Suprapubic Catheter

Just found out at the pre-op conference that my Doctor is planning to use a suprapubic catheter. She said it would probably be able to come out before I left the hospital. In following the posts containing information on S-P catheters I am finding stories about them being in quite a while post-op. Is this common, or, if there's not a problem do they just not get mentioned in the posts? I absolutely hated the regular catheter when I had the urodynamics testing for stress incontenance, so in some ways this sounds better, but not for 3 weeks!

Hi,
I guess each situation can be different.
I had a Foley catheter for three weeks after my TAH/BSO. I had a mass that was attached to my bladder, so they did a repair to my bladder. The DR said I had to leave it in to give the bladder a rest and a chance to heal up okay. It was inconvenient, but I tried to look at it positively-I didn't have to make all those trips to the bathroom! My sister had gone through it a year before me, and she thought she had the catheter removed at 2 weeks, and then when I didn't get mine out until the third week, she remembered that hers was in that long. too. Nice how the mind helps us forget the inconveniences as time passes.
I can't believe that four months have already gone by for me. This site is a blessing!
I wish you well with your upcoming surgery.

I have graduated to post op princess but I come back here every now and again.

Can I tell you that a catheter is actually a good thing? I was worried when they removed it because it meant that I had to get up out of my bed (OOOUCH, !!!) and dawdle to the bathroom. WIthout the cath, I had to run some water from the faucet to get the mind going....keep thinking...niagra falls....or sprinkler systems. It can be hard to urinate sometimes. But, while I was in my deepest pain, the catheter was a saving grace.

Please do not worry about that - it will help you heal. It is not so bad.

You can pm me if you need too - catheters are good sometimes.

love and hugs,
theo

Hi Laurent53,

I had a s-p cath for just under 3 weeks post-operatively. My Dr. had also told me during a pre-op visit that I would have it. He wouldn't specify for how long...just that he wanted to give my bladder a chance to rest after surgery. This was due to my having a radical hyst which included handling of the bladder and shaving of bladder tissue for path testing.

I admit that I was freaked at the thought of it. But, I can honestly tell you that it wasn't a big deal for me and I did appreciate not having to go to the bathroom frequently, especially in my early post-op days.

I've never had a foley cath, but from what I've read, I think that often times a s-p cath can be much more comfortable when a cath is needed for more than a couple of days. Mind you, I was thrilled and more than ready when it did come out .

Best wishes and s