Bladder control

[LoneHighway]

Just had a transplant on Monday and today they took out the catheter. I had been on dialysis for 5 years after a double nephrectomy. Now I have no bladder control. I can only hold about 100ml and leaking constantly.

Does anyone know how long this might last? I talked to the surgeon about this possibility this morning before the catheter was removed and he didn’t think it would be a problem but he was wrong.

Any help would be appreciated.

[kristina]

Hello LoneHighway,
I feel very sorry for your predicament and I do hope your doctors have been able to assist you a.s.a.p.? Could this problem be due to your 5 years of dialysis-treatments after  the double nephrectomy, that right now, after your transplant, your system needs to get “back into gear” etc.? As you can see, I have no experience with this, but I do remember, being told whilst I complained when my own kidney-transplant left me in constant pain directly underneath the transplanted kidney, due to some nerve "there" being damaged/severed during my kidney-transplant-operation, as I was told much later ...  and one of the student-doctors told me at one point, that it is very important to always completely empty the bladder each and every time, as an important way to avoid future problems and UTI’s. Could it be that you suffer from an UTI right now and it messes-up your recovery at the moment? Please check-up with your doctors a.s.a.p. and I wish you the best of luck from Kristina.
P.S.: I have just checked-up on Google and when it mentions kidney-transplant complications directly after the operations, that :

"Occasionally, urine may leak from where the ureter joins the bladder after surgery. This usually occurs during the first month after the procedure. The fluid may build up in the tummy or leak through the surgical incision.
If you develop a urine leak, you'll usually need to have further surgery to repair it".

[LoneHighway]

The problem is definitely a result of the lack of use for 5 years and they are assuring me it will get better eventually. They are also giving me oxybutinin which is supposed to help with this. I had an ultrasound today which showed everything as it should be.

Thanks for answering.

[Simon Dog]

"Occasionally, urine may leak from where the ureter joins the bladder after surgery. This usually occurs during the first month after the procedure. The fluid may build up in the tummy or leak through the surgical incision.
If you develop a urine leak, you'll usually need to have further surgery to repair it".

My surgery went well, but I went home with a surgical drain and kept it for over 3 weeks.   One of the things done as follow up was to check the draining fluid to make sure it did not contain urine,  since it was putting out more fluid for longer than average.    Everything eventually resolved on its own.

[kristina]

Hello again, LoneHighway and Simon Dog ...  just to say that I wish you both well and send you my good-luck-wishes and all the best from Kristina.

P.S. My own health-troubles with chronic pain after my transplant-operation are also slowly "getting sorted" and it is just a pity that it took such a very long time, in my case over 3½ years ... but at least there seems now a future in sight ...  and  ... fingers crossed it continues to get better ... 

[okarol]

The problem is definitely a result of the lack of use for 5 years and they are assuring me it will get better eventually. They are also giving me oxybutinin which is supposed to help with this. I had an ultrasound today which showed everything as it should be.

Thanks for answering.

Hello - curious if it improved - I hope so! The bladder can shrink so there's a lot of pressure when full. Over time it should stretch, not sure if that's your situation but as they said, time will tell.