Is there any help for my Dad who desperately wants to get rid of a cath?
I'm trying to help my dad out by seeking advice from those who know more then we do. My dad has had a cath for nearly 12 months now. Originally he had to have a cath when he went into the hospital for a heart issue. They tried a couple of times to remove it, only to have to put it back in.
Finally his urologist said that inflammation has built up scar tissue to the point that the urethra has closed, making the wearing of the cath a must. They scheduled surgery for him three times, all of which had to be postponed for one reason or another. The last time he was actually at the hospital ready to go into surgery when the Anesthesiologist called it because, when reviewing his chart, he saw that dad had had a heart stint put in 9 months previous and it was policy to not operation on a stint patient until 1 year post op.
Needless to say dad was deviated when he was told they couldn't do the sugery and that he'd have to wait another 3 months before it could be rescheduled. But he had no other choice...
We are now 4 months past that time, and his Urologist has told us that the anesthesiologist flat out refuses to do the operation now, citing his health (he has been diagnosed with progressive heart failure) and is age (85) as the reason.
Dad is willing to do anything it takes to get the cath out, even if it means he dies trying and is willing to sign anything they need him to that would say he'll hold them blameless if anything should happen if they would only do the operation.
Short of that, he wants to find another doctor and another anesthesiologist.
He hates that catheter so...and with recurring urine infections, he may find himself dying because of them ....
One problem though is that it's a two hour drive to the nearest large hospital for my brother and sister in law... I guess my question is do you think it's worth going through trying to find another set of doctors who will do the operation for my dad or are do you think they'd just be spinning their wheels.?
Thanks for any help in advance!
Dustie
5 Answers
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Maggie, it's been talked over with the urologist on every visit, which have been many. They've tried different size tubes, different methods of supporting the bag, etc, etc, etc and still dad has constant discomfort and infections. After a year of trying, there's just no way to make him comfortable with it, so I can understand him really wanting the surgery. The Surgeon is ok with doing the surgery..it's the Anesthesiologist that's refusing to do it. I think he'd better accept it if the Surgeon doing the operation said no...
Ask dad if he wants Hospice. If he does, they can pull the cath, stop the meds and set him free. His choice.