The Catheter For Men

[bakawaka 59]

My surgeon insists that I will need to use a urinary catheter for 24 hours after the surgery. For other men on this forum who had to use a catheter, did you find it painful or uncomfortable? Did you find it helpful? Was its removal painful or merely uncomfortable? My surgeon and my primary care physician insist that the catheter removal is not painful. But I find that difficult to believe.

[socalsleever 17]

I am not a guy but having just had the surgery days ago this seems crazy! I was out patient. On hour after coming out of the OR I got up and went to the restroom on my own. Hope you get so insight from the guys so we can all be better educated.

[one_elle26 118]

My surgeon insists that I will need to use a urinary catheter for 24 hours after the surgery. For other men on this forum who had to use a catheter, did you find it painful or uncomfortable? Did you find it helpful? Was its removal painful or merely uncomfortable? My surgeon and my primary care physician insist that the catheter removal is not painful. But I find that difficult to believe.

Hi, I am a Nurse so I would like to reply to you in 'Nurse mode'. There may be many reasons why your Surgeon wants you to have a catheter and I would suggest that you ask him why that is part of his surgical regime. Here are some suggestions as to why he inserts a catheter for the first 24 hours post op: he may have found that his patients are more comfortable and able to rest for the first 24 hours post op. He may have had male patients who have developed post op 'urinary retention' (inability to pee) post op, which is a very painful condition and which requires the insertion of a catheter while you are awake, much more uncomfortable for a male than a female. Do you have a history of 'prostate issues' which he may be trying to avoid complicating.

In answer to your question about 'removing the catheter', keeping in mind that I am a woman, so can only give my version as a Nurse removing a catheter, it is a slightly uncomfortable procedure but it does only take a minute to do and hopefully you will still have plenty of pain relief on board so the discomfort should be minimal.

Good Luck with your surgery and wishing you a speedy recovery.

One_elle26

[mdonaldf 84]

My surgery is Monday, no catheter for me. I'm male. Was one of my fears.

[E-girl 98]

My husband was just sleeves on the 22nd. He said that he didn't even feel it and it was not uncomfortable at all when it was removed. He said he didn't feel it come out.

[gmanbat 5,889]

The one I had through the operation wasn't bad. The one I wore for 2 weeks after diagnosed with prostate cancer by a urologist who was concerned about my kidneys was very unpleasant.

[COsleeveDude 273]

I would hold firm and say you don't want one. If you don't have any other health issues you might not need one. I didn't have one, they said it was because it's a short surgery so they don't usually use one.

And they can always insert one later if you are having trouble going post-surgery.

Getting up to walk and pee is actually good for you post-surgery. Bring that to their attention.

Good luck.

[ozeedonkee 145]

Speaking from the female experience , it really isn't so bad. It doesn't take long to remove and doesn't hurt, just a slightly uncomfortable sensation. Not the end of the world

[Butterthebean 8,146]

My doc didn't use a catheter, and I had urinary retention after surgery. Believe me, it's much worse than a catheter. It's like having a swollen prostate. You need to urinate so bad, but you can't. It literally took me 30 minutes to give them a few drops. It took 36 hours before I finally got some relief.

Trust your surgeon. No one here is smarter than the doctor they've chosen. You will still be getting up to walk around, catheter or no.

[gmanbat 5,889]

That tube is pretty small, not like the one they make you wear for extended times.

In all my prostate treatment; radiation, hormones, chemo, it was the catheter and bag that I wouldn't want to repeat.

Us fellers are pretty sensitive about junior in many ways. It was a bit surreal to have a pretty nurse pull that thing out of him. My brain didn't know which train to get on.

[Strangefruit 179]

I am a female and I had a catheter... Not fun, but my bladder was "asleep" for a while after surgery and it was really necessary... I imagine its easier in a vajayjay than a schmeckel, but I think its the least of your worries! :-)

[Strangefruit 179]

I am a female and I had a catheter... Not fun, but my bladder was "asleep" for a while after surgery and it was really necessary... I imagine its easier in a vajayjay than a schmeckel, but I think its the least of your worries! :-)

[butterflyinbloom 3]

My husband had to have a catheter for his RNY six months ago. They did not give it to him until in the operating room under anesthesia :-) As for the removal--it was uncomfortable but so fast that it really wasn't a big deal. Our surgeon uses them to allow for 24 hours of "rest" after the surgery.

[HeyBigMan 6]

This is my first post, but I figured I'd reply since it was a concern of mine as well. I really, really did not want a tube up the junk.

When I woke up, the foley catheter was in. It was stuck very securely to my inner left thigh (I still have some sticky residue two weeks later, need to get an alcohol pad on that). I was not remotely interested in seeing it (difficult at that point anyway) or touching it (infection is bad!). I have a very vague recollection of someone coming in, lifting my gown and doing an ultrasound on my bladder. At least that's what I think it was, I was still halfway out of it. I slept a bit than a doctor came by and said something like, "Two hours ago you didn't have any urine but now you do," referring to the bag. I guess they were concerned about retention, but I was just dehydrated a bit from not getting enough to drink (in my opinion anyway).

The nurse and care partner came in a couple of times to do "foley care" where I think they just wiped around the urethra a bit to keep it clean. Any time they moved the bag from the bed to the IV pole and vice versa so I could get up and walk around, I felt a strange little twinge from the catheter. It's hard to explain; it wasn't pain, it wasn't discomfort, it was just weird. Finally, the next morning my nurse removed it. He first removed the saline injected in the balloon used to hold it in place, then told me to take a deep breath and then let it out when he said so. I felt him pressing down on my stuff just before he told me to breathe out; he pulled it out during that breath. He said something about it helping when the patient bears down a little.

Overall, it was nothing really. Besides, I was tired, hurting a little, drugged up... I didn't give a damn who saw it, removed it, whatever to be honest. I was given six hours to pee on my own, came in just 15 minutes under. It stung just a little but wasn't bad by any means.

Hope this helps!

[bakawaka 59]

This is my first post, but I figured I'd reply since it was a concern of mine as well. I really, really did not want a tube up the junk.

When I woke up, the foley catheter was in. It was stuck very securely to my inner left thigh (I still have some sticky residue two weeks later, need to get an alcohol pad on that). I was not remotely interested in seeing it (difficult at that point anyway) or touching it (infection is bad!). I have a very vague recollection of someone coming in, lifting my gown and doing an ultrasound on my bladder. At least that's what I think it was, I was still halfway out of it. I slept a bit than a doctor came by and said something like, "Two hours ago you didn't have any urine but now you do," referring to the bag. I guess they were concerned about retention, but I was just dehydrated a bit from not getting enough to drink (in my opinion anyway).

The nurse and care partner came in a couple of times to do "foley care" where I think they just wiped around the urethra a bit to keep it clean. Any time they moved the bag from the bed to the IV pole and vice versa so I could get up and walk around, I felt a strange little twinge from the catheter. It's hard to explain; it wasn't pain, it wasn't discomfort, it was just weird. Finally, the next morning my nurse removed it. He first removed the saline injected in the balloon used to hold it in place, then told me to take a deep breath and then let it out when he said so. I felt him pressing down on my stuff just before he told me to breathe out; he pulled it out during that breath. He said something about it helping when the patient bears down a little.

Overall, it was nothing really. Besides, I was tired, hurting a little, drugged up... I didn't give a damn who saw it, removed it, whatever to be honest. I was given six hours to pee on my own, came in just 15 minutes under. It stung just a little but wasn't bad by any means.

Hope this helps!

Thanks very much for the helpful comments!