Catheter

Hi Jane, I have looked after many men with catheters. The first thing I should say is to try not to worry! It is not difficult!  The important thing with a catheter is to keep the area where the catheter enters the penis very clean. It can get a bit gungy in some men and there is a risk of infection. Swabbing the tube ( pulling the foreskin very slight back), with cotton wool moistened in cooled boiled water should do the trick!  Your husband will hopefully be supplied with leg bags for use during the day. These are smaller, more discreet bags with Velcro straps which can fit under trousers and be strapped to the leg.  As these do not hold so much urine, he should also be supplied with night bags which hold more urine ( and no need to get up in the night!).  The important thing is not to pull on the tubing at any time! The catheter is held in place by a balloon around the tubing which is inflated after insertion. Pulling on the tubing will hurt!  Finally, unless your husband is told otherwise, it is important to maintain a good fluid intake so that the catheter is less likely to get blocked. If the catheter stops draining urine into the bag and your husband starts to feel uncomfortable that is an indication of a blockage and you will need to call on professional help to try to unblock it or replace it.

I hope this helps . It is some years since I retired from nursing so things might have changed but I’m sure you will be told the up to date policies for looking after a catheter!

best of luck. 

Thank you so much you have been very helpful. 
i can’t remember the last time he slept through the night. 

Hi Jane - I had an indwelling catheter for 10 months before my TURP operation. Worried Wife is spot on - keep it clean - I washed every day and for 10 months never had a UTI!.

The leg bags come in two types, a small pipe to fit on the upper thigh and one with a long pipe to fit the lower leg - it's a good idea to try both to find out which suits him best. The leg bags are discrete and no one knows you have a catheter or not (unless you try flying abroad - that's a whole new experience!!).

Once I had mine for a few days I had no issues with it and found connected up to the night bag I got a good 7/8 hours sleep. The fitting/change of the catheter is pain free and takes only a few minuets and is not something to worry about.

If you need to know anything else about it or indeed the TURP operation drop me a message. More than happy to chat.

I hope all goes well.

Brian.

Hi Millibob

thank you so much. He is paranoid that people will know  he us wearing. Should he get looser fitting trousers? And what does he do with it when he’s in the shower? These are just a couple of the questions he’s asking me, and of course I have no idea.

Hi Jane, the night bag is bigger and hangs on a plastic coated metal frame. The catheter tubing is plastic/ rubberised. So, he can have a shower while the night bag is connected and hanging on the frame as it can all go into the shower with him. 

I think very tight ‘skinny’ type jeans or leggings that we women wear or Lycra leggings for, say, cycling, would be less discreet but ordinary men’s trousers/ jeans should be ok -  more so when not full. Having said that, I was working in hospital where my patients were all wearing pyjamas or hospital gowns. Perhaps Brian might be able to advise better. 

you empty the bags by turning a plastic tap at the bottom of the bag and letting the urine out - dead easy!   It takes seconds to do! Try not to worry too much because he should be shown how to do care for the catheter. the main thing is to make sure he turns the tap back to closed once he has emptied the bag! My father in law had one for some time and he forgot to turn the tap to closed one night after emptying the bag  and we found him in quite a pickle one morning.

my husband says I am the least practical person he has ever met and yet I never had a problem looking after catheters and the bags and regularly showed patients how to do it!

It’s all very well thought out and low tech compared to some medical equipment. 

Hi Jane - I had no problem with normal trousers. I had a preference for the short pipe upper leg bag above the knee - it's hidden more helped by the size of your body and the bags are held in place with 2 velcro straps. (I have plenty of short pipe bags spare if you want to try some later). I tend to wear lose fitting trousers anyway so there's no chance people can see you have a catheter.

Showering - I did two different things - sometimes I just showered with the bag on (this was bag change day - once a week, so the old bag went in the bin after my shower and a new clean one fitted) or I asked my hospital for a "bung" - it's a tap that fits on the end of the catheter when there is no bag on and for half an hour it holds the urine in - it's great for showering and also swimming if you have long swimming shorts - no one can see the catheter.

As WW sad it's important to close the tap all the time apart from emptying the bag - I have done it twice and left it open - you don't do it again!! In ten months I also had 2 bag failures - both times over a mile from home - but hey ho - that's in 10 months!!

The night bags have quite a long pipe and I was able to sleep on both sides and on my back whilst connected up to one.

I hope this helps, anything else just ask -if he wants a one to one chat it's no problem just let me know - it might help.

Kind regards - Brian.

Yup - forgot to mention the ‘bung’. Well explained Brian!

Hi, I have had a catheter for a while.

It is daunting the first time you have a catheter inserted but the nurse should use instillagel which is a numbing substance and lubricates the catheter...my nurses put the gel along the length of the catheter tube as well....

Totally agree hygiene very important.

I can only repeat what I was told by my community nurses. Try not to wear a leg bag if at home, unless told to, as this make bladder lazy.  I went on line and bought a short stockingette that I slip over my leg if going out. The catheter  then slips into a pouch which has a hole at the bottom,  I tuck the drain pipe into my sock. I stil secure the top of bag with velcro strap and use an extra strap to secure the tube just below my boxer shorts. This saves the top tube being loose and tugging..as the bag fills the weight can pull down so extra strap stops this.  If out and about I empty catheter bag regularly and just go into a cubicle in mens toliet to drain the bag or use a disabled toilet [I have mobility issues too].  Again I was advised to wash a leg bag well after use and pour vinegar into the drain tube, let in swill around in the bag, this stops a smell.  I soak the day bag is mild disinfectant solution over night then hang up to dry-I dont dry the bag with a towel after it has been soaking.   I spray the plastic top that comes with bag with disinfectant and put it back on the top part of the bag before hanging it up to dry..  I am supplied with a box of day bags and only use them for a couple of days.

The night bag tube I put between my legs so that I can turn in my sleep.  I don't wear long leg pjs but short ones now and the tube to night bag has room to move through the night.

I have a supply of citric acid wash out pouches,  which flush the catheter,  as my catheter can  sometimes have sediment although I make sure I drink plenty water.  Avoid coffee and tea-I only drink caffeine free tea

I have a good supply of bags and catheters in the house-provided by my nurses-just in case there is a blockage through the night but this is rare. The few times I have phoned NHS 24 through the night the nurse has always arrived within half an hour.

Everyone is different but above is my experience only.

You can also ask for a flip flo valve instead of the bags which is almost identical to the valve on the bag but it just goes straight onto a catheter with a shorter tube & much more discreet. To be honest bags are great if your not very mobile,  but if you're active these can be a burden.

Thank you