Has anyone used a sheath catheter before

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JackT97

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  1. Incontinent
Hi,

I am wondering if anyone has any experience of using a sheath catheter before. I suffer from urinary incontinence and always have, until now I've just worn nappies day and night but this has really affected me mentally and it means that I can not participate in a lot of activities with my friends, as I'm a university student this is a big deal to me.

I have regular check ups with my urologist and I discussed that it had affected my mental health with him and he suggested that I use a sheath catheter at night initially but if I got on ok with it, in the day as well. I've used them at night for a week and I think that they are great, I much prefer waking up with a bag full of wee next to me to having to wake up in a soaking wet nappy.
 
I have on occasion used them. They were the adhesive version. They did require, in my case, shaving the hair near the base of the penis. They also make some that resemble a jock strap that you wear. But I have no experience with them. When I wore them during the day, I wore boxer briefs and I used the leg to help with the bag. They seemed to do the job rather well.
 
I got a crap load of the old style latex around somewhere ,the newer ones with the adhesive are better and much more comfortable ,i used the Coloplas t, at one time I was going to do aqua therapy and they dont want diapers in the pool so wore the sheath and just let the bag float.
woodenpotty said:
I have on occasion used them. They were the adhesive version. They did require, in my case, shaving the hair near the base of the penis. They also make some that resemble a jock strap that you wear. But I have no experience with them. When I wore them during the day, I wore boxer briefs and I used the leg to help with the bag. They seemed to do the job rather well.

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Every urologist that I’ve seen has recommended that I use an external catheter and bag to hold urine instead of wearing a diaper. I’ve tried various kinds of external catheters and have found that they generally work well. However, I strongly prefer diapers. I think that the choice is really a matter of personal preference.
 
I've tried one I would rather wear a nappy.
 
It has been years since I used then so no idea if thry have improved much or not. Back about 15-20 years ago they had a ton of serious drawbacks. As such, diapers are much more realistic to use.

The adhesive would stick to any hairs too much, and pinch/pull them so I was always having to shave down there. Those random size changes we get (not even erections) would cause even more uncomfortable pulling, and too often this would cause the adhesive to fail and break the sheath loose. Of couse, that always led to a catastrophic leak. Also, always having to lug around the bag was a serious pain in the leg. The tube would get in the way when the bag was not strapped on, or otherwise end up tugging on my member too.

Overall, sheath catheters were just not a good option. I never did understand why someone would want to go through more trouble than diapers are, just so they can say they don't need diapers. Of course, I like diapers anyways so that's just me.
 
Yes and I ******* hate them.
Did my doc the favor of trying them for 2 weeks. They rank among the worst times of my life. Just painful and highly unpleasant. I felt like raping myself.
On top of that it worsened my IC issues since I started cramping down below just at the sight of this garbage. A diaper is a million times better imho.

But there are a lot of people who get along just fine with them. Even to the point that they do not need to wear any protection as long as they stick to their cathetering intervalls. So I think it is definitely worth a try.
 
Hi, I've used them for years and had no problems to speak of. Used different brands but now use use Conveen Optima which are self adhesive.
I'm paralysed from waist down and full time wheelchair user and the sheath gives me so much freedom. I have limited sensation in my penis and in the earlier days had to watch for skin irritation, but not with optima
 
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The big thing with them is if the hose gets kinked ,with causes the catheter to slowly exceed it's ability giving you a blow out with urine going everywhere, you always have to have a new catheter hose and bag setup with you ,ready to go ,just like carrying a diaper bag ,the containment bags are either strapped to your thigh or calf and I could max the largest bag out in one flood ,so be prepared to buy one size larger pants to accomodate the bag , the calf bag is a little easier to empty just put your leg up on the toilet and open the drain valve , they do have fancy ones for us disabled guys that are obscenely expensive that have a large hose you pull out of your pant leg that has a pump on it that gives you a urine super soaker you have a belt that has the off on button for emptying the bag, since I intermittent strait cath I have a large night drain bag usually hidden under my wheelchair and one attached yo my bag those will hold 2000 ML before needing to be emptied, sometimes i get run down and don't want to be bothered and will put a foley in attach to the drain bag and call it done (Foley catheters in the real world quickly turn you urethra at the head of your penis into chop meat , you really have to keep reapplying lube to try and keep that at bay) ,do not use petroleum jelly because it will degrade and destroy your drainage tube which is rubber. This applies to all tubes no matter the style of catheter they are all rubber.

You generally will be allotted two drainage bags per month so once a day usually in the evening you have to rinse your tubes and bag with a vinegar solution to cut down on odor and kill off bacteria.

The weakest link on this type of system is the leg bag straps they are latex rubber ,so they pinch and bind ,a and obviously you can never get any kind of good position were it will stat put thanks to our friend gravity as the bag fills it slides down your leg ,when I was able bodied at times I had to wear a bag and no matter what you tried eventually it would fall off and hit the ground if you were lucky it was only an embarrassment if today wasnt your day it would fall the wrong way and you would step on it sending 500 ML of liquid gold everywhere.

So just like any artificial method of continence it has its weakness and points of failure ,one of the bigger ones people dont consider is getting the right size ,if you get too big a condom (as in prophalactic) you can fake it and make it work , with a condom cathter there is very little margin for error ( if you call or email Coloplast they will be happy to get a script from your doc and send you a variety sample pack to try them and find the right comfortable and functional size, this actually applies to all there products, i'm sure other companies have some kind of program but Coloplast in my opinion has the best products in the industry so its been many years since i dealt with anyone else. They are quite generous before i started just getting the large night drain bags they have an all in one sterile telescoping hydrophylic catheter with drain bag attached,You could use it and the little bag has an easy tear away corner to then drain before chucking it , my insurance won't pay for them a case would last several years ,but the insurance industry has some bullshit regulations one of them is they will not pay for two different styles of catheter at the same time ? ,however I could get samples every six or eight months that would cover all the times I actually needed an all in one style product .I actually just got a new style softer coude catheter that is pocket size and is a dry hydrophylic ( which means there is no sterile water to spill out of the package if you cath and there is no garbage can you can put it back in the package and shove it back in your pocket till you get to a can , alot lower profile than the speedicath which comes in a 17 inch rigid foil package with liquid and is a bright green and white package , the new one is grey and will easily fit in your pocket , so it's alot more discrete and easy to carry in a pocket rather than a diaper bag , not everyone totes them around )

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I did use them until my continence nurse realised they were causing more problems than they were solving. Most sheath catheters use an adhesive that is placed insdie the sheath (sometimes called a condom catheter). You will first need to find out what size you need (not all men are created equal!), then you will need to decide if you want short or long tubed leg bags, you wiull also need nightbags and usually a stand for the bag.
You will almost vertainlyhave to shave the shaft of your penis as well as around the base as hair affects the adhesive contact. In use you roll them on to your penis in exactly the same as you apply a condom, it helps if you are slightly erect. Once you have put the sheath on, depending on the make you may have to wait two or three minutes for the adhesive to set. You then attach the tube of your leg bag or night bag to then end of the sheath. Leg bags are normally held in place using velcro straps.

The problems are, if you are on the small side when relaxed you may not be able to get the sheath on at all and if you do manage you may find it slips off very quickly (which is what was happening with me). You need to make sure the leg bag is emptied frequently, the velcro straps will only take so much weight before they slip, which can pull the tube out of the end of the sheath, or allow the leg bag to slip down your leg and become obvious to other people. Also make sure you can get a non-latex version as latex can cause irritation and over time you may develop an allergy to it.
 
Been there done that, and never again. In the early stages of my incontinence I looked every where for remedies to cope with a leaking bladder. One of them was a sheath cath. The hose kinked, and urine went into the cath dissolving the adhesive, the cath falled out, and I completely soaked my trousers......
I went with diapers after, and never looked back. True you need to plan ahead, and yes sometimes that means wearing a thick diaper that can last for several hours. But honestly, diapers almost never fails.
 
I think they are very comfortable. The bag takes a little getting used too.
 
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I have used the conveen optima during the day and find them great :D. (feel free to message if you have any questions

I'd you fancy giving them a try the company off sample packs that have various sizes of catheter and leg bags

Best of luck finding a solution you are happy with
 
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I've used condom catheters before and they work great, but you have to do a few things. Make sure you size them correctly, if you're in between 2 sizes then go with the smaller one ans they stretch. Also get the ones with adesive on them as they stay in place better. Lastly make sure you get a leg bag holder/cover. They are a reusable fabric pouch fitted to your model of legbag that hides the urine within and replaces the stock straps that come with your legbag because they suck.
If you follow all of those directions you should have a pleasant experience with condom catheters. I've used them many times before and have never had problems with leakage or pain.
They also have the benefit of being cheaper that diapers. You can get good coloplast condom catheters for as little as 70 cents and you only have to replace your legbag once a week or so.
My leg bags cost me $6.50 each and the condom catheters cost around 70 cents. The leg bag cover can cost around $40 from etsy. If you only replace the condom catheter every 24 hours and use one leg bag for a week, then your cost per day comes to $1.62.
 
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I tried this incontinence management option, but I did not like the tactile sensation of the rubber thing adhered to my male body part.
 
I should add that I am at university, and find that the conveen system doesn't stop me doing anything a typical student would do (I'm even an active member of the climbing club!)
 
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Once the end of the sheath or the tube gets kinked and you don't know it, the next time you release result in "blow off". Huge embarrassing wet spot. Give it a try and see if it works for you.
 
when my incontinence started, I tried these catheters. had a few epic failures, where the cath fell off during urination, needless to say, that was the end of it because of VERY wet pants in public. After that it was diapers, yes with diapers I also experience leaks, but not as often of severe.
 
I tried those once and never tried them again. Sad part is I was so excited to try them and ended up leaking everywhere.Embarrassing. Never again.
 
I was in nappies 24/7 found Bioderm 3 weeks ago. Not looked back.

It’s not a sheath (tried most of them) like others say they just fall off or blowout.

The Boiderm stays in place for 3 days (I get 4 days out of them) They are just great. Give them ago.




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