Seeking condoms for use with condom catheters that will STAY ON!

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I had a prostatectomy in the fall of 2019. I then discovered that several years of enlarged prostate had left me with an overactive bladder. Oral meds, Botox treatment, an interstim (bladder pacemaker) all did nothing for me, so I'm left with a condom catheter and a leg bag.

My urologist's office gave me some Coloplast condoms, both the Freedom Clear SS in 28mm and 31mm diameter:

Freedom® Clear SS Shorter length

Self-adhering silicone male external catheter.
products.coloplast.us products.coloplast.us

and the Conveen Optima, 30mm diameter:

Conveen® Optima Male External Catheter, Standard Length | Coloplast

Coloplast's award-winning male external catheter for men with urinary incontinence. Request free samples today!
products.coloplast.us products.coloplast.us

I've also had Coloplast send me some more of these condoms. A friend who's an RN has watched me put them on--not every time I've worn one, but a few times--and it seems I'm putting them on correctly. The penis is retracted. And they will not stay on for any length of time! I understand that a condom is supposed to be good for 24 hours. The longest I've gotten was 2 hours, and the condom had slipped down until it covered only the glans. The Conveen catheters in particular were off within an hour. The situation has become truly infuriating.

Can anyone recommend another brand of condom?
 
I have used condom catheters with some success and found the key to keeping them properly attached was to make sure that you had removed ALL of the natural skin oil before putting them on. Initially I thought I was getting all of the skin oil off with a simple alcohol wipe but that just wasn't enough. I had to clean multiple times using a cloth soaked with 91 percent alcohol. Do NOT use the presoaked wipes as they have things in them that seem to leave a film on your skin which prevents proper adhesion.
There is a device called the Posey Strap that has also helped. It's just a small slightly elastic band that attaches with velcro at the base of the condom catheter.
Instead of the Posey strap I have also used 3M Nexcare flexible clear medical tape at the base of the condom catheter, it seems to work almost as well as the strap but you will have to experiment a bit to see what works best for you.
Once I figured out how to keep them on my biggest problem was getting the bag to stay up on my thigh without kinking the condom at the tip. If you wear the bag down on your calf this isn't much of a problem but living in Florida I like to wear shorts so I need to use a thigh mounted bag. The leg straps always seemed to eventually slip down so my final solution was using a modified heavy duty Hockey garter belt to hold the bag in place.
I also tried the Men's Liberty and only had limited success with them. Once I figured out the skin oil thing they would stay on but I found they would often leak a little right at the tip where attached. The other problem is that the attached bag is so small (only 250 mL) that you had to constantly empty or at least keep track of how full it was. A really large void could easily overfill the bag and would blow the device off with disastrous effects. Apparently you can attach yet another larger bag to the small bag but again that is just too much to deal with.
After going through all of this it just seemed to be so much "stuff" to wear and keep track of that a diaper just seemed easier and more comfortable. I hope this helps.
 
Hi,

Ask your provider for some preparation wipes to try, I get mine from Coloplast, the wipes, and use 2 before I put a conveen on. Make sure your penis is dry and clean from a shower before you put it on and after each wipe you use, let the glue dry. It might be that you are using a size too big for you, have you tried a smaller size down?

I left Coloplast's conveen and went over to the short style Hollister Inview they are called. The reason for this was because the conveen was cutting my skin at the base where my scrotum began.

Hope you find a solution and don't give up just yet as they are a life saver as I have found them to be.
 
Well, I put on a Coloplast Freedom Clear condom yesterday, and at this writing it's been on for 17 hours. It's 28mm, so its being the right size may have entered into it.

Coloplast has sent me some sample packets of their skin dressing. Before buying a bunch of it, I'd be inclined to try the 91% alcohol, which I can get at my drug store.

I'm aware of 3M Nexcare tape--I might even have some in the medicine cabinet.

I got on the phone today and ordered some condoms of several brands from an online vendor--should have them in a week and a half. We shall see. Thanks for your responses!
 
I had mentioned that Coloplast had sent me a few Brava skin barrier wipes, as they call them. I see that there's also a Brava skin barrier spray. I'd be inclined to go with the spray. I'm thinking that if I use a wipe, I'm throwing away a certain amount of the active ingredient with the wipe, whereas I'd spray the spray on my junk, and none of it would go to waste.

I called Coloplast today. The guy seemed to think that wiping down with alcohol wasn't in his wheelhouse, and he didn't want to comment. I suggested that the alcohol and the Brava wipes might address different issues and there might be a place for both, and he said that made sense.

I can't seem to find it now, but I think I saw something online in the last few days to the effect that it's best to wash the penis with bar soap because liquid soap contains stuff that could interfere with the condom's adhesion. Any thoughts on this?
 
I wash my penis with Ivory bar soap and a condom catheter will stick for 24+ hours. It may take a couple days of using the Ivory soap to remove the oils on your skin to help with adhesion.
 
werwolf:
Are you using a condom catheter with these pants or a foley? I've seen these advertised and they do look good. However when using a 600mL bag it appears to me that the top of the bag will be well above the level of my penis. This could cause two problems. Either the end of the condom will kink causing a blockage (and possible blow-off) or the end of the condom will constantly be full of urine. This can cause irritation and/or loosening of the condom itself.
If you have a good way of routing the tube from a condom cath I'd like to hear how you do it because these pants look like they will hold the bag nicely.
 
Yes I am using Coloplast condom caths. I run the tube down and then back up to avoid kinks. Yeah urine can stay in the tube, but for activities like hiking it works a lot better than diapers for me, especially since you don't have to deal with leg bag creep.
 
When are was in hospital for my seizures in September they had to have a sample. I wear diapers and I told them I am not going to be cathed, the nurse said I can get you a condom catheter and said let me go get some. She brought some back and I took the smaller she brought. I got it on and I was laying there felt urine running all over me and the bed. I hit the call button and she came in and said I am guessing you must have put on wrong or it was the wrong size. She said may I help? She got my sheets changed and I did not want her to see me down there rather well a lot small. She said don’t be embarrassed she looked at the size I used and she said hmm that should have worked of it went on let me check. She got some of the cleaner and got it off and said ok, don’t be embarrassed, I need to have them bring me some from the pediatric wing.. I said so this couldn’t be more embarrassing, she said I am so sorry, I said well when your in diapers anyways you have no dignity left while in hospital.
 
I ordered an assortment of catheters from an online merchant, including a few Texas catheters by Urocare. Their website includes this document, "Five Effective Methods for Securing External Male Catheters."


I've just put on a catheter a few minutes ago using method A, and if that doesn't do it, there's always methods B thru E. The silicone adhesive looks worth a try.

I spoke to their customer support folks, who were helpful. The guy pointed out that the foam strips come with adhesive on one side or on both sides, and for method B you need adhesive on both sides.
 
PacificNW:
Thanks for the link on securing Condom Catheters (CC's), I'll definitely try some of these methods to see if it helps keep mine from slipping,
This weekend I went with condom catheters instead of my usual diapers and had some success. Using a tube routing similar to what Wawolf explained above I was able to get the bag higher up on my thigh so I could wear shorts. I'm still having a problem keeping the CC in place and by the end of the day it was starting to slip significantly. Fortunately I didn't have any leakage so it all went OK. I'm also trying out different brands of bags and have found a couple of good ones that will work well for me.
 
I use a brand of condom catheter called BARD. But be sure to get model 36102. Other cheaper models do not have enough adhesive. Determining the right size is paramount.
 
Spoiler alert: I think I finally have ignition!

After 2 visits to the physician’s assistant in my urologist’s office, the catheters just weren’t staying on for any length of time. I mentioned my travails to my pelvic floor physical therapist, and she gave me the name of a PA in the office of the surgeon who did the prostatectomy.

She saw me on 4/22 and said there was nothing wrong with my technique in putting on the catheter. She also said some guys are just not able to get catheters to stay on, which was discouraging. I had brought the assortment of catheters (several brands) that I’d bought online. She said she didn’t have a silver bullet, urology practices normally carry only a couple of kinds of catheter, she’d never seen some of the ones I had, and I should get a Ph.D. in catheters. :)

I figured my next step was to order some adhesive:

Urocare | Products - Uro-Bond Adhesives

A U.S.A. based medical manufacturer of urological and other home health care products that exports it's products worldwide.
www.urocare.com www.urocare.com

Looking at "Five Effective Methods for Securing External Male Catheters,” I’d also tried method B, which didn’t work very well.

I put on a catheter 24 hours ago with the adhesive (method C), and it’s still on, without visibly sliding down.

I’m a bit miffed that I had to do so much of my own research, but I’m glad to have a solution. This takes my situation from onerous to merely inconvenient.
 
I am glad you found a solution.
In my own case I found that it helped if I removed hair from around the base of the penis and and then cleaned the penis well, usually with an alcohol wipe. I also found that the condom catheter stayed on better if I was more or less erect at the time. The condom catheter would stay on all night with no issues for me. The only time I had a leak is when an overnight urine bag developed a leak. THAT was fun to step into the next morning. :O
 
Still experimenting with various catheters, but my batting average for them staying on is pretty good. The Pro-bond adhesive continues to be a godsend.
 
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