Avoiding urinary tract infections (UTI) by trying to keep a catheter sterile has been a difficult challenge. Studies show that standard antimicrobial treatments, at least for folks with indwelling catheters, are not effective at preventing UTIs. For more on that, see my post – Urinary Tract Infection and Catheter Care. So we are always looking […]
5-Week Post Urethroplasty Status
Yesterday was the 5-week point since my urethroplasty (end-to-end). I’ve been feeling less pain so I’ve tried a little bit of sitting with a very fluffy pillow, and that was OK. I also did a little driving – also sitting on a soft pillow and leaning back a bit. The scrotal pain is still there, […]
Using A Catheter Valve Instead Of A Leg Bag
[Update: Before trying this, ASK YOUR DOCTOR about it! It turned out that though one of my urologists said it was fine, my actual surgeon for my upcoming urethroplasty was upset about it. He said this is allowing my bladder to start putting pressure down the urethra again, which is NOT what he wanted. My […]
Saw My Urethral Stricture On Film Today
I recently had diagnostic surgery to pinpoint the length and location of my urethral stricture. I wrote about that procedure here – Results Of My Combined Antegrade And Retrograde Urethrogram. My urologists have taken to calling this an “up-downogram.” Anyway, today I saw the doctor, who showed me the image of the stricture. It’s in […]
Bladder Retraining After Long Catheterization
A couple of weeks ago my urologist told me I didn’t need to wear the leg bag with my catheter anymore – if I didn’t want to. I wrote about this in my article – I Haven’t Really Need This Leg Bag! At first I felt a bit like “I wish I’d known this 3 […]
Catheterizing Your Bladder
I just read an article that is very comprehensive on the subject of catheterizing the bladder. It really does cover the topic in a lot of depth, but in easy-to-understand language. The article starts out defining what it means to catheterize a bladder, and under what conditions it should be undertaken. One point to emphasize […]
Duette Catheter Kit Video Presentation
I am on the bandwagon to replace the Foley catheter, which has been around for 76 years with virtually no change, and causes demonstrable harm to the bladder, with the new and much safer Duette ™ catheter from Poiesis Medical. I’ve had a Foley catheter in my bladder for over 3 months now (obviously changed […]
Data-Driven Information On Prevention Of Catheter Related Problems
THE primary reasons for starting this web site was to provide help to those of us who must live our lives – for however long – while wearing an indwelling urinary catheter. when I first got mine I had all kinds of questions and found all kinds of conflicting advice all over the internet. I’m […]
Types and Uses of Urinary Catheters
I found an article on the web that simplifies the matter of urinary catheters, which I like, because the web is too filled with incomprehensible descriptions, definitions, and all manner of medical language that can seem indecipherable to us mere mortals. The article is Common Types and Uses of Urinary Catheters. But I don’t think […]
Urethroplasty Stricture Treatment
I found an article that is a good overview of the kind of urethral stricture repair called “urethroplasty.” It’s a bit difficult to briefly and easily explain urethroplasty because it is actually more of a class of surgeries rather than one type of procedure. It’s a bit like saying “open-heart surgery.” Actually, it’s a lot […]