That's where I was when that kidney stone plugged me up. The doctor came in, told me what was needed, and I said "No!" He said "Sit there and think about it. I'll be back." He came back, I told him to hurry up and do it.
When I was reading @Frank Sanoica 's story, I was thinking how miserable it is to really need to pee. I can't imaging living like that day-to-day; it would be horrible.
So today at 7:30AM I get a call from the urologist to come in Monday to discuss the results of the urodynamics test I had done on the 25th of last month. This is one of the many things that drives me nuts about this practice. This follow-up appointment should have been made when the test was scheduled, but I routinely get these types of "out of the blue" notices that I'm being summoned. Unlike most doctor visits, there is never discussion of "what's next" when it's over, just a call or an email out of the blue that a doctor has made an appointment for me to come in. It's another aspect of the loss of control this whole thing's become. I get these surprise calls and my anxiety spikes because I usually have no idea what the appointment's for. I have no idea if this "You gotta come in tomorrow" appointment is because they see an urgent need, or if it's because they have a blot in their calendar and I'm a billable event they can plug into it. I had that bladder infection last Sunday, and I don't even want to share that data with these guys. I'm on the web now looking for a different practice, but there's nothing really to go on other than how convenient they are to me. I may as well close my eyes and throw a dart. And I don't even know why I'm looking. I know what needs to be done.
If it were a one-off event, then I deserve to get beat on. But every day, at least once a day, forever... I've never felt so out of control.
@John Brunner you can give this a try: LINK My son worked with a guy in his 50s who had to get "reamed" because his urethra was scarred from the passage of many stones. It had nothing to do with his prostate.
@John Brunner , I had to catharize my husband three times a day for the last few years that he lived. He said that it wasn't painful at all. There are different sizes of catheter. His doctor prescribed the smallest one. There is some kind of jell that is applied to the catheter that makes it easier to insert. I forgot the name of it but you can buy it at Walmart.
@John Brunner The worst consequence of catheterization is infection. It is very easy to contaminate the device while inserting and handling it; only a few germs introduced can thrive in the body. Most catheters are stored and shipped in sterile plastic wraps. Unfortunately, use requires unwrapping and exposure, of course. I washed down the entire catheter with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol before each use. Frank
I've heard you gotta be careful with that. I had a bad bladder infection last Sunday. I've yet to do the dirty deed, so I suspect that the urodynamics test infected me. It's a known risk...they give you an antibiotic after the procedure is done. But the infection risk of having a permanent catheter is supposedly greater than self-cathing.
@John Brunner My Urinalysis came back with a mild infection with Enterococcus, listing 5 antibiotics recommended; one was rated "ineffective"! Another was Cipro (Ciprofloxacin), one known to sometimes cause snapping of tendons! The infection imposed no symptoms, unlike other UTIs I have had which were unbearable. Frank
That stinks. Cipro is the only med I have an allergic reaction to. I believe it's the one that's used when folks are exposed to Anthrax.
Sometimes urinalysis done in a doctor's office misses those "cocci". A little more detail than is easily given here, but Enterococcus as well as Staph epidermidis are often missed in the office. Usually they are picked up in urine tests done in hospitals or professional labs, and always detected by culture. Cipro is the "fall back" antibiotic used with many of those infections, but if you react to it, there are other things to use, depending on what the culture indicates.