8 replies to this topic

[paraguy1]

Hi I am fairley new here. Here is my problem I used to self cath the first few years of my accident. Then I found I could empty my bladder by just pushing the urine out somehow with my Ab muscles (really not sure how Im doing it). My doc tested my Bladder on several visits to make sure I was able to empty completly empty this way and I was. So he said as long as I can its better to avoid infection. But doing this the leakage has got worse and worse to the point Urine comes out with the slightest cough or strain. So now I have to wear adult briefs plus I wrap a urine leakage pad around my gentitils as well. Does anyone else empty this way? Should I start cathing again? I Have been doing this going on 6 years. I just want to make sure its ok to still empty this way and if the leakage is normal. When I did cath it was with the disposable ones with their own urine bag attached to help with infection but leakage was nothing like it is now back then.

Edited by paraguy1, 26 November 2011 - 12:18 AM.

[duff]

Hey,

I used to cath and wear briefs but found a way out. Unlike you I can not empty my bladder, even still, condom catheters work really well for me (by your name I am assuming your a guy). So I strongly suggest condom caths and this way you do not need the briefs.

[mellowgator]

i used to leak between caths so my dr prescibed oxybutynin. i use a patch form called oxytrol because the oral form gave me dry mouth. this may be a good option for you.


good luck,


mellowgator

[A trophy guy]

The technique you are describing is called the valsalva method of voiding. I too, use that method, along with the crede method; which is simply (gently) pressing down on your bladder with the palms of your hands in order to manually contract (and empty) the bladder.

However, I have never had any issue with leakage. I would say if it has gotten as bad as you describe, you would really benefit from finding another way of emptying your bladder. Condom catheters sound like they may be the best bet for you.

[Scorpio81]

mellowgator, on 26 November 2011 - 12:47 AM, said:

i used to leak between caths so my dr prescibed oxybutynin. i use a patch form called oxytrol because the oral form gave me dry mouth. this may be a good option for you.


good luck,


mellowgator

I also leak between cathing - as much as I try to cath every 3-4 hours, my bladder always seems to surprise me by filling up really quickly or really slowly, so I can never tell when the best time to cath is. I wear pads all the time to cope with the leaking. It wasn't always so bad - I used to take medication like oxybutynin, vesicare etc which were brilliant at controlling the spasms and incontinence, but sadly nothing works for me any more, so i'm waiting for Botox and hoping that will work!

Anyway, medication may well be effective in controlling the leaking, but the way they work means you'll then have the opposite problem - retention. This might mean that you'll have to start self-cathing in order to empty your bladder properly as valsalva or crede might not be enough to ensure you're properly empty, which could then potentially cause back pressure to your kidneys and might cause UTIs. However, this is just my opinion based on my own experiences - you should really discuss this with your urologist and/or continence nurses.

Good luck, hope you find a suitable solution

[paraguy1]

paraguy1, on 26 November 2011 - 12:02 AM, said:

Hi I am fairley new here. Here is my problem I used to self cath the first few years of my accident. Then I found I could empty my bladder by just pushing the urine out somehow with my Ab muscles (really not sure how Im doing it). My doc tested my Bladder on several visits to make sure I was able to empty completly empty this way and I was. So he said as long as I can its better to avoid infection. But doing this the leakage has got worse and worse to the point Urine comes out with the slightest cough or strain. So now I have to wear adult briefs plus I wrap a urine leakage pad around my gentitils as well. Does anyone else empty this way? Should I start cathing again? I Have been doing this going on 6 years. I just want to make sure its ok to still empty this way and if the leakage is normal. When I did cath it was with the disposable ones with their own urine bag attached to help with infection but leakage was nothing like it is now back then.

Thanks for all the replys. And now I have a name for how I empty my bladder. Condem catheters sounds like a good idea are they expensive? I wonder if my medicare advantage insurance (Hap) will cover them. Thanks again everyone for the input.

[davjed]

Sounds similar to my experience over the years. During the day I use a pad an void every 4 or 5 hours using abdominal strain and crede. At night I wear a gizmo attached to a bag. Try googling gizmo or urinary incontinence products for men. There are several out there.

[paul1404]

Call me old fashion, but all this leaking and it's seams quite commen does this not equate to odours? If your a male you got no excuse as there are plenty of devices on the market to prevent this. Has any of your nearest and dearest ever told you or would they be to embarrassed to mention it a bit like the BO problems that some people have. Have a sniff or better still ask someone, becuase this is a well lknown stereotypical image that a lot of people have about people in wheelchairs and you may just be reinforcing this view .

[paraguy1]

paul1404, on 27 November 2011 - 01:10 PM, said:

Call me old fashion, but all this leaking and it's seams quite commen does this not equate to odours? If your a male you got no excuse as there are plenty of devices on the market to prevent this. Has any of your nearest and dearest ever told you or would they be to embarrassed to mention it a bit like the BO problems that some people have. Have a sniff or better still ask someone, becuase this is a well lknown stereotypical image that a lot of people have about people in wheelchairs and you may just be reinforcing this view .

I absolutely make sure I have no odors from leakage. Maybe I made it sound worse than what it is. ITs not constant and when it does leak its a small amount. I have had 3 girlfriends since I got hurt and believe me if there was any odors they would have said so. But I guess I have always been kind of anal about being a clean person. I change anytime anything is soiled plus I have a nice roll in shower attached to my bedroom. But I know what you mean about sterotypes of people in wheelchairs.