Brian
Well I took your advice and talk to my urologist and asked for a clean cath for every cathing and he agreed with out a problem.
The ones he got me are made by Rush and are called Pocket Pac i.c.
Everything you need is in a packet from cleaner or wipes too sterile gloves to a sterile drape. The catheter is inside a bag and after you do the prep you insert the front into the urethra and push the catheter in this seams to be a great system you never touch the catheter and the urine is collected in the bag great for cathing in a wheelchair.
After you are finished just pull the catheter out and through everything away.
I want to thank you for the info now I hope they work and the UTI's stop.
I am to cath three times a day, which is not enough to stay dry all day but he says he will adjust it if all goes well for six months.
What surprises me is insurance is covering it all and so will Medicare.
Lyle
Lyle,
One of my quad friends turned me om to those almost a decade ago. They are AWESOME for travel as well, if I did not have bowel issues, I'd be basically out of diapers with those, but the body has other ideas...
Mike R.
I find cathing hard to do in a public restroom.
What I am doing is a little different than what you might think as I never seen this type of catheter before I got them.
Just going into a public restroom and washing your hands by the time you get into a stall you are already contaminated then there is no place to put everything.
Brian turned me on to these type of catheters he would know a lot more than I do I only been doing it for a couple of weeks.
But everything comes in a sterile package and when you open it the first thing you put down is a sterile drape to put everything you use on.
Second a drape or underpaid goes under you then you clean up with antibiotic wipes then put on sterile gloves before doing anything else so it gets quite involved. You insert the tip of the collection bag which the catheter goes through into the urethra the catheter is inside the bag already lubed and you push the catheter in through the tip you already inserted. This gets hard the catheter is inside the bag so you have to push on the bag trying to put a slippery catheter in with out hurting your self.
This is a closed system and is supposed to cut down on infections.
I been using them for a couple of weeks and I may already have a infection starting as I did a home UTI test and it came back saying to redo it in 24hours and if it still shows the same thing call your doctor.
I also have bowel problems and I am lucky in that respect I usually can control it but there are times. I do use diapers but they mostly are for urine lose. I cath three times a day but I usually end up using four or more briefs in between. This might change as time goes on my doctor says he may have me cath more then three if everything works out.
If I have it figured out right I would have to cath 6 to 7 times a day to stay dry. I must be normal because my insurance will pay for 200 kits a month.
I been incontinent for many years and the one thing I found out is nothing is easy some are easer but still work not like being normal especially bowel that is the worst.
Incontinence has ruined my and my wife’s social life I am very lucky to have a wonderful wife ho has supported me through all this so I am lucky in that respect she is my life.
Lyle
Good Morning Lyle and all!
Yeah, cathing in a public jon is a pain Lyle. I have learned to wash my hands, put on the gloves, roll to the stall and then take off the gloves to cath. Sounds stupid, but my hands are clean inside the gloves so when I take them off, they are still clean. Before I cath, I usually use an antibacterial wipe on both my hands and penis and have no uti problems.
Watch out on the home test UTI kits. I have been told if you cath more than once a day you will always show SOME bacteria. My doc and I have elected not to treat unless I am symptomatic and never have been but do alwyas show a little bacteria in my urine.
If you are symptomatic, I would treat right away. Can you feel if you burn when you have a UTI? If you can nad you aren't burning, I would just increase my fluid intake, cut out on sugar and caffeine for a few days and it should be fine.
Now, this is what works for ME. Make sure ot follow your doctor's advice because what works for me may not for you. Also, if you can avoid cathing in a public restroom DO SO. I ONLY cath in a public restroom if I am out of town for training (as I was last week) or something. Otherwise, I save my cath times for home where I can control sterility, etc...
Brian
One of the moderators
Brian
Thanks for the info again.
I don’t know what your cath kits come with but the ones I got are made by Rush and have everything in it including the wipes gloves and drapes plus the bag that will hold 1500cc.
I have to have one with a bag that big I have retained that much several times.
I have another problem you said they don’t do anything to treat infections unless you are symptomatic well I have little to know feeling so even if I had a UTI it has to be supper bad before I feel it and even my temperature is not accurate this is do to my disease and the Vagel nerve being involved.
So it would be hard to know if I am symptomatic or not, this is not a way to live but it all I got.
I guess all I was told is to treat cathing as a sterile situation at all times but that is getting harder for me. As my disease is progressing so is my mobility and even though I try and do everything correct I get a spasm my hand jumps and I just pushed the tip of the catheter into the armrest of my chair now it is not sterile anymore so I through it away and start over.
My biggest threat is a UTI that gets into my blood stream and causing septicemia as I also have a Med-A-Port in planted in my chest this is for an IV I get every three weeks and they can also get infected with septicemia to me that would be a death warrant.
Keep that info coming I need all the help I can get.
Lyle
Hey there Lyle!
Wow, you sound discouraged. Hang in there. The cath kits I use are by LoFric. They have the betadine swabs, a sterile drape, the cath in a bag (1000 cc although I use at MOST 200 cc maybe) and a pair of gloves. That's when I'm using the cath kits. If I'm at home, I just use the LoFric or Coloplast Self Cath Plus (coated) and no gloves. At home I wash my hands for about a minute with antibacterial soap, fill the cath packet with water (or break the water packet in the kit if I'm using one) and then I use Germx antibacterial wipes to wash the tip of my penis and hands and then cath. SO far so good. :)
Hang in there. The one question I have (not trying to get too personal here) is: Have you taught your wife to do your caths if needed? I do not really retain urine like you do, but in your situation, it sure seems like a good idea to have someone who knows how to cath you if needed.
Brian
One of the moderators
Hi Brian
It would be a good idea to teach my wife to cath but anything with medical turns her stomach I mean anything even a small cut makes her sick.
She is willing to learn in fact the doctor wanted us to come to his office and a nurse would show her how; me being the Ginny pig of course.
It is me I won’t let her I don’t want to subject her having to go through it just because I know how it will affect her but she would do it in a heartbeat and not complain.
I may have to brake down and let her do it but some people just are not cut out to be a nurse. Next problem she is still working full time so I am alone most of the day.
I do still drive and one of my hobbies is photography.
The last couple of days in the morning I cathed huge amounts 1550cc one day and 1450cc this morning. This is a lot for me in the morning I usually just wake up wet.
So things are changing again, every time we think we have it something changes so we have to start all over again.
I know when you cath several times a day you will show infection with the home kit. At the moment I am having my IV I have every three weeks and I have a nurse that stays with me through the IV she took urine and sent it to the lab. She used one of her test strips plus setting the urine for testing. She said the test strip showed I had a UTI but the lab work will show for sore so now I am waiting for the doctor to call.
Our kits sound about the same with contents and how they are used. With the way they are made I don’t know how you can get an infection you really don’t come in contact with the catheter at all. Unless you are me as my hands are getting bad and it is hard for me to hold everything steady.
You are right I am getting down, I been fighting neuropathy for almost 15yrs but now there is so much else that is going wrong I can’t keep up with it anymore.
If it was not for my wife and my daughter and grandkids they keep me going or I would just stop everything and let what happens happen but I dearly want to see my grandkids grow up and spend time with my wife and some time with my children and grandchildren.
I keep plugging away thanks again for the info
Lyle
