44 replies to this topic

[qbounce]

mcjane, on 03 June 2011 - 11:25 PM, said:

I just switched to BARD from COLOPLAST because the Coloplast had a very strong chemical odor. Recently took a catheter survey advertised thru Apparelyzed (got $25) and saw there were about 18 different brands. I Googled the topic and learned that ancient Egyptians used papyrus, Romans used metal, Neanderthals used a bird bone. Ben Franklin invented the first flexible one but it didn't say what it was made of. In the US the policy changed and you now get 186 catheters per month. I think it used to be 6 a month (not sure) but supposedly not cleaning them properly increased UTI's. It was recommended they be cleaned with dish soap but that stuff cuts grease and kills insects so imagine what it can do to delicate internal tissue?? When I see how much plastic and paper goes into the landfill just so I can pee....makes me wish I had just a few reusable ones that could be easily sterilized. And I have to wonder...why are they available only by prescription?

Not all insurance companies cover 100% of our medical durable goods. Hence, the prescription for insurance to cover their share, and if there is a balance, it's on the consumer. Anyway, everything is coded by insurance companies. If there's no code, it's not covered, that's why there's a script for everything . . . . checks and balances.

Be very happy that you weren't dealing with the 6 catheter allotment. Within that time, many people were getting recurring UTI's, or having great difficulty killing super bugs that manifested from reusing the same catheters over and over again. As stated above, we deal with enough crap on a daily basis to worry about how our new 'green peace ' status has changed due to a daily use of catheters, pills, electric devices, and whateverelsewehavetodealwithonadailybasis. -lol

Remember, the government thought these same cath's COULD easily be sterilized by hand soap and microwave just 2 short years ago. If you wish to go back to 6 cath's a month, no one's forcing you to use them a singly. It's your prerogative to see how you fare.

BTW, EdwardCollin, which did you finally decide on. No . . . don't tell me, let me guess . . . d d d d d d d d d d d dududuDUDUDUDUDUDUDUUDUUDDUUDUUDUUDUUU (drum roll)

SPEEDYCATH!!! Right?


Oh yeah, I use Coloplast intermittent catheters. I don't tie an extra piece of night bag line to the tip of the cath. Noooo, that's way to technical for me. You guys ever tried just using the sheath that the catheter comes in as a funnel? If it's one of those hard foil ones, I'm sorry for you, because that makes it difficult to use. But if it's a pliable plastic sheath, try this:


1. Bite a small hole at the tip, just enough for the cath to slip through.
2. Open the bottom completely.
3. Slide the cath all the way out the top of the hole you created until the end nozzle tightly wedges half way through said hole, forming a seal.
4. Lubricate the catheter (unless it's a lofric) and insert as you normally would, with the sheath extension to the toilet.


I don't follow this to a 'T' but you get the idea how the sheath is used as your extension, to be thrown away along with the catheter after use.

[madhouse73]

Speedicath compact 12

[Trinity]

Tinbasher, on 01 November 2010 - 10:55 PM, said:

The hydrokits have a bag that is exactly 1000 cl which is about 20cl too small for my first pee of the day.

I really really hope you mean ml not cl Tin!!! Otherwise you have a bladder the size of a swimming pool! (although it could be very useful it's no wonder the cath bags fall a little short!)

[Edinburgh Colin]

qbounce, on 04 June 2011 - 03:22 AM, said:

mcjane, on 03 June 2011 - 11:25 PM, said:

I just switched to BARD from COLOPLAST because the Coloplast had a very strong chemical odor. Recently took a catheter survey advertised thru Apparelyzed (got $25) and saw there were about 18 different brands. I Googled the topic and learned that ancient Egyptians used papyrus, Romans used metal, Neanderthals used a bird bone. Ben Franklin invented the first flexible one but it didn't say what it was made of. In the US the policy changed and you now get 186 catheters per month. I think it used to be 6 a month (not sure) but supposedly not cleaning them properly increased UTI's. It was recommended they be cleaned with dish soap but that stuff cuts grease and kills insects so imagine what it can do to delicate internal tissue?? When I see how much plastic and paper goes into the landfill just so I can pee....makes me wish I had just a few reusable ones that could be easily sterilized. And I have to wonder...why are they available only by prescription?

Not all insurance companies cover 100% of our medical durable goods. Hence, the prescription for insurance to cover their share, and if there is a balance, it's on the consumer. Anyway, everything is coded by insurance companies. If there's no code, it's not covered, that's why there's a script for everything . . . . checks and balances.

Be very happy that you weren't dealing with the 6 catheter allotment. Within that time, many people were getting recurring UTI's, or having great difficulty killing super bugs that manifested from reusing the same catheters over and over again. As stated above, we deal with enough crap on a daily basis to worry about how our new 'green peace ' status has changed due to a daily use of catheters, pills, electric devices, and whateverelsewehavetodealwithonadailybasis. -lol

Remember, the government thought these same cath's COULD easily be sterilized by hand soap and microwave just 2 short years ago. If you wish to go back to 6 cath's a month, no one's forcing you to use them a singly. It's your prerogative to see how you fare.

BTW, EdwardCollin, which did you finally decide on. No . . . don't tell me, let me guess . . . d d d d d d d d d d d dududuDUDUDUDUDUDUDUUDUUDDUUDUUDUUDUUU (drum roll)

SPEEDYCATH!!! Right?

Oh yeah, I use Coloplast intermittent catheters. I don't tie an extra piece of night bag line to the tip of the cath. Noooo, that's way to technical for me. You guys ever tried just using the sheath that the catheter comes in as a funnel? If it's one of those hard foil ones, I'm sorry for you, because that makes it difficult to use. But if it's a pliable plastic sheath, try this:

1. Bite a small hole at the tip, just enough for the cath to slip through.
2. Open the bottom completely.
3. Slide the cath all the way out the top of the hole you created until the end nozzle tightly wedges half way through said hole, forming a seal.
4. Lubricate the catheter (unless it's a lofric) and insert as you normally would, with the sheath extension to the toilet.

I don't follow this to a 'T' but you get the idea how the sheath is used as your extension, to be thrown away along with the catheter after use.

Combination I have at present is LoFric Primo (got the water sachet on the end) for out doors, not literally but when I don't have the comfort of my own bathroom, at home I am using Easy Cath which are dry Speedi's but you just add water. I just suck 50 ML from the tap with a syringe and squirt it into the packet, good to go in 30 secs. Probably cheap as you like but suits me for the house and the paper and polythene sleeve is less waste than the foil pack for the Speedi's I had before.

The LoFric Primos fold better too for putting them in your pocket or bag when your out, the speedi's never really straightened out again with the foil and being a little more rigid.


I'm not biting the end of any polythene sleeve with water and lubricant in it so I'll stick to a bit of night bag tube if you don't mind, although the idea Millard posted of a zip lock bag is pretty handy as the spasms these days mean the knees are not spreading to get either side of the bowl too well.




I would still love to be using the Speedi Compact when I am away from home but as I posted the gymnastics required are too much of a challenge.



HOWEVER that sly old dog Greybeard was obviously trying some kind of handstand technique the other day when he blasted himself with 65deg C hot water from his bidet!! I KNOW it HAS to be TRUE as he never tried to respond to my request for a step by step guide! Obviously too embarrassed!

Geoff?

[LeeS]

I recieved a few samples the other week of some new caths that Coloplast are thinking of taking out

I'm not 100% sure what they called them but I shall try find out and let you know!

Anyway, the point in them is that they're to be compact and easier to carry around, they were only 6"inch long. Sounds short I know but when you open them you pull a tab and they become longer, when I opened it I thought "This looks brilliant!" but near enough straight away my thoughts changed! only half of it was flexible and the rest was rock hard. Currently when I cath I stay in my chair and the cath is flexible so I can bend it towards the toilet but these examples I had made this impossible, to be able to get into my bladder I had to use near enough the whole cath which meant there was no way of bending it :/

Im not too sure if any of you guys have seen/used these?? Personally I think they need to go back to the drawing board and make them a bit longer and make the whole length flexible, whether this is possible or not I'm unsure!

[Edinburgh Colin]

LeeS, on 24 July 2011 - 06:19 PM, said:

I recieved a few samples the other week of some new caths that Coloplast are thinking of taking out

I'm not 100% sure what they called them but I shall try find out and let you know!

Anyway, the point in them is that they're to be compact and easier to carry around, they were only 6"inch long. Sounds short I know but when you open them you pull a tab and they become longer, when I opened it I thought "This looks brilliant!" but near enough straight away my thoughts changed! only half of it was flexible and the rest was rock hard. Currently when I cath I stay in my chair and the cath is flexible so I can bend it towards the toilet but these examples I had made this impossible, to be able to get into my bladder I had to use near enough the whole cath which meant there was no way of bending it :/

Im not too sure if any of you guys have seen/used these?? Personally I think they need to go back to the drawing board and make them a bit longer and make the whole length flexible, whether this is possible or not I'm unsure!

That's the little blighters I was posting about when I wrote about the contortionists guide to male catherisation above.
Glad to see I was not alone in my opinion.
EC

[saad]

Astra Lofric
Astra Lofric Hydro Kit
Nelaton 40cm
CH 12

[Scorpio81]

I use two different kinds - for going out and about, I use the Speedicath Compact Plus - they are just like the compact, but about 3cm longer (the standard compacts are very very short - i'm amazed that anyone can empty properly with those!) They are so discreet - the same size and shape as a lipstick - and very portable, so I can just chuck a load in the smallest of hand bags when i'm going out and they don't take up much room at all. I like that they are in hard casing, so you don't have to worry about crushing or bending them, and they don't look like catheters. They are very well lubricated and slide in easily, although I do tend to get my hand wet because of the style of the 'handle'.

The other one I use when at home is the Lofric Sense. I've not seen anyone else mention these on here so thought i'd give them a shout out. They are 15cm long and designed for females. The packaging is lovely (lilac) and has a built in water pouch - all you have to do is squeeze to burst the pouch and the catheter is ready to use instantly (unlike other hydrophilic caths where you have to wait 30 seconds or so). It has a large, sturdy 'handle' and slides in easily, and the catheter tube itself is quite rigid (which I much prefer - others i've tried, like the Lofric Primo, are much too soft and bendy, meaning I have to touch the catheter tube, which could introduce infection). You then just pop the cath back in the packaging and seal it closed again, making disposal quick and fuss-free. A friend of mine was involved in the design and creation of this catheter, and it was her who introduced me to it. So, i'd recommend the ladies among you give it a try - if you go to the website you can order some free samples www.lofricsense.co.uk

[WC_Sage]

Bazirker,

Regarding "BTW, first post in these forums! It'll be 5 years injured for me in two weeks, it's about time I start chatting with others about it... " - welcome!

[darlar828]

I have been a paraplegic T-10 complete break for 35 years and from the beginning had a supra pubic catheter that I love (as much as you can love this stuff) I am very active and travel a lot. I always imagined that intermittent cathing would be a pain as finding an accessible bathroom can be a problem, I was told a while ago that the urethra will eventually stretch from the constant cathing and you are much more likely to suffer from UTI's. When I see this forum I wonder what all of your experiences are like? Has anyone done this post- 20 years? How is traveling and finding an accessible bathroom before you have a problem/

Thanks, you'd think after 35 years with a spinal cord injury I would have answered these questions. I get asked them from newbies and can't truthfully answer
them.

[Edinburgh Colin]

Bumping this thread as it's been a while and we have a few new members and I'd like to see if they have any comments.
EC

[Kwag_Myers]

Coloplast #14 straight. I was getting them from Sportaid.com until I qualified for Medicare. Now I'm looking for a supplier who can fill my order. So far I've had two suppliers who just can't get it done. /rant

I sterilize my caths after I switch them out and use the old ones when I'm away from home. Then I can just trash them.

[johnb]

Vapro were really good BUT supplies have dried up ........... When will they be back .

[Liz56]

I use speedicath compact now, having gone through Lofric, speedicath regular, hollister advance plus, and a few others. They do a male length speedicath compact too. And for women, a new small one is the Lofric sense that I know a lot of people really like. I didn't get on with it though.

One thing I have done when I wanted to try some new ones was just go online and check out all the catheter company websites. You can email most of them and ask for samples, if you are already a catheter user. The other way if you get them through home delivery (Fittleworths, Charter, etc) is to phone their continence advisors and ask for samples of different ones. Or a third way is to just check in with the NHS continence advisors and see if they have any samples.

I think I may end up looking for a different brand soon too - I like the speedicath compact, but the way my hands are at the moment its sometimes really difficult to open them up.

[julibugs]

I use Va-pro but they are out of production at the moment so I am using spedicath until they are available again CH12