Catheter removal - question from partner

[u/rosewalker42]

Hi - I hope this is allowed. My husband had a RALP and will be getting his catheter removed on Monday. The surgery went very well, he has of course been quite uncomfortable since but he's doing very well. Although the surgeon himself seemed amazing, the office has been less than responsive. I am just wondering what we need to bring to the appointment and/or should have to prepare. He is very concerned about incontinence. I have read through several posts here and have seen experiences from "no problem, everything was fine, went home like everything was normal" to "I wish I'd brought an entire change of clothes." As someone who has experienced being in labor with a constant leak of water for 24 hours and the nurse telling me "oh sorry if you want pads have a family member pick some up from the drugstore" I'm just wondering what we should come prepared with, and if I need to pick something up from the drugstore, what I should get. My husband is not terribly concerned and thinks they will have whatever he needs there, but I'd just rather be prepared, you know? And of course it's not like he's ever been through this and I don't want to put this kind of research on him on top of everything else. Any advice is appreciated!

[u/sloppyrock]

I would take the appropriate continence pads / pull ups. I was Ok despite being told I would leak a bit or maybe a lot.

I did all the PT exercises which Im sure helped. I wore them for maybe 2 weeks just in case.You dont know until its out how an individual will go post catheter removal.

I wish him and you all the best.

[u/306-Stingray → u/sloppyrock]

I had the same experience

[u/That_Operation826]

If the drive home is more than 15 minutes. Bring pads. You will not remain dry

[u/SnooPets3595]

Depends and a second pair of pants . Best to be prepared. I did well til I stood up from being driven home in a Honda fit and everything just flowed out . Luckily the elevator to my floor was empty of people. It was painless and quick to come come out. And I loved being able to sit in the shower in a plastic chair.

[u/Cold_Silver_5859]

I think you would both benefit from reading this book.

“Vanita Gaglani (RPT), a registered physical therapist and owner of Vanita's Rehab in Melbourne, Florida, wrote the book Life After Prostate Cancer and Other Medical Conditions: A Step-By-Step Guide to Stop Urinary Leakage in Ten Weeks (originally published as Life After Prostatectomy and Other Urological Surgeries

It has been four weeks since my RALP , I am completely dry at night and learning what helps reduce incontinence during the day. I was a patient of Vanita. Many of her techniques are unique following her program gives the best chance of reaching our goal. Regards

[u/Special-Steel]

Bring a pair of Depends pull ups. Have some Depends and pads on hand.

No, the clinic won’t always have those for you.

[u/59jeeper]

My personal experience at 62, was I leaked uncontrollably and was kinda shocked by that! I was prepared with incontinent underwear and thick pads. However I was a faucet, almost wished I still had the catheter in for a few days until I got used to dealing with it. Definitely a change in clothes for a while until all good. Wishing you the best! BTW fully good now , took me 6 months to.

[u/Cold_Silver_5859]

Also suggest a chucks or something waterproof for the car seat and a seat cushion if a lengthy drive. Def pullups and place a dry pad in them without removing the adhesive protection. Why? When traveling you can replace a pad quick and easy, replacing pull ups requires movement and space. Another Vanita tip

It takes a while to position stuff at first.

For me, the Dion Sanders picture on the front pullups worked best. Snug not loose. They are gray nd look like underwear.

[u/Alert-Meringue2291]

I was 66 when I had the RARP. Before my catheter was removed, I had a radiology appointment to be fluoroscoped to check for internal leaks. They ran 300mils of radio opaque fluid into my bladder and everything was ok.

In the urologist’s office, the nurse ran 300mils of saline solution to check my sphincter was working. The catheter then came out easily.

I had depends pull-ups to put on as soon as the catheter was out. I leaked like a sieve for about 2 weeks and then things began to improve. My urologist had warned me that it would take 6 or 7 weeks for things to settle down. His estimate was accurate. I had bought a big Costco sized box of depends and didn’t use them all.

6 years on, I still put a depends shield in my underwear if I’m playing sports, just in case. Otherwise, things are pretty normal other than avoiding caffeine and alcohol. If I’m going out for “drinks”, I use a shield, just in case.

[u/Xchzmaster951]

I am 3 days post catheter removal after a RALP procedure and I am glad I brought pull-ups and pads for the bumpy ride home. The doctor’s office did not offer pads so happy I had them.

The removal was not painful but a very different feeling. The sound I made was one I had never heard before!

I’m able to stay dry as long as I keep doing preemptive trips to the bathroom. There have been some surprises though, like a sneeze that would have wet the couch if I had not been wearing a pull-up.

Good luck! I was very happy to have the tube out!

[u/Lefty354]

The doctor can tell you that you will need pads. The ones I had were not full on underwear. They were just large capacity pads that go right in the front and you swapped them out as needed. They are available on Amazon and also at the drugstore.

[u/Clherrick]

From my experience, it was no big deal. The tech deflated the balloon that holds the catheter in place; I took a deep breath, and it just slid out. I didn't really feel a thing.

I wore pull-ups for probably two months and then a pad inside my normal underwear for a month after that. By three months I was fine. A tip my PT gave me was if I knew I was going to be out for a while, wear a pad inside the pull-ups, as it is easy to change the pad.

I have a small over-the-shoulder pack in which I kept a couple pads and an extra pull-up.

[u/OkStatement6579]

I am right at RALP +4 months. I had 4 months between the biopsy results and the procedure, so I had plenty of Keagles in prep.

When I had the catheter removed, the nurse had me stop and change into a gown. This saved my clothes. He will not want to be clothed when they remove the catheter and flush his bladder.

I recommend an "overnight" or "maximum protection" pull-up rather than a pad or leak guard for the trip home. I went with a small pack of the Depends ones with Deion on the front. After the first day, I only work the pullups at night until they were gone. I didn't really need to, but it's not like you can return an open pack of them. If he does need them more than I did, you will have time to get more.

If you haven't been told already, get some AZO urinary pain relief or the generic. He will most likely have some discomfort, possibly when he is and isn't urinating. This WILL make his urine the most awful yellow-brown color; don't freak out.

You will want to have some pads on hand as well. He will probably be able to switch over to a pad or leak guard pretty quickly. I've found the Amazon Basics Men's Guards work well. The adhesive sticks to the underwear until I take them off, and they hold a surprisingly large amount. Others are thinner or bigger, so your mileage may vary.

If he is going to wear pads/guards, make sure he has appropriate underwear. Think tighty-whities or athletic type boxer-briefs. I got boxer briefs with a pouch but no fly; I don't use a fly with the pad anyway.

I have been down to 1 pad for 24 hours (most days) for the last month or so. Everyone's journey is a little different, so neither of you should be discouraged.

One last thought - ask about male pelvic floor therapy. I didn't find out about it until a month after RALP. My medical system only has two of them that covers 2 counties of densely populated suburbs, so I had to wait for 3 months for my first appointment. This therapy should help with incontinence as well as ED.