I remember a comic on the radio say that the way to decide if you love someone is to ask yourself “would I wipe them?” if the answers yes he said you should marry them. Been there done that.
Wow, I don’t like those numbers. Just how likely is the gangrene versus some sort of friction burn/skin abrasion?
And how does the external catheter contribute to kidney stones? That all occurs in the kidney, well above the bladder and the urination.
Some kidney stones are made of bacteria. Think coral but instead of teeny tiny sea critters it’s teeny tiny bacteria. Bacteria love to climb up a urethra and from there spread to the bladder and up into the kidney.
No idea. Every patient of mine who has had one (which isn’t hundreds…more like half a dozen) has developed an open sore, usually on the underside of the head of the penis, right in the center. I’m not entirely sure why - it doesn’t seem like a spot that would get a lot of friction; my guess is that a bit of urine collects in that spot and macerates (soaks and weakens) the skin. None of them developed gangrene. But if you ever have to wear an external catheter long term and get a sore…tell your nurse right away. She can get you a special ointment called a moisture barrier that will help protect it. (It’s basically grown-up diaper cream.)
From repeated or prolonged UTIs, and/or from people not drinking enough water, because they don’t like to empty the urinary bag. Urine that has bacteria in it or urine that is concentrated can lead to the formation of kidney stones. Also, many of the underlying conditions that lead someone to need a urinary catheter may make them more prone to kidney stones; I don’t know if those are included in the 1% (1.3%, actually, IIRC) statistic.
One other way to help someone urinate is one that I teach to patients and their spouses, but I don’t really do myself all that often, because it’s awkward. That’s to gently stroke the inner thigh of the person trying to pee. Don’t ask me, I have no idea why it works. Probably stimulates some nerves or something. But it can also stimulate sexual nerves, so it’s not something I do for patients unless nothing else works and the alternative is sending them to the hospital. Usually running water or the hand in the water will do it.
I have experience in this subject both as a patient and a provider. I had mine for 5 days. That’s definitely not enough time to get used to it. After it was removed I had the odd experience of voiding air along with my urine for the first day. That was not fun. As a provider the worst complication I’ve seen is erosion of the ventral surface of the penis. It’s a rare complication, but it can happen.
Have never heard of anyone reporting on the sensation of voiding air.
What was it like? Unpleasant, or just different?
I ask because occasionally I have to irrigate a bladder through a catheter and I know a bit of air is introduced. Have never had a complaint (about the air part), the whole procedure sucks.
30 years ago my ex reported this same experience after a foley was removed.
The nurse told him it could not possibly have happened, and insisted it must have been a trick of the pain meds he was on.
From the other end of the process: I had my second pulmonary vein ablation last month, and, remembering the catheter removal from the first one, I asked the anesthesiologist to make sure they yanked that sucker before I woke up. Happily, they did.
Well, the legend of sticking someone ELSE’s hand in warm water while they were sleeping, causing them to wet the bed: that’s not proven (Mythbusters tried it, in fact, and failed). :D.
If you want to go the natural route, try cranberry juice. It hasn’t been studied much, but it seems to be somewhat effective.
http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/womens-guide/cranberries-for-uti-protection
No offense meant, but there have been
some studies
Still curious about the sensation of " voiding air".
Not asking in a prurient manner. I’m an RN and have never heard this particular complaint.
Oh. Wow. Yikes.
That makes a lot of sense. Yes, I could see moisture collecting in that location, and water-logged skin is not very durable.
Good grief! That’s EXACTLY what my link said. Is it really necessary to repeat things?