23 January - Decatheterized!

Two weeks after surgery, I was back up at the hospital, this time to have the Foley catheter removed.  Having a catheter was a totally new experience to me and might be to some of you.  Here’s my take on what happened to me.  During the prostatectomy, a catheter was installed.  Basically this is a tube which carries urine from the bladder to the outside world.  Because the path the urine used to follow has been considerably tampered with when the prostate was removed, now it’s the challenge to get things working again.  And the catheter helps for the post-operative period.  Before I left the hospital, the nurse explained the requirements of dealing with this catheter when we are left on our own.  With connections and tubes and uncertainty about the process, it is somewhat daunting, but basically we have to cope with it.  During the day, the catheter is connected to a leg bag.  This is a small plastic bag which fastens with straps to my lower leg.  It is not uncomfortable and has to be changed about three or four times a day.  I could take a shower with the leg bag on.  Other than a little sloshing when walking with a nearly full bag, it is hardly noticeable.  Changing the leg bag is not an issue because it is not difficult.  The night bag is larger and is meant to last the night.  It is more awkward because it isn’t fastened to me.  Rather when I settled for the night, it was hooked to a bucket (for convenience sake).  It did mean that I pretty well had to sleep on my back with this tube extending over the side of the bed to the night bag.  Fourteen nights of that was enough.  The removal was not a big deal. The same nurse who removed my staples was on duty to remove the catheter.  I was lying on my back on the bed, down came my lower clothes, a drape was placed over the area of interest.  She removed the water from the balloon holding the catheter in the bladder.

Take a deep breath says the nurse.  That was just for practice.  Take another one and presto, the catheter was out.  It is hard to imagine the difference of not having the catheter with me 24/7.  I was told there could be some burning during urination, but that didn’t really happen.  During the two-week period when I had the catheter in place, we really had no problems.  And I’d say there is plenty of opportunity for problems to occur.  So, I’m giving full credit to Dr. Frederic Foley.  He’s the American urologist who invented this device about eighty years ago.  The design has hardly changed in that time, and this has been such a help to patients who require urinary catheterization. 

Now, of course, I have to be more aware when I need to go to the bathroom.  The next while will be spent coping with wetness, back to Kegel exercise duty- it often takes a few weeks to see improvement, but I’m fine with that.