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Self-Cathing Help
Hello to all... me again. Sorry to have so many questions for you all. This is somewhat TMI so stop reading now if you'd like to avoid that. ;)
I've started self-cathing this week and need some advice/help. The hospital gave me some catheters and told me to get at it. They had me lie down and that is a disaster. I took a friend's advice to stand with a leg up in the bathroom and that is somewhat easier, but all are painful. I'm bleeding a bit on the catheters and wondering if this is normal. The local MS center gave me some others to try and I'm going to try them today and hope for better results. I see the nurse again tomorrow and get my prescription, but I'm wondering if I should try a different size or brand? (These are coloplast speedicath ch12, trying ch10 today) Or is there some magical trick for making it way less traumatic?
I'm also wondering how often I should be doing this. The nurse said twice a day: once at dinner and once before bed. The doctor had scripted me "as needed" and the physical therapist at the MS center said once in the morning and once at night. Who should I believe here?
I know I sound like a huge baby and for that I apologize sincerely. Thanks in advance for any advice!!
I've started self-cathing this week and need some advice/help. The hospital gave me some catheters and told me to get at it. They had me lie down and that is a disaster. I took a friend's advice to stand with a leg up in the bathroom and that is somewhat easier, but all are painful. I'm bleeding a bit on the catheters and wondering if this is normal. The local MS center gave me some others to try and I'm going to try them today and hope for better results. I see the nurse again tomorrow and get my prescription, but I'm wondering if I should try a different size or brand? (These are coloplast speedicath ch12, trying ch10 today) Or is there some magical trick for making it way less traumatic?
I'm also wondering how often I should be doing this. The nurse said twice a day: once at dinner and once before bed. The doctor had scripted me "as needed" and the physical therapist at the MS center said once in the morning and once at night. Who should I believe here?
I know I sound like a huge baby and for that I apologize sincerely. Thanks in advance for any advice!!
I found this old post of mine that more or less describes the testing process. Humor always helps.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Multiple-Sclerosis/Ive-flunked-Urodynamics-101/show/688609
ess
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Multiple-Sclerosis/Ive-flunked-Urodynamics-101/show/688609
ess
1 Comments
Ha... bladder twins! This cracked me up especially because I do the exact same thing to mollify myself before/after these kinds of appointments. A nice lunch out can do wonders! :) Thanks for sharing this, ess. --Laura
I just had a bladder scan and peed into some weird cup recently for a urodynamic something or other.
The urologist mentioned that it is a good idea to try to time the voiding process to get your body used to only going at certain times. Similar (or the same?) to biofeedback.
I normally had to go every 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours and now that I have started my meds for it I still feel small urges but try to go over 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
It was interesting that I had a bit of habit going more often than I think I needed to. The urologist said it was a good thing for kids to do but as an adult we need to teach our body to wait a bit longer.
Good luck with the cathing!
Corrie
The urologist mentioned that it is a good idea to try to time the voiding process to get your body used to only going at certain times. Similar (or the same?) to biofeedback.
I normally had to go every 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours and now that I have started my meds for it I still feel small urges but try to go over 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
It was interesting that I had a bit of habit going more often than I think I needed to. The urologist said it was a good thing for kids to do but as an adult we need to teach our body to wait a bit longer.
Good luck with the cathing!
Corrie
1 Comments
Who knew peeing could get so tricky, right? They want me to try to go every two hours, but that's still a pipedream for now. :D Good luck to you as well, Corrie!
I think that the nurses that teach cathing lying down must only have hospital experience cathing. Their patients have been in bed It's silly, and impossible to see anything when you're a women, even with a mirror ;).
1 Comments
Aspentoo - I think you're right. The nurse got confused when I asked if I could try standing up and didn't know how to help me. I honestly did better reading the manufacturer's instructions. lol...
Hey there, dogmum, good to see you.
That nurse was sure helpful, as in NOT. Trying to cath oneself lying down is impossible for a female, not to mention gravity-defying. They should have given you a lesson, at least. The blood is likely from poking and missing a bit, since caths can be rather sharp. So try to be patient and gentle.
What size cath and how often is very individual, but first thing in the morning makes a lot of sense. Do you have a whatever-they-call-it to catch the flow? That way you can measure whether your bladder is contracting and regaining normal size. I had an enormous capacity too, at least twice normal, from the same problem. Quite a few years ago, ('06?) I had comprehensive urodynamic testing, complete with lots of gauges and printouts. Results were abnormal in lots of different ways. Thanks, MS :-(
I cathed for a few months, a few times a day, till the volume I produced was normal and cathing after regular voiding produced less than 100 ccs. Haven't had to do it since then. I still have urge incontinence, a few times with disastrous results, which I manage pretty well by going on a schedule rather than by those lying urges or lack of urges. I also get occasional severely painful spasms when my bladder muscles and the detrusor sphincter get into a battle over whether or not to let 'er rip. Generally though I do fine.
I wish the same for you. Be very careful about cathing and UTI infections. Very easy to get with all that off-center poking going on. Good luck.
ess
That nurse was sure helpful, as in NOT. Trying to cath oneself lying down is impossible for a female, not to mention gravity-defying. They should have given you a lesson, at least. The blood is likely from poking and missing a bit, since caths can be rather sharp. So try to be patient and gentle.
What size cath and how often is very individual, but first thing in the morning makes a lot of sense. Do you have a whatever-they-call-it to catch the flow? That way you can measure whether your bladder is contracting and regaining normal size. I had an enormous capacity too, at least twice normal, from the same problem. Quite a few years ago, ('06?) I had comprehensive urodynamic testing, complete with lots of gauges and printouts. Results were abnormal in lots of different ways. Thanks, MS :-(
I cathed for a few months, a few times a day, till the volume I produced was normal and cathing after regular voiding produced less than 100 ccs. Haven't had to do it since then. I still have urge incontinence, a few times with disastrous results, which I manage pretty well by going on a schedule rather than by those lying urges or lack of urges. I also get occasional severely painful spasms when my bladder muscles and the detrusor sphincter get into a battle over whether or not to let 'er rip. Generally though I do fine.
I wish the same for you. Be very careful about cathing and UTI infections. Very easy to get with all that off-center poking going on. Good luck.
ess
6 Comments
Good morning, ess! Tried to find this page again last night. Why are they doing this to us? Took me a sec to figure out who's posting what. Anyway.....
And they've done away with the paragraph, I see. Hmm...
Good to hear your experience! It gives me hope that I might not be doing this forever. I'm definitely ditching the lying down idea.... absolute craziness. Coloplast is sending me samples with bags to catch flow, but for now I don't have that, so would have to use a waterproof bed pad. I can only imagine doing that if I had to, which I most definitely don't. I, too, get some pretty painful spasms... and shocks lately... in that area. Hope they eventually go away for both of us. I see that I didn't mention that I had a UTI going into my first appointment. Hopefully cathing and less urine hanging around in there will cut down on those.
Trying to break this up here... as for the off center poking lol... I'm careful to toss the cath if I think it's come into contact with the wrong area at all... Used 6 the first try on my own. As a close personal friend of many UTIs over the years, I definitely don't want to risk that. This is the first time since moving to europe that I'm getting serious use of the bidet. :D
They scripted me urodynamic testing. Sounds like something I should probably do. Thanks for sharing! - Laura
Oh, and going on a schedule is what they told me to do, too for incontinence. They said cathing can help that, too? Is that true?
Thanks for the words of encouragement. :) I have the feeling I have "scraped" a few places as well.... glad it should get better. :)
The 10 was the one that worked out finally. Never did get the 12 to work on my own, only with the nurse there to guide (force) it in. ;) Going to take your advice and try to stick to a schedule of once every evening. As always, thanks for the advice :)
The 10 was the one that worked out finally. Never did get the 12 to work on my own, only with the nurse there to guide (force) it in. ;) Going to take your advice and try to stick to a schedule of once every evening. As always, thanks for the advice :)
Sorry for the delay.... my webpage changed and I couldn't find the message anymore... :o Anyway, I'm cathing because I had retention of 240cc on my last eco, a 750cc bladder capacity (which I'm told is from years of retaining), and an OAB. I'm hoping it gets easier... Thanks
Hopefully the 10 French will work better for you. It's quite narrow. As kat said, some bleeding is normal and that will stop eventually. I had a cystoscopy when I was self-cathing and he showed me areas where I had scraped ... ummm ... oops. It will get easier and faster.
I was cathing 3x/day when I was having trouble. I don't think "as needed" is a realistic guideline ... chances are if you are retaining you don't really know when you have to go. My urologist said a schedule was helpful.
You'll get the hang of it. I didn't believe it either when my doctor told me that, but he was right. And it's WAY better than an indwelling catheter :).
I was cathing 3x/day when I was having trouble. I don't think "as needed" is a realistic guideline ... chances are if you are retaining you don't really know when you have to go. My urologist said a schedule was helpful.
You'll get the hang of it. I didn't believe it either when my doctor told me that, but he was right. And it's WAY better than an indwelling catheter :).
When I was learning to cath I found it easier on the toliet using a mirror. Once you get used to it the pain and bleeding will stop. I also use the speedi cath and I liked them. I was told to cath evey 4-6 hours. Why are you cathing? I have since been doibg botox in my bladder it is supposed to freeze it well it doesn't freeze mine my body is weird like that but it takes away the oab symptoms and the retention. So I will keep getting botox about every 8 months or so. If you have any more questions I will try to answer them
kat
kat
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