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Catheter out after 13 days RP?

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Posted 5/23/2011 1:26 PM (GMT -5)
Hello, Husband is getting around with his catheter well, and is suppose to get it out . It will be 13 days and he is to get a xray first. Just wondering what he should expect. Any pain , discomfort? 13 days not to early? Any issues after pain/discomfort/relief/? 

Should he increase his activity level, (walking, kegals), avoid the lifting for 4-6 weeks? Thanks

Posted 5/23/2011 1:35 PM (GMT -5)
The test is to see if the urethra is healed and not leaking. Pulling of the Cath was no big deal. I was scared to death but beep breath and zing it was gone. Was advised to being an adult diaper to get home. I did as was told.

I was one of the luck ones and did not have the leaking problem. Just a few dribbles from time to time for the fist wk then Dry. I did lots of walking even with the big bag in my hand before the catheter was pulled. After I was free I increased my walking and i do think it helped me heal faster.

It is a great day to loose that plastic snake!

Cajun Jeff
Posted 5/23/2011 1:37 PM (GMT -5)
My brother had his catheter out after 8 days.
He can expect the removal to sting a little.
Painful urination, blood in urine, pain, incontinence are possibilities for a period afterward.
Symptoms fade away for most. Continence varies and often improves over time.
Posted 5/23/2011 1:39 PM (GMT -5)
All based on my DaVinci experience -

Catheter out after 7 days.

No bladder tests or xrays or fill tests, just pulled it.

No pain, just relief to be done with the bladder spasms.

Was on "no driving" rule for one month.

Was on "no lifting" over FIVE (5) pounds for two months, followed by no lifting over TEN (10) pounds for another ~6 weeks.

No upper torso exercise - that limit was pulled at 5 months.

Increase walking as tolerated. I tried to do two sessions, at least 30 minutes each, one morning, one later in the day, and did a round of Kegels after each, then another set of Kegels in the middle of the day (increasing Kegels until they hurt does no good, and actually may set back the incontinence progress). As I got better, I could walk further / faster during the sessions, but used that total 1 hour a day as an objective. It was also all that my pant & pads would hold shakehead

 

Posted 5/23/2011 1:44 PM (GMT -5)
Tell him to not goof like I did... He needs to wear briefs and not boxers...so he can wear a pad and not leak all over the place.

Posted 5/23/2011 1:46 PM (GMT -5)
i was also scared to death and it was no big deal at all. Takes 1 second and really is nothing to worry about. Bigger issue psychologically is making sure you can pee after it is taken out.
Posted 5/23/2011 1:46 PM (GMT -5)
I forgot to ask. We should be getting the results of the biopsy also. I should also get a copy of that? Is that something that needs to get a second opinion? I did have that done with his original biopsy
Posted 5/23/2011 1:46 PM (GMT -5)
Pulling out the catheter is no big deal. I had mine in about 10 days. Be prepared for incontinence. I used Depends for about a month, then went with the smaller underwear liners for another six weeks. No leaking since. Take care and hang in there......Tim
Posted 5/23/2011 1:50 PM (GMT -5)

I took my catheter out at 6am on day 10...didn't have any pain just felt odd. I did it at home with the blessing of my surgeon as I didn't want to drive the 70ish miles back to his office. My younger brother did the same thing. I was wet for about 3 hours (may have been longer I don't have my notes with me) which caused me to have some anxiety.  However after that initial period I have been in good shape.  My message is don't let him get worried about leakage for the first few hours.

Best of Luck,

Hero

Posted 5/23/2011 1:57 PM (GMT -5)
Yes, ask for a copy of the complete post-op pathology report. It is probably the most important piece of paper to come out of all this.

I did not ask for a review of the slides. You can, if you want, and if your insurance will pay, or you want to invest in it.

And yes, I was (and still am) a leaker. It was 5 months before I stopped using the Depends pants and pad combo. Will probably be on pads forever unless I do something as a surgical solution.

Posted 5/23/2011 2:14 PM (GMT -5)
No pain, just relieved to get that big hose out! My catheter was in for about the same amount of time. Some burning still and not the same flow intensity pre surgery but the same volume. Take care
Posted 5/23/2011 2:34 PM (GMT -5)
Hello Klains; My RRP was in July of 2010, and had the catheter out on Aug 5. I was expecting it to be painful, but it wasn't. There was an odd feeling for just a couple of seconds, but that was all. I had another urological surgery in December, and had to have a catheter overnight. I took this one out myself.

When the first cath was removed, I leaked a lot the first day, but none that night. I walked a LOT before the surgery, and also while healing up. I just learned to deal with the catheter, but I walked several miles every day. As soon as the cath was removed, I started doing the kegals, and I still do them occasionally now when I think about it.

I wore pads for the first few days, and a diaper at night for about a week. After the second day, I noticed that I was leaking less, and finally reached the point where I "got the urge" to pee again. It felt different, and required a lot less time to pee than before the surgery. I continued doing the kegals several times each day, and after about ten days, I had 95% control. Within a month, I was 99.9%.

Even today, if I allow my bladder to get full, and if I was to lift something heavy, and cough, or sneeze, I will have that sensation of leakage. Sometimes I'll lose a drop or two, usually not, but eitherway, it's nothing that the briefs cannot handle.

Your guy will do fine. Just encourage him with the kegals.

Please keep us posted.

k
Posted 5/23/2011 2:45 PM (GMT -5)
Hi Klains, - Removal of the Catheter is normally a "non-event", except for the unusual sensation on the way out, but not at all painful and lasts briefly. It is normally a great sense of relief to return to "normal" urine functioning and no longer be tethered to the Urine bag. Unless there are unusual complications, he should be fine. The extent of initial leaking varies widely by individual (age often being a factor), but should steadily improve in most cases, sometimes gradually and other times suddenly. If he has had no great problems with it in, he will probably have little problem with it out, and should enjoy a liberating sense of freedom,

I suggest that you always get copies of Pathology Reports and even Lab results for your records. Unless there is some specific reason because of one or more of the results, there is usually little reason for a second opinion on "Pathologic" results, which are those garnered post-surgery, where the entire Prostate is available for examination. Unlike the "Clinical" results available pre-surgery, which are those obtained from examining very small tissue SAMPLES that may, or may not, truly represent the status of the Cancer present, "pathologic' results are far more reliable and ALWAYS take precedence over the findings expressed "clinical" Pathology Report.

Unfortunately, "Pathologic" results are only available to those choosing radical surgery as their treatment, since all other treatment forms, where the Prostate is treated while in place within the body, must make conclusions based upon the less reliable, educated assumptions drawn from the "Clinical" (Biopsy) Pathology Report. Far more expert PCa second opinions are requested and rendered upon Biopsy samples than on surgical samples.

Good luck and I hope recovery is rapid and complete, with "undetectable" (<0.1 ng/ml) PSA results from now on. - John@newPCa.org (aka) az4peaks
Posted 5/23/2011 2:57 PM (GMT -5)
klains, catheter removal is not painful and is over almost before you know what's going on.  My wife, who is an R. N., watched the procedure and did say she was surprised how long the tube was as it was removed.  I had taken a couple of pads with me, and the uro gave me one.  These were the male Guards from Walgreens, which fit nicely in the front of a pair of briefs.  What a relilef to be rid of that catheter!

We went straight from his office to an Olive Garden to celebrate, and then to a nursery, where my wife shopped for some plants (payback for the great care she had provided).  I was relieved to find that I hardly leaked at all and had normal urination with good control.  Nights were problem free.  I slept normally and did not leak overnight.

By eight weeks I was as good as eThis weekend, nine months after surgery, I helped  my wife's sister remove furniture from her deceased parents-in-law's house, and even moving couches and other heavy items caused no problems.

Recovery of continence is an individual thing....sometimes almost immediate, and sometimes very slow to recover.  Your husband needs to be patient with himself,.  There may be setbacks, and days when he feels he's not improving.  He should gradually increase his physical activity, and probably pee preventively for a while before the bladder becomes too full and leads to an "accident."  Good luck.

Posted 5/23/2011 2:57 PM (GMT -5)
Klains, tell you hubby congrats on getting the cath removed. You are getting a lot of good advice and info from the rest of the guys.

While I also had da Vinci I did not have the same cath as all the rest of the guys here. Mine was SupraPubic. It was a tube that ran out from my abdomen. Mine allowed me to test my ability to hold water and pee normally before the cath was removed. I only had mine in for 6 days. While I wore pads for the first week or so as a precaution, I never really had any issues with continence.

Good luck on the big day. The advice to walk and drink lots of water is really good advice. Seems kinda contradictory but it will help train the bladder and urinary control a little more.

Best to you and your husband,

Sonny
Posted 5/23/2011 3:33 PM (GMT -5)
I have had 21 catheters in my journey, and none of them hurt coming out. Just a little creepy feeling. My orignal was in for 63 days after surgery, to allow additional healing time. He should do fine.

David in SC
Posted 5/23/2011 5:20 PM (GMT -5)
He also wonders if anyone has had a jabbing sensation from the tip of the catheter? If he sits in the wrong position, or after standing to long, or walking to long. (within the house)
Posted 5/23/2011 5:27 PM (GMT -5)
I want to welcome Az4peaks to the forum, He may be a new member here, but he and Gallileo, were and are my heros from Web MD when first diagnosed 08/09. Az4peaks is a wealth of information is well versed in Pca. I was never really up on his journey, so concerned with my own, at the time. His moniker was one , that when I saw his post, I read it intensely, thanks for all your help in the early part of my diagnosis from your posts and in one instance, continuous low grade fever, a personel response that was spot on. Not to embarrass, Glad your'e here! No itent to hi-jack thread..........
Posted 5/23/2011 10:34 PM (GMT -5)
Klains,

Yes, I constantly felt like something was jabbing me, but it seemed to go with having a balloon inflated in the bladder -

Posted 5/24/2011 2:35 AM (GMT -5)
Hi Klains,

On me they did an ultrasound not an x-ray. They reversed the flow of the catheter and filled my bladder to see if my urethra leaked. Once they were sure it was not leaking, they had me stand and hold urinating while they slipped the catheter out, told me to hold it in for a second to test my holding power. It was such a relief to let go that I never felt the tube coming out at all.

Even with wearing a diaper and pad when I left the Dr's I felt normal again. That was a big step
Posted 5/24/2011 1:05 PM (GMT -5)
Hi logoslidat, - Thanks for your welcome and your kind words. Best regards! - John@newPCa.org (aka) az4peaks
Posted 5/25/2011 11:38 AM (GMT -5)
Roger that, all true scool When az4peaks speaks, logoslidat, listens!
Posted 5/26/2011 7:02 AM (GMT -5)
I had major mental stress over the thoughts of cath removal. Mine was done 14 days post op. It did not hurt but made me flinch just a little. I was a bit embarrassed due to the urine flow following removal. I had no control over my bladder. After removal I was given a pad (which I would recommend the large depends diaper) and told to walk around and come back in an hour. Well, I leaked really bad but the ultra sound showed my bladder was being emptied which was a good thing. The first 30 days I thought the leakage would never stop. Gradually it got better. It's now 2-1/2 months post op and I only leak when doing something stressful like lifting heavy, sneezing or coughing.

One thing I have noticed; seems my bladder does not hold as much as it used to. I go more frequently with less volume. I don't no if this is normal or not. One thing about it, the flow rate is double what is used to be.
Posted 5/26/2011 7:49 AM (GMT -5)
Viperguy said:

I don't no if this is normal or not. One thing about it, the (urine) flow rate is double what is used to be.

Being able to pee like an 18 year old again was an unexpected benefit of the surgery.

Dan
Posted 5/26/2011 8:54 AM (GMT -5)
A lot of re-learning and re-training needs to be done after the catheter is out. As I understand it, the sphincter that controls flow from the bladder goes along with the prostate when the prostate is removed. The sphincter that is exercised by doing the Kegels becomes the sole control of urine flow rather than a secondary control thus its job becomes more critical and it needs strengthening and training to take over the job done by the sphincter that was removed with the prostate. Of course, the owner-operator of the revised plumbing also has to learn that things work and feel a bit different after surgery.

I know what you mean by increased urine flow. I had some restriction of urine flow due to a badly enlarged prostate but didn't realize how restricted until the catheter was taken out. I felt like I inherited a fire hose.
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