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CION Cancer Clinics
The catheter after prostatectomy: how many days, and why | CION Cancer Clinics
After a prostatectomy the catheter usually stays in for between one and two weeks. It protects the new join between the bladder and the urethra while the stitches heal, and your surgeon sets the exact removal date. This page explains what the tube is doing, what is normal at home, which problems cannot wait, and the questions to ask before you leave the ward. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- How many days does the catheter stay in after a prostatectomy?
- What is normal while the catheter is in?
- How do you look after it at home?
- Words you will see, in plain language
- Four things families tell us about the catheter, and what is true
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about the catheter after prostatectomy
The short answer
How many days does the catheter stay in after a prostatectomy?
Usually between one and two weeks. Most surgeons remove it in that window, and a few keep it a little longer if the join inside needs more time. The exact day is set by your surgeon and written on your discharge sheet.
Why you need a catheter at all
When the prostate is removed, the bladder is stitched directly to the urine tube (the urethra). That new join is called the anastomosis, and it is delicate for the first couple of weeks. The catheter keeps urine flowing through it without pressure, so the stitches can knit together. Every man who has this operation goes home with one.
What decides the exact number of days
How well the join came together on the day, how much bleeding there was, whether the bladder neck had to be rebuilt, and your surgeon's usual practice. Some surgeons check the join with a dye X-ray before removal; many no longer do.
This page cannot tell you your own removal date. Only the surgeon who saw the join can. If you are unsure, call the ward before you run out of supplies.What to expect
What is normal while the catheter is in?
Four things frighten families in the first week at home. All four are usual.
Pink or red urine
A pink tinge, sometimes darker after you have been on your feet, is expected in the first days. It comes from the healing join. Water dilutes it. Small dark flecks are old blood.
Talk to the team if
- It turns the colour of red wine and stays that way
- You are passing clots the size of a coin
Bladder spasms
A sudden cramping urge to pass urine even though the catheter is draining, sometimes with a small leak around the tube. The bladder is reacting to the balloon. Spasms ease as the days pass, and your surgeon can prescribe a tablet if they are frequent.
Leaking around the tube
A little urine escaping alongside the catheter during a spasm or when you strain. A pad manages it. Constant leaking with nothing in the bag is different and needs a call.
Soreness at the tip
The tube rubs where it enters the penis. Keeping the area clean and the tube taped so it does not tug makes the biggest difference. A little crusting at the opening is common.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistDay to day
How do you look after it at home?
Wash, do not scrub
Once or twice a day, wash where the tube enters the body with warm water and mild soap, wiping away from the body along the tube. Dry gently. Wash your hands before and after. You can shower with the catheter in.
Secure the tube
Use the strap or tape the ward gave you so the tube is fixed to the thigh with a little slack. A tube that pulls tight every time you stand causes most of the soreness and most of the bleeding.
Keep the bag low and the tube straight
Urine drains by gravity. The bag must sit below the bladder, and the tube must not kink or loop upward. If the bag has been empty for a couple of hours, first check whether the tube is bent under you.
Empty and swap the bags
Empty the leg bag when it is about two-thirds full, into the toilet, without letting the tap touch anything. At night, connect the larger night bag to the leg bag and hang it on a stand or clean bucket beside the bed.
!
Four things that cannot wait until the next clinic
Call the helpline or go to the nearest emergency department the same day if: nothing has drained for a few hours and your lower belly feels tight or painful; the catheter has come out; you have a fever with shivering, or cloudy foul-smelling urine; or you are passing large clots and the flow keeps stopping. Do not pull on the tube, and do not let anyone outside a hospital try to put a catheter back in.
Leave a number, we will call you
One field. No form to fill in, and no charge for the call.
On your discharge sheet
Words you will see, in plain language
- Foley catheter
- The soft tube that runs from the bladder out through the penis. A small water-filled balloon at the tip holds it in place.
- Anastomosis
- The stitched join between the bladder and the urethra. Every day the catheter is in is a day for this join to heal.
- Leg bag and night bag
- The small bag strapped to your thigh by day, and the larger bag you connect at night so you do not have to get up to empty it.
- Cystogram
- An X-ray with dye put through the catheter to check the join is sealed. Some surgeons order one before removal; many do not.
- Trial without catheter
- The clinic visit where the catheter is removed and the team checks that you can pass urine on your own before you go home.
Commonly believed
Four things families tell us about the catheter, and what is true
"He has a catheter, so the surgery must not have gone well."
The catheter is part of every prostatectomy, planned before the first cut. It says nothing about whether the cancer was removed cleanly; that answer comes from the pathology report.
"If he drinks less, the bag fills slower and the tube can come out sooner."
The opposite. Less water means darker urine, more clots and a higher chance of the tube blocking or an infection setting in. Drink normally, more if the urine looks dark, unless your surgeon has limited fluids for a heart or kidney reason.
"It slipped out a little, so we pushed it back in."
Never do this. A tube that has moved can tear the healing join if it is pushed. Tape it where it is, put a pad on, and call. If it has come out fully, it goes back in at a hospital, by someone who knows the join is there.
"Once the catheter is out he will be dry straight away."
Most men leak for a while after removal, sometimes for months. It improves, and pelvic floor exercises speed that up. Buy pads before the removal appointment, not after it.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot give you your own removal date, or tell you whether your join has healed. Both depend on what your surgeon saw and stitched.
Who needs the catheter longer
Men whose bladder neck had to be reshaped, men with heavy bleeding during surgery, men who have had radiation to the pelvis before, and men with earlier prostate operations. If that is you, expect the later end of the range, and treat it as your surgeon being careful.
What to ask before you leave the ward
The removal date and where it happens. Who to call at night if the bag stops filling. Whether you need a dye X-ray first. How many spare bags and straps you are going home with, and where to buy more in your district. Whether the spasm tablets can be taken with your regular medicines. Write the answers on the discharge sheet itself.
If you live outside Hyderabad, ask whether the catheter can be removed at a clinic nearer home. Sometimes yes, sometimes not.Questions we are asked
Common questions about the catheter after prostatectomy
Can the catheter come out earlier if he is doing well?
Not usually. The date is set by how long the join needs, not by how the patient feels. A man can feel completely well on day five with a join that is still fragile. Ask the surgeon at follow-up, and never let anyone remove it outside a clinic.
Does it hurt to have a catheter in for this long?
Uncomfortable rather than painful for most men. The two things that make it worse are the tube pulling when you move, and bladder spasms. Fixing the tube to the thigh solves the first; your surgeon can prescribe something for the second. Pain that is new, severe or with a fever needs a call.
Can he walk, climb stairs and travel home to the district?
Walking is encouraged from the first day. Stairs are fine, taken slowly. A car journey home is usually fine with the tube secured; stop to empty the bag. Avoid two-wheelers, heavy lifting and straining until the surgeon says otherwise.
What if the bag has been empty for hours?
Check the tube for kinks and that the bag is below the bladder. Drink a glass of water. If nothing drains within a couple of hours, or the lower belly becomes tight and painful, the tube may be blocked by a clot. That is a same-day call, not a wait until morning.
Can he bathe or shower with it in?
A shower is fine and keeps the area clean; keep the bag attached and below the bladder. Avoid sitting in a bath, a tank or a river until the catheter is out and the wounds have closed, because still water carries infection up the tube.
Is the urine supposed to smell strong?
Concentrated urine smells stronger, and usually means more water is needed. Cloudy, foul-smelling urine with a fever, shivering or new pain over the bladder may mean an infection, which is more common while a catheter is in. That combination needs a call the same day.
Will he leak once the catheter is removed?
Most men do, at least for a few weeks, and some for longer. Control returns gradually as the muscles around the new join recover, and pelvic floor exercises help. Have pads ready for the removal day, and read our page on incontinence after surgery.
Does Aarogyasri or insurance cover the catheter supplies?
The catheter and first set of bags are part of the surgical admission and usually sit within the scheme or cashless package. Spare bags, straps and pads bought afterwards are generally out of pocket, and inexpensive at any pharmacy. Call the helpline if you are unsure what your cover included.
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Sources
- NHS — Urinary catheters
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for prostate cancer
- American Cancer Society — Surgery for Prostate Cancer
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Prostate cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Life With a Catheter for Two WeeksSleeping, washing, travelling and working with the tube inCatheter Removal: What HappensWhat the removal visit involves and what the first day is likeUrinary Incontinence After ProstatectomyWhat leaking after removal is usual, and what is notDrains, Tubes, Lines and CathetersEvery tube you may go home with after cancer surgeryRecovery Week by Week After ProstatectomyWhere the catheter fits in the wider recovery
Talk to us
Worried about the catheter tonight?
Call the helpline and tell us what you are seeing. A nurse or oncologist will tell you whether it can wait until the clinic or needs to be seen now. One helpline serves every CION centre.