What To Do When A Foreign Object Is Stuck In Your Urethra?

When it comes to trips to the ER, you would be surprised at the number of cases that will present with some type of traumatic injury due to a foreign body. This can be anything from sticking an object into the rectum, swallowing something or inserting a foreign object stuck in your urethra. 

There are many theories attempting to explain what compels patients to do this type of bizarre behavior. These investigations postulate that the main drives behind this behavior stem from exotic impulses, psychometric problems, sexual curiosity or sexual practice while intoxicated. Regardless of the underlying reason to prompt such a behavior, the one thing that is certain is that once the damage has been done and the foreign object is stuck in your urethra, it is best to come to the ER and have a trained medical professional fix the problem rather than attempting to tug the object out. This can lead to not only superficial injuries of the urethra, but could also rupture it leading to much more serious medical problems. 

Once you have traveled to the ER after this foreign body insertion, a series of events will happen to help doctors understand what has occurred. You will be asked questions, the doctor will need to visualize what has happened without touching the object to limit the damage and you will need to have imaging studies performed in order to have a clear understanding of what has transpired. 

The ultimate procedure that is performed to remove the object depends entirely on what and where the object can be found. You may have to have a surgery to remove some of the muscles and ligaments that could impinge the object. What would also be necessary likely would be a retrograde urethrography. This is a medical evaluation where a tube with a camera will be inserted into your urethra in order to check for damage. It can also extend up into the bladder in order to have a better assessment of the potential internal damage that could have occurred. 

Once the object has been removed successfully, patients may be offered a consultation with a psychiatrist in order to get to the bottom of what prompted them to do this activity in the first place. For obvious reasons, this is something that people should not get into the habit of doing. There is a great risk for severe internal damage and the high potential for punctures along the bladder and urethra lining. Nevertheless, remember, if it does happen, do not do anything yourself to make the problem worse, let doctors handle it and treat it effectively.  [1]