether or not you should have one for your next surgery. Hopefully, that's already happened now and went well, regardless of your decision.
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