Living With A Urinary Catheter › Forums › Urethral Strictures And Their Treatments › Possible Urethroplasty › Reply To: Possible Urethroplasty
Wow. That’s really a terrible thing to happen. There’s no reason at all to catheterize someone who doesn’t need it (your situation being a case in point). Sadly, I can say I’ve seen this story more than once in my googling. I’m really not sure what would compel doctors to use a perfectly healthy person to test out cathing. And to lie about it after, I’d consider malpractice (that’s just me).
Did you have a cystoscopy or rug performed? Hows your flow? As for the razor urination, i know that feeling. I’ve had it a few times actually. After all three of my RUGs I’ve had that sensation for a few days. More importantly, after my DVIU I had burning pain and a lot of shooting pains through the day. To this day, I’m not certain if my first doc performed the DVIU correct, but the pain lasts today (although it has been steadily declining and I’ve been getting used to it). If they knicked your prostate, it’s possible the pain you’re feeling is healing. Just be mindful of how good your flow is — stopwatch and a measuring cup have worked well for me.
I honestly think one thing people overlook is that you are the best advocate for yourself. Read up online, have tests done, and think about what you’re feeling. The docs might not fully understand your situation, and it’s in your own best interest to hypothesize and test what’s going on. For instance, I’ve been recording my flows and PVRs. My initial PVR was 30 ml or so. Then, at JHU, my PVR jumped to 100 something. My doctor warned me about possibly having to cath myself to relieve the residual. I really didn’t think I was carrying that much, so I tested myself at home with a PVR cathing (less than 30 ml out). It turns out that the doc’s office was using an older bladder scanner and the new one was able to properly determine how much I was retaining (I have a jumbo bladder apparently).
As for confronting it, I was pushed into confronting it originally by my girlfriend. Having it all my life, I actually didn’t realize I had it. All I realized was that I would pee a long time and would spray. After getting the initial news of a stricture, I was the same as you. I was terrified about what would happen and am REALLY not one for surgery (knife-o-phobia?). I am coming to terms with it simply because I must. My life has been dark for a while (discovered this back in January actually) and filled with concerns about surgery, concerns about not being able to pee (try explaining that to someone btw..), and concerns about premature aging of my bladder. I’ve researched all I can on the matter, I know what it is, what solutions there are, and I understand the risks involved both ways. At the end of the day, I find solace in knowing that I really have no other option but to get this taken care of. If I don’t, I risk more damage to myself and possibly really really bad situations (acute retention).
Definitely go get another opinion if you feel the docs are wrong. Advocate for yourself. Often times you will know more about the situation than your doc (minus the fixing technicalities 😉 ). Stay strong!