Catheter comfort

[mirrored22]

Hello! I just had a procedure done today and need to use a foley cath for the next few days while in recovery. You guys who need these more frequently than me are made of tougher stuff than I am, let me tell you. But hopefully once these next few days are over, I’ll be on the road to recovery with my incontinence and bladder problems.

Do you guys have any tips on making these next few days as comfortable and easy and successful (so I never have to do this again) as possible? Particularly, how the hell am I supposed to sleep? Or shower? I am a tosser who sleeps on my side so I’m worried. Thank you!

 

[SparkyDog]

unfortunately Catheter and comfort are not able to be used in the same sentence
hopefully you can get it removed fairly soon. I just use diapers
was that not an option for the few days?
not sure what they did so can't say for sure
All the best during these couple days
keep things extremely clean to prevent a UTI

 

[mirrored22]

unfortunately Catheter and comfort are not able to be used in the same sentence
hopefully you can get it removed fairly soon. I just use diapers
was that not an option for the few days?
not sure what they did so can't say for sure
All the best during these couple days
keep things extremely clean to prevent a UTI

Sadly no. It was a surgical procedure (tuibn) so I have to keep things open and sterile for the next few days. If I’m able to I will just not change it (instructions said I can do that) and power through to avoid the risk of a uti

 

[SparkyDog]

Sorry dude
speedy recovery
hopefully everything heals nicely and your dry moving forward

 

[Pongoandperdi15]

Sleeping you need a night stand tucks under the mattress and it keeps the bag at bed height so you have enough tube to move around, as for showering i just used to let mine hang but I just had a catheter not a surgical procedure which I'd be concerned about getting wet. Feel for you they are not comfortable couldn't wait for the two weeks to be over when I had mine in I'm just left with ISC now which is much better than the hell that is a Foley cath

 

[m82a1]

Few tips I have
-first not all catheters are the same comfort, some are very “soft” and stay lubricated and are not as painful, unfortunately I doubt they used one for you, and you can’t control that.
-sometimes things grow and if you’re dehydrated it will be more uncomfortable, also keeping the tip lubricated will help with this.
-it took a while for them to be comfortable for me, the first day is the worse, maybe 12 hours later it wasn’t too bad, but wasn’t till a few days that it became comfortable, relax, and try to be not too active would be my best advice

 

[ltaluv]

Lidocaine ointment around the urethral opening helps a lot. Not the gel that's like KY jelly - they make a thicker ointment that's safe to use on catheters but doesn't get sticky like the gel. Not every doctor or pharmacist knows about it, but if they know to look they can find it.

I've found that silicone coated latex catheters are terribly uncomfortable, but 100% silicone catheters are just fine. It might not make any difference for you, but it's something you can try.

Ia catheter is uncomfortable for the first few days, but you do get used to it. I had a Foley for over a month a few years back, and after a while I didn't even think about it.

For sleeping, use a night drainage bag with an extension tube. I used that for showering, too, and just left it outside of the shower. After you've dried off, you can change to a leg bag for daytime use.

 

[Pino]

@ltaluv gave most of my advice as well, so here is just one more: get a catheter plug, about 1 Euro, so really cheap, you can put it on the Foley to prevent dripping for some time, showering, swimming, you name it.
Get bags that are comfortable and try not to move as much, because this causes friction, and you do not want friction. I did a ride with my bike the last time i had one inside and this was a stupid idea.

Maybe one more: Get enough fluids, but not to much coffee or coke.

 

[Pantyman]

Some people say comfort and catheter cannot be used in the same sentence. I have found that is not correct. While I don't have to wear a catheter for medical reasons at times I do choose to do it for fetish reasons. I usually use a Hydrophilic coated Foley catheter with a diaper. Yes sometimes when I'm getting out of the car and you're making that twist at the waist and can tug and pinch a little but I don't find it uncomfortable. Usually I don't even notice it in. As others have said using lidocaine lubricant does work really well but will wear off after a while.

 

[slimjiminy]

Sleeping you need a night stand tucks under the mattress and it keeps the bag at bed height so you have enough tube to move around, as for showering i just used to let mine hang but I just had a catheter not a surgical procedure which I'd be concerned about getting wet.

I'll be getting a catheter again soon to expand the opening at the bottom of the prostate after minor surgery. The last time I had to keep it in for a week. I was so happy to get that removed!

What I used at bed time was to place a coat hanger between the mattress and box spring, to hang the bag from (instead of a "stand"). Obviously you need to make sure that there is enough hose to allow some movement.

 

[mirrored22]

Thank you guys for the comments! I was able to get the cath removed today after passing a voiding trial. The nightstand trick worked wonders! Heres hoping my problems get better from here.

 

[Edgewater]

Very happy for you!!

Catheters can be and are a real pain and I avoid them like the pandemic!
With great luck, I have had to use them only a couple of times.

When sleeping, I head for my recliner as I am also a side sleeper and it keeps me from turning on my side, hence no issue with pulling on the tube!

Pantyman To each their own!

 

[diapernh]

So the last two times i have had a catheter after a surgery it has pretty much been neutral, i knew it was there, but it did not bother me. Frankly i would have preferred a catheter.

My last heart surgery i was in bed and flat on my back for what seemed like 13 hours, and then another 4 hours after a drain removal. I do not like the bedside commodes or using a urinal in bed/or at all. I much rather be able to get up and go to the bathroom. So after a double coronary bypass, by the end of the second day i was up and going into the bathroom (with supervision and assistance)


PS: thank a nurse, they don’t get paid close to enough for the things that they have to do.