# Broomstick's Husband Is In the Hospital **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 27, 2013, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791 "2013-09-27T11:40:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/41 "2013-09-29T14:16:38Z")
Have you looked into the Liberator Medical Supply program? They just helped out one of our clients, because there’s been a new ruling by the FDA that catheters are single-use only. They apparently have various programs for folks with/without insurance. It might be worth a shot! Continuing to send good thoughts for a speedy recovery. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/42 "2013-09-29T15:02:14Z")
Best wishes for a speedy recovery. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/43 "2013-09-29T17:26:48Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I was thinking more along the lines of, “Well, if you have to re-use them (and it sounds like you do), they need to educate you on the best way to sterilize them to prevent this from happening again.” You can’t truly sterilize the things. You can _clean_ them, but you can’t sterilize them, which is why the FDA has been pushing to label them as one-time use only and various groups have been pressuring to allow people who need catheters to get scrips for hundreds of them a month. Meanwhile he’s been cleaning him as best as possible but UTI’s have long been an issue with him. > [@ENugent](#): > > (Completely off-topic, except you’ll know it’s not entirely if the answer is yes, have you read _Courting Greta_? If so, what did you think?) Nope, can’t say I’ve even heard of it. > [@bobkitty](#): > > Have you looked into the Liberator Medical Supply program? Not yet, but I’ll keep them in mind. Research starts tomorrow. And for an update…the spouse is still getting IV antibiotics, a cocktail of two consisting of vancomycin and cefepime, and last night our insurance company was agitating to have him discharged. At 8 pm on a Saturday night. Now, normally I’d be thrilled to have him home but I was so exhausted I definitely wasn’t safe to drive anywhere, and it’s 8 on a Saturday night? What, they wanted to get him home in time to party or something? Apparently the medical staff on duty got them to authorize at least a stay through the night (thank you!) and I’m off to the hospital to see what new insanity is in play. And also to see my sweetie, who actually is starting to feel better. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/44 "2013-09-29T18:53:57Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > And also to see my sweetie, who actually is starting to feel better. Burying the lead, 'eh? 🙂 This is, of course, the important part. The rest are just (really annoying) implementation details. Hopefully he continues to improve, and said details get resolved. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/45 "2013-09-29T20:29:05Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > You can’t truly sterilize the things. You can _clean_ them, but you can’t sterilize them, which is why the FDA has been pushing to label them as one-time use only and various groups have been pressuring to allow people who need catheters to get scrips for hundreds of them a month. Meanwhile he’s been cleaning him as best as possible but UTI’s have long been an issue with him. > \ Well, that truly sucks. > [@](#): > > Apparently the medical staff on duty got them to authorize at least a stay through the night (thank you!) and I’m off to the hospital to see what new insanity is in play. And also to see my sweetie, who actually is starting to feel better. Yay! Fingers crossed that all you get today is news that he’s much better and he’s ready to go home. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/46 "2013-09-29T22:23:46Z")
They switched him over to oral antibiotics this afternoon, but haven’t let him go. My guess is that they want to observe him one more night. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/47 "2013-09-30T02:00:00Z")
I’m so glad he’s doing better! > [@ENugent](#): > > (Completely off-topic, except you’ll know it’s not entirely if the answer is yes, have you read _Courting Greta_? If so, what did you think?) > [@Broomstick](#): > > Nope, can’t say I’ve even heard of it. It’s a [romance novel](http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/06/20/the-big-idea-ramsey-hootman/) (with a male viewpoint character!) whose main character uses crutches due to spina bifida, which was not diagnosed until he was a teen. There are some scenes in it that really made me think of stories you have told about your husband. There is a scene toward the end specifically about the perils of catheters. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/48 "2013-09-30T02:06:59Z")
So glad to hear **Mr. Stick** is improving! ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/49 "2013-09-30T02:42:42Z")
I’m so glad he’s feeling better!! Whew. Have you looked into the supplement d-mannose? It’s the active part of the cranberry, without all the acidity. I had a spell with recurring UTI’s and was recommended cranberry, but the acidity was very irritating to my bladder. However, with d-mannose I had no irritation and no UTI’s. I’ve NO idea if this might be appropriate for Mr. Stick, but it seems to me anything to keep bacteria from gaining traction might help. So thought I’d mention it. Best wishes for his continued improvement (and your blood pressure ;)). ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/50 "2013-09-30T16:58:24Z")
Geez, that was rough! Glad he’s doing better. Is the FDA’s ruling a recent thing? I guess that explains the slew of catheter commercials (like Liberator Medical’s) that have been popping up recently. I had no idea it was that difficult to get something that’s so vital. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/51 "2013-09-30T17:56:03Z")
He’s home! They let him go today. I will shortly have to go pick up his new antibiotic, and we’ve got enough catheters for a few days while we track down a supplier that will take our insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/52 "2013-09-30T18:11:10Z")
Hurray! Best of luck finding a good supplier, too. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/53 "2013-09-30T18:11:54Z")
Very good! ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/54 "2013-09-30T18:44:19Z")
Awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/55 "2013-09-30T19:42:22Z")
So glad to hear he is on the mend! I’m sure this has been a very stressful experience for you both. Take care of yourselves. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/56 "2013-09-30T23:45:19Z")
Glad he’s back home. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/57 "2013-09-30T23:51:31Z")
Glad you’ve got him back home! Hope he continues to get better. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/58 "2013-09-30T23:56:36Z")
Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/59 "2013-10-01T00:48:34Z")
Great news! ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791/60 "2013-10-01T01:01:09Z")
Great news. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broomsticks-husband-is-in-the-hospital/669791.md?page=4)