Upcoming Hysterectomy on Jan 28th. Catheter concerns

Hello. I am very scared. I have to do this alone without any family member and it had sugeries before but this 1st time i have no one. I am scared about the catheder abd pain with it. How painful is it? How long it in for?

I think that how long the catheter is left in really depends on your individual situation and your surgeon's preferences. I had a catheter put in after I was asleep; it remained in place after I woke up, until the next morning, just before I was released from the hospital. Its removal was relatively uneventful; I just took a deep breath as the nurse gave it a quick tug, and it was out. When they do remove it, they'll likely want to ensure you're peeing okay before they'll release you, as they did with me, but I don't think that that will be a major issue. Best wishes for a successful surgery and a smooth recovery!

Good Morning Fantasia22,

Welcome here, glad you found us. Due to COVID protocol at hospitals many sisters here have had to go in and leave family/support person outside. I am sure this is hard, but know you will have a medical team that is there for you. Maybe you could stay in touch via phone until you are wheeled into surgery.

Regarding concerns with catheter, similar to what Tiger_eye stated the majority will only have one in during surgery and for a while after recovery. A few will need to go home with one, but this is based on the type of surgery and if the bladder is affected and if it needs a bit more time to heal.

I was only aware of the catheter when I woke up in recovery and had the choice to have it taken out after a few hours. I ended up staying overnight in the hospital due to some issues. The doctor decided to leave it in as fluids were being given and I would have had to get up often during the night. In the morning it came out with very little pain and I needed to urinate on my own a few times before being discharged.

Good Luck on your upcoming surgery and remember to check back in here after your surgery for your own special recovery thread with other ladies that had surgery the same week as you.

I've had a catheter a few times and never had any pain with it. It feels a bit odd going in and out but it's really nothing to worry about!

My surgeon wasn't planning on using a catheter but put one in since my abdominal incision was larger than planned and he didn't want me to have to get up to go to the bathroom. I didn't feel it at all. They removed after 24 hours or so and that was uneventful too.

Thank you. Everyone . Much Appreciated .

Mine was put in after I was asleep and removed before I was awake, However, I did end up with a bad UTI and needed 2 courses of antibiotics to clear it up. Do keep an eye out for that.

I was really nervous about the catheter too, but the only pain I experienced was getting out of bed with it in, as sitting up on it was not at all comfortable. Fortunately, once I proved I was mobile, it came out after 6-7 hours in. I was grateful for it while I was laying down it saved me from getting up to pee so much. Afterwards, peeing took concentration to let go and it was always a little hard to fully empty, but that only lasted about 7-10 days.

Hello, with covid going on I also was dropped off at door and had nobody with me but for me I was ok with that. They also released me about 4 hour after my surgery due to covid precautions. You can tell your nurse at pre op appointment you wld like something for your nerves when they start iv the day of surgery.
My surgery was about 4.5 hours long as i had a few other things needing fixed.
On the catheter.. they filled my bladder full of fluid then pulled it out..yes was uncomfortable..then i had to have urine output measured in catch cup on potty..well i missed it..
(DONT MISS THAT CUP)and so i had to be re-cathed to pull ramaining fluid out, then pulled out.Yes, that was excruciatingly painful even with pain meds. Just ask the nurses to be GENTLE! I did urinate blood and felt like I had an urinary tract infection with the severe burn when urinating. I called Dr. next day for pyridium prescription and finally could urine w/out crying!!
Then I had to urinate every hour with a full blader. That lasted for about 3 days and now 6 days post Op Im
"normal" urinating.

I had my hysterectomy on Monday 1/18 and will have the catheter in until at least Thursday 1/28, My uterus was attached to my bladder & so a urologist had to be called in to repair my bladder during the surgery. It is horrible. Not quite what I expected & so my recovery has been delayed. I had 2 c-sections (2003 & 2006) and now understand that it is not uncommon with c-sections to have the uterus scar tissue attach to the bladder.
Thankfully I brought to the hospital a maternity skirt which is loose enough to accommodate my swollen stomach and catheter bag when I left on 1/19.