indwelling catheter constantly needs repostioning
Posted , 3 users are following.
My 89 year old father has had an indwelling urinary catheter for a few years now due to an enlarged prostate. Generally he has few issues, occasionally blocked but not often. Last weekend there was no urine in the bag and when we went to urgent care, they said it needed repositioning, flushed it through and we returned home - 30 mins drive. when we reached home, he said it was really sore and we went back - repositioned again. in the last week we have now been back 6 times and he's there now with my brother with the same issue. He has started meds for bladder spasms - not because he has them but because they don't know what else to do, and has taken enough senacot and laxido to go into liquidation.
Its getting really stressful - none of us are sleeping as we're too worried about what the next day will bring and it's hard to imagine my employers will continue to be so sympathetic if I keep having to leave work on a daily basis for a few hours. Has anyone else experienced this issue before so regularly and if so, how was it resolved, because urgent care don't seem to have any answers, and are becoming less patient now.
0 likes, 2 replies
hank1953 janice86253
Posted
What kind of indwelling catheter is it? Foley (through the penis) or suprapubic (through the stomach)?
barney34567 janice86253
Posted
Janice, I am sorry that your Dad is going through this.
As I see it, while you search for those more expert than are currently attending to your Dad , he should be made as comfortable as possible. When you next see a nurse or doctor, list all the pains he is experiencing and be specific.
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For bladder spasms he should be on a drug from the class of anticholinergics. There are several and if what he's on isn't doing the job, ask for a change to another drug from the same class.
If he has other pain, such as catheter-related bladder discomfort, the drugs that can help have
have antimuscarinic properties, such as oxybutynin, tolterodine, and butylscopolamine. These attempt to reduce both the incidence and severity of catheter related bladder discomfort.
If Dad experiences a burning sensation when peeing (as I did for a year after prostate surgery), a wonderful drug not available everywhere called URAL will fix it. It is sold in Australia in powder from in sachets to which one adds 200 ml water.
It is an alkaliser which combats/neutralises the acid in the bladder etc. In under 10 mins I go from burning when peeing to peeing free of any pain. If he takes URAL ensure he ups his water intake as URAL, while pleasant to drink, is VERY high in sodium.