Unable to remove catheter

[rdr123]

A friend e-mailed be saying that, following a laser procedure for prostate cancer, his doctor was unable to remove his catheter. I'll be seeing him fairly soon (at his request), but I do not know (and he did not tell me) what the failure to remove the catheter implies for his health. I'm not even sure what type of catheter it is. I'm worried, and I do not want to ask him about it, as I'm fearing the worst and don't wan't to risk upsetting him with an e-mail inquiry. Can anyone help me out?

[dudie141]

should you remove catheter if penis swollen and bleeding?

[HeinrikMD]

Hi,

I understand the distress that this situation must entail. The simplest scenario that I can think of, entails your friend being among those people who don’t heal as quickly as others. Healing involves a phase of inflammation, where there may be swelling that would make removal of the catheter difficult.
One of the advantages of the procedure is that the laser would allow a shorter time on the catheter. Some patients are able to heal by 2 or 3 days, but some may take more than a week. If your friend’s catheter was not removed as schedule, the first question to ask is how many days after the procedure is he.  Perhaps he only needs a little more time to heal.