Catheter Information
Posted , 10 users are following.
Hello one and all.
This is just a little information on catheters that I came a pond. Some of you guy's may be aware and some may not know.
What is a Catheter ? It is also called a Foley. It was called a Foley because the doctor that invented it was was Dr. Frederic E. B. Foley 1930 but he lost the patent in 1935. But that is another story.
This is a report that was done on 2000 patients that were catheterized in the hospital and the problem that they had with the catheter. Most of the patients were men. The study found out that not only that they had to deal with infections but they had do deal with other problems.
In the hospital patients know that the catheter was put in to help them with there bladder. Most patient ended up with a catheter because they were having surgery. Most said that it did not hurt when it was going in. But most of them had it put in when they were out. They did say that it hurt coming out and caused some bleeding.
UTI's was the main concern but they found out that the risk is 5 times less common then noninfectious problems. Those issues include pain, bloody urine and activity restrictions while the catheter was still in. Trouble with going to the bathroom and sexual function can occur after the catheter is taking out.
The finding underscore the importance of avoiding an indwelling urinary catheter and have it removed as soon as possible. This was done in 2 hospital. They were checked at 2 weeks and 1 month.
76 percent of the patients had the catheter removed within 3 day of having it put in. Infection would found in over 10 % of the patients. At least one noninfectious complication come up in 55 % of the patients. 31 % that still had the catheter in said the the catheter was causing them pain or discomfort.
Among the ones that had the catheter out 20 % said they had a problem of leaking or difficulty starting or stopping. Over 5 % said that it has cause some form of sexual problem.
I wote this because there are some doctor or nurses that do not give you the information you need if you are having a catheter they just assume that your older and you should have had one before. Not all of us have to dealings with catheter. I did not have my first one till I was 58 and was not giving much information.
They should tell you before you have any surgery if you are going to have a catheter. If your surgery is under 3 1/2 hours you do not need a catheter. It is up to you if you want a catheter. If you have any concerns talk with your doctor. They should explain it to you.
God bless you all....Ken
0 likes, 51 replies
rdemyan kenneth1955
Posted
I am curious about UTIs caused by catheters. IIRC, over 80% of UTIs are caused by e-Coli, which generally comes from fecal matter. I have to assume that the UTIs caused by catheters are not caused by e-Coli, at least for men. If some of you who have had UTIs caused by catheters would share the type of bacteria (if you know it), that would be great. e-Coli is usually readily detected on urine dipsticks made by pharmaceutical companies.
kenneth1955 rdemyan
Posted
Rdemyan
I look at my last blood work and this it want was on it Staphylococcus Epidermidis I hope this helps. I have not taking anything for this. I will be having blood work done again next week so I will see what is going on.
Have a good day...Ken
rdemyan kenneth1955
Posted
Dennis mentioned D-Mannose, which really seems to have a good track record for preventing UTIs. Even if you have a UTI, increasing D-Mannose should be helpful in helping to "wash" out the bacteria (but I would still get antibiotics if a UTI is confirmed). I take D-Mannose every day as well as cranberry pills and usually pure (nothing added) cranberry juice.
kenneth1955 rdemyan
Posted
I will check out the D-Mannose but if I still have it I will get something from my doctor.
I love cranberry juice but can't have it I'm on blood thinners
Have a good day....Ken
dennis47445 kenneth1955
Posted
If you go to You Tube, you'll find lots of videos of women with uti's and how they use D-Mannosse to clear it. It works by making the walls of the bladder slippery, so the ecoli bacteria can't cling to the side of the blladder wall. After you empty your bladder, the ecoli goes right out the body. Pretty interesting stuff!
kenneth1955 dennis47445
Posted
Thanks Dennis
I will look it up and see what is going on......
Ken.
rdemyan dennis47445
Posted
Just e-coli? As I noted above, it doesn't seem likely that e-coli is the bacteria that a man would pick up from a catheter, since the e-coli typically comes from feces.
Supertractorman rdemyan
Posted
I have read that e-coli can travel inwardly in a man from the anus to the bladder.
David
Howard31850 kenneth1955
Posted
Hi Ken - thanks as always for great posts! How have you been?
I just passed my 4000th catheter in 3 years!! As jimjames promised it is now much easier than flossing my teeth.
One thing I've noticed is that my penis has actually lengthened over the years while I have been doing CIC!! I wonder if anyone else has experienced this.
All the best to you
Howard
kenneth1955 Howard31850
Posted
Hey Howard
I have to have blood work done again next week Went to my GP and a lot of my blood work came back good. We will see next week
4000 catheters That is a lot. I never heard of the penis getting longer form using a catheter. I have heard that it get smaller has you age. Going to have to research that. It is very interested.
Thank Ken
miriam65408 kenneth1955
Posted
Hi Ken and everyone suffering UTIs from catheters,
the standard Foley catheter has a 10ml balloon to hold it in place in the bladder and a tip with two drainage eyes that protrude about 20mm beyond the balloon into the space of the bladder. If you are free-draining (i.e. your urine just flows out all the time) your bladder wall will be in contact with this tip which causes tiny abrasions and these abrasions are just the places where bugs in the urine like to get a colony established. Having a flip-flo valve to turn off the urine flow until you're ready to empty your bladder can help as the bladder wall is kept away from the tip as the bladder fills.
A UK consultant made a remarkable video of a full bladder emptying via a catheter and it showed the bladder wall actually being sucked into the eye of the catheter along with the urine - this caused real damage to the bladder wall - and damage leads to infection. The bladder wall is actually an amazing bit of kit and the lining can resist bugs for ever (they used to think urine was sterile!) until it gets compromised in some way. The catheter tip also provides many convenient ledges for colonies of bugs to get established so really, if someone puts a catheter into you, it's only a matter of time before you get an infection.
A US company make a dual balloon catheter - the second balloon is on the tip to protect the bladder wall from damage - and it works! If you're in the US you should be able to get these if you have a catheter prescription. If you're in Europe, they're not licenced and doctors and nurses are not allowed to touch them. I trained to change my husband's catheter myself and buy the dual balloon was direct from the US. He's gone from permanent UTI's, where one turned into sepsis, to no infection for 5 years.
Always check if you need to be catheterised and bear in mind they like to do it for an operation to save themselves any trouble. If you need to be permanently catheterised, check out the dual balloon ones by searching (only one company make them and you can see the video I mentioned on their website). If you can self-cath, do.
rdemyan miriam65408
Posted
Hello Miriam:
Thank you for your well-written post. It sounds like you are primarily discussing permanent catheterization. It seems doubtful that a man needing to be catheterized for a hospital stay or for a short time thereafter would have a choice in catheter; although I suppose one could bring the dual balloon catheter and see if they would insert it instead of the typical single balloon Foley catheter. OTOH, the hospital staff might respond that they are not trained to used the dual balloon catheter. I guess it is worth a try so thanks for the information.
Have you and your husband tried D-Mannose?
kenneth1955 miriam65408
Posted
Thank you for that post very interesting I will look into it
I was just thinking about something. The balloon is going to keep it in the bladder. Now if a man has to keep a catheter in for a while. What is stopping the catheter from going in and out of the bladder. You know what I'm trying to say. It not going to plug the hole all the time. It may go up in the bladder and you will get leaking until it's plugged again.
Have a great day...Ken
miriam65408 rdemyan
Posted
Yes, I'm talking about permanent indwelling catheters, either SPC or urethral.
The idea of special training makes me smile - there's two balloons to inflate (and deflate) instead of just one. It says on the ports how much is to go into which balloon so not not specialist training there. These duettes aren't licensed in Europe (the company have never tried to get them licensed here as the US market is so huge) so the only problem here is that nurses aren't allowed to touch them.
charles11940 kenneth1955
Posted
I'm a newcomer to CIC. I have only been doing it for about 4 months, but have adjusted quickly, with no problems (UTI's, bleeding, pain, etc.); and hope to continue with the procedure indefinitely.
I can still urinate normally, and the catheter is used to drain the residual (100-200cc) that is trapped in a "pocket" formed by a lobe of the enlarged prostate.
I had a Foley Catheter after a bladder stone operation about 5 years ago, and it was an absolutely miserable experience (pain, leakage, bleeding)!
At age 82, I have absolutely NO desire to undergo prostate surgery, especially since my HMO urologist insists the best procedure for me is TRUP. This HMO (Kaiser) does not offer the newer, less-traumatic procedures that many on this blog have discussed.
I'm sent a months supply of catheters (15), and reuse them, which hasn't been a problem. I'm careful about hygiene. One "trick" I use involves the syringe used for earwax removal (3/4 oz., 20mL). Without the rubber tip that goes in the ear, the end of the syringe perfectly fits the larger (exit) end of the catheter. After using it, I wash it with antibacterial soap, then, using the syringe, I squirt a mixture of 1/3 water/peroxide/alcohol through the catheter, then dry it with a paper towel, and hang it up to dry. This procedure also prevents urine-crystals form forming in the catheter.
kenneth1955 charles11940
Posted
Hello Charles
First welcome.I'm glad that all is working out for you. It is your decision on it you have a procedure. A Turp is not a fix all that is what most doctor think because that is all they do. They do not believe in any of the other procedure.
Keep up the good work....Ken
dennis47445 charles11940
Posted
Charles, I've been doing cic for almost three years. I'll be 71 years old this year. It's the best thing for emptying your bladder. Your situation sounds ideal. You can actually still urinate on your own, and you use the catheter just to get the residual urine out. I think that is a great idea! That way, you will minimize your chances of a bladder stone, and keep your kidneys free from stale urine. I wish, I had done that when I could still urinate on my own. I use 150 catheters every month. I use around 5 catheters a day. Not to blame my urologist, but if he had told me instead of surgery, I should try self-cathing, I might be in a better place today! I've had three turps so far.