I am going to be going in to have surgery to repair an inguinal hernia. In the past when I have had surgeries a very pesky nurse will come bother me after the surgery asking if I have urinated. They will insist I need to urinate and if I do not they will place a catheter in me. These health care professionals can not understand that I have a different bathroom schedule than all other patients. It is not uncommon for me to go for three days without urinating. No, there is no problem with me as I am 41 years old and I have been this way since I was a very small child so I think that I would be dead by now if I had a problem. I never feel discomfort from not urinating. Believe me, sometimes it causes problems for people that can not understand this. When I am getting a new job and they want a sample for a drug test sometimes I have to wait 3 days in order to be able to give it to them. Anyway, the issue is since these pesky, arrogant RN's who seem to have nothing better to do with their time but to be involved with their urine fetish (collecting urine, keeping track of times that you urinated, measuring volumes of it, having tests ran on it, looking at the color of it , who do these people have such a piss fetish?? ) so they refuse to understand this and will not respect my wishes to in no circumstance have a catheter, how can I refuse them when they try? I honestly do not care if I die on the hospital bed because I was not given one, I refuse to have one. I do not care about there stupid message about how anesthesia can cause someone to not urinate and they have to or my bladder will rupture. Let it rupture, I do not care! Is there someone here that can tell me the proper way to refuse treatment for catheters after my surgery? I will happily sign any documents to keep the doctors from getting sued. I do not care what happens, let me die! I do not want a catheter!!

This is a requirement for being released. You will have to discuss this with your doctor prior to surgery.

Also have you seen a medical professional about not urniating every three days. This is not normal and actually can be a sign of some serious issues.

As a nurse, I take absolute offense to your post. You are a very rude person. However, the good nurse in me will answer your question.

On the day of surgery, when you are signing your consents, you tell them then that you refuse the use of the Foley catheter.

I do not mind urinating prior to release. The issue is that they should not "force it out of me". Do not say just because I have not urinated in 12 hours they need to do a catheter. Just wait three days, I will urinate in that time. Let it come out naturally, do not force it out of me in any circumstance. I guess I should request coffee, that makes me urinate!. LOL
Well I have been that way on the not urinating since I was about 5 years old and I am now 41 years old. I sort of am thinking that if I had a serious issue that I would be dead by now.
Thanks for your help.

As a nurse, I take absolute offended to your post. You are a very rude person. However, the good nurse in me will answer your question.

On the day of surgery, when you are signing your consents, you tell them then that you refuse the use of the Foley catheter.

OK, I am sorry if I offended you. I just get a bit upset when a nurse or any other person tries to tell me how to control my body. You can give me your recommendation and tell me that you think a catheter would be a good idea but to forcibly do it violoating me in a completely, undignified manner is not right. Some of the nurses I have dealt with in the past have been very rude people that have an attitude to do things their way or the highway. Nothing personal agaist you as I obviously have never met you and obviously since you are an obstetrical nurse as a man I seriously doubt if you would ever be assigned to me... LOL.

I will take your recommendation about the refusing Foley catheters on the consent form into consideration.

You won't be in the hospital for three days, methinks. Urine is a very quick and easy indicator of health or illness. Is your objection based on the discomfort when a nurse inserts a Foley?

Do you object to blood draws too because the technician is "forcing it out of me"?

As a nurse, I take absolute offended to your post. You are a very rude person. However, the good nurse in me will answer your question.

On the day of surgery, when you are signing your consents, you tell them then that you refuse the use of the Foley catheter.

OK, I am sorry if I offended you. I just get a bit upset when a nurse or any other person tries to tell me how to control my body. You can give me your recommendation and tell me that you think a catheter would be a good idea but to forcibly do it violoating me in a completely, undignified manner is not right. Some of the nurses I have dealt with in the past have been very rude people that have an attitude to do things their way or the highway. Nothing personal agaist you as I obviously have never met you and obviously since you are an obstetrical nurse as a man I seriously doubt if you would ever be assigned to me... LOL.

I will take your recommendation about the refusing Foley catheters on the consent form into consideration.

Yeah, I might get assigned to you on the nights that I work in the ER.

I object because numbe one it is painful. You have to be a guy to understand this because men have longer urethras than women do. Sticking that thing down there stings badly. I also feel it is undignified. It is morally wrong to either allow a female nurse that I am not married to or have any other type of relationship to to touch me in that area. If it is a male nurse then I certainly do not want a gay guy touching my junk. I honestly believe there are certain areas of the human body that are off limits to knowledge. I believe that if I have a bladder issue that it is God's will that I have that issue and that no one should try to change that. Bladders are off limits to human knowldege for medicine. I do not allow doctor's to give me hernia checks. This hernia was found on a ct scan. I would never allow a doctor to do that. This is why I refuse to have physicals.


You won't be in the hospital for three days, methinks. Urine is a very quick and easy indicator of health or illness. Is your objection based on the discomfort when a nurse inserts a Foley?

Do you object to blood draws too because the technician is "forcing it out of me"?

And I've had two babies? (not to mention the tonsillectomy, the pilonidal cyst surgery, the c-section, the colonoscopy, the cancer surgery, and the annual female checkups)

I am going to try this. I found a copy of the Advanced Medical Directory/Release that Jehovah Witnesses use to deny themselves blood transfusions and I changed the words blood transfusions to urinary catheterizations and tweeked it some more. I am going to have it notarized. I hope this will do the trick when I give it to them.

ADVANCED MEDICAL DIRECTIVE/RELEASE
I, my name here, of my address here, currently having the capacity to make my own health care decisions, do willfully and voluntarily make this advance directive as a formal statement of my wishes. These instructions reflect my resolute decision.
I direct that no urinary catheterizations (Foley indwelling urinary catheters, Robinson intermittent catheters, coudé catheters, hematuria catheters, external, Texas, urisheat condom catheter or any other type of catheter thereof) be given to me under any circumstances, even if physicians deem such necessary to preserve my life or health.

This legal directive is an exercise of my right to accept or to refuse medical treatment in accord with my personal preferences. I do not like catheters as they are painful to insert and will gladly accept the consequences up to and including death by refusing to have one.
I also know that there are various dangers associated with urinary catheterization including urinary tract infections, injury to the urethra caused by rough insertion of the catheter, narrowing of the urethra due to scar tissue caused by the insertion of the catheter, injury to the bladder caused by incorrect insertion of the catheter and bladder stones even though these usually only develop after years of catheterization. So I have decided to avoid such dangers and, instead, to accept whatever risks may seem to be involved in my choice of not allowing the use of urinary catheters.
I release physicians, surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and hospitals and their personnel from liability for any damages that might be caused by my refusal of urinary catheterizations, despite their otherwise competent care.
I authorize the person(s) named on the Health Care Power of Attorney form that this advanced medical directive is attached to see that my instructions set forth in this directive are upheld and to answer any questions about my absolute refusal of urinary catheterizations.

___________________________
My Name, Principal

DATE: _____________________

STATE OF My State )
)ss
COUNTY OF ________________ )

The undersigned, being a Notary Public certified in My State, declares that My name, the Principal, has dated and signed or marked this Advanced Medical Directive/Release in my presence and appears to me to be of sound mind and free from duress. I further declare I am not related to him by blood, marriage or adoption, or a person designated to make health care decisions on his behalf. I am not directly involved in providing care as a professional to him. I am not entitled to any part of his estate under a Will now existing or by operation of law.

In the event My Name is physically unable to sign or mark this Advanced Medical Directive/Release, I verify that he directly indicated to me that the Advanced Medical Directive/Release expresses his wishes and that he intends to adopt the Advanced Medical Directive/Release at this time.

WITNESS MY HAND AND SEAL:

____________ ___________________________________________
Date Signature of Notary Public

____________________________________
Notary Public Name:

(Official Seal) My Commission Expires: _______________________

So you're okay when it's time to have a colonoscopy.

I most likely would request a CT scan of the intestine in its place. As far as I know, the CT Scan will give all the same info that the colonoscopy would. I am not criticizing your healthcare decisions you have made for yourself. It is your right to make them and your right to allow or not allow what is done to your body and how they touch it. I am actually happy that you are alive, you are a nice person even though I may disagree with your healthcare decisions for myself (but as I said, you have a right to make them for yourself).


So you're okay when it's time to have a colonoscopy.

You are really over-thinking this. You have the right to refuse certain medical procedures. A foley cath is one. You just have to voice that right prior to being given any medications that may alter your mental status.

Right, that is why I set up that Advanced Medical Directive obviously getting it notarized while I was in a full mental state not having taken any of the medications that would cause my mental status to be not good and I also gave instructions on the Advanced Medical Directive for other people to make decisions (the durable medical power of attorney) that state my intent. I sort of got the idea from web searches and finding that people in the Jehovah Witness faith refuse blood transfusions in all cases and learning that this is what they do to make sure they never get one. I found a copy of there advanced medical directive and changed the wording to say advanced medical directive. I am hoping that this does the trick since it will obviously be notarized when I am in an unaltered mental state. Thanks for your help.


You are really over-thinking this. You have the right to refuse certain medical procedures. A foley cath is one. You just have to voice that right prior to being given any medications that may alter your mental status.

You can use that if you want to, but it's really not necessary.

So any other procedure is fine, but just not urine removal?

Most likely, with a hernia repair such as yours, they will need the cath in place during the surgery. This has nothing at all to do with you urinating, but rather to make sure that there is no injury to your bladder during the surgery.

Well, as far as I know the catheter is the only thing that would come up in recovery from inguinal hernia surgery (the inguinal hernia surgery being done laprascopically with incisions in the abdomen to avoid contact) where contact would be necessary. Obviously, since the CT scan has already established that I have the inguinal hernia they need not check for it. The surgeon actually told me that I most likely will not have to spend the night there, most of her patients are discharged later that day as long as I have someone to drive me home and stay with me for a day. She said only if there are complications that arise will I have to stay so hopefully this will all be a moot point.


So any other procedure is fine, but just not urine removal?

I will have to check with the surgeon on that one. Do they remove it before you leave the surgery room?

Most likely, with a hernia repair such as yours, they will need the cath in place during the surgery. This has nothing at all to do with you urinating, but rather to make sure that there is no injury to your bladder during the surgery.

If you wish they can place it and remove it while you are asleep. You'll never know it's there.

Don't like that but I may have to compromise at that.


If you wish they can place it and remove it while you are asleep. You'll never know it's there.

I understand you don't like it, and I understand why. But sometimes, even though you may not know the reasoning, there is a necessary "evil" as to why we have to do the things we do.

You see, I am an OB nurse, but I also work in the ER. What you may find invasive, intrusive and painful has a reason. We aren't doing it just because we want to.

In OB I have to monitor my girl's blood pressure constantly. They wear a blood pressure cuff at all times and their BP is taken every 30 minutes, sometimes more often. They hate it, but it's a necessary evil. Why? Because there are dangers associated with labor and delivery that go beyond what my patients know. An increase in blood pressure can indicate possible seizures, a decrease can indicate compromise to the fetus. My patients don't understand that, they aren't medically educated to know that.

Your situation is very similar. When undergoing surgery of the abdomen a catheter must be placed to make sure that the bladder has not been knicked. That would be indicated by blood in the urine in the foley bag. We also have to measure input and output. By that I mean we need to measure how much fluid we put in you and how much comes out. If not enough comes out you could suffer from congestive heart failure.

We aren't Nazi's, we don't enjoy doing this to you any more than you enjoy getting it. But there are reasons, very serious reasons, why these things are done.

Just to let everyone know, I had the surgery successfully and a catheter was never used on me. This hospital seemed to be better than a previous hospital I had been to. When I explained to the nurse that it was not uncommon for me to only urinate once every three days she actually listened to me unlike previous nurses and understood that not urinating for me was normal. They let me stay there never urinating until a day and a half after the surgery without a catheter. At least these nurses listened and were open minded without a personal agenda of their own. Thanks for all your info though. I am sorry if I was a bit angry and if I upset the nurses on this forum, I was just upset with some nurses from a previous experience. I found out that not all nurses are the same. Some actually do listen to you and respect you.