u/Tough_Boysenberry527

I recently had a minor surgery 3 days ago where right before they put me under they mentioned putting a foley in. I woke up with a full bladder saying I needed to pee but they wouldn’t let me and said my bladder should be empty (due to having a foley). Well finally after a bit helped me to the restroom and my bladder was VERY full. Since then I had UTI like symptoms. It’s the fourth so I can’t get ahold of anyone from my surgery right now and the on call doc said to just drink more water. I went to an urgent care and they did a rapid test and I definitely have a UTI. I had blood in my urine. Anyway, are UTIs a normal thing after surgery or having a Foley catheter in? I’ve been on antibiotics for two days and it doesn’t feel much better really yet.

My symptoms are so convoluted because my surgery was in my pelvic area, urinary symptoms are in my pelvic area, and cherry on top I stared my period. I can’t tell what’s what.

I guess I’m just wondering if this can be treated as a normal UTI? Do I need to update my doctors? I’ve never had surgery before, so I wasn’t aware of any of this.

So, I think my UTI is related to improper catheter placement. I came out of the surgery with a REALLY full bladder and already felt like I had the start of a UTI. I had a right ovarian vein embolization done two days ago. They went through my neck. Immediately upon waking up I felt as if I had to pee. They told me my bladder should have been empty due to having a foley in during the surgery. I asked for assistance to go to the restroom and infact had a VERY full bladder and it felt like a possible uti but I was just out of surgery. I went home within 3 hours of surgery and the UTI symptoms continues but I knew they gave me a foley so I just assumed it was maybe a normal issue from that. The next day (yesterday) the UTI symptoms got worse but I kept drinking water and decided to call the hospital number they gave me. The on call IR doctor didn’t believe it was a uti just irritation and said to keep drinking water. About an hour later I went pee again and then there was blood. So I went into the urgent care and confirmed UTI and they gave me antibiotics.

I assume this is just from the foley and what not, but they did check my left ovarian vein during surgery but did not embolized that vein. The on call doctor did mention if I had and embolization on the left and then had uti symptoms I should come in but they only embolized my right side which is not connected to my kidneys like the left side is.

Basically it’s the 4th of July and it’s limited staff everywhere right now. The on call doctor didn’t think I had a UTI but I obviously do. I sent a message to my doctors to update them but the staff hasn’t even looked at it yet.

Just want to know if this is semi normal to happen and unrelated to my procedure or if it is related somehow maybe? I don’t want to overreact and go back to the hospital.

They said fevers are normal and expected after embolization surgery for some and prescribed steroids in case. Pain at incision site and pelvic pressure is obviously normal as well. I haven’t had a fever that I know of but am still feeling shakey and a tight chest sort of but they went through my neck so that’s sore.

I just had my right ovarian vein embolized this morning and finally feel very validated in everything I’ve been experiencing. The Interventional Radiologist went in only thinking it was an average embolization, but was very surprised and will be documenting my case. He checked both sides, my left side maybe was slightly larger but not varicosed and worked normally, but my right was the worst he has ever seen. He said he has never seen the right side only be that bad and the ultrasound I had did not show that level of complication and deformity in my vein.

He said this is highly unusual and isn’t positive that there might be something more going on to cause only my right side to be affected, but either way my right vein NEEDED to be embolized and shut down, it was not working at all. My case may be more complicated as there were more pelvic veins that were abnormal, but this is the first step and to see how I feel with this.

The nurses were telling me he was one of the top IR surgeons in the US training under one of the Modern Pioneers in Interventional Radiology. (Honestly don’t recall the name she dropped, I was fresh out of surgery )

I just want to say that after 10 years of pain it finally feels good to know that the pain is real and in fact I had a pretty severe case and was living with it for so long.

I went to U of M Hospital, he said he’ll be documenting and writing a short paper on my case.