Catheter issues

My husband’s night bag attached to the bottom of his day bag with the tap turned on so the urine flowed through from one bag to the other.

The day bag was only removed when it needed to be replaced on a weekly basis. I got the district nurse to do this because I was scared I would end up covered in urine or hurt him.

I wonder if replacing it with a night time bag could be causing some trauma to the urethra as they're not easy to disconnect and that could be causing bleeding.

If you are getting urine in the bag and your husband is not in any discomfort the catheter is not blocked. Yes, it’s fairly common to have a streak ( line) of blood in the tube from the top end of the tube ( where it exits from the penis) post operatively. Just keep an eye on it and your husband. If he is comfortable, no high temperature etc. passing urine which looks a normal urine colour and in reasonable quantities and no obnoxious smell in the urine, things should be ok. If things change then seek medical help.

were you told about cleaning around the area where the tube exits the penis? I will keep an eye out for your response. If not, I will post the instructions I was taught as a student nurse with the caveat that I am now retired so policies and practices ' might have changed since I retired!

if I had as many pounds as catheters I have looked after. In my working life I would be a very rich lady!

Hi Kerrie

I had an indwelling catheter for 10 months - as long as there is a "flow" then there is no issue -  mine (you can read my journey by clicking on the icon of the beach) was required as the prostate grew, crushed my bladder and in turn crushed my kidneys. For the first week all I can say is the colour went from red wine to rose to white wine over a period of 7 days.

I understand that after Prostate Removal there is "detritus" for a few days in the urine but this should clear. 

I was told to leave the day bag on - change this once a week but to add the larger night bag at night to cope with the overnight urine as you didn't want to be awake changing bags at night - just make sure you keep the taps open. You should have a stand for the night bag.

It's important to keep the area where the catheter enters the penis clean - twice a day you should pull back the foreskin (if you have one) and where the catheter enters the penis wash it with warm water - this should reduce the chance of any UTI.

Perhaps a bit graphic but I assume I have "stolen" worried wife's thunder!!. I am sure she will correct me if I am wrong.

I hope this helps - Best wishes - Brian.

I’ve had a look at his bag and there isn’t a connector to attach another bag.  We’ve just changed it to the overnight bag, if there’s no change tomorrow I will go to our clinic for advice.  Thank you so much anyway xxx

Hi, thank you, our minds are very much at rest now.  In fact, I have just changed his bag to the night one and a big, well not big but a noticeable clot of blood passes through and now the discoloration has gone.  It’s all very worrying and we are learning as we go.  Thank you xxx

Hi Brian - I love your graphic details, it’s exactly what I needed to hear.  To be honest I was a little nervous about cleaning the area, I’ve used an antibacterial cleanser but I didn’t think about the foreskin! I will do it.

Thank you, my husband will sleep easier tonight.  He was having visions of it being replaced, evey man’s worst nightmare.  I think you know that we live in Spain, I haven’t been provided with the bags that interconnect.  But tonight’s change was much quicker and more efficient.

goodnight, sleep well and thank you as always - you are fabulous 

kerrie

It attaches to the pipe that you drain the urine from when you turn the tap on. It could be that your hospital provide different bags to ours. I've attached a picture that shows how to do this.

Another thing I discovered is that you need to make sure that the leg bag flattens completely to the leg when it empties. On a few occasions my husbands got air into it and the bag blew up like a balloon full of urine. When the tap was turned on to empty it, it caused an airlock which was really painful. We weren't warned about it but a search on good old Google came up with the solution.

I would just add to Brian’s description  that the water should be cooled boiled water;) No additives. Ever cautious me!

ps you will probably find that the pipe under and around the foreskin gets a bit gungy - hence the need for cleaning!