Urine leg bag problems

[enthusi]

Does anyone have experience using leg bags with a Foley catheter?

A brief but if background: I’ve had near total functional and urge urinary incontinence for years now. A few months ago I developed a rash on my outer thighs after a bad viral infection. (Side note: if anyone has experience with erythema annulare centrifugum, hit me up because I’m all ears.). The rash is stubborn and refuses to go away, and now it’s starting to blister and become painful. Apparently it can take up to a year to heal. My dermatologist prescribed me all sorts of goops. The one thing I haven’t been able to do is air out. In fact the rash is pretty much exclusively confined to areas covered by my diaper. So for the next 48 hours I’m airing out using a catheter and leg bag. I’m no stranger to cathing. I am taking precautions to avoid UTIs and I plan to test my urine using at home kits if I keep it in longer than 48 hours. However I’m not used to the leg bag and it’s causing me all sorts of headaches.

The biggest problem, by far is that it doesn’t fill properly. They are 1000 ml bags. They fill for the first 500 ml or so and then just stop. This causes urine to back up in the tubing and gets uncomfortable quickly. There are no kinks, or loops. Even when hanging perfectly vertically it doesn’t drain. I strongly suspect it has to with a lack of vacuum in the bag. When I use a 2L urine bag with a larger solid input tube it drains fine. Also when I disconnect the cath from the tubing allowing air in the tube, the leg bag drains fine.

Is there any way to keep a leg bag’s input tube from “collapsing” or allow air pressure in the tubing to maintain a pressure gradient? Or are there better leg bags with rigid input tubing? Am I doing something wrong? I’ve scoured the internet and I can’t find anything about this problem anywhere.

Also I see they make belly urine bag systems, but can you use that with a foley? I thought it needs to use gravity to drain. Alternatively, would it better if I kept the 2L urine bag in a backpack or satchel or something? I can rest it on the ground when I’m sitting. Though again, I’d be going against gravity when walking.

Hopefully this is worth it.

Thanks!

 

[shannara6767]

It has been awhile since I used one but from what I remember the best I found was to find some underwear that had bag pockets like the link below. I would hook to a bag in the underwear and have the second bag lower down on my leg hooked to the first with mesh netting around it. It will give you more capacity and make it easier to empty plus more gravity/suction. The only hard part was finding tubing to hook between the bags and wound up boiling some surgical tubing off amazon.

Underwear https://tinyurl.com/bddcn9xv

 

[slimjiminy]

It's been well over a year since i last wore that and I can't recall the size of the bag. But I know mine was attached low on the leg near the ankle. At night, the bag was hung from a hanger stuck between the mattress and the box-spring. Maybe a longer drain tube would help?

 

[Edgewater]

The all great and wonderful Foley catheter and leg bags have been around for a very long time, yet their base problems still remain.

As you so correctly indicated, gravity is either working with you or against you! Add ongoing issues with connecting the tubes and the number of failure points just multiply. Gravity will work as long as you create as much gravity as possible. Normal sitting position barely creates enough pull to work even okay. As a result, you commonly see the problem you state regarding requiring emptying 'before' you reach the 50% capacity of the bag. I commonly drain the bag somewhere near the 1/3 point.

There is a new system that uses a minimum suction, which has good reviews. I have not used it, but in my opinion it will suffer the same issues with tube connection points. The pump unit is worn at the belt level, but I do not recall where the bag was.

Skin in the diaper area really wants as long a dry-out /air-out time as possible. Interestingly, I find that sitting on the toilet is one of the best places as the lower cheeks and extreme upper legs are the only contact point. I try to target at least two, one hour sitting /air-out periods each day.

The reason I wear diapers is that I have zero confidence in catheters!

 

[mickdl]

Hi Enthusi,
I just wondering why you use a foley catheter and not condom catheter. Condom catheters does not have this problems. I mean - in fact they have different problems especially with under pressure but these are easier to fix and don‘t hinder the filling of the leg bag . More over the infection risk is much lower with a condom catheter.

So my suggestion would be - try a condom catheter and if you got problems with the vacuum after emptying the leg bag you can disconnect the hose from the catheter while emptying or short after.

 

[enthusi]

@Edgewater I genuinely appreciate the validation, because I feel like I’m trying to solve an annoying fluid dynamics physics problem. Also your suggestion of planning to empty the leg bag when it’s 1/3 is the best solution yet. It’s probably more efficient in the long run than tinkering with the tubing and bags.

@mickdl I have never had good luck with getting a condom catheter to not leak. For me to feel confident I would still feel a need to wear a diaper, which is what I’m trying to avoid at the moment. It’s possible my technique is wrong or there is a condom catheter out there that would work better. But it’s trial and error and I want this stupid rash gone.

 

[Zeke]

Maybe you should have a “Y” at the catheter and dual leg bags. I couldn’t see trying to walk with a quart of urine strapped to one leg. Both legs would be easier for me to handle I would think. Although if the were both on the inside of the leg you would have to be careful they didn’t slam into one another when walking. The airlock that you’re getting might need a bleed line to release the pressure buildup in the leg bag. Good luck in overcoming this problem and have a good time with that warm urine bag strapped to your leg.

 

[Pino]

I do not use them very often, but on some days in since my last Botox.

My personal choice for the bag is not longer the lower leg, i used to do that, i do now wear them on the thigh, because i got always problems with the tube and my knee. Next is i use only 500ml up to 750ml bags, everything more is to heavy, for the night of course 2000ml.
Last one is i do disconnect the catheter from the bag from time to time, this is very important, especially for the condom catheter.
Not doing this "sucks", what causes a hell lot of problems for me. Use high quality bags, the difference are huge.
For short time i will go with the catheter and no bag attached, i use a simple plug on it, but will put a "pull-on" covering it for safety.

Extra: For short time "airing-out" or with short time problems, i do use my usual "one-time" catheters and fix them with a condom catheter, sounds strange, works great (for me).

 

[enthusi]

Extra: For short time "airing-out" or with short time problems, i do use my usual "one-time" catheters and fix them with a condom catheter, sounds strange, works great (for me).

I will have to give it a try. That may be the perfect solution. I took the foley out after 24 hours because I couldn’t take it anymore.

Question: How do you drain the urine while it’s secured in place with the condom catheter? Do you use a urine bag? If so do cut the straight cath short so you can connect a bag. Or do you use a foley even for those one time situations? Or do you just forego the urine bag?

 

[Pino]

I will have to give it a try. That may be the perfect solution. I took the foley out after 24 hours because I couldn’t take it anymore.

Question: How do you drain the urine while it’s secured in place with the condom catheter? Do you use a urine bag? If so do cut the straight cath short so you can connect a bag. Or do you use a foley even for those one time situations? Or do you just forego the urine bag?

Hi,

i do use a leg bag, or, i know, it is very "dangerous", a diaper, depending on the time, because sometimes i only use it for about two hours when i am in a crash, i think the risk is O.K. for that short time.
No, i do not cut anything. I do use my usual Hollister VaproPocket, but i do rip off the watering foil and use some lube inside my urethra to prevent it from stucking, it is usually water based. To put the lube inside with injection is the standard in Germany, for Foley. I know in the in the US it is different, at least in all US medical TV series i watched it was shown different (and a big mess).
I do insert the lube, pull on the condom catheter, insert the VaproPocket and fix the (orange / 16ch) ending with the nose of the condom urinal, that is usually a tight fit on its own. The leg bag can be fixed with the catheter as usual.
When using a catheter for more than two or three hours i do prefer a Foley, my choice is Rüsch Gold, others can be very irritating for me.

I never heard of this type of combination before, it was some kind of "accident" when i figured it out, i was using a condom catheter and my pelvic floor "shut up", so i used a one time catheter to drain (without getting rid of the 5 Euro condom) and figured out that it fits perfectly into the nose, i ask my doctor and she was O.K. with it but mentioned to use some lube, because a watered catheter can dry up and get stuck (but usually not that fast).

Theoretically this is a expensive solution, but i do use the condom catheter as expected and a add the one time on top and both get paid from my insurance, the Foley i have to buy on my own at the moment, (but could get them over insurance as well).
In Germany catheters are paid 100%, but you only get 18 Euro a month for diapers.
My costs for diapers, the insurance "pays", are about 80 Euro, so i have to pay 62 Euro myself, the catheters are 150 Euro for condoms, and 500 Euro for the Vapro-Pocket, but this is completely paid. It is nuts.

 

[Deleted member 65224]

Does anyone have experience using leg bags with a Foley catheter?

A brief but if background: I’ve had near total functional and urge urinary incontinence for years now. A few months ago I developed a rash on my outer thighs after a bad viral infection. (Side note: if anyone has experience with erythema annulare centrifugum, hit me up because I’m all ears.). The rash is stubborn and refuses to go away, and now it’s starting to blister and become painful. Apparently it can take up to a year to heal. My dermatologist prescribed me all sorts of goops. The one thing I haven’t been able to do is air out. In fact the rash is pretty much exclusively confined to areas covered by my diaper. So for the next 48 hours I’m airing out using a catheter and leg bag. I’m no stranger to cathing. I am taking precautions to avoid UTIs and I plan to test my urine using at home kits if I keep it in longer than 48 hours. However I’m not used to the leg bag and it’s causing me all sorts of headaches.

The biggest problem, by far is that it doesn’t fill properly. They are 1000 ml bags. They fill for the first 500 ml or so and then just stop. This causes urine to back up in the tubing and gets uncomfortable quickly. There are no kinks, or loops. Even when hanging perfectly vertically it doesn’t drain. I strongly suspect it has to with a lack of vacuum in the bag. When I use a 2L urine bag with a larger solid input tube it drains fine. Also when I disconnect the cath from the tubing allowing air in the tube, the leg bag drains fine.

Is there any way to keep a leg bag’s input tube from “collapsing” or allow air pressure in the tubing to maintain a pressure gradient? Or are there better leg bags with rigid input tubing? Am I doing something wrong? I’ve scoured the internet and I can’t find anything about this problem anywhere.

Also I see they make belly urine bag systems, but can you use that with a foley? I thought it needs to use gravity to drain. Alternatively, would it better if I kept the 2L urine bag in a backpack or satchel or something? I can rest it on the ground when I’m sitting. Though again, I’d be going against gravity when walking.

Hopefully this is worth it.

Thanks!

I use Foley catheters regularly. The tube diameter of the urine collection bag has made the biggest difference for me. Some bags have thin tubes and don’t drain well ir kink and collapse, regardless of how much gravity used by placing the bag on the floor or attached to my lower leg calf.

The leg bags I’m currently using have a very large tube diameter. I hate bags strapped to my leg, so I put the bad into a Fanny pack around my waist. No problems.

I absolutely love the “Belly Bag” but can’t justify the price of $19 USD per bag when I can buy 750mg of 1L bags and carry around my waist in a Fanny pack or tuck in a large inside pocket of a vest or light jacket. But yes, the belly bag has worked well with a Foley for me.

 

[Deleted member 65224]

Pics of what I described above …

 

[mickdl]

I have never had good luck with getting a condom catheter to not leak. For me to feel confident I would still feel a need to wear a diaper, which is what I’m trying to avoid at the moment. It’s possible my technique is wrong or there is a condom catheter out there that would work better. But it’s trial and error and I want this stupid rash gone.

Hi Enthusi:

Just to say it first - I had also my Problems and decided not to use the condom catheters and I also had some terrible leaks using them - but at last the leak‘s where my own fold, because I made mistakes while using them.

The most important point is to find the right size. Normally you will get a template for this first to messure the penis size. Here it is pretty important to do it exactly the way it is described - bigger is not better here... ;-) If the catheter is to large it will get of or drip. More over hair might be a problem. If you do everything right here the only problem is normaly the hose. In my case it disconnecte several times and I did‘t mentioned it - how ever this is something that can be fixed if you get use to it. My mayor problem was to get the catheder of again and this was pretty painful after several weeks - so stopped using them.

So it might be an idea to give them a second try and ask the company for a introduction or training. I used Coloplast that time and they had a really helpful and friendly helpline and offered also a home visit for an introduction.