l. I got in a car accident and ended up paralyzed. I am incomplete and am getting motor function in my abs and lower back, i can almost did a sit up. My question is, is there a technique or anything i can do at night to sleep longer without cathing? I know to try and stop fluid intake around 6-8 but I still have to cath. What are some techniques to cath when you got a girl in the bed too....

Welcome to the forum.

I assume your self cathing and thus you probably do it every few hours. During the day I do it every four hours but at night I do one an hour before I go to sleep and first thing when I wake up- thats usually 11.30pm-9am. This took me several months and I am on two tablets that strengthen the muscles in the bladder. If you have just started self-cathing you probably couldn't go without doing it at least once during the night. I found that with keeping my fluid intake the same my result in the middle of the night (3am or 4am) was getting less and less as time went on- I assume my body was just finding a rythmn- and eventually I decided to go all night and it has been fine. In my opinion you should build up to this as it wouln't be good to try it if your new to self-cathing. I would also ask your docs and nurses what they think.

All the best.

Do you wake up to flip yourself to avoid pressure soars or how do you manage that?

There is one way to do this reasonably safe. If you had a thorough urological evaluation in which they measured your bladder capacity and know the amount, you can compare your night output with it. If the night caths do not add up to your bladder capacity, it is probably okay to give it a try and skip the wakeup. To be really safe, you should compare with a number somewhat less than the evaluation report because your bladder may have shrunk some. However, it would be best to discuss this with your urologist before trying.

I use an alternating pressure mattress so I don't have to flip myself every two hours. I found one for $500 or so on the internet. I don't have the name of it, but do a search for "alternating pressure mattress" and you should be able to find one. Mine overlays my bed and I can deflate it for travel as well. I highly recommend one.

I never consciously wake myself to turn over night, I do often wake to find myself in a different position to the one i fell asleep in though (I always fall asleep on my stomach) I don't, however, wake up to pee in the night unless I have been drinking, in which case I set my alarm to wake me up or else suffer the consequences. On a goodl night (and by goodl I mean 8 hours max) I will sleep straight through and cath first thing i the morning. I value the sleep I get too much to disturb it unnecessarily

eda: I don't have any special mattress, as a 'T' injury I feel it is unnecessary

i feel pretty uncomfortable on my stomach. It makes my neck feel weird. How should i start training my bladder to make it through the night? I dont drink beer anymore just strictly liquor, so i can still get drunk but not have to cath like i would with beer.

Yeah, I wake up twice a night to change my position, usually from back to side or side to back. I have a small bed wedge which elevates my back and head from horizontal- I find sleeping totally flat on my back painful. If your skin doesn't get too red from sleeping on one position for a long time then you would probably be okay to sleep all night in one place. It depends on the skin and personal preference I suppose- I get aches and shifting position combats this.
You also mentioned sleeping on your stomach- in bed I can't do this- its too soft and my pelvis sinks too low putting pressure on my groin, bladder and neck. I use a physio plinth if I want to get on my stomach for a bit- its nice and firm and actually quite relaxing to lie on on your stomach-good for pressure relief too.

Someone also mentioned urodynamics which tests your bladder function and bladder capacity. I know of quite a few people in my rehab ward, including myself, who went through this and it didn't work for any of us. For me it said I could hold 100mls of urine before I would involuntary release. That turned out to be BS. Right after the urodynamics I had 400mls in my catheter bag and regulary find 1000mls+ when I catheterize. Now whether it was the people operating the test or just unique cases I don't know, but ask for bladder scans aswell- its like an ultra-sound and it tells you how much is in the bladder, its non invasive and takes about 2 mins.

In order to train your bladder you need to first ask your nurse/doctor about it- get them to explain everything and then take it from there.

(Liquor will probably make you piss just as much as a bottle of beer. I drink beer and it doesn't make me want to piss right away or anything.)

I'd have to agree with Karl about seeing the urologist. I intentionally missed those appointments and still havent visited an urologist to this day. I think pumping you full of saline and pretending is pretty ridiculous.. PLus I know from my own experience, you arent always going to have an accident just because you 'reached your limit'. A few aspects play into the bladders seemingly mistakes, you have to consider what exactly you've been drinking - and just what is sitting in your bladder. Like people always say, coffee and sodas are the hardest to hold down. Now if you've been drinking water all day, sure you'll have to piss ALOT MORE but more likely you will always be able to hold the piss longer - just for the obvious fact its more pure. You're body is contemplating survival (well-being) and simply praticing waste management. These things are instilled from birth, you dont need a urologist to tell you how YOUR body works. Thats the good news.

The hard part is figuring it for yourself. I could sit here and list a million things Ive learned about me, but they wouldnt help you any. Its all trial and error my friend!