3 trips to ER because i could not pee

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Hello,

Im a 55 male. In Dec 2017 I had my prostate removed. In late 2020 they found a small amount of cancer still in the prostate area. In March and April 2021 I did 38 days of radiation. I leaked a little after radiation. I would have blood in my urine at times but it stop in a couple of days. In the fall I started leaking more and went from a small pad for drips to a large pad for larger leaks. Now in early March i wake up and cant pee. I have been to ER 3 times to have a catheter put in and then a few days later go to my urologists they take it out and send me on my way. On Monday I had a Cystoscopy, Dr said he saw nothing blocking opening of my urethra. He also stretched my urethra a little hoping I can pee on my own. Anyone else have this issue? How was yours handled? I get my catheter out today and im worried in a few days it is going to happen again and i will have to go back to ER.

 

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Until the issue is resolved, ask your doctor if you can do self-catheterization at home to avoid constant trips to the ER. I had a similar situation many years ago and it corrected itself in a short time.

 

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Oh man the cath hurts me so much, I dont know if i can.

 

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I have a long history of kidney stone surgeries. One of those times the surgery was more complex. They had to have a general surgeon open 2 small holes in my back for my urologist to work through. Afterwords, I had 2 plastic drain tubes coming out of my kidney. After 3 days in the hospital, the tubes were removed, I was wrapped in towels to absorb the urine still draining from the holes, and sent home. That was messy, but not painful.

At home, a few hours later, the draining stopped and I had to urinate from my bladder as usual, however my bladder was plugged with blood clots! I called 911 and went by ambulance to the hospital. I was screaming from the pain and dripping blood!

In the ER they started shoving Foleys in my bladder until they found the right size. The pain was so severe that I blacked out. They sent me right back to the same room I was in earlier that day. I was there for 3 more days, and the pain never stopped, and I never stopped screaming. Three days later, it was ME that discovered they had not completely inserted the Foley! The balloon had been inflated BEFORE it was in the bladder. It was in the sphincter!

Once I discovered what was going on, I told them to get that thing out of me. The pain stopped and I was sent home. You must be your own advocate! That is where my overactive bladder symptoms started.

 

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I have a long history of kidney stone surgeries. One of those times the surgery was more complex. They had to have a general surgeon open 2 small holes in my back for my urologist to work through. Afterwords, I had 2 plastic drain tubes coming out of my kidney. After 3 days in the hospital, the tubes were removed, I was wrapped in towels to absorb the urine still draining from the holes, and sent home. That was messy, but not painful.
At home, a few hours later, the draining stopped and I had to urinate from my bladder as usual, however my bladder was plugged with blood clots! I called 911 and went by ambulance to the hospital. I was screaming from the pain and dripping blood!

In the ER they started shoving Foleys in my bladder until they found the right size. The pain was so severe that I blacked out. They sent me right back to the same room I was in earlier that day. I was there for 3 more days, and the pain never stopped, and I never stopped screaming. Three days later, it was ME that discovered they had not completely inserted the Foley! The balloon had been inflated BEFORE it was in the bladder. It was in the sphincter!

Once I discovered what was going on, I told them to get that thing out of me. The pain stopped and I was sent home. You must be your own advocate! That is where my overactive bladder symptoms started.

I cringed in horror as I read this. My problems began with a catheter as well, but thankfully, I was in a coma for the entirety of it. Due to the problems caused by that, I've had several cystoscopies and can only imagine how much worse the insertion of a catheter would be. I'll take wearing diapers for the rest of my life over ever being fitted with another Foley. I'm glad you figured out what the problem was.

 

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I feel for you. After my male urethral sling surgery to stop my incontinence, I had to self-catheterize for a couple of months. It started at multiple times a day, then daily, then weekly. I felt so much better doing it myself than having to go to an ER.

My doctor prescribed catheters (called self or intermittent). The nurse had me self cath to show me how to do it. In the office I used a red rubber catheter. They sent me home with a box of 30 clear PVC (hard plastic) catheters with the coude tip (I did not like).

A medical supply contacted me asking what I wanted, I had no clue.
The red rubber are flexible and easier for me to use than the clear PVC type. You know you are at the right spot when the urine starts to flow.

Below are some links - you have to have a prescription and they will contact the doctors office.

My insurance required me to use a medical supply store. I was able to get the red rubber catheter, but they up sold me on the sterile kits which were just gloves, lube, and clean paper cloth plus several items that I did not need. The sterile kits cost more than the catheter.

Order Red Rubber Robinson Intermittent Catheter [Use FSA$]

Buy Rusch Robinson And Nelaton Red Rubber Latex Intermittent Catheter. Designed with 2 opposing eyes, pleasant user experience. Hassle free. Buy Now!

www.healthproductsforyou.com

Buy Amsino AMSure Male Red Rubber Latex Urethral Catheters

Amsino AMSure Male Latex Red Rubber Intermittent Catheters come with 16" length. Smooth tip. Radiopaque. Single-use. Sterile. Authorized Retailer. Shop Now!

www.healthproductsforyou.com

 

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And here I thought I had a hard time as a female! You men who weighed in have been through the wringer!! I feel 4 you! Had my 1st Cystoscopy. I have small kidney stones both kidneys. Am to avoid spinach.

 

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Oh man the cath hurts me so much, I dont know if i can.

An intermittent catheter isn't like a Foley. The first several times I had a Foley inserted, it was awful. When I started having to do intermittent catheterization, I expected it to be just as awful, but it's not. I think a lot of it is that you can do it yourself at your own pace, so when I started I would insert it very slowly to give my urethra time to relax around it. Now that I do it regularly (8 times a day, lately)I don't have to go slow, but it sure helped at the beginning.

With regards to @thudson1965's post, I personally find PVC catheters to be more comfortable and easier to use, and I like the coudé tip. The point is to get as many samples as you can, both from your urologist and your medical supply company, and try them to find what works best for you.

 

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Itapilot, my experience was the same as yours except that I didn't have to do it as often. Like anything else. "practice makes Perfect"!!

 

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I'll take wearing diapers for the rest of my life over ever being fitted with another Foley.

In most cases, Foleys shouldn't be getting used for incontinence, but rather for retention. Since diapers can't help with retention, it's rarely a choice between a Foley and diapers.

In most cases, the current standard of care is to use a Foley only in patients with long-term retention who can't manage intermittent self catheterization, in critically ill patients who need precise monitoring of fluids in and out, and as a temporary solution to those with severe skin issues from prolonged incontinence. They also get used in patients who've had urethral surgery or prostatectomy, both to allow the bladder to drain as the wound heals and to serve as a stent to ensure that the urethra doesn't get closed by scar tissue. Beyond those limited situations, it should be very rare that a doctor is even willing to order a Foley.

It's actually a bit frustrating to me at times, because when my interstitial cystitis is flaring up I can get a lot of pain relief by having a Foley to prevent urine from accumulating in my bladder, but most urologists will not order one for that. I understand the infection risks, but when my bladder feels like it's packed full of razor blades I'd rather risk a UTI than keep hurting like that!

I can't imagine the pain of having the balloon inflated in the urethra! That is gross incompetence by whoever put in the Foley - there a standard for how far to advance it after urine starts to flow to ensure that that doesn't happen, and it sounds as though the person inserting it stopped advancing it just as soon as they got urine out of it. "Ouch" doesn't begin to cover it!

 

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I can't imagine the pain of having the balloon inflated in the urethra! That is gross incompetence by whoever put in the Foley - there a standard for how far to advance it after urine starts to flow to ensure that that doesn't happen, and it sounds as though the person inserting it stopped advancing it just as soon as they got urine out of it. "Ouch" doesn't begin to cover it!

If you are referring to my experience with having the Foley balloon inflated too soon, it was supposed to drain the blood and clots that had backed up in my bladder. AND, you are very right to say the person was incompetent. I was in such misery and passing out, but I could hear the conversation. I could tell they were training someone.

When I was in my room for the next 3 days, waiting for the pain to stop, the doctor/surgeon himself could not figure out why I was in such agony.

God finally gave me the idea of what was happening to me. Then I got the idea to grab the tube and push it toward my bladder. As soon as I did that the pain subsided, but if I let it go the pain returned. So, I called for the nurses, and had it removed and went home.

Why could the surgeon not think outside the box enough to consider that the Foley was misplaced?!

Again, thanks be to God that He put the thought in my head of what was going on!

I am also grateful that I didn't get an infection by pushing germs into the urethra.

 

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Yes, the Holy Spirit within you guided you. You certainly were able to think outside the box. Only certain doctors have the gift of "healing hands" & are inspired. Others are only going through the mechanics of it all and aren't able to think outside the box. My doctor is a D.O. -- Doctor of Osteopathy. I go to her for manipulations. When she touches me I can feel her energy pulsing through me. She has helped me with a number of ailments.

 

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Thanks for all your replies! It gives me alot to think about. Right now I'm leaking so much I don't have too pee much. I need to take it easy and make sure I try too pee or im gonna be back at the ER.