Self catheter vs wearing a diaper

[Bigbabybret]

First off I have nerve damage, and never good control at all, but that is just an fyi.

I've been in/out of drs over the years, and from what i understand they can "Open things up" but that is NOT usually a forever things going to work, you will most likely need it to be done again at some time, and most likely more than once.

So, yes the friend is doing self cath, and might need a pad, and doing that is a reasonable way to take care of things.

I looked into multiple options, and did cath for quite some years, and thought about the suprapubic cath as well.

I wish there was a way to have things just work. that would be the best option.

What i see is that if you are bleeding after cath, you have something really wrong either in the application of using the cath or plumbing. Even indwelling cath doesnt bleed as a general rule, so if you are bleeding go see a dr asap.

As for the friend, yes diapers are more a hassle than cath, and i dont blame them for NOT wanting to be cut on, i prefer not being on the wrong side of the scalpel as well...

My case I used to cath, and had some feeling, now no feeling and depending on how things are going, i still need to cath daily and usually if i can force out enough, and drink lots of water things runnning clear i might skip it for a day. But i get spasms and such that just happen (not only in my bladder, legs, arms, back, etc...

So, bottom line, i see cath is a reasonable/sensable thing to do. If you get blood, especially regularly, when cathing, see dr asap.

Comes down to personal choice, and also that drs are to do no harm, and "opening things up" i'd say would be on the line if not over depending on the situation.

Noone is the same, and noone can dictate what we do with ourself, to a point...But I'd rather cath if that was an option at this point, but i might have a spasm 1/2hr after cathing and so still need diapers, and being mostly in a wheelchair has not helped the "Get to the bathroom quick" issues at all.

 

[Danielgartin691993]

First off I have nerve damage, and never good control at all, but that is just an fyi.

I've been in/out of drs over the years, and from what i understand they can "Open things up" but that is NOT usually a forever things going to work, you will most likely need it to be done again at some time, and most likely more than once.

So, yes the friend is doing self cath, and might need a pad, and doing that is a reasonable way to take care of things.

I looked into multiple options, and did cath for quite some years, and thought about the suprapubic cath as well.

I wish there was a way to have things just work. that would be the best option.

What i see is that if you are bleeding after cath, you have something really wrong either in the application of using the cath or plumbing. Even indwelling cath doesnt bleed as a general rule, so if you are bleeding go see a dr asap.

As for the friend, yes diapers are more a hassle than cath, and i dont blame them for NOT wanting to be cut on, i prefer not being on the wrong side of the scalpel as well...

My case I used to cath, and had some feeling, now no feeling and depending on how things are going, i still need to cath daily and usually if i can force out enough, and drink lots of water things runnning clear i might skip it for a day. But i get spasms and such that just happen (not only in my bladder, legs, arms, back, etc...

So, bottom line, i see cath is a reasonable/sensable thing to do. If you get blood, especially regularly, when cathing, see dr asap.

Comes down to personal choice, and also that drs are to do no harm, and "opening things up" i'd say would be on the line if not over depending on the situation.

Noone is the same, and noone can dictate what we do with ourself, to a point...But I'd rather cath if that was an option at this point, but i might have a spasm 1/2hr after cathing and so still need diapers, and being mostly in a wheelchair has not helped the "Get to the bathroom quick" issues at all.

I'll ask my doctor when I see him

 

[Danielgartin691993]

No Not exactly. but that and the false information on catheters does tell me you have not seen a specialist!

Wow! I don't know what that even means.

Overflow incontinence is when your bladder fills without notice and then leaks all over the place without warning

 

[Pongoandperdi15]

Overflow incontinence and retention go hand usually, most of the time your bladder retains the urine till it can't hold it no more then leaks out usually in dribbles and spurts, Some people get chronic retention where the bladder just retains more and more and more and more which I can imagine is awful. These usually require ISC to treat

 

[Danielgartin691993]

Overflow incontinence and retention go hand usually, most of the time your bladder retains the urine till it can't hold it no more then leaks out usually in dribbles and spurts, Some people get chronic retention where the bladder just retains more and more and more and more which I can imagine is awful. These usually require ISC to treat

My urinary retention isn't that bad though, just 60 ml, I had an ultrasound to confirm it

 

[Pongoandperdi15]

My urinary retention isn't that bad though, just 60 ml, I had an ultrasound to confirm it

Is that it! Mine can be anywhere in the region of 450ml right upto 750ml, I can't believe they put you on ISC for that no wonder you found it uncomfortable seems such a small amount to bother doing ISC for did they not try you on alpha blockers first to get your bladder to relax and let that last little bit out.

 

[Danielgartin691993]

Is that it! Mine can be anywhere in the region of 450ml right upto 750ml, I can't believe they put you on ISC for that no wonder you found it uncomfortable seems such a small amount to bother doing ISC for did they not try you on alpha blockers first to get your bladder to relax and let that last little bit out.

No, there are side effects associated with them and the muscle is too tight and if they loosen it I'll leak like a true baby

 

[Diaperman95]

My urinary retention isn't that bad though, just 60 ml, I had an ultrasound to confirm it

Even leaving a teaspoon repetitive is enough to cause bacteria to form and grow. According to my urologist.
I use to leave 300-400 years ago then 200 for many many yeas but as my IC pain got worse and I kept giving into the urges & now my bladder has shrank that it is not but bout 250ml screaming full. But I still leave 50ml to 100,ml all the time. My doctor prefers I pass a cath at least once a day. He says I have a greater chance getting an infection from the retained fluid than from a clean catheter. I tend to skip it a lot anymore now that it has really became less... but I have been fighting a horrible infection the last few weeks and my IC pain is so flared up. I I see my family doc tuesday I am just finishing my 3rd round of antibiotics so if it don't get better I might need to go back to irrigation of the bladder. I guess I just need to go see the urologist. I have been putting it off as he has been wanting to scope me and instpect my IC damage to make sure I am not getting bladder cancer & to fix a stricture I have. I is right towards the tip making it hard to get the larger caths in. I use to use a 18 fr as they drain fast but now a 16 is really snug and 14fr coude is the biggest I can pass without discomfort. One of the reasons I have been being more lazy about doing it.

 

[CptKirk]

So someone I know has to self Catheter 3 times a day due to urinary retention. This person was against wearing a diaper and having them just open it up so it can free flow which is fine that’s his decision for his body. I was wandering would you rather have urinary retention or have a doc just open it up if that’s possible?

I literally HATE catheters! IF my options were to cath or wear, you know my decision! Catheters hurt so frigging badly when inserted and I feel like I am pissing razor blades for days afterwards. I was once told to self cath/wear a bag instead of a diaper and I simply can't self cath. I can't stand anyone else putting a catheter in me and when I am having surgery (I've been averaging a minor surgery every 8 weeks for the past 2 years and have a couple of larger surgeries in my not too distant future) I absolutely INSIST no one puts a cath in me until I'm out and that it is removed before I'm awake. I don't know if I am extra sensitive in that area or what but the pain I experience from catheters is far too much for me to ever consider putting one in myself.

 

[ltaluv]

@CptKirk, I used to have that level of sensitivity to catheters, too. The first time I was cathed, it was put in during surgery. I woke up with a big incision in my abdomen - but what really hurt was the catheter!

Much later, I found that most of the problem was with the coated latex Foley catheters they usually use. I don't know if it's a slight latex allergy or what, but a Foley that's silicone-coated latex is excruciating. 100% silicone Foley catheters are not, but I have to ask them specifically to use that type.

When I started clean intermittent catheterization, my urologist prescribed red rubber catheters with separate lidocaine jelly. These were much less comfortable and much more work than the hydrogel-coated PVC catheters is witches to later, which are self-lubricating (you just pop a water sachet in the package to hydrate the coating) and a while lot easier to insert. I get no irritation with those, though it took a couple of weeks for my urethra to get used to having a catheter put in routinely. Those first couple of weeks were a bit uncomfortable.

 

[Pongoandperdi15]

Interesting the NHS in the UK wouldn't define that as retention anything under 250ml is considered ok, shows what they define differently round the world, also italuv don't know if you've ever tried the pre coated ones from coloplast but much better than the ones you have to pop they don't dry out in your urethra so much less irritating on the pull out, sounds strange for a thing going into your bladder but it happens! They loose lubrication

 

[ltaluv]

Interesting the NHS in the UK wouldn't define that as retention anything under 250ml is considered ok, shows what they define differently round the world, also italuv don't know if you've ever tried the pre coated ones from coloplast but much better than the ones you have to pop they don't dry out in your urethra so much less irritating on the pull out, sounds strange for a thing going into your bladder but it happens! They loose lubrication

I have tried the Coloplast ones. They're quite good, but I've settled on the Welspect Lofric ones that use saline instead of plain water in the sachet. They're instantaneous in activating the lubricant layer (most plain water ones take 20-30 seconds which feels much longer when you're waiting for it!), and it ends up more slippery than anything else I've used. The main reason I chose them over Coloplast is that they fold up better in my pocket, though.

 

[CptKirk]

I have tried the Coloplast ones. They're quite good, but I've settled on the Welspect Lofric ones that use saline instead of plain water in the sachet. They're instantaneous in activating the lubricant layer (most plain water ones take 20-30 seconds which feels much longer when you're waiting for it!), and it ends up more slippery than anything else I've used. The main reason I chose them over Coloplast is that they fold up better in my pocket, though.

I'm fortunate I guess as my problem is a hyper-over-active bladder with less capacity than average. I never have anything in my bladder to speak of (a couple ml at most that I recall when measured) and my issue is that now I can't tell when I have to go and generally don't even know I'm going or went unless I feel the warmth spreading in my groin. This was a progressive issue as I was losing sensation for quite some time and it deteriorated to where it is today. Next to non-existent! Once in a while I'll regain sensation that I have to go only for it to go away as soon as it comes on. I suppose these are the death throes of those particular nerves down there.

I'm mortified at the same happening to bowel control but obviously I've lost some degree of nerve function there as loose/soft stools do leak. I'll notice the smell occasionally but more than that, the itch that feels like it did when you don't wipe well enough. THIS is scary. My right leg has been "going out" for a split second frequently for the past WOW, nearly 6 months already! When I'm being smart and moving with my cane, not so much of an issue but when I get lazy as I'm only going from room to room or from a bed to a chair and I don't use my cane.....down goes Foreman! Being I have substantial osteoporosis (*only in my spine, which I do not understand*) I can't afford to be risking too many falls.

I want to be like I was as a teen....from the age of 11 or so we played football year round...in the snow, in the rain/mud....didn't matter. There were roughly 16-20+ of us every single day playing full contact football and at times literally trying to kill each other even though the vast majority of us were really good friends. Fights were a common occurrence on top of the games. You'd be black and blue and bleeding and get up the next day, do it all again. This was on top of playing regular football (on a team) right through high school and even for a couple of years afterwards. Even during wrestling season, with more than 50% of us also into wrestling we'd still play. Take a physical BEATING at practice for 2 1/2 hours and play football under the street lights. There was nothing that kept us from playing and you never felt any pain. I want that back, but I don't see it returning!

CptKirk

 

[Pongoandperdi15]

I get the roll up into pocket thing they are quite unwieldy things, I didn't really love the lofric ones ended up settling on the coloplast speedicath which are about the size of a pen only thing is half of its rigid which takes some getting used to

 

[ltaluv]

I mostly liked the Coloplast Speedicath, but I found it hard to fit in my pocket. I know a lot of people tuck it in a glasses case or something similar, but it didn't work well for me. The other thing I disliked was the snack diameter of the inner part, which would take forever to drain my bladder. My retention is often as much as 350 ml, and I've ended up going to ro 18 Fr catheters just so I'm not standing there for ever waiting on all the urine to flow out.

@CptKirk, Mine is almost the opposite. I have interstitial cystitis, and my bladder can feel full all the time even when it's completely empty. I often can't tell how full it is just because it always feels uncomfortably full.

 

[Zeke]

Not true at all!! I have self cathed for 29 years now and it is in and out and has no discomfort at all and certainly no blood. I am incontinent from urge incontinence and interstitial cystitis but at the same term my bladder does not completely empty. It use to be much worse leaving a couple 100cc and if you do not drain it the urine becomes stagnant and you get infections. So I am suppose to do it at least once a day no matter what My bladder has shrunk so bad it hardly holds 200cc now but I still normally leave a good 50-100cc. I have gotten lazy at emptying it and I have a huge infection right at the moment for not doing so. I was offered to have them try and open things up a bit 25 years ago and turned it down. Now my Incontinence is so bad I should revisit but most days any more I do not leave enough to make a big deal. But I can get bouts of retention that lock me up too. Not very often and usually after surgery or certain strong meds that slow all of that down.


As for the Topic I would say do not judge unless you know the person and his thoughts of what is worse. Most people pee around 6 to 8 times a day and passing a catheter takes about a extra 30 seconds for a abled person. Depending on the size you pass to how long it takes to drain but a 18fr will drain about as fast as peeing. They have speed cath's that are self contained and sterile If that you never touch with bare skin to the tube so no need to wear gloves or even was prior to going.
Many people that are offered this option have a neurological injury or condition. I do not know the case here as it was not stated but if a person is in a wheelchair with no or limited use of their lower torso maybe even some strength in arms as well it can make changing diapers very hard by themselves. Opposed to cathing that is much easier and faster. Also it has a far less chance of causing pressure sores to get bad like a constant wet butt. Most doctors prefer CIC over diapers and indwelled catheters. Just because you don't mind wearing diapers does not mean everyone else wants to or even could adapt. You can ask him questions and ask if he has ever considered diapers and what he is scared of but It is for him to decide and I would respect that!!! To me that is like telling one of us we should just get a urostomy and let it drain in a bag. Would that not be easier and certainly cheaper as insurance would then pay for all of the supplies.? I was offered to have my bladder removed due to how bad my interstitial cystitis has became over the years. I do not want unnecessary surgeries that might make me wish I never let the talk me into it. Better the devil you know as they say.

Have you ever seen the TV ads for this procedure that’s supposed to open up the plumbing for men? They show NYC harbor fire boats spraying a large stream of water towards the end of their commercial in a rabid bit of marketing. I haven’t checked into it to see what their method involves but it’s supposed to be less invasive than regular prostate surgery. It makes me miss the days when I used to swill large volumes beer and be able to whiz like a Russian race horse, or at least what I imagine a Russian race horse would whiz like.

 

[Diaperman95]

Have you ever seen the TV ads for this procedure that’s supposed to open up the plumbing for men? They show NYC harbor fire boats spraying a large stream of water towards the end of their commercial in a rabid bit of marketing. I haven’t checked into it to see what their method involves but it’s supposed to be less invasive than regular prostate surgery. It makes me miss the days when I used to swill large volumes beer and be able to whiz like a Russian race horse, or at least what I imagine a Russian race horse would whiz like.

I have seen.
They place some kind of sutures to pull the side f the prostrate apart the best I can tell.. I have never been able to chug beer or anything. Even in high school I would get the worse kidney pain ever, mostly on my right side but both. The tubes going from bladder to kidney has narrowing's and the kidney will make the urine faster than it can drain causing a back up. They tried placing stents to help me me drain better after some kidney stones once but it made the pain even worse as it blocks the natural valve in the kidney open so any and all bladder pressure pushes into my kidneys.

 

[Pongoandperdi15]

I mostly liked the Coloplast Speedicath, but I found it hard to fit in my pocket. I know a lot of people tuck it in a glasses case or something similar, but it didn't work well for me. The other thing I disliked was the snack diameter of the inner part, which would take forever to drain my bladder. My retention is often as much as 350 ml, and I've ended up going to ro 18 Fr catheters just so I'm not standing there for ever waiting on all the urine to flow out.

@CptKirk, Mine is almost the opposite. I have interstitial cystitis, and my bladder can feel full all the time even when it's completely empty. I often can't tell how full it is just because it always feels uncomfortably full.

I get that mines anywhere between 450 to around 700ml so sometimes the ch12 they have me using takes forever

 

[Danielgartin691993]

No Not exactly. but that and the false information on catheters does tell me you have not seen a specialist!

Wow! I don't know what that even means.

It means your bladder fills with urine without you noticing and once it's overflowing you're wet without warning

 

[hbic60]

Diapers vs. Catheter is in my eyes not the correct question - they are used for completely different issues. Catheter is in my eyes a "must" for retention issues or overflow Incontinence, while diaper are fine for all kinds of IC where there is any kind of leakage with no issues with big amounts of urine remaining in the bladder.

In my eyes the correct question would be: Diapers vs. Condome Urinal (of course only for those with male parts...), which are two different solutions for the same problem. I personally prefer diapers, but I understand if someone dislikes the feeling of a diaper of has issues with rashes/sensitive skin, then this might be a real alternative!