6:30 AM Saturday: we got back from the hospital at 5 o’clock.
I am currently the proud possessor of a brand new catheter.
The initial one was removed yesterday afternoon. There is a long fiasco surrounding that, which I had thought that I would be writing about today. I probably will still describe the ordeal in due course, for it was what my daughter categorized as a shitshow. But for now it is about the night.
Once the first catheter had been removed, I was peeing like crazy — long and frequently. It was quite wonderful. It’s the little things, eh?
But then I couldn’t urinate at 11:30 last night after two hours of sleep. I slept some more and tried again at 1:30 with the same result, or lack of result, I should say. When 3:30 also yielded nothing, I was becoming rather concerned. I walked around the house, hoping to move things along — to no avail.
I woke Sue up at 4:00 and told her to get ready to go to Emerg.
So that is what we did on the freaking coldest night of the year at -32C/-26F, or even colder depending on the source.
Fortunately, the hospital is just a couple of blocks away. Fortunately, ER was devoid of other needy people, so there were no germs being shared, and I was also attended to pretty quickly. Most fortunately of all, the new catheter solved the problem.
Unfortunately, I will be catheterized through the weekend, which is what I had earnestly hoped to avoid. Unfortunately, I will have to deal with the situation again on Monday morning when I shall have to call my urologist to ascertain the next step.
For now, I am back in my chair with a new catheter attached and already emptied once, and this is after much was drained at the hospital.
But for now, I am fine. I’ve had coffee and toast and just have to fill in the next 9 hours or so before going to Jonathan’s birthday supper.
The boy came into this world 14 years ago, and it was about at this hour that we had also just got back home. Sue had been to the hospital with Shauna, and I had been at their place to tend to young Danica should she have required assistance.
It wasn’t cold like this though, I can tell ya. And I wasn’t connected to tubes, either. It was a better time.
I'm sorry about the complications. Let's hope for better from now on.
ReplyDeleteSorry to read about this setback, AC, and hope that next week brings better news and removal as well. Happy 🎂to Jonathan from a fellow February celebrant. It has been enjoyable to “see” your grandson growing up through your blog posts, similar to our own grands.
ReplyDeleteI hope this is resolved without much difficulty. What a setback, though.
ReplyDeleteWell that adventure wasn't expected, but a good outcome at least. Whew, on your cold cold cold. I see our weather maps that show up to Maine, but they unpolitely just make a grey area of Canada. What whimps. Happy birthday to your young man grandson.
ReplyDeleteYikes. That's absolutely no fun. I hope everything resolves quickly -- that had to be miserable.
ReplyDeleteOh my, hoping for no more bumps in the road to your healing. Enjoy the birthday party.
ReplyDeleteThe urology treatments are about as bad as they get for men. I hope this time that it wasn't a shit show.
ReplyDeleteI feel really bad for you. Hope it is all resolved soon.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that problem isn't all that unusual for the recent un-catharized. Hopefully they get you all sorted out.
ReplyDeleteI hope there are better days ahead for you in the near future, AC. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteThat's very irritating in more ways than one. You go through all that to get a problem fixed and then you end up at the ER? And in the more-than-freezing cold! Hope they can figure it out and get it...going. Happy Birthday to Jonathan!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely unpleasant.
ReplyDeleteThis is acute urinary retention. It could be lethal if the urine is not drained before the acute tubular necrosis happens. Most of the time, it is the atonic bladder after anesthetics exacerbated by a large prostate and existing faecal loading. or the previous catheter is inserted in a traumatic way.
ReplyDeleteI suspect the hospital will try to remove the catheter on Day 3 trying to wean the catheter off. However, if you were going to require a short-term catheter due to a very stretched bladder in this hospital presentation, make sure the catheter is made of silicone not latex.
When a patient is in the hospital for non-bladder stuff, but an indwelling catheter is used for the duration, we remove the catheter before discharge, BUT we wait 3 hours to make sure the patient can start urinating again. It sounds like your plumbing wasn't quite ready or healed enough not to collapse back on itself, so you need another few days with the "ever-keeping-it-open" tube. I'm willing to bet the catheter placed in the ER was a tad smaller in diameter than the post-surgery one. Maybe your plumbing just froze up in such cold weather! Good call to head to ER, and the middle of the night is the best and slower time. Good luck! Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteIt must be wonderful having Shauna advocate for you. I was so alone when JB was in this situation. sigh.
ReplyDeleteTake care! We are rooting for you.
I hope you are both warmer and doing better today. Yowie.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh... I'm so sorry you're having to go through this.
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