Hospitals and catheters, were you catheterized without notes?

Back in 1971 I had mangled my left arm in a bad accident. It was really bad. Like ready to cut off bad. Back then there was a specialist on the golf course who was brought in to save my arm. The last thing I remember was a nurse forcing an ether mask over my face and passing out. I awoke with my arm completely in a cast, and terrified about the out come. In a very short time I remember having to pee. After maybe an hour or so, with the help of a nurse I was helped to the bathroom. I was in no position to be walking but had to go. Between the trauma to my arm, the cast, my brain coming off of the ether, I still felt this instant painful burning the moment I started to pee. Not thinking clearly at all, I finished and did not mention this to the nurse.

Now: Was I catheterized ? If so, I'm guessing they took a lot of liberties back then...? If that's going to happen, I would think they would tell you a head of time.... but at that age, I wouldn't have had a clue what they were talking about anyway. Maybe they had spoken to my parents. I wonder if a hospital today will tell you ahead of time your going to be catheterized???

Nope ......

They don't.

I've had three surgeries, and every time I woke up ....... SURPRISE!!!!

For my ankle surgery, the Doc told me they would catheterize me since I was staying overnight - but they would take of all that once I was under. It wouldn't have mattered if he told me or not.

It's not uncommon to be unable to pee after general anesthesia. It's called POUR (Post Operation Urinary Retention) and is pretty common from what I've gathered. Having been there several times, this is what happens.

For a number of hours before surgery, you are not allowed anything to eat or drink. This is partly so you don't puke and likely so your bladder doesn't get overfull during surgery. One is offered a chance to pee before surgery. I don't think catheters are routinely inserted either before or when you are put under for surgeries lasting under several hours. At least I've never been cathed that way.

Frankly, I'd never want to be cathed with either a local anesthetic or while under general. Pain is a warning not to be ignored. Not all nurses are experts or are gentle.

After you are awake from the anesthesia, you get to pee... if you can. You may well not be able to. In this case, your bladder will likely get scanned to see how much pee is in you. If it's less than 300 - 400 ml, they won't cath you because of the risk of a UTI. There is a non-zero chance of getting a UTI with every cathing. They generally wait until the scan shows about 600 (sometimes more) of pee in you before cathing. BTW, scanning for pee is a quick, painless, and completely non-invasive procedure. There are videos on YouTube.

If the scan shows you are retaining enough pee and still can't go, they may opt to wait a while or cath you with and in-and-out or perhaps put in a Foley for a while or overnight.

Generally, having a catheter should not hurt going in or coming out or cause continuing discomfort. Improper insertion, lack of lubrication, and UTIs can cause discomfort.

I was just put under for some heart related procedures. I was on the table for 6 hours. I had no idea it would be so long but they did tell me I would be cathed. I woke up and had to lay still for 8 hours so having a Foley in was nice. The last time they gave me a urinal and I had to pee bad. You ever try peeing while laying flat? Not easy. Anyway about 8 hours after the procedure the nurse pulled the Foley by deflating the balloon which I didn't even know it had, then grabbed willie and the cath and pulled it out. I could feel it coming out but can't say it was painful or any major discomfort. It was weird though. She made sure I peed afterwards. She didn't care about the amount, just wanted to see pee to confirm the pipeline was working. Interesting to say for sure and so far so good on the procedure as well.

If you’re being given IV fluids while you’re not fully coherent, or coherent enough to use a urine collection container in bed, a Foley will be inserted, or they will sometimes use an intermittent catheter to relieve you. It’s common practice that doesn’t usually require consent.

I became a paraplegic due to a motorcycle crash in 2007. I’m now an expert in urinary catheterization. It comes with the territory.

Absolutely if you are having surgery their is a 85 percent chance you will wake up cathed. Depends on the doctor but most doctors will order a catheter. And yes a bladder scan is painless it is very similar to a ultrasound.

Typically, they want you to prove you can pee without the catheter before discharging you from hospital. Typically this is done one of these ways:

The Foley is removed and you sit around and wait until your bladder fills enough naturally and you pee. It doesn't matter really how mutch you pee, just that you can. Typically, a person makes about 100ml of pee an hour and the urge to pee starts when there is ca 300ml in your bladrer, so this may take three hours plus. If they're going to do the test this way, they remove the Foley several ours before your discharge time.

The other way is to backfill your bladder with sterile saline.When you have a Foley in, your bladder is pretty much empty. For this test, the pee bag is disconnected and a couple of hundred ml of sterile saline in injected into your bladder through the Foley, the catheter is plugged, and the balloon deflated and removed. If you feel the pee urge, you can pee right away and complete the test. If not, you have a head start on the test as above.

In either case, if you can't pee and a bladder scan shows you are retaining pee after several hours, you likely will get cathed again.

Typically, they want you to prove you can pee without the catheter before discharging you from hospital. Typically this is done one of these ways:

The Foley is removed and you sit around and wait until your bladder fills enough naturally and you pee. It doesn't matter really how mutch you pee, just that you can... In either case, if you can't pee . . . you likely will get cathed again.

When my ex was in the hospital, they removed her catheter and she couldn't void, so they reinserted a catheter (actually, I got the nurse's aide to get me a sterile Foley pack and I inserted it because they spent over 30 minutes on shift change and I had called them three times -- that became interesting when half the floor nursing staff and two residents arrived after I was done). Because they wanted to send her home, I asked them to teach her to intermittent cath and they did they next day. She was discharged and within two days, was able to void on her own.

I was cathetetized during prostate surgery and wasn't removed for about a week. During the day I had a leg bag for mobility and a larger bag for sleeping. I was also catheterized during hip replacement surgery but it was removed the next day.

I had the opposite problem. I have self cathed for about 10 years. I had a total shoulder replacement. I was sent home 24 hrs after the OR but while waiting, I found no one had written a catheter order either by myself or by nurses so I went home with about 1500 ml on board.

Guess my first action when I got home. Live and learn.

... Because they wanted to send her home, I asked them to tech her to intermittent cath and they did they net day. She was discharged and within two days, was able to void on her own.

This happened to me after my first birth. It was pretty traumatic. I had no health insurance so they weren’t going to admit me. They taught my (now ex) husband how and he had to cath me for about a week.

I went into the hospital to have my heart checked out. They ran a catheter in my thigh nd checked to see I didn't have any blockage in my veins. When they finished they sent me back tot eh room, I was to be discharged later, but a fellow held the vein where they went in and did that for a couple of hours. I asked why they didn't put a catheter in me so I could pee, I was told that they ended up with more problems than it was worth it. UTI's seemed to be prevalent, so I was given an urinal and I had to lay flat and pee in the urinal. It wasn't easy and later they told me I could have breakfast or lunch. I got what I wanted, then later when they put the pacemaker in me I had to eat a salt free lunch and dinner. I ordered something to eat and they told me I was a heart patient and so I had to have a heart healthy diet. I had hoped to have a catheter placed in me, but that didn't happen. I had to use a urinal and they kept track of how much pee I put out.

The only time I got catheterized was when I had my Botox injections into my bladder to help control my very overactive bladder. The woman who did it was wonderful. I didn't feel it at all, all I felt was my bladder draining into the tray which she took a sample of my urine to see if I had any infections in my bladder. I loved every second of it. Then she injected some numbing agent into my bladder and let me wait till it took effect before the Dr. came in and inserted the scope and the needle to inject the Botox.

@Czorro

Hospitals do not put in Foleys unless absolutely needed.

People produce about 100ml of pee per hour and an adult bladder can usually hold at least 600-800ml without real difficulty. So if a procedure is going to take less time, they often won't cath. Also, some drugs given during surgery can cause Post Operative Urinary Retention. I've been cathed for that reason.

Peeing lying flat is hard and you likely won't properly empty, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Most people eat far too much salt even for people w/o heart disease. US fast food, especially stuff like snack chip and french Fries, are absolutely loaded.

Also, be especially careful of canned soups, etc. One can can have 2 1/2 to 3 standard servings and many days of salt.

And if salt is and issue stay away from processed meats; lunchmeat, bologna, almost anything canned has a lot of salt to preserve it. Canned tomatoes, tomato sauce are high.

Hi everyone,

Just for y'alls information, I have been on a salt free diet since 1964 or there about. My cholesterol is very low. The good cholesterol is not high, the bad cholesterol is low also. Triglycerides are well below the the suggested normal.

I don't eat a lot of processed meat.

I have lost over 80 lbs. my medications have changed and I am doing well for an old ,man.

I was sort of disappointed that they didn't catheterize me for the heart catheterization since I had to lay there for about 6 hours while someone held my thigh so the vein would close up and I couldn't get up to walk around. So as Sean said, peeing while laying down is not easy or nice, but I got it done.