Frustration with Urination

[Whamo]

I had a fistula surgery two days ago, and I am having a hard time urinating.  I get the urge to go, but I can't, most of the time.  If it does come out it's a trickle.  I'm wondering if this is a temporary thing because of the surgery or if that's it from now on.  I hesitate to use lasix because I don't want to make it any worse.  It feels horrible to need to go, and have it get stuck somewhere.

[jbeany]

It may be your kidney reacting to the anesthetic.  Unfortunately, the drugs tend to lower kidney function even more than it already is.  It can take a while for the crap to clear out of your system, too, so things may shift back into gear in a few days.  If it were me, I'd try a single dose of Lasix to see if it made me more comfortable.  Have you called your neph about it?  It might be wise to rule out things like bladder infections as well.

[cassandra]

Solid advice Whamo, the narcotics, pain meds, contrast fluids, stay in your system circling around, doing no good to any of your organs. Take the Lasix, call your neph!

good luck, love Cas

[Whamo]

Thanks for the advice, but I have a twist to the story to add.  Well, I could not sleep for two days after the surgery.  My stomach kept getting harder and bigger.  Last night I was in deep pain, and freaking out.  My wife said, "Let's go the ER."  Well, Loma Linda's ER was full, plus two helicopters worth of critical patients had just landed.  I waited for an hour before they saw me, evaluated me, and said you're up front on the list, but you're still going to wait.  So I waited two more hours, freaking out in pain, sitting in the wheelchair.  Some gangster homie who got shot was there with his crew, and looked like he was hurting even more than me.  Finally, at two in the morning I saw a doctor, and she was sharp.  She put a cath on my penis and drained out two liters worth of fluid.  It was instant relief.  I got home at three AM and enjoyed a night of sleep.  But now I carry around a bag to store my urine, and the cath i still there.  My wife, a nurse, says the more often I empty the bag the bigger chance for infection.  I see my regular doctor Monday to have it removed and/or evaluated.  What a night!  The co-pay also cost me $100. 

[jbeany]

Yikes!     Hope this gets better soon.

[cassandra]

me too, good luck Whamo, and lots of love Cas

[LarryG]

I am not sure what the cause and reason of your renal failure. I know with me when I first diagnosed with ESRD I could urinate and as time went on I just stopped completely. I had the urge and the body was willing but not even a trickle. Only dialysis could remove my fluids until I received a transplant.

[Whamo]

This is just my wife's speculation, but it makes sense.  When I was out cold for the fistula surgery they might have put a catheter on me.  Somehow that damaged my urinary system, and when they removed it my ability to urinate went too.   This pumped by blood pressure up to 190, even with BP meds, as well as filling up my bladder.  I knew at some point this would happen when I got on dialysis.  I just feel so strange with a bag on my leg, a huge bandage on my arm, and a catheter on my chest. 

[jbeany]

I am not sure what the cause and reason of your renal failure. I know with me when I first diagnosed with ESRD I could urinate and as time went on I just stopped completely. I had the urge and the body was willing but not even a trickle. Only dialysis could remove my fluids until I received a transplant.

Larry, most people gradually lose the ability to make urine as their ESRD gets worse.  I don't think that's the problem here, though.  It seems to me that if it was his ESRD getting drastically worse that fast, he'd likely make no urine at all, not fill up his bladder without being able to release it.

Whamo, hopefully, it's some kind of nerve issue that will repair itself soon.  Have you called to find out if they used a urinary cath during surgery?

[Whamo]

I meet with my surgeon this morning.  I am not a happy camper. 

[billybags]

Oh Whamo, that sounds painful.   I know ladies pay to go to the loo but that is taking the pi** 100 dollars.   Can't find the sign for  dollars.            Why are you not a happy camper.

[Whamo]

How would you like to walk around with a plastic bottle of urine on your leg?  A bandage stretching from your elbow to your armpit?  A chest catheter?  All at once.  I feel like I'm becoming the Mummy.

[billybags]

Whamo, you make me roll. Hope things are getting better. The mummy I like that.

[jbeany]

I meet with my surgeon this morning.  I am not a happy camper. 

What did the doc say?  Anything useful about the problem?  Or a lot of fuzzy muttering about side effects and risks?

[Whamo]

My surgeon said they didn't put a cath on me during the fistula surgery.  The fistula thrill is good, but it's sore and painful.  It will heal.  I see my "Family Doctor" today where I will probably get a referral to see a Urologist.

[Whamo]

My "Family doctor" visit ended like I thought it might, with a referral to a Urologist on Monday.   But, thanks to my wife, I got a little torture.  Before they took off the catheter they injected my penis with 250 ml. of saline.   This is not a pleasant sensation.  Then I tried to urinate, and only 50ml came out.  What to do?  They put a new catheter on, and made the referral to the Urologist. 

[billybags]

Whamo, If I was a man I would be going "WOOOOOOOOOOOOO"   I bet that was painful. Hope you get on alright on when you see the Urologist. Keep your chin up. I was going to say Pecker but is is not appropriate is it.

[cassandra]

I'm so sorry Whamo this sound absolutely horrendous.
Wishing you a bearable weekend, and all the luck in the world on Monday, I sure hope they can sort it out.

love Cas

[peaches94]

Im sorry u r having so much trouble, i deff feel for u. I dont know if this will help or not but if ur like me any info is better than none at all. My husband has issues with certian types of meds, especialy Morphine, that do that to him no matter how hard tries or how bad hes gotta go nothing happens. May not be your problem but i jsut thought id put it out there as somethin to maybe think bout. Again im sorry i know it really stinks to feel like that. Hope things get better for u.

[malaka]

Frustration with urination? Don't get p.o.'d. 


Call the doc.  Something ain't right.

[ACRViper]

How would you like to walk around with a plastic bottle of urine on your leg?  A bandage stretching from your elbow to your armpit?  A chest catheter?  All at once.  I feel like I'm becoming the Mummy.

I have a SP catheter, but I don't wear the leg bag-hardly ever. I just clip clip it shut at the end of the catheter line with a plastic blood line clip from dialysis and then put a zip tie over that to make sure it doesn't pop open. (!)

Then I just open it up and relieve myself every few hours.

If you are going to be faced with long term catheter use, check into having the catheter inserted into your stomach area, or to be more specific-into your bladder.

Much better than you having the catheter where it is now...!

[Whamo]

I'm back to normal these days.  Well, if you call dialysis normal.

[Big E]

Whamo, sorry you had to through so much pain, but I'm you're doing better now. Waiting hours in the ER to be seen is no fun--I've been there.

[Darthvadar]

Whammo, I don't have KF (yet), but I've been there...

I'd my knee replaced using epidural anaesthesia, and my bladder closed down... Had to be cathetherised... Not nice, not dignified, but a nessessary evil...

Now if I could regain some semblence of bladder control, I'd be laughing... But as I've Ehlers-Danlos, I have to expect some of life's little 'joys'... Hope your doctor's appointment went well...

Darth...