Let’s Talk About Catheters.

Welcome to our dedicate a space where we talk about all matters relating to catheters. Leanna Benjamin who is a catheter patient, talks openly about what she wished she had known about having a catheter.

Firstly let us introduce you to Leanna, who has lived with multiple chronic conditions for over 20 years and has had anindwelling catheterfor around 12 years now. Leanna has been very open about her experiences of living with a catheter and has written a great piece for the Bladder and Bowel Community to help others who may feel daunted at the concept of life with a catheter.

10 things I wish I was told about catheters – Leanna’s Story

“导尿管会让人感到尴尬，佩戴导尿管往往会让人感到孤独。我希望，在阅读了这篇文章后，你会学到一两个可以让你的生活更轻松的技巧。如果知道别人有类似的经历，当这种事发生在我身上时，我就不会那么孤独了。我没有收到任何关于导管的传单，我也很少收到建议。

Let’s get informed!

But, before I continue, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Leanna Benjamin, and I’ve been living with multiple debilitating illnesses for over 20 years. I first realised that my health was deteriorating after a bout of the flu when I was 18; but it took four years to be diagnosed with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis).

As my condition gradually got worse, I noticed that I was struggling to control my bladder. It had always been weak, but up to this point it had at least been manageable. Now, my mobility became severely affected by the ME, which in turn exasperated my bladder issues.

My GP referred me to a urologist, who sent me for a variety of tests. I met an amazing doctor, who was incredibly supportive and reassuring. The tests were not painful, but they were uncomfortable. I think the worst part was that I felt really embarrassed to be in my late twenties and dealing with something that most people associate with old age.

Luckily, I’m blessed with some really great friends, and they helped me a lot during this difficult time. One of them was even with me during some of the urodynamic examinations.

Botox and talkative bladders

The doctor said that my bladder could only hold a small amount of liquid (20ml) before it began to spasm. On the scans, it looked like my bladder was smaller than it should be. The urologist, however, explained that the size was actually normal, and that the real problem was that the nerves inside were hyperactive. This meant they were constantly telling my brain to empty the bladder, which, consequently, was never allowed to relax, fill up completely and empty in a controlled manner.

我的泌尿科医生告诉了我所有的选择，我们的结论是永久性的手术解决方案对我来说并不理想。但我是注射肉毒杆菌的好人选，所以我们决定尝试这个选择。这些注射剂，大多数人可能认为是去除面部皱纹，在你麻醉的时候直接进入膀胱。

Botox basically calms the nerves down, making them less talkative. One of the side effects of the injections is that the nerves go from talking, without stopping to take a breath, to refusing to say a single word. This leaves you with a bladder that cannot empty itself without assistance. Which is exactly what happened to me. Then the continence nurse suggested I try to catheterise myself.

间歇自我导尿(ISC)意味着你插入一个单一的使用导管到你的膀胱在整个一天的定期间隔，以清空它。我把它描述为在自动系统离线的情况下手动排空膀胱的方法。这个选择我建议你和你的顾问或者你的失禁护士讨论，但不是每个人都适合。不过，如果它对你不起作用，也不要失望。还有其他选择。

After I’d had a series of Botox injections, we agreed not to continue with them. Although there had been some improvement, my body wasn’t really reacting the way it should to them, and I was having more adverse reactions. The only option left for me at that stage was to have an indwelling catheter fitted.

The catheter that changed my life

There are two ways a catheter can be fitted. There is the suprabpubic catheter, which is surgically fitted just under your belly button; and the urethral catheter (or indwelling catheter) that a nurse can fit either during a hospital clinic or at your home. I’ve had the latter for about 12 years now, so I guess it’s fair to say I’m a little bit of an expert. And that’s why I agreed to write this article.

我想分享一些我希望在我第一次安装导尿管时就能得到的信息，希望我的建议可以帮助其他人避免我遇到的一些陷阱。我觉得分享一下我对使用导尿管的感受很重要。多年来，我一直在处理意想不到的漏水和笨重的垫子带来的尴尬，有一个永久解决我大小便失禁问题的方法正是我所需要的。

What I hadn’t expected, however, was that I’d feel as miserable as I did. My body had changed, and I really didn’t like it. For a long time, this was my shameful secret and it made me feel all alone. Thankfully, I have since learnt that it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s simply a disability aid and, like anything new, it may take a little time to get used to it.

我的第一个建议是善待自己，不要保守这个秘密。跟你的家人和朋友谈谈，或者跟你的失禁护士谈谈你所在地区的支持团体。当我带着新安装的导尿管离开医院时，我不知道的事情太多了。我妹妹弗朗西丝和我一起住了几天，在那期间，她得帮我把腿上的袋子清空。我们真的没有准备好面对新的现实。

The lessons I’ve learned

I was unable to get out of bed, so my sister emptied the bag into the plastic jug I had in the kitchen. Not an ideal solution, but it worked. One day, while she was emptying the bag into the jug, she said “my sister can pee in a cup.” We looked at each other and burst out laughing. In that moment, Frances reminded me of how I normally deal with difficult situations: With deeply inappropriate humour!

We proceeded to come out with terrible jokes that week, and slowly my deeply depressed mood began to shift. This is why I keep saying it’s important to share your experience with someone you trust. Because they can help you see things in a different light.

And now, let’s have a look at the ten things I really wish I had known 12 years ago:

1. Incontinence and catheters:Everyone’s experience is going to be different when it comes to catheters, because there are so many different reasons why we need to use them. Personally, I thought having a catheter would mean there would be an end to the ‘accidents;’ and that I would be able to go out feeling completely confident. While the number of ‘accidents’ has, indeed, been dramatically reduced; leakages can happen due to spasms or if the catheter gets a kink in it. This is a twist, or fold, which prevents the catheter from draining properly. My advice is to always wear an incontinence pad. It doesn’t have to be a large one, as it’s usually small amounts of leakage to deal with. I always travel with a ‘maintenance kit’ that includes wipes, a pad, a change of underwear, a scented bin liner and a syringe of instillagel lubricant.

2. Catheter leg bags:当我第一次开始使用导尿管时，我以为只有一种导尿管袋。然而，我发现NHS上有很多不同的包包。你只需要问。至于腿袋，它们的末端有一个水龙头，所以你可以很容易地清空它。一开始，我用的是轻叩式旅行袋，但我发现它们很容易打开，所以我改用滑动式旅行袋。我已经用了五年多了，我对它们非常满意。腿包也有不同长度的管，这都取决于你喜欢把包绑在腿上的什么地方。就我个人而言，我更喜欢短管腿袋，以避免油管打结，导致导管分流。

3. Catheters at night:You will need a bag that holds a larger volume during the night as the leg bags tend to hold 500ml and the night bags hold two litres. You can use the night bags during the day too, if you’re unable to get up regularly, but I find they are harder to manage on your own. Night bags are better with a stand, as this makes sure the bag stays in one place whilst you’re sleeping. The NHS (in Leeds) only provide the white metal stands, but there is a blue foldable model that you can buy online that is brilliant for when you are travelling. There are two types of bags, a reusable one and a single use bag. My advice is if you are getting frequent UTI’s request the single use night bags as I have found that helpful.

4. Straps or sleeves?你的腿袋需要在白天固定好，否则它们可能会被抓住并造成巨大的疼痛。相信我，如果你不小心把导尿管弄到什么东西上了，你会热泪盈眶的。大多数的腿袋都配有尼龙搭扣绑带，用来固定导尿管，但我用起来很费劲。它们要么在一天中变得更紧，要么产生相反的效果，变得太松以至于不能工作。谢天谢地，我向一位护士解释了我的问题，他们向我介绍了袖子。这有点像手腕或脚踝扭伤时用的支撑绷带。唯一的问题是，它们只有白色的，有时可以通过衣服看出来。

5. Swimming with catheters:Having a catheter can feel restrictive at times, but it’s surprising just how much you can do. I’ve wanted to use a hydro pool for years, but I thought that was out of the question. Last year, I was blessed with some much-needed respite and the centre I went to had a hydro pool. I discovered that, instead of using a leg bag, you can simply attach a flip flow valve which will allow you to go swimming.

6. Sex and catheters:I’ve been asked so many times if you can have sex with a catheter. I debated whether I should answer the question here, but I do believe it’s important. Especially for women who may feel body conscious since having a catheter. Yes, it is possible. It can be problematic, though, so speak to your nurse for advice. And remember to laugh – a sense of humour makes it so much easier to deal with situations that can be embarrassing.

7. Catheters and UTIs:Initially, I thought that having a catheter wouldreduce the number of UTIs我明白，但对我来说肯定不是这样。你的医生可以开一个疗程的抗生素，你可以作为预防措施长期服用。这种选择并不适合所有人。经常喝水(每天至少2升)有助于减少尿路感染的数量。从药店或健康食品店购买蔓越莓胶囊也会有帮助。

8. Catheter care advice:Indwelling catheters are normally changed, by the district nurse, every 12 weeks; and the leg bags should be changed at least once a week. I have discovered that regular bladder washouts can help making sure the catheter drains properly but again speak to your consultant or continence nurse about this.

9. Are catheters painful?The honest answer is that they can be. Especially when you first have them fitted, but the discomfort shouldn’t last too long. I endured severe pain for over a week before seeing my GP who said it was because I wasn’t used to it. Later that day I went to the hospital as the pain had gotten significantly worse. As it turned out, my catheter wasn’t properly fitted and I had ended up with an infection. It’s rare that this happens, but unfortunately it did happen to me. If you’re experiencing a lot of pain for more than 24hrs – seek medical advice!

Sitting for a long period of time can cause discomfort, so it’s important to either move positions and/or have a comfortable memory foam cushion. Speak to your continence nurse regarding pain relief such as instillagel. I have found that heat therapy works really well to calm my bladder down; especially if the spasms are causing the catheter to be expelled from the bladder. There are medications that can be used to help ease the spasms too, so seek medical advice and don’t suffer in silence as I used to.

10. Catheters and clothes:For years, I only wore black trousers just in case I’d have an incident. Now, I enjoy getting different coloured trousers and, occasionally, I even wear long skirts or maxi dresses. Wearing fitted leggings under floaty dresses or skirts really helps to keep the leg bag in place.

Independence

有导尿管让我的生活更轻松，它不是没有缺点，但希望我能提出一些建议，帮助你导航。你会发现利大于弊，你可以过一种更积极的生活。

Leanna’s decision to talk about her experiences comes from having a lack of resources and information available to her when she first had a catheter fitted and she wanted to pass on the knowledge that she gained through living with a catheter long term.

A big thank you to Leanna for sharing her experiences and patient expertise, we hope that you have found this information useful. If you feel you need further advice or support about your catheter, remember that you can contact our Home Delivery team who can help with product advice and delivery of supplies direct to your home.

If you want to know more, our experienced nurse, Val answers our community’smost-asked questionson catheter care.