My bladder is quite obnoxious! After my hysterectomy last April, I struggled to urinate. I was told that it was a “Floppy Bladder” and would not be able to fully empty without the assistance of a catheter.
So, I learned how to self- cath and actually got quite good at it. Fast forward to January when I was hospitalized for numerous things including a very large kidney stone, a UTI, and a picc line infection. When I got home I required the use of a bedpan and slowly relied less on self- cathing. I thought my bladder was finally waking up and I would be cured.
The fun only lasted a few weeks because I began retaining urine again and having to cath to be able to fully empty my bladder. In the last 24 hours, I am completing a voiding diary where I chart all this liquid I take in, and everything I am able to get out via urinating or self- cathing. I will then send the voiding diary to my doctor and we will meet to talk about it.
The biggest challenge right now is that I require a riser on my toilet so that I am able to stand up from the toilet. This riser greatly diminishes the room I would have to self- cath and isn’t really possible over the toilet. I tried to get up from the toilet without the riser and it wasn’t possible, yet!
I am curious about what the next steps are for my obnoxious bladder that gave me false hope. Until I meet with the doctor, I will continue to brainstorm solutions and rise to meet these challenges!
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