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blood on outside of tube - normal?

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Posted 2/4/2011 6:01 PM (GMT 0)
On the tube coming out from the penis, there is dried blood. When it moves a bit, it digs into him. The nurse gave us some (oh I cant remember the name) q-tips with cleaning solution, to wipe the blood off and sterilize the tube. I have done this 2 times since we got home yesterday, and yet now there is more dried blood. Where is this coming from? I bought Neosporin with pain relief and he is going to apply it, thinking it will make it more comfortable. We had the night bag attached last night, and he thinks this "pulls less" than the leg bag. Ideas? Suggestions?

Our youngest (6 years old) just came home sick from school, with fever and sore throat. Strep is making the rounds, will take him to get tested tomorrow. Other than not allowing either of them out of their rooms (not really possible since Michael needs to be walking and it is pouring here) ideas on how to keep Michael from catching what Ryan has????
Posted 2/4/2011 6:09 PM (GMT 0)
They had to resew the bladder neck to the urethra tube and all that kind of stuff....where is English Alf when we need him. He would no doubt tell you 'all'. I believe it can be normal since you just did a major surgery. Should be alright but I have no license to practice...and thus a quacker factory type....LOL!
Posted 2/4/2011 6:11 PM (GMT 0)
funny! I will keep checking back....we have time to get all opinions
Posted 2/4/2011 6:17 PM (GMT 0)
Your youngest was sick before he went to school - just no one knew.... Just keep em apart and clean common things like sink handles/towels etc.

Posted 2/4/2011 6:18 PM (GMT 0)
Susan:

For me I remember blood discharge after the surgery and into almost a week after.  I was told it was residual blood from the surgery and it did pass.  Think of it as the only escape route for any left over blodd.  Keep the catheter tuble lunbricated aith an antibiotic cream as you are doing.  The leg bag for me was great bit I made sure thatthere was plenty of slack tubin so there wasn't any pulling.  Taping worked for me (surgical tape), pinning the tube up higher to avoid tugging.  Experiment as the leg bag allows for freedom to go anywhere and no one will know.  It's in there and difficult to yank out (so my doctor assured me).

Jack (Skate)

Posted 2/4/2011 6:27 PM (GMT 0)
Susan,

Neosporin worked well for me, and yes, I had blood on the outside of the catheter when straining during bowel movements. It's normal. Keep some slack in the catheter before it attaches to the thigh, and if you see stringy blood clots in the catheter bag, don't worry about it. I had blood in the catheter bag on the 13th day after surgery. The catheter was removed on the 14 day. I imagine the balloon which holds the catheter in place irritates the bladder to some degree, especially if there is a lot of walking involved.
Posted 2/4/2011 6:46 PM (GMT 0)
You might try respiratory masks for both of your men.

about the blood - I don't recall blood being an issue with his catheter, but as like the others have said - it is normal.

I can't resist posting this but it might make both your men feel better.

Bran Bud Brownies.

Put 2 cups of bran buds in 2 cups of cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Add any brownie mix. Mix it and pour it in a pan. Bake as directed, although you usually have to bake these longer than normal.

This is a weight watcher recipe and a great way to eat chocolate and not feel "bad" about it. I think chocolate has great healing powers. Both your men would like it! Especially if you never tell them it has Bran Buds in it! :)))))
Posted 2/4/2011 6:59 PM (GMT 0)
Susan:

I would not be too worried about the blood on the external part of the catheter - I had blood on the outside of my catheter during the last 17 of my 21 days with a catheter -

-it is just an irritation of the urethra lining that can occur from pre-existing scar tissue, post surgery stuff fluffing off, reaction to latex/rubber hose...

- I spoke to our VON - no worries, our doctor/surgeon -no worries ... so I stopped worrying.

-just use the polysporin/neosporin to keep infection out of the urethra opening ( keeps it from sticking at the point of entry/exit)

-after the catheter came out - no further bleeding...

-if excessive blood is in his urine, that can be a concern...
-do keep hands washed and off mr. happy...

-hugs
BRONSON
Posted 2/4/2011 7:05 PM (GMT 0)
In addition to dried blood, there is dried mucus and dried urine on the tube just out of the penis that constantly forms. I have had catheters a couple of times and I got pretty comfortable with them. If you don't keep the dried crust that forms off, it will irrate the tip of the penis and really hurts. ( this you have noticed!) I used a warm wash cloth with just a little soap and cleaned the catheter several times a day being carefull to not get soap into the uretha ( ouch). Then I would put plain neosprin on the tube for about the first inch then I would slide the tube in and out to spead the neosporin a little bit into the penis head as I thought of the neosprin mainly as a lubricant. (actually you would slide the penis leaving the tube stationary). I would avoid a cream style neosporin and use the ointment as lubrication is what you want and the cream goes away too fast, I think. The overview is clean aand lubed!
I hope your husband AND YOU get some rest.
Ron
Posted 2/4/2011 7:10 PM (GMT 0)
I also had blood and "crud" on the catheter tube.

My nurses said don't use anything petroleum based on the tube, but many here on the board seem to have had good luck with Neosporin (that is what my dermatologist advises for everything).

I just cleaned often, maybe 5 - 6 times a day.

I used the big/night bag all the time, after getting dire scare warnings from the nurses about infections.

Don't let him strain. Use either a gentle stool softener or some mineral oil if things don't move. I use Docusate Calcium 240mg, which is not the most common - you might have to ask at the pharmacy counter.

Get some hand sanitizer for the family, and put a bottle at the door to the family room and the bedrooms - treat the house just like the hospital room. Use it each time passing the door. I use that at home, and have it at the entrance to my office area - nobody gets by without using it (I'm still seriously immuno-supressed from the IGRT). It is rough on the skin, but does the job.

Have lots of tissues, and bag the trash often - smaller bags work better, as you'll tie them up and "seal off" the germs more often. Wash the general hand towels more often.

 

Posted 2/4/2011 7:52 PM (GMT 0)
and, just to add a bit:  some men, and I was one, had small urine leaks/drops come out around the catheter.  Don't fret - it's normal and no big deal although disconcerting the first time it happened.

Posted 2/4/2011 8:30 PM (GMT 0)

Susan Rossman said...
On the tube coming out from the penis, there is dried blood. When it moves a bit, it digs into him. The nurse gave us some (oh I cant remember the name) q-tips with cleaning solution, to wipe the blood off and sterilize the tube. I have done this 2 times since we got home yesterday, and yet now there is more dried blood. Where is this coming from? I bought Neosporin with pain relief and he is going to apply it, thinking it will make it more comfortable. We had the night bag attached last night, and he thinks this "pulls less" than the leg bag. Ideas? Suggestions?

Hi Susan, i had my surgery just before Christmas and had my catheter in for 23 days, i too was leaking some blood but it came out like a mucus, i questioned it and was told not to worry and it did settle gradually. I used moist baby wipes to clean it off according to the nurses advice, but was told to wipe away from me, that way any bacteria go away from the guy not towards.
It did worry me but it all went well, take care,
Bob.
Posted 2/4/2011 8:36 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, dried blood on the catheter tube is common don't worry. Also the use of a non petroleum lubricant (K-Y) where the cath enters the penis is important for comfort.

For walking, jockey shorts keep Mr. Happy from jerking the cath around. At night a nurse showed me how to put down a 6X6 patch of tape on my left thigh, then the cath tube (with slack between me and the thigh, then an X of tape over the tube. That way in the morning you are pulling tape off the tape underneath, not off of bare skin. The tape square stayed on until the cath came out.

Don't try to shower with a bag. Just disconnect it -- any leakage is going down the drain anyway.

Don't turn your 6 year old into a pariah! Normal precautions are enough. By the way, the same nurse taught me that if I had to laugh, cough or sneeze the right thing to do was to hug a pillow -- it works!

Oh, while I said "don't worry" remember that if you are worried, call your doctor. He cannot care for your husband if he doesn't know what is going on.
Posted 2/4/2011 8:52 PM (GMT 0)
Michael is much relieved that you are all saying this is ok. He was very worried, I said "AH, let me as the guys!" Thanks for sharing your experiences, he will probably ask more, although I am hoping he will just sign on here himself at some point, but he may not....I will.

He is scheduled to have his Cath removed on Tuesday, 6 days after surgery. This seems too soon to me, but I called and talked to the nurse this morning, she said this is normal for this DR. The problem....the Dr removing the Cath is not our DR. Our Dr, the one who we trust and did the surgery, is out having surgery on his back. He usually removes his caths on the Thursday after surgery (8 days) this other Dr, will be removing it at 6 days. After reading how long you all had yours 6 days just doesnt seem like enough to heal appropriately. Does it??? Do they do some sort of test to see if he is healed before removing it?
Posted 2/4/2011 9:02 PM (GMT 0)
My cath was removed at the one week mark - exactly 7 days after surgery. It seems to be the standard for the practice. My surgeon was also away, and a partner saw me, but it was very brief (my path report was not back yet). Spent more time with the nurse.

As to the catheter bag in the shower - I got a suction hook to hang the big/night bag on just to keep it upright. Mobility is limited anyway, you don't want the water directly at the sutures. My nurses said take it on in - it's waterproof, or at least better be (with quite the in-house joke look between them). Again, they insisted that less bag changes were better, none at all was the best plan.

No, don't ostracize the kids altogether - getting everybody on the hand sanitizer bandwagon can be a game.

If he does get to coughing or sneezing - get a mid size pillow as mentioned before. Holding it to the stomach really helps ease the pain of a sneeze.

Posted 2/4/2011 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
Mine was 10 days, but I think that no matter who does the removal, your doc is still in charge of the schedule. As
I recall there was very little evaluation done at the time of removal so my guess is that one day doesn't make much difference.

One answer to worry is to be extra cautious in the first week after removal, NO lifting, avoid driving, walking should be at a gentle pace. Oh, and don't have marital relations until the tenth day! (wink)
Posted 2/4/2011 10:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hey guys. Some people have to self cath every time they need to urinate. Removal of the caths after surgery is about a 30 second painless procedure, usally taken care of by a nurse. Nothing to worry about.............
Posted 2/5/2011 2:04 AM (GMT 0)
OK, my comment is little more than a "ditto" for both the blood on the outside of the catheter and its removal. Neosporin applied with a q-tip helped lubricate and heal any chafing. Nurse removed the catheter 7 days later. Painless, but felt like I was urinating at 100 psi for 1-2 seconds.

Sounds like all is going as expected.
Posted 2/5/2011 6:36 PM (GMT 0)
Susan

I had blood after the RP and also after stricture removal and catherization. 

 Kind of norm - plus the foley portion is in a very sensitive spot which just was resected.

Nothing to worry about unless it is very large amounts.

Once the catherter is removed there maybe some blood in initial urine but that is normally not the case

Good Luck and Thanks for hanging with your husband. 

 My wife has gone through RP with me and without a partner's support it is a very difficult road to travel.

Tom

 

Posted 2/5/2011 7:18 PM (GMT 0)
Alf wishes to point out he is not an expert nor medically qualified(!)
Blood clot & "bits" are normal - in small quantities. (And remember that a very small bit of blood can make a lot of urine/water look red.) A hard dried bit of blood may not be comfortable, but don't pull the tube about to try and dislodge anything, nor use Vaseline type things as they are bad for rubber. (Same reason not to use Vaseline with rubber condoms)

As for colds etc in the family, a key thing to do is to wash your hands thoroughly and with a disinfectant soap or similar. Hands are among the dirtiest things around, as are things that your hands touch such as door handles etc.

Crazy as it seems you need to wash your hands before you touch your penis to stop making your penis dirty with the stuff on your hands more than the other way round!
But wash them afterwards as well!

I would anticipate that when the catheter is removed there might be some more bits and pieces coing out in the pee.

Alf
Posted 2/5/2011 9:27 PM (GMT 0)

tvwohio said...
Good Luck and Thanks for hanging with your husband.

My wife has gone through RP with me and without a partner's support it is a very difficult road to travel.


Amen brother!
Posted 2/6/2011 12:26 AM (GMT 0)
I had the catheter in for 8 days.  I had it removed a few days ago (2/3/2011).  I had blood on the outside of the catheter for about 5 days.  I was specifically told by the nurse at the hospital NOT to use neosporin.  They gave me some packets of stuff called E-Z Lubricating Jelly.  I cleaned myself about 4 times a day with some foaming soap stuff and used the E-Z Jelly.  This worked great for me.
Posted 2/6/2011 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
The catheter is MUCH more comfortable and manageable if it is held against the upper thigh with a velco strap so the weight of the bag NEVER is allowed to pull on the catheter. This helps prevent the catheter from irritating the tip of the penis from the constant movement...Some hospitals send you home with a proper "kit" of supplies and some don't.

Before long, it's all just a bad memory...
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