Back Home and Lessons Learned from blockages

Interesting! I remember now that I suggested being catheterised after my first breast surgery just in case I was not up to sorting myself out. Once back in my room I had a look at the catheter they had put in and did not recognise it. It felt very 'floppy' and was made of rubber - unlike anything I had had placed before. (I had had quite a few by then) Anyway I soon realised that nothing seemed to be coming out of it so got it removed, cathed my self and lo!..........loads came out! Just like Mike! How weird?
keep on trucking guys!
Betsy Mae

Interesting Mike...i've been having that very conversation with my surgeons about the foley being placed. I know even with the Indiana it isn't going to work as i have to move my regular catheter around now when mucus gets in the way. My surgery is supposed to be about one and a half hours but then you never know what may come down the pike??...If all goes well and i empty before and wake up as i'm supposed to then i can empty the pouch after. The stoma nurses at Cleveland are saying No i have to have the Foley......I'm advocating to have a stoma nurse in the OR with me......heck they have a ton of them up there..its just unprecidented...so i'm precidenting it!!! Is that a word?
Its like they've never had to do surgery ever before on someone with an Indiana Pouch or neo??? HUH...really? However i shall continue to kick and scream till i get someones attention.
Anyway i'm glad you're home and a quick recooperation.. be gentle with yourself and that new incision.
Pat

Mike, glad to hear your home. That's good info about the foley and monitoring output. Since I am sure that a neo-bladder is not a common thing in most patients.

Rudy

Wow! That was a lot of hits on the old topic.

I am FINALLY home! Geez, Rudy got his RC and was out in 5 days and it took me 8 days for an intestinal repair.

SO...I learned a new thing to watch out for if you get a foley catheter with a neobladder (may also apply to Indiana Pouch). The night after my surgery, I really tried hard not to push the darn pain button. This is a good thing because I had the wherewithal to realize that nobdy had been dumping my catheter bag and there wasn't anything in it. I double checked with the nurse to be sure I hadn't dozed off and someone had in fact dumped it. They had not. I said, let's pull it out and let me straight cath or rutz it around some and see if it clears.

Of course nurses don't always have authority to make that call so they did call the doctor who said to pull the foley out.

They got me some 16 French red rubber catheters and I immediately output 1000cc! WOW!!! That was a lot. Then I waited 15 minutes (assuming I must have some kidney backup) and got another 100cc or so. Glad I stayed somewhat coherent so I didn't explode or something. I would have leaked once I got about 400 cc or so if it hadn't been plugged by the foley. I mention it because if this situation could apply to any of you for future operations, you may want to mention it and specifically have them doctor get notes into the nursing notes that they check frequently for out (or lack thereof) when the foley is in place.

If you think you are going in the hospital for a fixed amount of time (say 4 days) to have intestinal repair, take that as a finger in the sky estimate. You intestines work when they work. While you can do all the right things, it just may not matter sometimes.

If you want to get an epidural, be sure to tell your doctor ahead of time. If your doctor doesn't let the anesthiologist know, then you might wind up not having time to get the epidural and a nurse may sneak up and poke you with a shot in the belly that then rules out an epidural for you.

Mike