Anybody here ever refuse to be catheterized through their urethra?

@rlpostrp I agree 100%... I was trying to work through my local urologist's office, but that didn't work... I still don't know if it was an ego problem or loss of income from not doing a biopsy or ???... But I actually feel grateful to him now, because he made the decision to seek help elsewhere a non-decision for me... He left me with no other choice.
So I contacted the manufacturers of fusion biopsy systems, and was able to figure out who does fusion biopsies in the Sacramento, California area, and and so now I'm in the process of completing my referral to a urologist down there, about 3 hours away.
As far as my fear of catheterization... I am hoping that I can convince the new urologist to just go ahead and do a RALP, and install the catheter after anesthesia starts. Removal pain I will just have to put up with.
My primary care physician has agreed to let me try being catheterized or self-catheterizing at her office soon, so at least I'll have some idea about painful this is going to be for me.

"Three hours down to Sacramento" You must be up near Mt. Shasta. Well, your best bet in the Sacramento area is likely the UC Davis Medical Center. University-based medical centers are always "cutting edge." They are likely to have a large urology group and the DaVinci Robotic-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy method available, which is "one" incision about 2" wide and about 2" below your navel. The traditional method sees you with about 6 smaller 1/2 - 3/4 incisions. My urologist only uses the DaVinci method due to the advanced robotic-assisted technology.
And...personally..."IMHO"...I would "not" mess around with trying to "self-catheterize" yourself. Too much could go wrong, and I guarantee you'll only get the catheter in 1/4" - 1/2" and be done with the attempt. Just have the anesthesiologist or your urologist put the catheter in at the start of the surgery, right after they knock you out.
Good luck!

@rlpostrp Yes... Redding...I contacted Philips, Eigen, and BK (now General Electric), about their UroNav, Artemis, and BKfusion system providers, and the Philips UroNav rep recommended a urologist with Sutter in Sacramento. Sutter Roseville I THINK uses the BKfusion and UC Davis Sacramento I THINK uses the Eigen Artemis.
One disadvantage of large medical systems is that you can't actually contact a medical office to ask such questions before you are accepted as a patient. Instead you get a call center that tells you to get a referral before asking such questions.
So... get a referral, ask question...if no, then rinse, lather, repeat.
Thank God the manufacturers provide at least *some* information about providers (for example, UCDavis, but not which location or doctor in Sacramento).
Luckily the UroNav rep for California provided me with an actual urologist's name and a glowing recommendation.

I have been catheterized a few times, it wasn't as big a deal as I expected. However the doctor said at a video appointment several months after my RALF surgery that he wanted to do more testing at my next appointment, because I likely will need to start self catheterizing to deal with my urinary retention. I don't like that prospect, but he said continuing to fail to empty the bladder will eventually damage my kidneys. Another problem I don't need.

@oldoz I guess it's mostly a matter of which would bother you more... self-catheterizing or a suprapubic catheter with a valve on it.
From all I have read, the suprapubic is less trouble- prone...and then there is the wild card possibility of a kidney stone getting stuck in your urethra that you are unable to poke back into your bladder with your catheter. With two outputs, you could possibly avoid rushed ER emergency measures to remove the stone.
A [suprapubic catheter + a flaky urethra] just sounds better to me than just a [flaky urethra] by itself because then you have two output options and two input options.
And with a valved suprapubic catheter you have the option of wearing a bag on your leg when peeing into a toilet or bottle isn't available.
Maybe someone here with more knowledge can comment on this?

@jercalif

I fired one of the 5 urologists I had over the 13 months I had the catheter. He wanted to do a biopsy on me and I told him that is what I came here for. I was looking to get Aquablation. He said if I'm not going to listen to my doctor there is no use in my coming back and I told him there was no way I would come back here.

@jercalif

My mistake, "I told him that is NOT what I came here for."

Sorry, getting old and at 82 I've almost gotten there. LOL

@vernscw An interesting topic...I can understand a doctor refusing to do a procedure that may actually cause harm ("first, do no harm"), but a doctor refusing to do a harmless procedure simply because the patient doesn't want to follow the overall recommended course of treatment is hard for me to understand...if it makes the patient happy and is not harmful, then why not do it?...it reeks of "I know what is best for you", but that assumes that all patients have the same goals, which is not the case. Sometimes a patient would prefer to just have the symptoms treated, or just a particular problem treated, as in your case, and not aggressively seek an overall cure for everything, especially when the path to a cure is painful, or if a patient simply doesn't want to live to be 105 years old.
I don't know if Aquablation is potentially harmful or not, but doctor should respect the patient's right to just want to have a few more years without pain, and not want to be tortured just so that they can live to be 105 years old.
It sounds like in your case you were saying to the doctor "I don't want to be tortured into living to be 105 years old, I just want a few more peaceful years of being able to pee somewhat normally".

@rlpostrp I had suprapubic catheter for 13 months after urethroplasty
Exchanged every 4 weeks. That is a new 10 on the pain scale when it gets pulled out and a 20 when they push it back in. Good luck

My son is an anesthesiologist and he told me they often use fentanyl administered in IVs for pain. He was not surprised that my nurse gave me some before removing my catheter. He said he was unaware of any DEA or other reasons fentanyl would not be given to a patient in my situation.

I'm just saying,....