Does/has anyone self catheterised?

[SchroSawMargeryDaw]

I'm 25+3 weeks pregnant. I have a cystocele from having DS and was due to have a cystoscopy and urethral dilation before I found out I was pregnant.

Obviously I can't have that anymore, especially because it has to be done under general anasthetic on me. I am in agony trying to pee all the time and constantly feel like I need to go and bladder never feels empty. I am up and down constantly sometimes with no luck after 30 minutes or so, then I stand up and need to sit down again.

I'm getting constant UTIs and am just getting fed up with it, I can also feel the cystocele is worse as before when I lay down it would disappear or after I had went to wee but now it's really quite big and is just about to come outside my vagina a lot of the time. :(

Can anyone give any advice? I would really like to self cath, I asked my GP about it and she said that it wouldn't be advised when pg because of the risk of introducing infection however I cannot see using a sterile catheter with clean hands is any more of a risk than the constant retention and UTIs.

Have you had a bladder scan to check how much residual urine is left inside when you pee? If it is excessive then some sort of catheterising may be a good idea. I have no great knowledge of catheters/ISC during pregnancy though.

No, I was due to have the cystoscopy and had my date and had pre-op assessment then I found out I was pregnant and when they phoned to confirm the appointment I told them and they took me off the list and I haven't been offered another appointment with anyone.

You may be able to get them to do an ultrasound of the bladder to see how much urine is not being peed out. Back in the dark ages we used to do them to check people were able to empty the bladder fully after a catheter was taken out, if they still had more than a certain volume ( can't remember exactly how much now) then they went back to a catheter.

Either way, I think it's definitely worth asking for a further appt with the urology to look at your current options. Both incomplete emptying and catheters carry some risk of infection. If you haven't been discharged by the consultant you may be able to arrange this by phoning their secretary and asking for an appt in clinic.

Thank you for that advice! I will phone Uro and ask them if I can have another appointment, hopefully that will be easier.

When I had my 20 week ultrasound I went to wee just before I went in and the Sonographer was wanting me to try and go again as there was still a lot of wee. Ultrasound sounds like a good option.

And from what I can find out, women who usually self cath continue to do so during pregnancy, they just might need a longer tube to do so. I wonder if your GP isn't the best person for this and a urology appt either with a Dr or a specialist nurse might be really helpful.

Hope you get something sorted.

Trying to get through to Urology.

Thank you. :)