New to site: self-cath or foley bag?

laproscopic, robotic, hysterectomy tomorrow. Can't decide whether to self-cath or foley bag. I am leaning towards the foley bag. Any advice?

Are you getting to choose? I have not heard of the patient getting to make that decision, but maybe it happens sometimes and I'm just not aware of it.

I went home with a Foley, so I'm biased towards that - I had a great experience with it and it was easy to deal with. I don't think I'd care for having to self-cath... I can see having trouble and being in a hurry and not being able to do it in time. However, others who may have experience with self-cathing might have a different view. Hopefully they'll stop by and share their experiences too.

s,
-Linda

Foley all the way! It's placed when you out and I had zero issues with it. In fact, it was nice to have the Foley for the first few hours in that I didn't have to get up to pee directly after surgery when I was still groggy. I had a da Vinci and had the Foley out in the middle of the night. I couldn't sleep so that's when I started walking the halls. Piece of cake : ) Good luck to you and see you on the other side.

Are you having more work done, such that they would want to leave a foley in over a day, or expect retention so as to need self cath? Normally, you just have a foley for hours to maybe a day postop, then it's removed, and no need to self cath. Usually it's not a choice you need to make. Do they anticipate problems?

Thanks for the advice. I was leaning towards the foley bag. I just couldn't imagine trying to self-cath when they want you to drink lots of fluids and pee every 2 hours. By going home with the bag, was it difficult to pee when the catheter was removed? Any problems with urinary tract infections? And do you think that I will be OK for Christmas? I am having the Da Vinci hysterectomy.

I am having the mesh sling for the bladder. So, I may be having to have the catherter for more than a couple of days.

So they expect you'll have retention issues, and you get to choose? Foleys do cause UTIs but self cathing can, too. Sometimes after a foley you need to retrain the bladder and that might mean self cathing. I'd ask your Dr which they advise and why, and ask about retraining if you need a foley for a while. Best wishes on your surgery.

I just had the davinci Friday, dec 16th. Foley was great, I would do it again. They took it out at 9am the following day and I was able to urinate immediately. With davinci you should not need it in any longer unless you cannot void for 8 hours after it's removed. You should go home voiding on your own-yes, you will be ok for Christmas, I can tell I will be able to walk into inlaws house on my own and find a comfy chair and I'll let anyone waite on me that wants too, lol, though I just told them I cannot guarantee my energy level I may need to leave after an hour or two to go home and nap, but if you truely rest and walk as directed between day 1 post op and christmas, you should def be enjoying christmas as long as you are not planning on doing much. Best of luck tomorrow-see you soon.

Foley catheters don't "cause" UTIs. I had mine in for a week at home and never had any sign of a UTI. It's all in how well you care for it - I was taught proper 'Foley hygiene' by the hospital nurses before I went home, while they were also showing me how to remove it when the time came.

*Most* women do not go home with a Foley catheter; however, sometimes when more work is done (in my case, A&P repairs with a vaginal hyst), there is so much swelling in the area that when the catheter is first removed at the hospital we cannot urinate on our own - the swollen tissues pinch the urethra closed. That is why the Foley is reinserted and left for several days to a week or so -- to give the swelling a chance to go down. At that point, removing the Foley catheter may result in being able to go on your own but also the feeling that you constantly have to go. Thus the need to "retrain" the bladder.

Retraining the bladder does not necessarily involve self-cathing; in fact, no one I know who's had a Foley at home and had to retrain their bladder after it was removed has had to self-cath. Retraining the bladder just involves consciously gradually increasing how long you can go in between trips to the bathroom. My DR had me keep a log of when I went; I started out the first day having to go about every 15-20 minutes and then gradually lengthened how long I could wait until by the end of about two weeks, it was several hours in between trips to the bathroom and I could sleep all night long without getting up.

(((sororitysister))) I hope you won't have to end up going home with the catheter, but if you do, don't worry... it's not the end of the world. I saw it as a good thing - gave me a chance to sleep without having to get up during the night when I first got home. It was not uncomfortable at all; if yours is, it may have slipped and need to be adjusted so don't hesitate to speak up.

Good luck with your surgery!

s,
-Linda

Thanks Kathy. I have my two grown sons home for Christmas and was beginning to think I was crazy for schedualing the surgery when I did. So off to the castle and then on to Christmas!!