Still Have Foley - DVH Pelvic Floor Reconstruction 06/25

On Monday June 25th I had a Davinci Hysterectomy, cystectomy on my right ovary, anterior repair with biomesh, posterior repair, perinioplasty, labiaplasty, and TVT sling.

I was unable to pee after the Foley was removed on Tuesday, so I came home from the hospital with a Foley Catheter in place. Went to the doctors yesterday, and was only able to void 100cc at barely a trickle. The nurse then got 800cc of urine when she catheterized me.

So the Foley is back in and we will try again on Friday the 6th of July.

The doctor said there was a lot of scar tissue between my bladder and vaginal fascia and separating the space between the two was very slow going. I had biomesh used to repair the cystocele. She feels that my poor bladder is just very irritated and needs more time to rest.

We don't think that the TVT sling is too tight. She said she is very conservative with the tightening of the sling, leaving plenty of slack. I was able to pass some urine, at a slight trickle, on Friday so I don't think that the sling has caused my urethra to be pinched, unable to pass urine at all.

Anyone else take this long to recover with a Foley?

Any suggestions on the best way to recover so that my bladder will wake up and work on Friday?

Anything I should or should not be doing?

I had surgery also on the 25th. It was a lot less complicated than yours. I had a vaginal hysterectomy and kept both ovaries.

On Tues. after the surgery I could only pee a trickle, then with the catheter removed over 850 cc's more. We waited a few hours and tried again and the same thing happened so they sent me home with a Foley to allow my bladder to rest and 'wake up'.
I went back to the doctor on Thursday and was able to go but still had trouble voiding all the way. It was good enough to go home though. So this is my second day without the Foley.
I've heard that some women need one for a couple of weeks after surgery, especially with all the repairs they did with you, it maybe pretty normal.
I hope you get to have the Foley removed on the 6th. I think that has been the worst part of it for me so I totally understand, sweetie. Let us know how it goes!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by thinkingoutloud I had surgery also on the 25th. It was a lot less complicated than yours. I had a vaginal hysterectomy and kept both ovaries. On Tues. after the surgery I could only pee a trickle, then with the catheter removed over 850 cc's more. We waited a few hours and tried again and the same thing happened so they sent me home with a Foley to allow my bladder to rest and 'wake up'. I went back to the doctor on Thursday and was able to go but still had trouble voiding all the way. It was good enough to go home though. So this is my second day without the Foley. I've heard that some women need one for a couple of weeks after surgery, especially with all the repairs they did with you, it maybe pretty normal. I hope you get to have the Foley removed on the 6th. I think that has been the worst part of it for me so I totally understand, sweetie. Let us know how it goes!

Thank you for the reply and encouraging words. I'm glad you were able to leave old Foley behind.

I'm fighting the temptation to 'what if' myself to death with this snag in my recovery. I've just accepted that I will have it until at least July 6th and am trying to look at the bright side of things.

Now I can drink all I want and not have to worry about having to get up constantly to pee.

No more fluid restriction at night so that I can sleep through the night without having to get up to pee.

And it helps me look more like a patient, which reminds me to continue to take it easy. I

t makes people in real life feel really sorry for me and wan to do nice things for me.

For instance; My daughter showed up this morning offering to paint my toenails for me. She loves me. I didn't accept just yet, but took a rain check.

Not unusual to take a couple weeks for your bladder to settle down . I had my
Foley for two weeks post op from bladder surgery in 2003

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Molly50 Not unusual to take a couple weeks for your bladder to settle down . I had my Foley for two weeks post op from bladder surgery in 2003

So did it just start working after they took it out?

Was there a bit of a relearning curve for your bladder?

Your bladder is a very sensitive organ. They don't like to be "handled" so sometimes they just don't "wake up" right away after surgery. You then need to give it time to rest. I was so scared that with my LAVH that I would end up going home with a catheter but this time I was fortunate. You can search on this site and see how common it is to go home with a catheter. Be patient.

I went home with Mr. Foley for 10 days, and I was FREAKED OUT
about it when I left the hospital. At home it seemed like it depressed me so much I couldn't get better, because my mental state was really
in shock that so much pain, so much surgery, so much crap I hated happening to me and nothing I could do to change it. I was so nervous when I went to get it out, I was sure that I would never pee again normally, and guess what? I did fine.
You will too.
Here is the best way to recover: Rest. Watch TV. Take pain meds if needed, now is not the time to be a myrtar, Eat as well as you can,
take stool softners so you don't get constipated and metamucil and milk of mag, whatever it takes. Try not to worry, it will be alright, I have really never heard of anyone who didn't finally pee ok.
Also, let your daughter paint your toenails, and when you look at them, smile. It is good to have someone who loves you, especially when you are feeling crappy, and beyond crappy.
I am facing my second surgery this year very soon, so I guess I have another date with Mr. Foley. First I had a Hysterectomy with bladder repairs and TVS and NOW I have a grade 3 rectocele that is begging attention, and causing pain you know where. Only good thing about it is my deductible is paid for the year.......Oh well I try to look on the bright side of things.

Oh and here is a urinating tip I got from the hospital nurse.
Take a big breath in and blow it out slowly like you are
blowing thru a straw,it will help your bladder empty and keep you from tensing up. Also helped me to run some water in the bathroom sink while trying.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Flamewoman Oh and here is a urinating tip I got from the hospital nurse. Take a big breath in and blow it out slowly like you are blowing thru a straw,it will help your bladder empty and keep you from tensing up. Also helped me to run some water in the bathroom sink while trying.

I read that here before my surgery. I tried it and it didn't work. I even got a straw to blow through as I tried to relax and let my bladder do its job. It wasn't budging.

I also got tips from friends. There was one person that needed warm water from the peri bottle being sprayed on her to get the flow started. One could relax and go if she gently stroked the top of her crack.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Flamewoman I went home with Mr. Foley for 10 days, and I was FREAKED OUT about it when I left the hospital. At home it seemed like it depressed me so much I couldn't get better, because my mental state was really in shock that so much pain, so much surgery, so much crap I hated happening to me and nothing I could do to change it. I was so nervous when I went to get it out, I was sure that I would never pee again normally, and guess what? I did fine. You will too. Here is the best way to recover: Rest. Watch TV. Take pain meds if needed, now is not the time to be a myrtar, Eat as well as you can, take stool softners so you don't get constipated and metamucil and milk of mag, whatever it takes. Try not to worry, it will be alright, I have really never heard of anyone who didn't finally pee ok. Also, let your daughter paint your toenails, and when you look at them, smile. It is good to have someone who loves you, especially when you are feeling crappy, and beyond crappy. I am facing my second surgery this year very soon, so I guess I have another date with Mr. Foley. First I had a Hysterectomy with bladder repairs and TVS and NOW I have a grade 3 rectocele that is begging attention, and causing pain you know where. Only good thing about it is my deductible is paid for the year.......Oh well I try to look on the bright side of things.

Thank you so much for these encouraging words.

I hope everything goes well with your rectocele repair. I had that done too, along with perinioplasty and labiaplasty.

The stitches started to get really sore today so I am going started using cloth pads instead of disposable ones. I felt relief immediately. I'm still sore but it's not nearly as bad as before. I figure I can deal with washing and reusing the cloth pads if it means I'll be more comfortable as I recover. Then when I'm all healed up I can throw them out!