# Pain after catheter?



## MomNamedHeather (Aug 30, 2010)

I am brand new here ladies so I appreciate any responses.

This afternoon my 20 month old was given a catheter to test for a UTI. He does not have a UTI but now 6 hours later, he is crying everytime he urinates. While the nurse was inserting the cath she commented how much harder it was to do on a uncirced penis.
I am really worried she did something wrong, or that something just went wrong. Is this something that warrants a call to the doctor? He will be going to the DR in the morning as a check up from the Urgent Care visit this morning/afternoon.

Thanks for your help. I am confused, worried and just at the end of my rope right now.


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

When she did the cath did she retract his foreskin any? Because if she did then that is why he is in pain. Since she made the comment about cathing intact being harder it wouldnt surprise me if she did


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## MomNamedHeather (Aug 30, 2010)

I honestly have no idea. Before reading this forum I had no idea that nurses/doctors didn't know the proper care








I wasn't watching and neither was my husband. I had to hold his arms down and was blocked by the other nurse holding his legs down.
If she did retract, what do I need to look out for? Should I call the Dr now and let her know?
I feel like this is all something I could have prevented but I had no idea they didn't know proper care. Now I do and will stay on top of it...
His penis isn't red or swollen that I can see. But as soon as he urinates he wants that diaper OFF.


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

As long as he is left alone to heal he should be fine. If you are nursing then put some breast milk on there. Personally I would dab some bacatracin on there just as a precaution. Dont retract to do it just rub it all over his penis that is what I did when ds had trouble.

Unless you see signs of infection I wouldnt call the Dr. at this point.

It sucks that more dr's are not up to date on intact care for sure and it makes it a pain for us to watch out for our ds's but hopefully by the time your ds is an adult this will no longer be an issue to have to watch out for.


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## MomNamedHeather (Aug 30, 2010)

Thank you for your help.
I feel terrible for him, such a rough day!


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## mamaofthree (Jun 5, 2002)

having had a cath before... it can burn like FIRE for awhile after it is removed every time you urinate. it could just be that.
as a nurse i have had patients state that as well.
i would hope that after all these years people would learn how to deal with an uncirc'd penis... it is so upsetting to hear that a nurse said that. it doesn't take much more at all to care for an uncirc'd penis.
they may have had to pull the foreskin just a bit to see the opening, not alot at all, not more then he might do to himself, but other then that, it isn't hard to find the opening.

((hug)) to your poor little guy.

h


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## brant31 (Jan 11, 2009)

A catheter can irritate or even scrape the urethra, so it may simply be that; not necessarily foreskin-related in any way. I have had caths a few times as an adult, and it's not unusual to pee a spot of blood or two afterward. It's just the nature of the procedure. And I can imagine it hurting or stinging in a child more than an adult, since we understand what to anticipate.

(Speaking of hurting, the last time I was catheterized it was a Foley, and the retaining balloon in the bladder wouldn't go more than 3/4 down at removal. So, they sedated me, held my arms and legs and _yanked_. Talk about pain.)

PS - The Wikipedia entry for Foley catheter shows it on an intact adult male.


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## mamaofthree (Jun 5, 2002)

OT: brant31 do you recall if the snipped the port that was used to fill the balloon? because that can usually deflate the balloon if using a syringe doesn't work.

h


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## brant31 (Jan 11, 2009)

Hmmm, I don't know. There were 3 doctors working on it (the resident who came in to take it out, and the attending and other doc that he called in to scratch their heads and come up with a solution). It wasn't a nurse's call, I know that much. They discussed options for about an hour, then when they'd tried everything they could, they decided to pull. I don't ever want to have pain like that again. I peed little blood flakes for about 5 days afterward. This was at JHU hospital in Baltimore.

One thing I hope folks take away from these various threads on catheterization is that there often are (better) alternatives to catheterizing, but cath is an old standby procedure for many docs and nurses. And when it comes to foreskins, there is really no need to retract a male in most cases, especially before puberty. The only time I have ever been asked to specifically retract was when giving a routine "clean catch" urine sample at a Urologist's office. The nurse gave me a little foil-wrapped disinfectant square to "sterilize" the glans on the off chance it came in any kind of contact with the cup and contaminated the catch. Good grief; I just pocketed it and retracted a bit. Sometimes I think nobody knows anything about foreskins in this country.


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## eepster (Sep 20, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *brant31* 
The only time I have ever been asked to specifically retract was when giving a routine "clean catch" urine sample at a Urologist's office. The nurse gave me a little foil-wrapped disinfectant square to "sterilize" the glans on the off chance it came in any kind of contact with the cup and contaminated the catch. Good grief; I just pocketed it and retracted a bit. Sometimes I think nobody knows anything about foreskins in this country.

They make women do that (not the retracting part, the cleaning part) all the time. It is harder for women to pee in a cup without the cup touching a little, and the urine itself is pretty much guarantied to flow against some of our outer parts.


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## eepster (Sep 20, 2006)

In the future, ask them to tape a baggy to him. They just don't like it b/c it means they have to wait.


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## hakunangovi (Feb 15, 2002)

I agree with Mamaofthree and Brant - It stings like crazy for a few days every time you pee after a catheter has been removed. However, the more of them you endure, the less it hurts.


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