To Catheter or Not to Catheter?

[Sutter Phoenix 3]

Hi all! So, I am due for sleeving next Friday. At my final pre-op yesterday, the Physician's Assistant told me that they would be catheterizing me after I'm knocked out, and that they would take it out the next day. I guess I looked uncomfortable about that (no special reason - I've just never had it happen before) and she told me that it really was up to me whether or not to do it. She acknowledged that it can be uncomfortable, especially for men, but said it makes things easier so you don't need to be getting up to use the bathroom. So, I'm curious: thoughts on what to do? Did you get a urinary catheter? Did it interfere with efforts to walk the day of surgery? If you didn't get one, was it very hard to get up and use the bathroom when you needed to? I very much appreciate your thoughts (and may also ask in the post-op forum)!

-SP

[liannatx 897]

I didn't get a catheter. I don't know why they would use one... you actually need to be getting up and walking and moving around. You need to walk for the circulation to prevent blood clots and to work out any residual trapped air from the surgery. I would feel more uncomfortable with a catheter, and if given a choice I would not have one.

[Okinawa girl 29]

I had one, It didn't bother me at all while walking and I liked the fact that I was not up all night having to go pee. The IV of Fluid had me going potty a lot the second night so I was thankful I did not have to worry about it the first night. I also had compressors on my legs and I did not feel like taking those off and having a nurse come back to put them back on every time I had to pee.

[Stephanie Stroup McIntosh 157]

I didn't have a catheter. My sister did when she had RNY a few years ago. She had so much pain with the catheter that she wouldn't get up to walk. You need to get up frequently anyway, so unless you have an overactive bladder, I would say you don't need it.

[NCTRNL 25]

Yeah I'm not given a choice. I will have one. They say it's to measure the Fluid output so they can make sure they're putting enough fluid back in your body through your IV. Guys catheters do have to go further so removal won't be great but it is what it is

[jennafah 81]

I had a catheter after the surgery but as soon as I was in recovery, i kept asking them to remove it. I find it uncomfortable. I rather walk to the bathroom than have that annoying thing stuck up there. Removal wasn't pleasant either. Yikes!

[AvaFern 3,516]

I would have killed for a catheter. Ok, maybe not, but I would have been darned happy to have one. I did not have one for surgery and I didn't have one after and they fill you with SO many fluids you are up going to the bathroom what felt like every hour at least. I was so SO sick of having to wheel my stupid monitor into the bathroom (which I remember had this irritating lip that I had to lift the thing over). Everytime I'd fall asleep, I'd wake right up again to have to use the bathroom. In theory, it would have been wonderful, but in practice, catheters come with a high risk of a UTI so I'm good with not having had one. I had one for all three of my plastics surgeries and my second one I ended up with a wicked UTI, so I sort of got off the yay-catheters-are-awesome bandwagon after that.

[anikka 32]

I'm being sleeved on 5/28 and during our pre-op class, we were told we would NOT have a catheter. The nurse explained that we would be asked to eliminate just before sedation and that they want us getting up and moving around as much as possible after surgery so they don't do it anymore. She also said we would be under for such a short period of time that we wouldn't need a catheter.

[Sutter Phoenix 3]

Thanks very much for all the replies. I very much appreciate them, and they are helping me to think this through.