cath after hydro?

[theoutlaw77]

I am scheduled to have my first hydro next Thursday. The dr. is calling it a hydroDILATION not DISTENTION. (still wondering if they are the same thing.) Anyway, I am seeing a lot about caths...do you have a cath in place after the hydro or is that something else? If so, do you always get the cath, or just sometimes? How long does it stay in...I never had a hydro. I did have some sort of cysto when I had my kidney stones removed, but did not have a cath. I have missed so much work lately (one thing after another with my health lately!!) and I REALLY need to go to work the day after the hydro- not knowing if it will be possible though! Thanks for your help...

[IC SARAH-CPP]

There is absolutely NO WAY I would have been able to work the day after my hydro, and not even three days afterwards. And for me, I go to work when I feel pretty bad, but there was no possible way I could have even done it. I was in so much pain afterwards, I could barely stand to be at home!!! Now, this was only after a cysto w/HYDRO, not after the regular cysto. So mabye you wont have the yucky part that hurts so bad.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Love Sarah

[ICNDonna]

When I have a hydrodistention, I spend one night in the hospital and I do have an indwelling catheter overnight. It's removed before I go home in the morning. I honestly think you should plan to take a few days off. I don't have intense pain afterwards, but am totally exhausted from medications and anesthesia.

I've had something like 37 or 38 hydros.

Donna

[zoolady1]

I had mine done on Tues., they left the catheter in until yesterday, to make me more comfortable due to the biopsy and possible passing of clots. I am finally feeling somewhat normal today. Not pain really, just as Donna said, just general icky sleepy, tired feeling..
I agree at least a day off would help, I could have gone back today, 2 days after but chose to relax..best of luck to you!
Ruth

[lindy lou]

When I had my hydrodistention, iI woke up with a cath in but it was taken out when I went back to the room. As soon as I could drink and pee, they let me go home. I was in no shape to go to work the next day. I agree with the others, you need to take a couple of days off and let your body recover from the anesthesia and drugs. I think that some of the pain afterward depends on how much the bladder is distended and how "stretchable" your bladder is. If you have reduced capacity as I do, it makes sense that it will be more painful afterward. Good luck to you.

Linda

[theoutlaw77]

Thank you so much for your replies! I guess that if it is too bad, I will just have to call off. What are you gonna do, right? I have been dealing with this for WAY too long, and when I had the chance to get this done so fast I HAD to take it! I know that the first few days will probably be HORRIBLE, but I am hoping to get some relief from my symptoms after that. At least I work in a hospital! I do think that I will probably end up calling off though.

[Mom of Twins]

I will be having another hydro done soon (I decided to wait until after my cruise--see other post). On my first hydro, it was done outpatient.

I am reading several posts where some of you were admitted to the hospital.
How does the dr. determine whether it is outpatient or not? :hmm:

I was thinking of requesting to have the procedure done late in the day and go home the next day and still stay under 24 hours to "qualify" as outpatient; but, I don't know yet if my doctor does that.

Donna, I noticed that you said that you always spend the night in the hospital with your hydros. Is this what you do, stay under the "24 hour rule"?

Any advice? Thanks, as always. :help:

[saptree]

I had my second hydro/cysto yesterday- wednesday. I remember being in quite alot of pain after my first one and peeing glass- but I had DMSO at the same time and had a different dr, different hospital. I would have to say that yesterday's hyrdo was fine! I opted for a spinal again even though I had got the spinal headache last time. The dr did it right, rather than the student I had 3 yrs ago.
So, the interesting thing that I hadn't thought about much before is that I was sent home with a foley in place and I'm peeing in a bag! My doc wants me to take it out myself on Sat morn. He told my husband that my bladder wall is thin and the cath would greatly reduce the pain for me. Its true! I havn't had any pain meds since the recovery room. He kept saying that he did not crack my bladder but wanted me to keep the cath anyhow. I'm just greatful that they sent me home, I was afraid I would had to stay three days.
Has anyone else spent time at home peeing in a bag? This is much more pleasant that the first hydro. DMSO during a hydro isn't a good idea anyhow. And I got to see my bladder on the screen! I didn't see that at the fancy hospital. This was a little hospital in a little town and it was much nicer and more hi tech that the big city one.
Sherry

[Sarojini]

I had one hydro for diagnostic purposes about a year ago -- I was done on an outpatient basis in a day surgery center at a local hospital. I had the procedure in the morning, was taken to one recovery room as I woke up, with a nurse who was dedicated to me (it was nice that in the first recovery room they had one nurse per patient... that way she could really monitor me). My uro was also still there when I woke and told me I had IC, and then told the nurse to give me some Dilaudid, as my bladder had looked terrible and he was certain I was in pain (I was). Then he patted me on the head and shoulders to calm me as the pain med kicked in, then went off to his next surgery. I did not have a catheter upon awaking from anesthesia.

After they were certain I was stable after anesthesia, I was taken to a second, less intense recovery room. My husband was there. I was given water and was told to rest until I felt better. I was not allowed to urinate for an hour since my uro had done a DMSO treatment after my hydro (he did no biopsies, so he could do this). After the hour was up, the nurse took me to the bathroom and made sure I could urinate on my own -- she said if I couldn't I would need to be catheterized, but I peed right away. It was very bloody but I peed. I could go home after that, and they sent me home with scripts for prophylactic antibiotics, pain meds, and Elmiron.

Anyway, it just depends on the doctor -- some like to put a catheter after the procedure, others like to wait and see. Also, I think it's just personal preference whether you stay overnight or not. I didn't want to; I wanted to be in my own bed, with my pets and my husband afterwards.

I DO recommend taking a few days off after the procedure -- you will likely be quite tired, and you may have some lingering pain. Resting is the best way to heal after the procedure. I had my procedure on a Thursday, and took Friday, the weekend, and Monday off. I think my bladder pain and burning subsided in about 48 hours, as did the bloody urine. However, I also had muscle aches all over, as I have fibromyalgia and anesthesia can flare it up-- it took two days for that to settle down, and during the flare I could barely move. I am also asthmatic, and my husband was on a break from school (he's a teacher) and since he was home he insisted I stay home for a while so he could watch me and make sure the intubations and anesthetics would not set up an attack.

[ICNDonna]

I still qualify as an outpatient with an overnight stay.

Donna

[Debgail]

:) Outlaw,
I just had my 1st hydro 2 days ago(tues 3-22) and I have to say there is NO WAY I could go to work this week. I think like others have said,just the anesthesia and the pain meds are enough to keep you down for a few days. Today at 12:00 will be exactly 72 hrs. and I am still weak and in pain. I have to say tho, this morning the pain is easing up. Also, in my case I had alot of polyps removed from my bladder and urethra. I am sure that that is making my recovery take a little bit longer.

In the best case I would say maybe five days total later I could go back to work, part day, ...course i am a hairdresser and standing all day. Not going back to work til mon tho.

Please don't lock yourself in to going back to work right away...too much pressure on you when you are in pain. I t seems like most icers have said 3 days to 2 weeks. For me 1 week shold be enough.

Please take your medicine after BEFORE your pain gets bad. I take vicodin and pyridium and macrodantin. I found out the hard way not to wait for the pain to get bad before taking my pain medicine.

All in all I am so glad that I had the test done and I am getting thru it ..and I am sure you will too. :bunny:
I will be thinking of you, best of luck! Ps.... ziplock full of ice between your legs after helps soooo much
Love, Debbie

[sweetpea2555]

:hi: I had my first cysto with hydro Tuesday. I was an outpatient. I also had a Laproscopy, and vestibulectomy done all at the same time. I was not cathed after the cysto and was told I had to pee before going home. I had to be moved to another floor in the hospital because the sug. wing closed before I could pee and I had to cath myself because the nurses couldn't because I was so swollen. I peed a couple of drops and was sent home cathing myself to pee and I was so swollen until the other day because I was retaining urine even after using the cath. I had to use ice packs to reduce swelling so I could pee on my own.
I think it just depends on the doctor and the nurses you have while in the hospital that determines weather you are an outpatient or inpatient. The nurse I had said I can't stay forever so she sent me home before I was ready and before I could pee on my own. She refused to call my doctor and said I was fine, and I was. The cath after sug. is probaly just for extra comfort. Even though I had to cath myself for the first few days, I can pee all on my own now that the swelling is down and It WAS worth it because it has helped my IC symptoms ALOT I can't even tell I have IC it helped so much. So for that, I highly recomend it.
As far as how much rest afterwords, I can't say because I am recovering from 3 different sugeries.
Lots of luck! Try not to worry because the sug. does help Ic alot! :)

[KellyB]

Hi,
I am going in for my fifteenth hydro and I always stay overnight. It is still considered outpatient. The reason I stay overnight is because I have a hard time peeing after the hydro because of the anesthesia. My doctor suggested leaving a catheter in overnight and that way my bladder can relax. I don't have a problem peeing the next morning. The nurses where I go are so good to me they have even joked about putting my name one of the rooms because I am there so much. Kelly

[green_the_fish]

Hi. Well, here's my story...
I've had one hydro. They didn't give me a catheter afterwards... though it might've been because the operating uro knew how badly I reacted to catheters. After I woke up in the recovery room, I stayed in there for about half an hour. They let me out after that, which may have been because my mom was there with me to drive me home (I was 15 then, 16 now) and make sure I was okay. Perhaps they would've made me stay longer if I had needed to drive myself home, I'm not really sure.
I urinated blood for a while afterwards... that wasn't fun. But, I went back to school four days later, and I was basically okay.
Good luck on your hydro :grouphug: