Catheters, diapers, and leg bags.

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mayhem

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  1. Diaper Lover
  2. Incontinent
For those who don't know. Long story short I had Botox done to my bladder to calm my bladder spasms and hopefully help me get a handle on my incontinence. The Botox made it hard for me to empty my bladder, I still have occasional spasms, and need to be catheterized to empty.
I've been having problems with my leg bags. They make my leg itchy as hell. I have to put then on tight and they still fall down and pull on my catheter and cause pain. They also cut off circulation and make my leg and feet fall asleep. I do not have the opportunity to empty my bags as often as I need to. I also leak around the catheter (due to bladder spasms) and still need to wear a diaper.

Now with that all said, I spoke to my urologist (one of the best in Philadelphia). He said I can drain it right into my diaper. I told him my fears of getting a UTI and about what I've read on the internet. He said that of course a UTI is always a concernwith a catheter, but because there is a nearly constant drip, that the risk is low.he laughed about the internet and said "always ask the professional. The internet is full of great information, but isn't always right".
He told me that cleanliness, as always, is the number one thing. Hand washing is a must. He recommends changing out the catheter every 2-3 weeks. Drink plenty of fluids and to call him if I have any questions or have any problems.
 
They have a check valve that only lets fluids flow one direction. It should be helpfull in keeping bacteria away too. I use them om my aquarium pumps to keep water from back flowing and draining my tanks if the pumps fail.
 
I can tell you this is so much more comfortable than the damn leg bag.
I mever thought about using them as tubing in aquarium pumps. I had red belly piranhas years ago. They were fantastic to watch. Lost power for 3 days due to a storm and they died. 😢
 
I've been letting my catheters drain into my diaper for nearly two decades (well only when I have one in). I have never once gotten a UTI from it.

Every time I mention it around here I always get some rant about how its bad. Some urologists have been warry of it, but non have told me not to.

Loke yours said, keep hydrated to make sure it is a constant drip. This will keep it flushed and always clean. Also make sure to change your diaper at least every 8 hours too. This will help allow the catheter to drain, while also not letting any bacteri to spread in your diaper (and then into the catheter).

If you're still worried about it, look into getting a one way valve for the catheter. This will make it a closed system again, and eliminate those fears while still allowing you to use the diaper and not a bag.
 
I've used catheters with one way valves straight into my diaper and never had any problems at all. When I was going through a periods of spasms I'd put one in but not so much recently as I've been having a lot more BM's in my diaper and the risk of infection there is just too great.
Cleanliness is the key. Keep it all clean and as long as it's just urine going in your pad you'll be fine.
 
mayhem said:
For those who don't know. Long story short I had Botox done to my bladder to calm my bladder spasms and hopefully help me get a handle on my incontinence. The Botox made it hard for me to empty my bladder, I still have occasional spasms, and need to be catheterized to empty.
I've been having problems with my leg bags. They make my leg itchy as hell. I have to put then on tight and they still fall down and pull on my catheter and cause pain. They also cut off circulation and make my leg and feet fall asleep. I do not have the opportunity to empty my bags as often as I need to. I also leak around the catheter (due to bladder spasms) and still need to wear a diaper.

Now with that all said, I spoke to my urologist (one of the best in Philadelphia). He said I can drain it right into my diaper. I told him my fears of getting a UTI and about what I've read on the internet. He said that of course a UTI is always a concernwith a catheter, but because there is a nearly constant drip, that the risk is low.he laughed about the internet and said "always ask the professional. The internet is full of great information, but isn't always right".
He told me that cleanliness, as always, is the number one thing. Hand washing is a must. He recommends changing out the catheter every 2-3 weeks. Drink plenty of fluids and to call him if I have any questions or have any problems.

This sounds like a Doctor Flashner case. LOL, when I lived in Philly he had me drain right into a diaper with a no issues. I just kept antiseptic wipes on hand and cleaned the tip during every diaper change. I was cathed for a little over a week to fix an irregular retention issue not commonly associated with 100 percent incontinence.
 
babyblueblanket said:
This sounds like a Doctor Flashner case. LOL, when I lived in Philly he had me drain right into a diaper with a no issues. I just kept antiseptic wipes on hand and cleaned the tip during every diaper change. I was cathed for a little over a week to fix an irregular retention issue not commonly associated with 100 percent incontinence.

Nope, I do t know if I should say his name or not but he works at Jefferson urology.
 
mayhem said:
Nope, I do t know if I should say his name or not but he works at Jefferson urology.

My doctor was from Central Bucks. Philly really does have good doctors. Mine was pretty solid and had a great manner about him. Incontinence was like no big deal to him and didn't seem like much really bothered him.
 
Mine is Dr.Petrou at the Mayo clinic in Florida. He has some reservations about it, but is otherwise ok letting me drain into my diaper.
 
babyblueblanket said:
My doctor was from Central Bucks. Philly really does have good doctors. Mine was pretty solid and had a great manner about him. Incontinence was like no big deal to him and didn't seem like much really bothered him.

My first doctor was across from a hospital called grandview. You live close to where I live.
 
mayhem said:
My first doctor was across from a hospital called grandview. You live close to where I live.

I lived about 5 minutes from Grand View in a town called Perkasie. I moved here to Virginia about three years ago.
 
I wish I would have known about this the first time my leg bag fell down and pulled on my catheter. So far this has been a blessing. The only problem is that if I sit still for too long I might leak. Other than that things have been so much better.
 
mayhem said:
I wish I would have known about this the first time my leg bag fell down and pulled on my catheter. So far this has been a blessing. The only problem is that if I sit still for too long I might leak. Other than that things have been so much better.

For the once a year I get a catheter placed, so much better to drain into your diaper rather than dealing with a leg bag that just slips.
 
Just an update. I'm still catheterized and emptying right into my diaper. No UTI or anything. The only problem that can not be avoided is the catch sticking to the skin around the urethra hole. That can be painful at times. other than that life is good. I tried to take the bath out to see how things are but I had to put it back in a few hours later.
 
mayhem said:
Just an update. I'm still catheterized and emptying right into my diaper. No UTI or anything. The only problem that can not be avoided is the catch sticking to the skin around the urethra hole. That can be painful at times. other than that life is good. I tried to take the bath out to see how things are but I had to put it back in a few hours later.

Been there, done that. Just keep staying well hydrated, and you won't have any uti problems.

The sticking part is also why I had recommended you get lidocane -ointment- (not the gel). The ointment will not absorb into your skin as fast, meaning it will keep working for a longer time. In a pinch (pun intended) you can also use regular petrolium jelly.
 
look into bell bag for your cath
 
Slomo said:
Been there, done that. Just keep staying well hydrated, and you won't have any uti problems.

The sticking part is also why I had recommended you get lidocane -ointment- (not the gel). The ointment will not absorb into your skin as fast, meaning it will keep working for a longer time. In a pinch (pun intended) you can also use regular petrolium jelly.

I'll definitely look in to that. Thanks!

Strawberry said:
look into bell bag for your cath

I'm in good physical shape and they just slide down too. They end up being an annoying distraction.
 
I have though of doing this my self but from what I remember the cath was painful to insert, I am assuming its and indwelling cath and not a condom type cath ?
my largest view on a cath and leg bag is that it would limit by day to day activities with having that type of plumbing installed, I.E riding my ATV and Jet Ski or even camping and keeping clean all the time can cause problems
 
DracoAmericanus said:
I have though of doing this my self but from what I remember the cath was painful to insert, I am assuming its and indwelling cath and not a condom type cath ?
my largest view on a cath and leg bag is that it would limit by day to day activities with having that type of plumbing installed, I.E riding my ATV and Jet Ski or even camping and keeping clean all the time can cause problems

Yes they are painful to put in and unless you need one I wouldn't recommend it. People with out experience could inflate the ballon in their urethra and cause serious damage. Keeping clean isn't much of a problem.
 
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