DM - Surprise Urinary catheter

[namechanger563]

DM has been having regular treatment for bladder problems and went to see a specialist today for a routine appointment.

She has been fitted with a catheter and bag. Her condition has worsened and she understands this is the correct next step, but it's all a bit of a surprise to her.

I had to rush down to the hospital with some jogging bottoms as her normal trousers would not fit with the bag and extra equipment now.

Even with joggers, it's noticeable and she doesn't want people to know. Understandably. We've been online and ordered some wide legged trousers from M&S.

She is now worried about how to sleep with it. Also worried about how best to keep it in place on her leg and just generally worrying about how to adapt to wearing this bulky thing.

Anyone else who has been through this, do you have any tips? TIA

My DF had one and my DH recently had one for a while. I know male anatomy is different but neither found it very bulky (DH was still wearing jeans with his) and they had elastic strips which kept it attached to their legs. They both also had a night bag which is bigger and more rigid which sits in a stand but the bed. She maybe needs to request this?

We had lots of catheterised residents in the nursing home I worked in, and they had stands to attach the bag to overnight or clipped it onto the bed frame otherwise they will leak if you lie on them. If they're placed correctly on the lower leg, it shouldn't be overly visible if wearing trousers. You just need to be fairly regular with emptying so the bag isn't bulky too. Does she have a tap on the catheter or is it open flow?

Bless her, it's understandably a big change. Give lots of reassurance that no one will know. Perhaps one of the nurses from her GP surgery would be more reassuring and explain the best ways of living with it, or does she have a specialised continence nurse?

Contact her community district nurses if she needs help understanding what she has to do.
My dad has had one now for over 10 years... He uses tracksuit bottoms with zips rather than jogging bottoms as it stops the tap hanging out the bottom.
His stays in place with a calf strap
As pp said , they have night bags which hold more at night and mean they don't need to get up
If getting up and down is a problem then consider emptying into one of the large (empty of course milk bottles.
Keep an eye on the colour of the urine and that it's flowing , dark urine she's not drinking enough, lack of output can indicate a blockage which can be painful.

I had a catheter after birth for a week. It’s horrible, and a lot to get used to. Make sure they have provided leg straps for her- my hospital said they hardly ever have any in stock! If they don’t have them, see if you can find stretchy Velcro on Amazon to make your own, strapping the top and bottom makes a huge difference.

also have a think about whether she should be taking d-mannose to try and avoid a UTI, and how the bathroom is set up to empty it, I found I needed to clear space on the counter next to the loo to put the tube while I changed to the night bag for example.

Thanks for all your replies, it's really helpful. She has a referral to the district nurse, but her area is very poorly staffed. It may take a few weeks to get her first visit from them.

I'll tell her to contact her continence nurse, she has a regular nurse on that front.

I'm not sure about the leg straps, she's not shown me yet. She doesn't have anything different for night time yet, but the hospital has ordered it for delivery in the next few days.

I'm sure she will find her way around it all and settle in. It's just big shock for her, she was not expecting it. This should keep her off dialysis though and prevent full kidney failure so it's going to be a good thing if it works out for her.

Thanks everyone.

DH has one. He uses a second strap on the bag to stop it flapping around. A “G-strap”

He doesn’t like the ball and chain effect of the stand and night bag so doesn’t use it. Just lays the day bag beside his leg, sometimes dangles it down the side of the bed. He always wakes in the middle of the night anyway so emptying it is not a problem. This is not approved practice.

Wear it on the inside of the leg not the outside, it’s less noticeable there.

There are advantages, like no longer having to worry about there being no public loos - “going behind a bush” is much more discreet with bag.

I can't remember the name of it, but a plaster type thing with a device that clips over the tube and is worn at the top of the leg takes some of the 'weight' of the bag