Uninary Catheter Care:and Use

These are a few tips on catheter care and use I have stumbled upon since having to use one for a time because of kidney disease.  This is linked from my business website because it is searched.  It is not obviously linked because it is a business web site and I wish that to be its focus.

1.  My urologist's office suggests applying a antibotic cream where the catheter enters the body.  I believe idea is unsound because it will kill off some bacteria while not touching others. (No criticism of the antibiotic, it is not made to do that.)  This can lead to more growth of those that are not killed off because there is no competition.
SO, I follow the hospital's advice and clean myself whenever I change the bag (from leg to larger bag or vice versa.)  I use a wash cloth and apply soap to each corner and apply it from my body out and down the catheter, using each corner on each quadrants so it is thoroughly washed.  Then I use the center and edges pulling away from my body so as remove the soap.
NOTHING is pushed back in, it is always drawn away and soap washes away everything, without favoring one over another.

2.  There are 2 basic kinds of supports for the catheter end so that is does not tug out of your body.  One sticks to your  leg and the other is a strap that goes around your leg.  

The stick to your leg type does come loose after exposure to water after about 2 weeks, if it is the kind that says it can be removed by alcohol.

The strap type is not subject to this limitation, but does not stay in place as well if you are active.  It can be removed while you shower and the bag held in place using a compression bandage such as Nexcare or Coach.  Coach tears off more easily for application and is cheaper.
You probably will end up switching between the two catheter holder types so as to allow the irriation caused by them to subside so it can heal.

It will probably occur to you to help the catheter holder stay in place as they get loose by using tape...DON'T.  It will hurt your skin and pull hairs if any.  You will also discover on laying down that the tape will turn into a tourniquet. Use Coach or Nexcare as they will flex to accomodate the shape of your leg when lying down.

3.  Both Coach and Nexcare are hard to reuse if  you undo them, so don't undo them.  Slide them off for use another day. They seem to be more inclined to stick after use if they are washed after being taken apart.

4.  One everyday use for either Coach or Nexcare, actually every night, is to stablize the long tube going to the leg bag.  If you use it over the the tube and around your leg just above your knee you will find that you will suffer less pain during the night from the catheter being tugged on.

5. You can keep the bags from staining and perhaps help remove some bacteria by filling them with 300 ccs of a 5% vinegar solution when not in use.  I let a little bit of it out of the drain tube after filling so as to wash out the tube.

6. The urologist's office may not warn you when they put a catheter in that you need to NOT use blood thinners such as fish oil or asprin.  If you are prescribed them it is one thing, but otherwise it will make you more subject to bleeding in the bladder as the balloon in your bladder that holds the catheter in place bounces around. It may also make you more susceptible to infection.

7. If you are a kidney patient (don't bother if you are not), you may be given a leg bag with a valve.  This can cause urine to back until it gets enough pressure to make the valve work.  I put a drinking straw in the top of the bag long enough to the valve is open all the time.  That way the kidney and bladder are always 100% drained.  Don't do this otherwise because you don't need 100% drainage and it does keep the urine from flowing back out of the bag into the bladder.

8. You may have your leg bag replaced as you have various tests.  Pitch the bag (in an appropriate place) but save any straps especially Velcro-type ones.  They are useful for holding tubing or the bag itself in place.  The low budget version of the bag can come with straps that are rubber. These pinch hairs, so nice that you saved the Velcro-kind from before! You can use these straps to hold the bag in place as you shower and then put on dry ones if you have an extra pair.

9. If your big bag is replaced, the nicest kind has a little rope with a little metal hanger on it which is very convenient if you must move around while using it.  Take it off of your old one in case the new one doesn't have it.

10. If you don't have the extra pair of straps and are currently using the strap around your leg type of catheter holder, you can take it off and use compression bandages like Coach or Nexcare temporarily in its place so you don't get your holder wet while showering.