New Beginning Started

Star date Sept. 16, 2015. I have now entered the true neo bladder zone. I am now 100% reliant on my intestinal made bladder for storing and evacuating all my urine.

So today I had the catheter removed that was making sure my neo bladder was emptying. Attached to the catheter were 2 stents. Each stent was inserted up through my ureters and into the kidneys. You have to love when Cindy, my neo bladder training nurse says, "When I remove this catheter and stents, it is going to hurt. Some people say it hurts a little. Some people say it hurts a lot. But I while try to remove it as quickly as possible." Well it did hurt. A burning pain. But it was over soon. Soon enough that I didn't have time to go into a swearing tirade.

Before the catheter was removed, Cindy irrigated or flushed my neo bladder to remove any mucus that they be present. Somehow she found a lot of mucus - not good. The last thing she did before removal was to inject 50 ml of saline into the bladder. Then the pain previously mentioned occurred. Cindy then had me step over and sit on the toilet to see if I could evacuate the saline on my own. And I could not. My urethra was clogged with mucus and would not let the fluid by. So this is where I received my first lesson in self catheterization and irrigation. This is the part that I was very much apprehensive  - scared - about. But I put my big boy positive attitude on and pushed the catheter in with the help of lots of K-Y gel. To be honest there was no pain involved, but you could tell when you passed through the pelvic floor and into the neo bladder. Well the long and short of it is that it took 2 self caths to clear the mucus away. Unfortunately, Cindy did not leave any additional saline in the bladder, so I still had no idea if I could self evacuate the fluid in my bladder. Finally, I did get a chance to sit on the toilet again. I did as instructed, I pushed down as though I was trying to have a bowel movement and presto - a small shot of urine slowly flowed from my penis. I was so relieved and happy.

I saw Kevin, the P.A., and received some instruction on future appointments. We said our thank you and good bye to Cindy and Cheryl drove us home to Van Nuys - me and my new system complete with diaper.

Of course, my journey has just begun. I set an alarm for every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours during the night as I begin my life of urinating by the clock. Eventually, as my neo bladder stretches, the intervals will increase. There are numerous procedures I must perform to keep me and my neo bladder functioning properly. But I'll save those for another time. Hopefully in time, I will find my new normal - my new life.