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Posted 5/17/2009 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
Greetings....

I posted the other day about locking up after I have my cathater removed and then having to have it reinstered.   It's been in and out now since my surgery April 15.

Yesterday, I ran an on and off fever of 102 plus.  We kept it contained with Tylonol.   After talking to the Resident on Duty at the hospital, he had me go to the ER.  They did a complete workover.  They tested my blood count (white cells normal).  They x-raded kidneys and did a CAT scan on stomach.   The only thing they noticed is I still have a urine infection.

I've been on Levequin and Baxtrim for 3 weeks now treating the e-coil bacterial.  

I went home last night, and today my fever is still hanging around 102 (being controlled by Tylnol) bringing it down to 100.

The doctors are even confused (and I'm being treated at the University of Minnesota), so I know I'm getting good treatment.

I'm exhausted.  I've lost over 2o pounds.   I'm worried when the pull the cath out again, my bladder will lock.

My wife (who is not in the med, but has a lot of common sense), thinks I should ask my MD about being admitted with IV antibodics, and have the cath pulled out of the hospital and stay there for the docs to look at.  It usually locks up after 2 or 3 days.

Sorry for the rambling.

Thanks.   Jeff

Posted 5/17/2009 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
I’m so sorry that you seem to have drawn one of the “short straws.” I have no idea what you should do, but I would say that more medical opinions are in order. Is the Mayo Clinic a possibility? Perhaps others on this board have direct experience.

Infections can be extremely hard to fight and, with good reason, doctors favor an approach of gradually stepping up to more powerful antibiotics which can be extremely frustrating. Definitely ask your doctor about your wife’s idea, but being in a hospital is not always the best place to fight infection.

You clearly have every reason to be frustrated and dejected, but, as one who hasn’t had to live it, I can point out that you are only one month out of surgery and so there is a lot of reason to believe that the doctors will get your situation under control and you will get back on the path to recovery. Ask you medical team lots of questions about what they do and consider doing – you may find out that they are not as baffled as you may think.

Good luck and you always know where to find us.
Posted 5/18/2009 3:20 AM (GMT 0)
jeffM

Your bladder is locking up.
You're running a really high temperature.
You've been treated with Levaquin to no avail.
Your doctors are still confused.
(The doctors are even confused (and I'm being treated at the University of Minnesota), so I know I'm getting good treatment.)
Maybe not.
Do you remember jerryv's post to you? Maybe hes correct.

I had a bad urine infection soon after my surgery and had to go to the hospital 10 days in a row for an antibiotic called gentamicin by IV. It sounds like levaquin didn't clear the infection. It would bother me a lot if the doctors were confused and said I might have to self cath the rest of my life. It would bother me a lot.

Just another opnion.
Posted 5/18/2009 3:36 AM (GMT 0)
Jeff,

Sorry I didn't see your earlier post, as I don't check in that often.

I too locked up after my catheter was removed, and had to have it reinserted. Didn't have a fever though.
In my case my practitioner said it was likely either inflammation, or a tissue flap growth. In case of inflammation, he had me take a lot of ibuprofen before I had it removed again. The plan was if I locked up again, they would put a scope in me, and then figure out if they needed to go in again and snip off some tissue. Luckily for me, I was OK the second time. Probably it was inflammation, and the ibuprofen helped, and probably another week of healing also helped.

Don't know about you, but locking up got to be extremely painful by the time I got to the emergency room. So I actually asked if I could be given a self-cath kit, just in case I got stuck again. But they said that although there are people who self cath, they don't advise it for someone who just had prostate surgery, as the tissue are weak and there was a chance that I might punch through something. Have to admit, that makes some sense. But otherwise, I was mentally prepared to self cath for as long I needed to. Which in my mind, might have been a few weeks. Or longer. My wife works with patients who have to self cath their entire lives, due to other causes. You probably won't have to go that long, but there are people who manage it.

DJ
Posted 5/19/2009 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
Jeff M,
I also had my operation on April 15 and had to have the catheter put back in four times. No fun, but believe that it's just a matter of time until that part of your problem will be solved. I know that that kept me going. I'd be okay for about 12 hours and then would go to the emergency room a few hours later (I learned after the first time not to wait.) Finally, last Monday it was taken out and I was able to pee. My control is coming back, too.
I agree with the others, treat it as two separate issues. The infection (important) and the edema (which will eventually resolve) though it seems like a bigger issue. As for doctors, your wife and you need to be the advocates. If you want to go for the IV, go for the IV. Sometimes, standing urine can give you an infection just like standing water isn't good. My wife ended up in the ICU from a kidney stone that way. The infection is the big deal.
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