There is a new product that can help you get out and about in the world again, feeling secure and safe while wearing your catheter with a drainage bag attached to your leg. It’s called Freedom Belt™.
When you are stuck wearing a catheter long-term, and you’re lucky enough to be ambulatory, it is possible to get out and somewhat active. But that usually requires a leg bag under your clothes. I say “usually,” because some folks (with permission from their doctor and decent bladder control) might be able to wear just a valve cap on the end of the catheter tube. See my post
“I Haven’t Really Need This Leg Bag!“
But assuming you are like most folks and need to go out and about with a leg bag, you face two major concerns.
- The weight of the bag as it fills can cause the bag to pull loose from the end of the catheter
- That same weight can pull on the catheter tube itself, which can be painful and dangerous
Typically, leg bags are secured to the leg by two stretchy straps at the top and bottom of the bag that wrap around your leg. This is fairly secure until the bag starts to fill, at which point the straps are less able to hold the bag up.
As the bag starts to inch down your leg, pulling on the tube above it that attaches to the catheter outlet, one of two things will happen. You either have to empty the bag, or the tube will detach from the catheter outlet with messy and embarrassing consequences as the contents spill out from under your pants!
If the tube does not detach from the catheter outlet, there is dangerous pulling on the catheter tube itself. The consequences of pulling too hard don’t bear thinking about. It’s painful, at the very least.
Securing the catheter outlet tube
At the very least, you need to secure the catheter tube to your body (usually your leg) to help prevent pulling pressure on the tube. I used the Grip-Lok securement stickers for this. But not everyone likes putting stickers on their skin. And after a few days, these stickers start to come loose. So you need to buy a lot of them.
And the Grip-Lok only secures the catheter, NOT the bag or the even the bag tube. So even though it’s great for preventing dangerous pulls on your catheter tube, it won’t prevent the leg bag tube from disconnecting from the catheter tube, which can cause embarrassing messes :-P.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a product that could simultaneously secure the catheter tube AND prevent the bag pulling loose from the tube?
Enter Freedom Belt™
There is a new product called Freedom Belt™ that does exactly that. Take a look at the video below for a quick idea of what it is:
The idea is that you have a belt around your waist with straps that hang down, allowing you to attach your bag to the belt. This is incredibly secure! You could probably hang a bowling ball from it. Actually, you could hang SEVERAL bowling balls from it:).
Most folks with urinary catheters only need one bag, but The Freedom Strap can support 8 drainage bags! It works with any drainage bag, including bags made by Merit, Bard, Cook, Coloplast, Medline etc.
How can I get one?
The Freedom Belt is now available! I got mine a couple of weeks ago and WOW! This would have been a life-changer for me if it had been available when I was wearing a catheter for 6 months! You can order one by clicking the button below. You’ll have it in 3-5 days.
Freedom Belt™ is only $69.95.
Hopefully Freedom Belt™ will allow you to get out in the world with your catheter and feel safe, secure and comfortable!
Also, Freedom Belt™ has a YouTube channel with a very helpful collection of demonstration videos, at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQaPA1tewyqe51b85YULMCw
Details and price please
The price is $49.95. You can sign up on their page (link in article above) to be notified of details and when they are available.
Hi! My name is Jasmine and I work for a large hospital system that is tying to use visual images to improve their response to healthcare alerts for patient care. My nurses really liked the image on your home page and would interested in using it. i would like to speak to you about the possible use of the catheter image [on your home page]. Please feel free to e-mail me at work to discuss in more detail! Thanks so much.
Hi Jasmine,
Glad you like the image. I created it a few years back and have never had anyone ask me this before :-P. Let me do some checking. I’m sure you can use it. But I need to check with some others on how to handle it. Stay tuned.
Ken
Ken, it appears that the link you have posted to Freedom belt is https://freedombelt.com – that link takes me to the web site of a graphic designer in Venice Italy. [should be http://freedombelt.com]
The belt itself looks great, though. Also, Freedom Belt has a YouTube channel with a very helpful collection of demonstration videos, at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQaPA1tewyqe51b85YULMCw
Also, it worries me that this fellow Dr. Mario Torres-Leon is all over late night cable TV and YouTube selling seemingly everything, from real estate tips to celebrity stuff. For example here he is (link below) without the Doctor gear, plugging some program that promises that you too can become a “media celebrity”. Don’t get me wrong, I hope I’m overthinking this because the product looks like it could be very useful. But for me, the many different odd things that this man is selling, and the very basic issue of conducting credit card transactions on an insecure web site suggest proceed with caution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkzFvH__Ceg
Robert,
I understand your concerns. It’s generally wise to conduct due diligence before handing over your credit card over the web. In this particular case, however, I would like to reassure you about all of this.
First, I should point out that they do not collect credit card information directly on their site. Everything is done through PayPal, so the financial data is totally secure. I am talking to their customer service as we speak and have verified it.
Second, about Dr. Mario being a TV personality – you’re correct about that. Part of being a television personality is to get your message out there to a wider audience than most people can manage. This often involves support for causes, issues and products that you believe in and that you think will help people. I don’t see any reason why that should be cause for mistrust or alarm. And like I mentioned above, The Freedom Belt isn’t just some product that he’s hawking. He and his partners invented that and are putting their heart and souls behind it.
Third, I talk to both Dr. Justin and Dr. Mario regularly. They are the two who invented the Freedom Belt and both believe strongly in helping folks with catheters. That is the primary goal here, and the reason why I support them and this product. In this one case, I will ask you to trust me. I promise that if anything weird happens, I’ll take responsibility for it. That is how much I believe in this product.
I hope that helps!
Lastly, you were right about my having the wrong link in there! Fixed Thank you for that!!
Thank you very much, Ken! Great follow-up by you, and yes that information helps a great deal!
Hi Robert – just wanted to update you that Freedom Belts are in stock and they are AWESOME. I tried one a couple of weeks ago and soooo with I had had one when I was dealing with my catheter issues. You can get one (in 3-5 days) here: https://freedombelt.com/
Hi Ken,
You have an interesting blog, thank you for sharing your experiences. I am Ron, and I am dealing with a stricture myself.
My doctor performed a uroflow test which showed 22mL/s max flow (should be 30 in my age according to my doc), which prompted a cystoscopy that found a stricture. I’m going to avoid all other treatments and get a urethroplasty first, I just have a few questions to you, that I’ll be very glad if you are willing to answer for me, please:
1. My urine stream is weak all the time, but is much worse in the morning. My urine stream is very poor in the morning, to the point where if I wake up with a full bladder, it can take me 90 seconds to empty. During the day, a full bladder takes me no more than 30 seconds to empty. Did you also have very slow urination only after waking up? Is it completely gone now after the urethroplasty?
2. Did you get sudden urges to urinate before the urethroplasty? Sometimes I sit around and just start feeling out of the blue a strong urge to urinate, and I feel like I have to go immediately (it doesn’t come out if I wait, though). It feels as if a few drops start making their way to the tip of the urethra, but never go out involuntarily. It is however causing an urgent need to urinate.
3. I also sometimes feel as if I can almost feel the stricture itself, like something in my pelvic area is getting tight. Sometimes it’s pain, but sometimes it’s just a weird feeling, I feel like I can feel the stricture. Did you get this, too?
Thank you very much, I’ll appreciate you answering this a lot, Ken.
Hi Ron. Good decision on the urethroplasty. To your questions:
1. Though I don’t know for certain why, I definitely had a slow start in the mornings. I actually still do, even though there is no longer a stricture. Maybe it’s just your body being sleepy and sluggish? Something to do with your unconscious mind resisting the constant push from the bladder and that response still sort of lingering. Just a wild guess.
2. I don’t know if I would describe the urge as “sudden” prior to the surgery. But they were definitely strong because they happened much more frequently. The multiple and frequent trips to the potty seemed more urgent. Not sure that helps.
3. Yes. I could feel things happening down there. I even cramped up a few times in the muscles around the sphincter. Very strange sensation. I believe (not certain, again) this was due to the strain on the area from trying to push urine through the blockage.
Best of luck with the surgery!
Ken
I am a pensioner.after a prolapse op. and a couple of follow ups to try and allow full emptying of my bladder, I ended up self cathetering for 6 years. I have now progressed to an indwelling catheter with the leg bag but felt it was too heavy so switched to a valve cap. after 3 weeks this size 12 fell out,balloon intact. I am now up to a size 16 each catheter lasting 3 weeks before falling out. this size 16 isn’t doing a thing as I am flooding. I have a date for a suprapubic . in 6 weeks time but in the mean time much to my regret I ill be back to the leg bag so I am sure your freedom belt will make my life alot easier. I’ve found your information very handy. thank you Lesley
Thanks for the comment, Lesley. I’m glad the site could be of some help. Have you been able to contact Dr. Mario or Dr. Justin about Freedom Belt? You should be able to contact them here: https://freedombelt.com/. If you have any trouble, let me know.
Best of luck!
Ken
$149 to ship to the UK, what a shame, I nearly bought one. Shipping costs double the price of the belt.
Really Darren? Wow! Let me double-check that with them and see what’s up.
Darren, here is what they told me: “Hi Ken I have seen shipping prices as much as around $56, but not nearly $149 😲. We will help him, not to worry. Can you find out from him if he gets packages via DHL? If he does are the shipping charges from the USA reasonable? Thanks for finding out 👍.”
Darren, Dr. Justing Mandel asked me to pass along this message. He wants you to email him directly at: DrJustin@GlobalMedicalInnovations.com. He says “When they email me please have them send their exact shipping location so I can replicate what they did in the website.”
Hi ken, how are you doing now, how is your urine flow now, do you feel any burning sensation or anything at your surgery area, i had urethoplasty like 4 years ago, i can pee fine but i am feeling burning near surgery area, specially after masturbation, please update your blog
I don’t have a burning sensation when I urinate. That isn’t normal. My flow is not as good as those months following the surgery. But it’s in the normal range now. So it’s fine. Best of luck with what’s going on!