Getting Surgery in Mexico

[Ineedboth1994]

On 2/19/2024 at 2:51 PM, rusty pins said:

Problems after surgery in Mexico to become incontinent that many people warned you about?  Imagine that!

[TJ-DL]

@Reddydid you make it home safely?

[Craisler]

Hope you survived your trip with no major problems. I’m experienced at traveling while incontinent and know it can be a challenge, especially on your first trip. 

[Peaches]

(yippee)

[Reddy]

On 2/19/2024 at 7:41 PM, superabsorbantpolymer said:

That's great to hear. Do you have much experience self cathing? I've been watching nursing training videos lately and tried myself a couple times. Seems easy enough but you gotta be very careful to maintain sterility. I was wondering if you'd be alright flying with the catheter seeing as the balloon might expand, but it shouldn't as it's filled with water of course. Looks like it's fine to do. 

If it helps you at all while you wait to remove the catheter, you've kind of already achieved your goal. You have no control over your urinary output and are reliant on a catheter to drain and a diaper to catch the leaks. So you've accomplished that much and should be proud you've come this far!

 

Also you can get catheter caps with valves that make it easier to release your catheter when it's time to void. You can get on Amazon or specialist catheter sites.

I might look into the catheter valve.  Thanks!  I am my 3rd catheter now.  The little plug wasn't working well and it would come out in my diaper.  I thought there was too much of an infection risk to leaking openly into my diaper, so I took the catheter out, got another blockage from a clot the next day (this morning) and put in a fresh catheter connected to a fresh collection bag.  That's all much better.

On 2/19/2024 at 7:50 PM, BrownBobby said:

Problems after surgery that I've also seen in both my surgeries happening in the US?  Wow, imagine that!  (I don't have to - I've been to the local ER for the same issue for much, much less involved procedures.  It's an easily predictable and treatable complication.  But that isn't NEARLY as snarky, is it?)

It's *almost* like those were known issues that Reddy mentioned he was aware of.  You know, almost like a competent adult individual making a decision while knowing the very real risks involved!  Imagine that!

I'm so glad @Reddy has been willing to share so much - it's *exactly* reactions like this that led to me not bothering to mention what i was doing to others when I had my procedure.  I'm beyond amazed most peoples' reactions have fallen somewhere between "concerned yet curious" to "supportive yet intrigued."  

This procedure is a serious matter.  It has VERY real risks.  I've said the entire time (well, I did until multiple threads were deleted because of "helpful" comments like this) that this is something most people probably shouldn't pursue.  And I'd love nothing more than to have a fully above-board option for this.  

In the meanwhile, we work with the options we have - and I'm glad to hear @Reddy's doing alright.  It's never fun to see complications, even expected and predictable ones.  But for anyone reading this and thinking about doing it themselves - this is part of the package deal.  It's not like the stories.  It's a serious procedure, with serious risks.  And yet, I do believe there are several people out there who would still benefit from it.  

Thank you!  I agree so much with your post.

On 2/19/2024 at 8:32 PM, coloxtrm said:

I've been a member on here for awhile and I rarely commit but I felt compelled to add "my two cents."

I also love uncontrolled incontinence, I personally use a stent but I also have a career that would never facilitate a permanent procedure. I also envy @Reddy at being able to connect reality to an internal desire.

Nothing in life worth doing is without risks. I'm not saying what he has done is wrong, right, good, bad or otherwise. I'm neutral in my judgment. I also will say there are all different levels of judgment by others in this community. I personally would like to see more constructive and positive comments. With that said sometimes writing one's thoughts do not properly translate their feelings or judgments. 

I can say in regards to a previous comment I catheter balloon or any other sealed vessel with any fluid be it air or liquid will not expand or contract on board an aircraft. Do to cabin pressurization. With an exception a vessel sealed at low altitude. Say sea level then transported to high altitude will experience a pressure differential. The same is also true if you flip the circumstances high to low. This is only a factor when air is in that said vessel. Say a small shampoo bottle, not a catheter balloon with 99% water. 

My last comment I only wish @Reddy the very best after all how many of us would love to do what he has done. And how many of us can do what he has done. He has shared a great personal experience. I just ask folks to take a step back and show more respect in their comments. 

Thank you!  I appreciate you taking the time to add your two cents, and thank you for the well wishes.

On 2/20/2024 at 6:55 PM, Diapered Dave said:

Well Reddy should be getting home sometime this evening... Wondered how everything went today?? Any catheter issues? Leaking into the diaper? Problems with the flight? Did the doors stay on the plane? (Hey, that's an issue now days!) 😄😲🙏

I got home last night, pretty late for me (9:30pm) and was pretty exhausted.  I slept very well, but after fixing myself up with a fresh catheter this morning I went back to sleep for another 4 hrs until this afternoon!  It feels great to be home and rest in my own bed.

The doors stayed on the plane and no wings fell apart, either, lol.  Apparently that just happened on a flight too.

On 2/20/2024 at 8:23 PM, Ineedboth1994 said:

LOL 😄🙂

16 hours ago, TJ-DL said:

@Reddydid you make it home safely?

Yep!  No real problems.  Long flights but I finally made it.

2 hours ago, Craisler said:

Hope you survived your trip with no major problems. I’m experienced at traveling while incontinent and know it can be a challenge, especially on your first trip. 

I was pretty wet, but it was OK!  Thankfully I wore a trest and it held up amazingly.

2 hours ago, Peaches said:

(yippee)

😁

[foreverdl]

I have had soo many surgeries , mine due to cancer, and I don't care what it is All of them can have serious issues .  I am really Glad reddy has made it past all of the major problems . And is working through it . I still am jealous . I am having to deal with my diaper rash due to not drinking enough water, and not changing my diaper enough , that's just me being Lazy. But even though I have to not wear part of the day to dry out. I have had thoughts , of it I guess I would be using a Cath just like you for a few days to keep my butt etc dry...

[martiddd]

Hi Reddy, glad to hear that the suergery went well, aisde this small complication. Hopefully cathethers will be of help until the internal tissues have healed and then you'll be as IC as you want!

Were you cathetherized during the flight? Or did you only wear diapers?

[bwakee]

10 hours ago, Reddy said:

Yep!  No real problems.  Long flights but I finally made it.

----------

I was pretty wet, but it was OK!  Thankfully I wore a trest and it held up amazingly.

😁

Yay, home at last!

So I'm not at all familiar with catheters  but all the talk about them in this thread has peaked my interest. I'll have to go looking for a catheter 101 thread later...

But "trest" is something I've never heard of. Can someone elaborate? 🙂

[growlycub]

25 minutes ago, bwakee said:

But "trest" is something I've never heard of. Can someone elaborate? 🙂

It’s a very soft and absorbent diaper.

https://trestcare.com/product/trest-elite-briefs

[Craisler]

I just looked at the Trest diapers on Amazon and the price seems ridiculous. $4.50/per diaper is very high. The Seni Quattro diapers I use are $1.87/diaper when purchased by the case.  I can easily wear them for 8 hours without leaking and still have some reserve capacity.  It seems like you go broke very quickly if you wore Trest diapers regularly. 

[Diapered Dave]

15 minutes ago, Craisler said:

I just looked at the Trest diapers on Amazon and the price seems ridiculous. $4.50/per diaper is very high. The Seni Quattro diapers I use are $1.87/diaper when purchased by the case.  I can easily wear them for 8 hours without leaking and still have some reserve capacity.  It seems like you go broke very quickly if you wore Trest diapers regularly. 

Yes, they are expensive.  I think Reddy wore one on his flight, which if you're on a plane for several hours, you'd want the most absorbent diaper possible.  I don't know if he had a catheter in for the flight, he said he took it out, but I don't know when it came out.  (Reddy? clarification? )

I've bought a bag of the Trest diapers once. I used them on a long, cross-country trip. It was nice not having to stop frequently for diaper changes. But yeah, for everyday use, they ARE pricey!! 

[Reddy]

17 hours ago, foreverdl said:

I have had soo many surgeries , mine due to cancer, and I don't care what it is All of them can have serious issues .  I am really Glad reddy has made it past all of the major problems . And is working through it . I still am jealous . I am having to deal with my diaper rash due to not drinking enough water, and not changing my diaper enough , that's just me being Lazy. But even though I have to not wear part of the day to dry out. I have had thoughts , of it I guess I would be using a Cath just like you for a few days to keep my butt etc dry...

Thanks!  I'm glad to be through most of it too.

11 hours ago, martiddd said:

Hi Reddy, glad to hear that the suergery went well, aisde this small complication. Hopefully cathethers will be of help until the internal tissues have healed and then you'll be as IC as you want!

Were you cathetherized during the flight? Or did you only wear diapers?

Thanks!  I just wore diapers during the flight.  My catheter was having problems so I took it out on the first flight.  But I put a fresh catheter in at home.

 

3 hours ago, Diapered Dave said:

Yes, they are expensive.  I think Reddy wore one on his flight, which if you're on a plane for several hours, you'd want the most absorbent diaper possible.  I don't know if he had a catheter in for the flight, he said he took it out, but I don't know when it came out.  (Reddy? clarification? )

I've bought a bag of the Trest diapers once. I used them on a long, cross-country trip. It was nice not having to stop frequently for diaper changes. But yeah, for everyday use, they ARE pricey!! 

I was planning to have the catheter in for the flights, but with the plug coming out repeatedly, I took it out until I could get home and put in a fresh cath with a collection bag.

But now, I have the new valves which arrived today and I can use instead of the collection bag.

Ugo Catheter Valve (x5) - Urine... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DY7QK73?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I really like these!  Just flip the valve open at the toilet and close when done.  It's almost like being continent again.  Lol.  I think this will be the answer for me, until I'm done with the catheters.

[keyman419]

In the time you were without the cath, did you get any sense as to the results of the surgery?? Probably being without the cath would give you a feel for whether you have to think about releasing urine or if it's just free flowing. Could you feel yourself basically dribbling all the time, which would be just like with my stent now, or did you detect any retainage in your bladder that required a release??

It's hard for me to feel the dribbles most of the time because it's so slow but when I check my diaper, I can detect that it's much more full than that last check. If I drink a bottle of water, it seems as if it dribbles continuously every few seconds, a small amount releases with no effort or ability to hold it back. 

[Reddy]

8 minutes ago, keyman419 said:

In the time you were without the cath, did you get any sense as to the results of the surgery?? Probably being without the cath would give you a feel for whether you have to think about releasing urine or if it's just free flowing. Could you feel yourself basically dribbling all the time, which would be just like with my stent now, or did you detect any retainage in your bladder that required a release??

It's hard for me to feel the dribbles most of the time because it's so slow but when I check my diaper, I can detect that it's much more full than that last check. If I drink a bottle of water, it seems as if it dribbles continuously every few seconds, a small amount releases with no effort or ability to hold it back. 

Yes, any time I didn't have the catheter, until I became blocked I was just freely dripping.  Sometimes not while I was lying down but I would drip again as soon as I got up.  Standing in the shower I turned the water on, it would be just drip... drip... drip...

[Craisler]

I hope the extended time using the catheter solves your problem.  I thought removing it after five days was a bit on the optimistic side.  Nearly everyone who’s had any type of urinary surgery that I’ve heard of has needed to use a catheter for ten days after the surgery and needed to stay near the surgeon’s office or be able to return to it for that entire time.

[keyman419]

4 hours ago, Reddy said:

Yes, any time I didn't have the catheter, until I became blocked I was just freely dripping.  Sometimes not while I was lying down but I would drip again as soon as I got up.  Standing in the shower I turned the water on, it would be just drip... drip... drip...

Gravity is a great thing, haha. I do experience some dripping when laying down but I also have a reroute so gravity still works when I'm laying down. I do feel a small gush sometimes if a small amount puddles in my bladder. Either way, I can't control it and it's amazing. It's amazing how fast it drips after drinking a bottle of water, lol. 

[superabsorbantpolymer]

7 hours ago, Reddy said:

Thanks!  I'm glad to be through most of it too.

Thanks!  I just wore diapers during the flight.  My catheter was having problems so I took it out on the first flight.  But I put a fresh catheter in at home.

 

I was planning to have the catheter in for the flights, but with the plug coming out repeatedly, I took it out until I could get home and put in a fresh cath with a collection bag.

But now, I have the new valves which arrived today and I can use instead of the collection bag.

Ugo Catheter Valve (x5) - Urine... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DY7QK73?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I really like these!  Just flip the valve open at the toilet and close when done.  It's almost like being continent again.  Lol.  I think this will be the answer for me, until I'm done with the catheters.

Great to hear you found a solution that works! When you wore the diaper on the plane did you leak? Or are you still retaining urine? When are you back to work? I've seen catheter underwear that hold your leg bag in a pouch and fasten your tubes in place to prevent movement which might help. I just had a fresh shipment of catheter supplies delivered, maybe I'll cath up for the weekend in solidarity 

[littlebopeeper]

What hotel did you stay at?  Do you have any photos to share?

[Craisler]

I hope everything is okay.  @Reddyhas been silent for an unusually long time. 

[TJ-DL]

9 hours ago, Craisler said:

I hope everything is okay.  @Reddyhas been silent for an unusually long time. 

I'm sure everything is fine. He's going to have a million and one priorities that are more important than keeping us updated every step of the way. Not to mention rather large adjustment period to this new life.

@Reddytake your time. We are all looking forward to your next update. 

[Craisler]

While I hope you’re right, 48 hours with no word from him is concerning.  

[Reddy]

On 2/22/2024 at 5:25 PM, Craisler said:

I hope the extended time using the catheter solves your problem.  I thought removing it after five days was a bit on the optimistic side.  Nearly everyone who’s had any type of urinary surgery that I’ve heard of has needed to use a catheter for ten days after the surgery and needed to stay near the surgeon’s office or be able to return to it for that entire time.

It's been another five days and while not the full 10 days (and not continuous) I decided to take the catheter out again at least temporarily.

I feel a lot more healed.  I haven't had any pain relievers since Thursday!

On 2/22/2024 at 8:36 PM, keyman419 said:

Gravity is a great thing, haha. I do experience some dripping when laying down but I also have a reroute so gravity still works when I'm laying down. I do feel a small gush sometimes if a small amount puddles in my bladder. Either way, I can't control it and it's amazing. It's amazing how fast it drips after drinking a bottle of water, lol. 

This reminds me to drink a big bottle of water!  I need to make sure I'm staying extra hydrated.

On 2/22/2024 at 11:05 PM, superabsorbantpolymer said:

Great to hear you found a solution that works! When you wore the diaper on the plane did you leak? Or are you still retaining urine? When are you back to work? I've seen catheter underwear that hold your leg bag in a pouch and fasten your tubes in place to prevent movement which might help. I just had a fresh shipment of catheter supplies delivered, maybe I'll cath up for the weekend in solidarity 

I did leak and wet my diaper on the plane initially, but then I started to retain urine.  I got up to go to the plane bathroom thinking I would put the catheter back in, but just getting up dislodged the blockage and I wet my diaper suddenly.  So the plane ride was hit or miss.

I'm back to work on Monday.  I'm really hoping I can go catheter-free from now on (but use an intermittent cath when needed to release clots if I'm blocked).

On 2/23/2024 at 9:02 AM, littlebopeeper said:

What hotel did you stay at?  Do you have any photos to share?

Hotel Holiday Inn Select Guadalajara.

Sure!

 

This is outside the entrance

 

This is the view out my window

 

This is the way down the street to the Oxxo and Farmacia

 

This is me sitting on the bed

 

Here is one of the room service orders

20 hours ago, Craisler said:

I hope everything is okay.  @Reddyhas been silent for an unusually long time. 

I have been a little late to update!  I was resting a lot, then had a visitor yesterday which took more energy than I was expecting.

[Reddy]

11 hours ago, TJ-DL said:

I'm sure everything is fine. He's going to have a million and one priorities that are more important than keeping us updated every step of the way. Not to mention rather large adjustment period to this new life.

@Reddytake your time. We are all looking forward to your next update. 

It's really just been boring.  But being two days away from any pain relievers feels really fantastic and like I really am closer to normal.

19 minutes ago, Craisler said:

While I hope you’re right, 48 hours with no word from him is concerning.  

All is well! ♥️

[Craisler]

That’s great to hear.  Given your earlier comments about the blockages and such, I thought you might have ended up in an emergency room. I’m sure we’ll all be interested in your experiences with your new condition.  Even though I worked at becoming incontinent for many years, I discovered that “wanting” to be incontinent and “being” incontinent are distinctly different experiences.

[Reddy]

17 minutes ago, Craisler said:

That’s great to hear.  Given your earlier comments about the blockages and such, I thought you might have ended up in an emergency room. I’m sure we’ll all be interested in your experiences with your new condition.  Even though I worked at becoming incontinent for many years, I discovered that “wanting” to be incontinent and “being” incontinent are distinctly different experiences.

I will keep you updated!  I think the day to day experience will probably have unexpected elements.