Medical Questions » Prostate Gland Questions » Question No. 815
| Question: | I' m an old codger, stuck in a nursing home—but I' ve still got my wits! Ever since I had my prostate out, I have to have a horrible tube up my private bit to get rid of my piss. My doctor says it has to stay in, and keeps pushing them in and out every month. It' s damned embarrassing! How can I get rid of this tube for good? |
| Answer: | There are a number possibilities here, but the most likely is that you cannot pass urine normally because of a bladder that will not contract properly aftet the operation. The prostate is certainly responsible for a lot of problems in older men, and if it is enlarged, you sometimes cannot pass utine at all because of its size, and after the operation the bladder may be so slack that it cannot force the urine out.
It is often unfortunate that the body gives out before the brain, leaving you having to deal with the embarrassment and inconvenience of urinary catheters. They have to be changed every month because if they are left for too long infections can develop, and the rubber of the catheter deteriorates.
I fear that you will not be able to get rid of the tube for good, because if there was any way in which this could be done, your doctor would have tried it. Ask your doctor why the catheter is required, and ask if you can try for a couple of days without it—you may soon wish to have it back in again. |
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