Bleeding after foley catheter removal.

Last night I inserted a 16f silicone foley and kept it inserted attached to a bed bag for the duration of the night. This morning when I woke up and removed it I experienced some bleeding from my urethra !?!?!?!? Is this normal ? I've never had that happen before and hope I didn't do any real damage.

Indwelling catheters or catheters left in place can cause serious problems. You'll probably be fine. Lay off them for a few weeks until you heal. Don't leave them in overnight.

Neospektra

I don't normally leave a catheter in place for more than half an hour or so. For me at any rate its the insertion, loss of control and the removal which is the attraction but everyone is different.

On very rare occasions I've had the merest trace of blood on the catheter or in a subsequent urination. I put this down to a slight 'edge' on the side hole at the distal (bladder end) of the catheter catching the urethral wall.

Can only advise not to repeat for a few days and then to insert and withdraw slowly. Don't move the catheter in and out to stimulate and make sure the balloon has fully deflated - watch how much water you use to inflate it and check how much you get back in the syringe - it should be within a whisker the same. Maybe when you've checked that, you could remove the plunger but leave the syringe connected so the lumen valve is held open in case the balloon has not fully emptied.

Hi neospektra it would appear that you may have caused some trauma during your sleep (usually as a result of moving and causing the catheter to be pulled or tugged). Such type of injuries are common if the attachment to the bed bag is short or firmly fixed to the bed, the catheter itself acts as an internal tourniquet so the active bleeding would have stopped. As BigK suggest don't insert a new catheter for a few days, and follow his excellent advice about the removal. A good practice to follow during insertion is to insert the catheter until the inflation port touches the tip of the penis to prevent accidental inflation of the balloon in the urethra.

A final piece of advise should you continue to have heavy bleeding, burning or stinging then consult your doctor

There is bleeding and there is bleeding. I few drops or even a few teaspoons are not a big deal. It will stop Use a bit of pressure and a panty liner taped around your organ to keep from making a mess. You may experience some burning on urination. Again, this will heal in a few days.

Now lots of blood or prolonged bleeding needs to be looked at. It justifies a trip to the doctor or emergency department. If you are concerned enough to seek medical attention, you need to be honest about what happened. The more BS you give them, the more "interesting" the medical personnel can make your visit. This is one case where boring basic treatment is the most desirable.

Speed

According to a catheterization page I read recently (can't remember which one), this can happen. It gave advice to not try catheterization for at least a week and to drink plenty of fluids. And BigK's advice is sound aswell.

Blood is scary for me. I disagree with the person who thinks a few teaspoons of blood are ok! I stay away from the catheter for several days. Limiting a catheter insertion for only a half hour isn't necessary, however. Real patients use Foley catheters hours, days, and even forever, getting them changed periodically. It does make a difference what the material is. For really atraumatic passage there are hydrophilic materials used for intermettent catheters. Silicone coated latex should be the minimum for a foley catheter, not plain latex. I've used this kind a long time, leaving them in up to 3 days, but usually only 2 days. For a longer--one week--I get expensive ($35) silver coated catheters which have been shown to reduce chance of infection.

The other tip is to try the next size down.

Realistically, a few teaspoons of blood is not a serious bleed. I've lost more than that from falling off my bicycle.

Yes blood is scary to most people and that is probably good. Most assuredly, one should wait for several days, I personally would wait at least two weeks, after have post-catheterization bleeding.

Speed

I have just had an occasion when there was blood in the catheter when I withdrew it. Not much but enough to frighten me a bit. I read a hospital patient information leaflet that said it is not unusual. The bleeding disappeared after the first couple of stinging pees. My own theory is that it is the fairly sharp edge of the opening(s) in the side of the catheter tip which cause the trauma. I think I will change to a softer e.g. latex catheter from the silicon ones I have been using.

From my experience.. the silicone catheters are 'a bit stiff' and seem to rub around the bladder and cause irritation. pure silicone has always caused a tiny amount of bleeding.. one day I decided to masturbate with a silicone foley until orgasm.. my urine bag turned a light shade of red after orgasm and for several hours.. I decided THAT WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA.. everything A-OK after a day, but a bit scary.

Silastic (patented DOW product) has the "non-stick" properties of silicon and the pliable properties of the cheap silicone-coated latex.. they are $15+ each, expensive.. but if you want to wear for an length of time, it's worth the money..

I don't think the bladder was designed for masturbation with a rubber hose inserted, feels really good, but it wasn't designed for that, so some bleeding may occur rarely.

I think it may be down to the ballon part when deflated and leaving a small ridge, that what I found when i used one.

Mike

[quote author=miceman link=topic=34396.msg333336#msg333336 date=1296248507]

. . . . . I read a hospital patient information leaflet that said it is not unusual. The bleeding disappeared after the first couple of stinging pees. . . . . .[/quote]

The fact that your bleeding stopped after "the first couple of stinging pees" DOES NOT in any way mean the urethra has healed. If you're are playing with catheters, you should stay away from them for at least three weeks.

One notice: Keep in mind, that blood is a good dye.So few drops mixed with urine can look scary, even if you do not expect something like that...

Common advice: Do not avoid peeing for stinging.Drink a lot of water to reduce salinity and this reduce stinging (and eventually this prevent a narrowing for scar). And of course - cranberry juice or cranberry pills to avoid inflammation.

Bleeding from a catheter, cannot say i've had the experience as i only use 14 fr. but i've had bleeding occur after using a larger sound, one that's around the equivalent of 16 fr. scared? nope, just a bit wondering as to why

I've only used them for medical purposes, but never had any bleeding. I'd stay away from them for a while.

My emate, an RN, brought home a whole fistful of vendor's samples of urinary caths (no self-retaining). Woohoo! She got me up to a 32fr, but we did get a little blood with that one, so we backed off. Wish it hadn't made me bleed, as the insertion and extraction were heavenly. What good hands she had . . .

Dont forget to use allot of lubricant.