Getting my catheter out

[Restorer]

I'm scheduled to get my catheter out on Wednesday! 

But I forgot to ask if I'll be able to drive myself home or if I'll need a ride. They didn't mention it, but they said I'd need to fast for 8 hours before. Does that imply some kind of sedation aside from the local anesthetic? The procedure is at a radiological imaging center, not the hospital, so I don't know what they can and can't do there.

Has anyone had a long-dwelling (mine has been in for 2 years) catheter removed? Did they use anything other than local anesthetic?

[MooseMom]

My mother had her catheter removed in the surgeon's office.  I was not right there with her when he took it out...I was waiting outside, but she looked pretty chipper afterwards.  It took all of 10 seconds.  She may have had a local anesthetic but I don't recall anything "deeper".  I did the driving, though.

Oh, and she had had hers for 18 months.

[cattlekid]

I had mine for a few months and I drove myself to work afterwards.  Just expect a lot of pulling and tugging and snipping and then a huge sense of relief.   

[Restorer]

Thanks. 

I guess I didn't need to ask; as soon as I got to dialysis, I was given a faxed appointment sheet with the "MUST HAVE DRIVER" box unchecked. So, I should be good to get myself there and back.

I looked at the instructions for removing the brand of catheter I have, and it says to NOT yank it. Removing it will have to involve cutting out the cuff, which is about an inch above the exit site. Fun! 

[Cordelia]

Hope everything goes okay.            I'm hoping to get mine removed this month sometime too. My fistula has been used with minimal problems since February and I'm really, really getting restless to get it removed.    I'll be curious how it goes, let us know, ok?           

I likely would have gotten the 'order' for it this week but because our lab had a spilling and they closed the lab down, the doctor won't be in this week because no labs were done. Now I have to wait til next week hopefully the doc will be in then and set up for the removal and I can get a date-I hope.       

Mine's been in it will be two years this coming August.

[big777bill]

Restorer I hope it all goes well for you next Wednesday. I've had Picc lines removed before and they were a piece of cake. I  know the long term catheters are more involved but they do this regularly with no problems. All I need is to get my buttonholes established and I'm right behind you, bye-bye catheter. 

[Whamo]

It's rather unpleasant, a lot of tugging at your chest, which can be unnerving.  But it doesn't hurt, and you should be able to drive home afterwards. 

[amanda100wilson]

I would be inclined to have someone drive me for the reason that if you were to be involved in an accident in the car it may be difficult to prove that your procedure was not a causative factor and it may also possibly invalidate your insurance.

[Restorer]

I would be inclined to have someone drive me for the reason that if you were to be involved in an accident in the car it may be difficult to prove that your procedure was not a causative factor and it may also possibly invalidate your insurance.

The insurance company could probably argue that about dialysis too, which I drive myself home from every time. It's not much of an additional risk.

It's rather unpleasant, a lot of tugging at your chest, which can be unnerving.  But it doesn't hurt, and you should be able to drive home afterwards. 

Couldn't be any more unpleasant than removing a ventilator tube, right? No gag reflex in my veins! 

[Gerald Lively]

My catheter was taken out on Tuesday.  It took about two minutes including the shot to deaden the area.  BFD.

[Poppylicious]

Blokey drove himself home after having his removed.  He did only have it about four months though.

[mykey711]

Essentially, they yank it out. You'llprobably get a local anesthetic at the entrance site. It's not a big deal.

[Restorer]

I'm pretty sure different types of catheters are taken out different ways. Some are more permanent than others. Some are older models that use inferior tunnel techniques. Mine is anchored very securely. If they tried to yank it out, they'd probably rip out chunks of flesh!

[Cordelia]

Wow! I had no idea there were 'different' types! LOL!

I wonder if they'll 'yank' mine out?         

[sullidog]

mine they cut out, my last one was a yanker, but I healed so well they couldn't yank that one, either so they had to cut.

[The Lady]

I'm pretty sure different types of catheters are taken out different ways. Some are more permanent than others. Some are older models that use inferior tunnel techniques. Mine is anchored very securely. If they tried to yank it out, they'd probably rip out chunks of flesh!

I use these kinds of permacaths as well.

I have had to have mine replaced like 4 times over the last year.

They will numb the area and then very carefully work the cuff out of your flesh. Once the cuff is freed, it really is just some pulling and tugging. It won't take very long and the discomfort is really minimal. The most you might need is a Tylenol or two over a couple days...if that.

Good luck!

[cassandra]

Well Restorer I think you have plenty of info now. Just wishing you all the best next Wednesday

love Cas

[rocker]

I watched hubby's get taken out.  There was a shot of lidocaine (pretty freaky, the skin around the cath blew up like a balloon, but it didn't seem to bother him), then some tugging.  I felt a little faint when the doc got the scissors out, and then there was some snipping, and more tugging, and some swearing and snipping, and then more tugging, and then it was out.  Hubs looked bored the whole time.

Then a bandaid, and we left.

  - rocker

[Riverwhispering]

Is the reason you all had catheters because you had hardly any warning that you had kidney disease?  I has plenty of warning and have my fistula ready to go when needed

[Restorer]

Is the reason you all had catheters because you had hardly any warning that you had kidney disease?  I has plenty of warning and have my fistula ready to go when needed

I had no warning that PD was going to fail for me. Well, okay, there was lots of warning, but we were trying hard to keep me off of hemo. But I put on too much fluid weight and had trouble breathing, so straight to the ER and then the hospital for a week. Towards the end they took the PD catheter out and put in a hemo catheter.

[Restorer]

I got it out this morning! 

The doctor first tried to reach in through the exit site to get the cuff to unstick so he could pull it all out, and of course that didn't work. I told him the cuff was much higher up, and he realized he'd have to start cutting. So he cut into my skin right where the cuff was, and said something like, "Oh, yeah. Wow. That's not going to come loose." After that it was like deboning a chicken leg - lots of cutting and basically peeling away flesh from the cuff with a scalpel. It took a while, and lots of lidocaine.

Then he stitched me up, and when everything was just about done, I felt lightheaded, so they tilted me back on my head and took my blood pressure - 117/73, which can be low for me, but isn't always. I got a dressing, then he looked at the scar on my neck where they originally inserted the catheter, because yesterday a nurse noticed a weird blemish on it, like there was a piece of stitching in the scar. He dug around a little, and said it looked like just a weirdly healed spot, maybe some dirt got caught in it, but it looked fine.

It was a weird experience. I did the whole thing sitting up. Lots of digging and scraping and tugging, and I didn't directly feel any of it, but I could tell where he was working, even down to which side of the cuff he was scraping at. But no pain. I even drove myself home. Now the pain is breaking through and I've taken some Tylenol.

[sullidog]

yours sounds like mine, I hear the hier up they are tunneled the cleaner it makes them.

[cassandra]

Well R thats done for now. Heal well up mate

[Jean]

Glad that is all behind you and now you can start healing and put it behind you. Happy that it all went well too.