How to deal with catheter

[Wonderwalll]

I had surgery on my bladder last week and I have a Foley catheter in until at least Thursday. I hate it so much, walking around is so uncomfortable and I’ve started having a constant urge to pee and bypassing.

Does anyone have any tips on how to get comfortable for the next week or so? I think it’s quite a bit catheter which doesn’t help. DH has got man flu and I’m trying my best with a toddler and baby but really struggling! I could barely walk round Tesco this afternoon.

Hi both those signs may mean you have a urine infection. Can you get it checked?

Sounds like you're overdoing it, OP. Why on earth are you shopping and looking after kids when you've had surgery. Buy DH some man-up pills and kick him into touch for the sake of your health as well as your sanity.

If your catheter is by-passing, it's not correctly sited. Do you have a number to contact?

I can call the community nurse or out of hours gp tomorrow. It’s not bypassing massively, just occasionally feels like I’m sitting in a wet patch. It’s got a red tip which I’ve read means it’s quite a big gauge? It’s draining clear and doesn’t smell.

I had a catheter in for a week. My uterus blocked my bladder in early pregnancy. I know how uncomfortable they are. The constant urge to wee doesn't sound right though. Have you got some cranberry juice to drink, you might have a mild uti. Will you have a check up before Thursday? Or a number to phone?
You should be at home, not leaving the house to do errands and certainly not with the children. Book a food delivery from Tesco instead. Get your dh to get the paddling pool out or if budget allows buy a new toy/books/craft for the toddler to keep them occupied whilst you sit as much as possible.

I also have a ureteric stent, which might be causing the urge to pee! I had my ureter reimplanted into my bladder. Thursday I have a scan to make sure my bladder is healed.

You need checking over .call 111

I have some nitro in some I’m going to take one and call out of hours tomorrow morning. I don’t feel unwell at all. I had a nephrostomy for a long time before this so used to infection!

My wife had a catheter after a hysterectomy; a major problem was that the bag was secured by two Velcro straps at the top and bottom around her leg and that meant the bag slipped down to the limit of the tube as she moved her leg, with the bag basically dangling off the tube, held by the top of the catheter inside her bladder. That put pressure on the top of the catheter in her bladder and caused quite a bit of leakage and inflammation in the base of her bladder as the top of the catheter kept moving up and down. We got some “pockets” from Amazon that went around the entire leg and supported the bag much more securely. https://amzn.eu/d/0gurOCgM
That then eased the pressure on the bladder floor, and reduced the leakage, the urge to wee and the inflammation. Horrible few weeks for her - you have my sympathy.

It’s worst when getting up and down to change baby etc. I’m worried if I’m on antibiotics for suspected infection they won’t do the scan and I’ll have the catheter even longer!

Good Lord! You need to rest, not be charging around Tesco and looking after a toddler. The catheter can rub against your bladder wall as you move. Is the catheter sown in or can you move the catheter in and out a bit? You may not be completely draining with the position the catheter is in currently, hence the urge to wee all the time and the leakage.

It can move in and out a bit. When I left hospital last week the nurse said the feeling of needing to pee was normal? She said the balloon was quite low? It does come and go but has been quite bad this afternoon. I drunk 1.5l of water which did help so I’m wondering if it’s the stent too.

The nhs leaflet I got says you can live a normal life with the catheter so maybe I’m taking that too seriously 😂

Your husband needs a dose of man the fuck up and get on with it. Playing the man flu card leaving you to deal with toddler and Tesco is quite frankly pathetic. You need to be resting. He needs the riot act reading.

Get a home delivery / woosh order. You’ve had surgery. Your DH needs to get a grip and take over here, why on earth is man flu trumping your surgery? Honestly, men’s selfishness never fails to shock me.