Can't urinate after surgery

Hi all,

its the day after surgery and I'm having a very hard time peeing! My bladder is full but I can't empty it...just an oz of pee every couple hours. They won't discharge me until I empty my bladder. Again, my bladder is FULL and I'm drinking lots of water

anyone else have this problem?

Yes, I had this problem. The nurses told me it was common and I needed to relax because the fear of pain plus the painkillers were making it hard to go. I had to bring a book in with me and run the tap for background noise, and just sit there for awhile before it would start up. It was the weirdest feeling ever, needing to pee but it wouldn't start.

Congrats on your surgery. Good luck emptying your bladder.

Mine wasn't to the extreme that yours is, but I too had issues with peeing for a bit after surgery...

I'm back to 'full strength', and was fairly quickly. Hopefully this too shall pass... just like your pee

Narcotic painkillers are often the culprit. Try taking less and see if that helps.

I had that too. Keep trying.

I had it happen too and I was SURE my bladder was full; the nurses kept me trying for a few hours. When they finally figured out it I wasn't kidding (they did a bladder ultrasound or something similar) they immediately did a re-cath. My bladder was so full that it was painful and I didn't even feel the catheter.

Outside of the "normal" post op pain, that few hours was my most uncomfortable time immediately post op.

Hope it's settled soon. If you're really uncomfortable there is a reason for it and maybe mentioning the catheter will get it taken care of. You'll feel so much better. And they won't have to keep you catheterized, it was a one time thing. For me anyway.

Good luck. I know you want to go home and I still hope you get to today.

I had the same problem. But, the hospital sent me home with a catheter. I had it removed about 8 days after surgery. Sometimes its common with surgery. General anesthesia can block the bladder muscles. It happened to me when I had my hysterectomy too.

Hi Lina_Ann,

I had that problem after my surgery. My bladder was completely full and I could only pee in small amounts because I just kept topping off my bladder. I was running to the bathroom every 3 minutes. They finally put a temporary catheter in me to drain my bladder. Once my bladder was empty, it returned to regular function.

Matt

Sometimes happens after Foley catheter removal. Your bladder gets used to the Foley doing the work so it decides to stop working, causing retention. Sometimes catheters can also cause UTI?s, so if you continue to be symptomatic you should push for a urinalysis with culture. This is assuming you had a catheter. I did, so just figured it is routine. Hoping you're past this by now.

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