Foley catheters

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Hello,
I am new to this site. My elderly husband wears a foley catheter. His urologist soon will perform the procedure to test bladder muscles. He has warned us that elderly men often times have weak bladder muscles requiring permanent catherter. However, he said he will discuss other options.

Here's the problem: My husband's catherter becomes plugged almost every two weeks. And if it happens after office hours he must go to ER where he is encountering RN's that do not always have enough experience. We plan to have discussion at the urology office about this. There must be a better way.

Does anyone have any tips for men who has continual plugged catheters - they call the debris sediment, crystals, etc.

Thanks,
Rainell M
 
Hello @rainellm , He must be given plenty of water or fluids as that is #1 reason. But also keep his drainage bag as low as possible to it encourages complete drainage. But please please please push water, I drink 100 ounces per day.
Oh yes Welcome were glad you are here. Ask anything.
 
Hello,

Two weeks seems like a very long time for a catheter to remain in the body. Often they become clogged after just a few days. You may ask the doctor to train you in the catheterization process so that you can change the catheter yourself, hopefully more frequently than every two weeks. Be very clean with everything. The process is simple; but, must be done in a clean manner. There should be some good videos of the process on Youtube. Whenever I think of catheters, I think clean and frequent. Let us know what your doctor advises. Take care and I wish you well.
 
I had a catheter for more than a year in periods of 6 weeks. Usually with the right diameter it should not be a problem. But i used a bladder rising solution twice a week and depending on someones situation a flipflow can prevent this debris to crystalize inside the bladder. But he should drink enough.
Btw i had more ache and discomfort the first few weeks. After that i only had discomfort when a new catheter was inserted, but only for 1 or 2 days.
 
@snow
Even with weak bladder muscle it is often required to have a catheter. The muscles that empty the bladder are not strong enough causing retention and infections. Not always, but often. Self cathetetization is usually the better option but it does not work for all patients
 
Thanks to all of you responding. This is so helpful. Yes, he is drinking lots of water. Regina, I am puzzled by two weeks seeming often. Initially, the urology office set up appts. for catherter change every 4 weeks - but that doesn't work for my husband going every two weeks before a plug. So every two weeks is really not that often?
Thanks again everyone.
Rainellm
 
I agree with Snow I was attached to a foley for just under 2 weeks it controls your movements in that of corse each time you move your partner"bag" has to move to if i can avoid and replace with externary cath or pullups and pads I would.
 
Hello again,

I'm not an expert on catheterization; however, you may wish to peruse the attached URL. Ms McGoldrick indicates 1 in 4 will develop a UTI after 1 week. (I guess it depends on your risk tolerance.) If retention is the issue, the catheter will probably be necessary and you can choose your change frequency. If the catheter is used for urine control (i.e. incontinence) I totally agree with Snow and Daddyrod. Diapers, pullups and/or pads are the safest way, albeit require a bit more effort with changing, etc.

Frequency for Changing Long-Term Indwelling Urethral Catheters

www.nursingcenter.com www.nursingcenter.com
 
You could try Nitrofurantoin. It kills the bacteria which commonly cause the sediment which block catheters. If it does not work, try a different anti-biotic.
 
Personally, I will be going in this week to see my PCP nurse to have a Foley place for my pelvic pain and retention. It seems when I do it this way monthly and use that for 2 weeks then back to CIC I can somewhat manage, but for sure the pain is down. But I must use diapers anyway for the leakage around the Foley. So there isn't a best way for me other then above. boom
 
I had a catheter for 3 weeks post RP. Had 3 trips to ED due to blood clotting the Foley. Was not a fun time. Pain was excruciating. Dilaudid was only thing that relieved pain until clot passed. Agree with the drinking and wish you well.
 
@Jimfrompa Wow, Dilaudid, that’s very serious pain, then. I reckon a 1/8” kidney stone I passed when I was 17 hurt that bad but they didn’t give me anything, even when I was in the ER. That’s the only pain I’ve ever had that made me pass out repeatedly. When medical staff ask me my pain level, that’s my personal reference for a 10. Crazy, the things we survive.
 
The Dilaudid worked. Gave me an out of body experience. Bad thing is that it makes many people nauseous. After second dose I felt horrible for a few hours but pain was gone. If you want a laugh about pain experiences, go to YouTube and watch Brian Regan Emergency Room. Really funny video of his experience with pain and meditation in the ER.
 
🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for the YouTube laugh. I guess I know what to say if I need it, lol!

The Rocky Mountains that my childhood neighborhood is right at the bottom of have a high percentage of granite, which contains a very high percentage of calcium - what kidney stones are usually made out. Mine was. For drinking water, we consume the snowmelt water as it’s passed down over all of those rocks. I had many friends who had a kidney stone before the time we were 18, which is super rare. If we participated in a study, we didn’t have to pay any bills. So I did the study. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t get any medication back then. I had a male friend who was 17 who couldn’t get his to stone(s) pass for 3 1/half weeks, man, was he sick! I felt so bad for him. Fortunately mine passed within 72 hours.

Here’s a funny story: I woke up at 6:00 a.m. with the kidney stone pain. I was sleeping at my parents’ house, and had snuck a boy in to have a sleepover with me for the first time in my life! So I kept laying there in bed, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do because my parents, and the boy, were going to find out! Fortunately, they didn’t pay much attention, or didn’t mind, probably because they had more insight than I did at the point that the dude (still a best friend of mine to this day) was gay!
 
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