Anyone have or know anyone with a supra pubic catheter?

[Reenypip]

Anyone have or know anyone with a supra pubic catheter?

Not had one but know a bit about them, have you got a problem with it? or might be getting one?

my son had one for 5 months.

I'm trying to be taught self intermittent catheters but I haven't successfully managed to do it. So they said other option was that.

Would an indwelling urinary catheter not be suitable then? Supra pubics can work pretty well - usual increased risks of UTI, I think the main thing is maintenance really, they can block or fall out - if it falls out it needs replacing ASAP before the tract closes up.

I expect you could probably learn how to unblock it/do a washout if needed but it would all be quite a mental adjustment mostly, body image can be a worry esp for younger people. I have known people become an absolute dab hand with the ISC though and quite a party trick when you get the hang of it (you could wee up the side of an alleyway if you had the catheters with you )

my son self catheterises 5 times per day, aged 11, ask away!

I had one, but only for a week after colposuspension (prolapse) surgery. As a temporary thing, it was fine and I actually really liked it, as it took a whole load of pressure off me in terms of having to learn how to wee again. As a more permanent thing, I'm not sure how I'd feel about it. There is the chance that it catches on clothes. There's the risk of infection. There was some discomfort because I could feel the end of the tube inside my bladder.

Can't think of anything else to add, but please ask me any questions if you want! Sorry you are being faced with this.

I had one for a while after dd's birth. Was given a choice of that or the intermittent self catheters. Since the nurses had always struggled with the catheters for me I thought I wouldn't be able to do it and went for the supra pubic one.

But it was a bit of a nuisance in the end. It got blocked one night whilst still in hospital (am in Switzerland so you get about 3 nights in hospital after the birth anyway, so was still there). Then bag was a nuisance and the tape used to keep all the tubing out the way gave me blisters.

And then finally after 3 weeks I got a really nasty infection (can't remember what exactly) requiring 2 weeks treatment with iv antibiotics 3 times a day, so dd and I spent another week in hospital. Fortunately I persuaded them to let me home for the second week and just turned up at the hospital 3 times a day for the infusions.

So after that, I did the intermitent self catheter thing which was tricky the first time and really quick and easy for every time after that.

I wish I'd given that option a try a thorough try first.

But in my case we knew it was going to be a short term option and expected that all would return to normal after a few months. Which it did.

I've had catheters on and off all the time, the ones that stay in with a balloon.
But the supra pubic is when they create it in your belly.
I'm unable to use self catheters (I'm going to keep trying) myself, firstly I can't get and stay in the position needed and also even when looking with a mirror it's not possible to see it.
I have an incomplete spinal injury that's why I have problems with my bladder (and bowels).
Even nurses struggle to do it on me.

With a supra pubic catheter can you still have sex? And can you still have a successful pregnancy?

I think some of your replies your referring to a urethral catheters which stay in (which I've had lots of times.
The supra pubic catheter is surgery to create a hole in your belly to link the bladder.

Yes to sex, don't actually know about pregnancy but I wouldn't expect it to interfere. I found some discussion about it on this forum too that might be of interest to you?

Mine was definitely supra pubic. The sex issue didn't arise for us - was anyway last thing on my mind, hvaing just done the birth thing

Mine was definitely supra pubic. The sex issue didn't arise for us - was anyway last thing on my mind, hvaing just done the birth thing

Mine was suprapubic through a hole going into the top of the bladder, not urethral. Can't comment about sex or pregnancy. Maybe try a suprapubic and see how you get on? It's a general to put it in, which might be a pain for you. But it's no big issue to have it taken out if you decide it's not for you (although I did leak a small amount of urine into the tissue when mine was removed because the skin hole closed up before the bladder hole did - more grim than it sounds). Could a suprapubic take the pressure off you regarding self catheterisation? Might that help you to find a way to do it in a more relaxed way?

my son had both, SP and urethral for 5 months after an op. Now he self catheteterises but as he 11, no sex issues!

i have a male friend who has had one since suffering a spinal injury 13 yrs ago. He is 35 now
He absolotuely does everything!!
He has had acouple of UTI over the years i think though mostly when he has been on holiday so maybe drinking alot...so im guessing he would of ended up with a UTI with any type of catheter.
It is also very discrete, it is not noticable under his clothes at all.

As a nurse if I had to choose, I would try to do the isc, they are less invasive, less disruptive to you're life, prob less risk of infection ( I don't know the stats tho). I would also imagine that it is ths most similar to 'normal' bladder function. Whereas, I would be concerned what happens when the supra pubic comes out. Would the bladder be able to return to normal easily?
I feel for you either way, and just for info, this is just anecdotal experience as a nurse, not medical facts.

Cardamom ginger when they took mine out it was intensely painful, like I imagine being stabbed was. They just pull a huge thing out of a very small hole. Granted it only lasts a second though.

DP has one and he's found it really great?much better than the indwelling or the intermittent (he could never manage that at all tbh). If you get one with a flip-flo valve instead of a leg bag and maintain your bladder tone, you can wee normally instead of having the valve open to a drainage bag (strapped to your leg, which is grim).

His infections went way down after the supra-pubic went in. If you get one, ask for a G-Strap but don't use it all the time (and not on a plane). You can tape the tube to your side with mefix (the best tape--other strapping gives you blisters), too, or some people just tuck it in their waistband?it depends how sensitive you find movement.

If it gets blocked, you can get Optiflos on prescription (a sort of squeezy bottle of sterile water) and they normally clear it out pretty well.

So long as it heals, it's perfectly clean. You can get sterile spigots that are very slim. If you replace the tap with the bung and put a rouched cossie on, no one will know if you want to go swimming. You can also get big waterproof sticky covers to cover the whole thing if it's not completely healed/weepy (they have these at hydrotherapy).

You can still have sex. No idea about pregnancy. District nurses will fit a new one, or you can go to clinic, or if you're very hands-on you can ask to be taught to do it yourself.

DP was very very leery of having it done and carried on with the indwelling for ages, which caused loads of probs, but since 2003 he's had the supra-pubic and it just removed a giant chunk of stress from his life. Big improvement.

To recap, haha:

Flip-Flo
G-Strap
Optiflo
Mefix
Cathjell

(And make sure they cover you in Cathjell before they change it?it's anaesthetic gel but nurses can't be arsed with it a lot.)