I should have known after my experience with the ER months ago when I had to visit with sever bladder cramps due to my ""self cath"" not functioning and the ER did not have a catheter. After they searched the Hospital and came back 20 min. later the pain was unbearable.
My wife recounts my next experience-
Last month, my husband went into the LNRMC facility for a procedure to have a permanent catheter put into his bladder. This was explained to him and then me as a relatively simple outpatient procedure. After the procedure, the Dr. came out to the waiting room explained that the procedure went well, that the catheter had been cleaned out (in the event there were any blood clots) and that my husband was in the recovery room alert, having some crackers and soda and doing well.
I went into the recovery room and my husband was alert, eating crackers and drinking a coke. The Dr. had left and the nurses explained that they would flush the catheter and after being certain that it was clear, my husband could leave. My husband indicated that his bladder was beginning to feel full. One of the nurses looked at the catheter, said she had to find some distilled water (none could be found in the area), leaving to go to the pediatric area where she knew there was distilled water. Upon returning my husband again told her that his bladder was full, beginning to be uncomfortable. She and another nurse began looking at the catheter, one of them began trying to ?clear it? (her words). She was apparently forcing water through the tube into the bladder (her explanation) but then could not get anything to come back out. The nurses working with my husband commented that they were not familiar with the ?device? (not certain what device they were speaking about) but that it was bound to be similar to what they were accustomed to seeing. By this time, my husband bladder was beginning to cramp. The nurses left to call the Dr. They left a cup for my husband to pee into and I assisted him to stand to pee into the cup. He was able to relieve his distress somewhat with a lot of blood. The nurses returned after talking with the doctor and proceeded to work on the catheter again, sending my husband bladder into harder spasms. They again called the Dr. I again assisted my husband to attempt to pee, again he was able to pee a small amount with a lot of blood. After the nurses returned again, they realized that he was in acute pain and the bladder was not being relieved. The Dr. arrived shortly after this, evaluated my husband?s condition and said that it would be better to take him back into the operating room since the operating room was better equipped than the recovery room.
When the Dr. returned with my husband, he said that he had reversed the procedure indicating that the balloon holding the catheter in place had been ruptured leaving the catheter damaged. My husband was admitted for the night and spent two additional days in the hospital, on the pediatric floor for what was to be an outpatient procedure.
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