I saw that someone had found this site by searching “pants to wear with a suprapubic catheter,” and I thought that was an excellent question, since I have been dealing with this myself. What type of pants you wear with a suprapubic cather depends on which bag you are wearing.
With a bedside drainage bag
The bedside drainage bag, such as the Curity-Kendall-Covidien type I wear and have mentioned, which have an anti-relux system and holds 2000 cc, are large and have a very long and thick tube. You pretty much have to wear short pants while wearing this bag. One with pockets works best because you can hook the bag onto a pocket while walking around. But be very careful when doing this not to hook the tube on something. I place my hand over the bag when walking around to prevent this. Also, I’ve tried several different kinds of shorts and find the ones that work best are soft, shorts with a not-very-tight elastic waistband and draw-string. I actually wear a pair of Monty Python “jams’ (forgive the 80s term) from Nation Underpants, which you can pick up at most Target stores.
The reason you can’t wear long pants with this type of bag is that though the tube is long, it still is not long enough to thread all the way down your leg and back up to wear you can carry it around. You don’t/cant wear a bag this large inside your pants. It’s meant to be carried around and/or hooked onto a bedside.
With a leg bag
Leg bags, such as the Hollister type that I wear, which straps around your lower leg, allow you to wear long pants. However, the thing you need to be careful about is the tubing popping off the connection points under your pants. This has happened to me twice, and it can be messy, and embarrassing. The main cause of the tube disconnecting is that some sort of tension pulls on the stretchy leg bag tubing, usually at the point where the lower tubing connects to the top of the leg bag.
The first time it happened, it was largely the type of pants I was wearing, blue-jeans, which not only are fairly tight around the leg, but are mad of material that have no stretch or “give” along with also tending to grab onto the rubbery material that leg bags are made of. So unless you really have to, I recommend NOT wearing jeans. If you must wear them, I recommend a bit of extra security at the connection points, perhaps with tape. Also, bring a change of pants and socks with you if you go out.
The pants I do recommend wearing are very loose-fitting draw-string pants with plenty of room for the tube. It’s also very helpful for them to be made of a material that will allow you to feel the tube through the pants and even shift it around with your fingers. I wear one of two types of pants. One is made of very thin, lightweight cotton. The other kind – my mainstay – are fleece draw-string pants I get from Target called Merlona men’ fleece pants. Regardless of what you choose, I recommend getting the next size up from whatever size you normally wear. As long as you have an elastic waist band and draw-string, there should not be a problem keeping them up. And the extra space will be helpful in giving room for the tube.
Regardless of the type of pants you wear with a leg bag, be careful of the other way an accident can happen (and yup, it happened to me 2 nights ago). The “closed” position for the Hollister leg bag outlet handle is “up,” flush against the bottom of the bag. When I was taking my pants off, they gathered at the bottom and caught the valve handle, pulling it down, which of course means “open.” And of course I was standing on the carpet. So not only did I establish a new rule of paying close attention when removing my pants when wearing a leg bag, I (by which I mean “my wife”) also established a rule that I only ever remove my pants in the bathroom, where the floor is linoleum.
Hopefully, as it is the purpose of this site, my experience can help your life with a catheter better. In this case, my advice if you have a suprapubic catheter is to wear shorts with a pocket when wearing a large bedside bag, and long wide, loose-fitting lightweight pants when wearing a leg bag.
Good luck. And as always, if you have any tips of your own, please leave a comment below.
Cheers!
Thanks for the information. Just doing some preliminary reading so we can be prepared as my husband is getting ready to have prostate cancer surgery.
Robin,
I hope things turn out well for him. And I hope something that I went through can help!
Good luck!
Ken
nurse put me in nightie pants force wear dress
Had a urinary catheter inserted yesterday after having passed a kidney stone into my bladder which wasn’t mocing any further. I was told at the time it would be overnight before having the procedure to remove the stone. Now for no reason I’m looking at 3 months. Glad to have found your site.
Oh wow. Sorry to hear that, Craig! I hope you can at least find some answers here – or be pointed toward some. It will be a lot of new stuff for the first couple of weeks. But believe it or not, you’ll get into a sort of routine. Bests of luck from here!
Ken
Recovering from urethraplasty and have had catheters previously. For pants get light dry fit sweat pants with leg zippers – this will allow you to empty a leg bag pushing up your leg. If you have to dress better and get out, go with dark pants (helps with accidents and hides objects better) that are no iron, light fabric – look at golfer pants.
Excellent tips, Norm. Thanks! And good luck with the recovery.
Cheers!
Ken
Hi everyone, I have a Neurogenic bladder and have had a supra pubic catheter in since October. I’m having a hard time finding any pants to wear besides sweats. I would like to wear jeans again, any suggestions? Anything too tight hurts the site.
Hi Sara,
I did wear jeans on a couple of occasions, so yes it is do-able. Try some with elastic in the waistband and DEFINITELY make sure to secure the leg bag tube to the bag. Be careful your jeans don’t pull on the tube. I pulled it out once and made a terrible mess. Eventually, as the article says, I took to wearing several pairs of printed drawstring pants. I still wear them quite often.
I hope that helps.
Ken
Hi i will be getting a suprapubic catheter but with no bag and was wondering if wearing jeans/workpants is comfortable at the wasit?
Hi Brad,
I was fine with jeans in the brief time I didn’t use a bag (using only a valve to cap the end of the tube). But pants with a higher waistline was a problem. Jeans tend to sit low, which was fine. But the higher waistline tended to press too close to where the catheter went in, which was a bit painful. It will probably be a batter of experimenting. Hope that helps.
I am in the same situation. I got the supra pubic catheter only three month ago for radiation caused hematuria. The pants I bought are “Columbia” hiking pants. They have a zipper to transform them in shorts, so you can see, very easy if bleeding or everything is good. Now in the summer they are perfect, because the fabric is light and the air goes thru. Oh! they are very cool!
Thanks for that info! Wish I’d known about it when I had my cath.
I was tired of wearing sweatpants and got some rei hiking pants that work well. They have elastic in the waist and are a light quick dry material. The legs are roomy enough that I can pull them up to empty the bag without any issues.
I also have some athletic pants that were nice for wearing around when it was too hot for sweats.
Thanks for that tip GB!
Ken
Do you have any experience with learning to Cath yourself this is what the Dr wants me to do I’m scared
I’m sorry, Peggy. I don’t have any experience doing that. But I know there are several folks here who have. Will your doctor help you and show you how to do it?
Good luck with it!
Cheers!
Ken
My doctor had me learn. It isn’t hard. You’ll get the hang of it. I’ve since had to have a suprapubic catheter put it due to neuralgia in my hands.
I have just recently been fitted with a supra pubic catheter and so far getting along fine with it.The dilemma i am having though is that i am going out this week and would like to dress up rather than wear the lounge pants i have been wearing for comfort.Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Hi Matthew,
I did this a couple of times, though the first time I did this, the tube to my leg bag came unhooked and pee leaked all over the floor. Fortunately I was at a friend’s house and he had hardwood floors and got me cleaned up immediately. That could have been bad. So just know that this is a risk.
When I went out the other few times I needed to not wear the drawstring pants, I continually felt the tube connection underneath and made sure things were very secure. I tried not to make any movements that would cause a pull on the tube.
So if you need to do this, try to make sure the pants aren’t too tight, firstly. Next, ensure enough slack in the tube between the cath and the bag. I wore my bag down by my ankle, so the tube went the length of my leg. That made it easier to empty the bag. I made sure the tube went along side my knee and not over the knee cap. The latter can cause more tension and is more risky. When you put on the tube (the extension tubes are to be cut to size), bend your knee and THEN measure how much tube you need to reach your ankle. That helps you ensure enough slack.
So after that, just be careful. I hope that helps. good luck!
Ken
Cathwear makes fantastic underwear that holds the catheter tubing securely in place and has two pockets that hold leg bags and a buttonhole at the bottom of each pocket for emptying. Life changer!
Thanks Mathew. Good to know!
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To avoid the clip on leg bag from accidentally opening make sure that the bottom strap is threaded over this clip. It means that when you want to empty the bag you do have to undo the strap but it is worth it for peace of mind.
Highly recomend at looking at Belly Bags by Tellyflex it takes a few weeks letting the SPI site heal but frees up your legs and mobility.
Thanks for the tip! I’d never heard of them (Belly Bag by Teleflex)!
Have you used Belly Bags? Do you have a urethral catheter or SPC?
Belly Bags are the best for daytime being mobile use. I use a short piece of extension tubing to fit it through the fly opening in your briefs. If you’re a male you can use restrooms normally . They slosh less because there is less movement at the waist then the legs while walking also. If you wish it can be worn at night if you don’t need the extra capacity also.
Thanks Patrick!
I am at the point where I have to choose between a urostomy or the SPC route. I am thinking the urostomy would be a lot easier to golf with and less maintence. I realize the surgery is a lot more risky but am wondering if the benefits are worth the risk. Is there a reason you didn’t go with a urostomy instead of the super pubic cathedar route?
Urostomy – having a new opening created for you to pee out of – is really drastic. That would only be needed in the most challenging of stricture cases. I actually DID have an SPC for 6 months or so prior to a urethroplasty to repair my urethral stricture. I’m now back to normal with no need for ANY workaround for peeing. What issue do you have such that urethroplasty or urethrotomy (slicing the stricture out with a scope) would not be an option?
What kind of jeans can I buy for my husband that will be loose enough to hide the bag strapped to his leg
I found jeans to be a bit problematic, since the rubber hose underneath tended to grip the denim a bit. But then I wore my bag down above my ankle with a long tube. My guess would be to look at the loosest, baggiest jeans you can find.
My dad is going into a nursing home with a leg bag and I need to find clothes that can be put on and off by nurses as he is not mobile. Any ideas where I can find something to keep his dignity intact?
Hi Deborah. I really have no experience in this area other than what I put in the article. Drawstring or elastic waistband pants seemed to work well for me as far as being comfortable with enough space for the bag. I imagine having something easy and fast to get into and out of would go a good ways toward the dignity aspect, limiting the amount of time he is exposed, etc. Can’t really think of any other ideas here. Maybe workout shorts if it’s warm enough inside?
I need something to cover “hubby” legs so he doesn’t freeze his buns off! He wears a “pull-up”since is occ.”BM” accidents. Also has a suprapubic tube too boot! I’ve TRIED everything for a W/C & pants are not it.Lap blankets only cover “the front”.I’m anR.N. & change his catheter monthly or more, depending…I need “something” that I can slip “UP” over his knees to cover front & back of legs to keep him warm! ANY ideas?As for pants or shorts we are talking 3
Been there.done that! Suprapubic tube & a pull_up is a challenge! I’m an R.N. & we manage with BIG elastic shorts & also elastic waist pants with tie-ups & suspenders! Problem with shorts is TRYING to get them LONG enough to “hide” the leg bag! As for pants, fleece work pretty well for a BIG guy(50-54-) BUT I can’t FIND anything to
‘snap on a w/c from feet to lap that covers front & back of legs for warmth! There MUST be something out there that I hadn’t thought of! Velcro comes to mind…..half pant legs made of fleece? ANY IDEAS??
I can’t think of anything exactly like what you are asking. I immediately started thinking about this blanket that someone gave us years ago. It has snaps on it so you can fold it and create a little poncho out of it with those. I don’t remember the name of the product. But it got me thinking. If you were to get a pair of large fleece “jams” (drawstring/elastic waist), you could cut them down the outside to create a pair of front and back halves. Then just insert snaps along the outside. Any fabric or hobby store should have these snaps and they are pretty easy to set. Not sure if that helps.
Thank you for all the info. I am a woman with a Bard Anti-Reflux Chamber bag. I wear it 24 hours a day. The nurse showed me how to put it on over my panties. But I can’t figure out how to put it on over long pants. I not only wear pajamas at night, but if I go out I wear nicer pants (NOT jeans or sweats). Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Jerri. It looks like that is the same as a “bedside” bag. I can tell you what I did. I ONLY wore that while sleeping OR when I was just going to be hanging around the house. If I went out in public, I changed to a completely different bag – a leg bag. I used a Hollister leg bag. I also used a Grip-Lok to hold the tube in place on my leg. This is absolutely necessary to prevent dangerous pulls on the catheter tube. I hope that helps!
Hi. my doctor has recommended an SPC for a few months prior to urethroplasty. Not looking forward to any of this. My immediate question, very practical is related to the incision point in your abdomen for the SPC. Is it better to have the incision point above or below your pant waistline? I am thinking both of comfort and discretion. Appreciate any advice, thank you.
Hi John. Sorry for the delay in response! Not sure if you’ve already gotten the SPC yet. My insertion point was well below the navel, so well below the pants line. That allowed me to put pants up over it without much trouble. I had my SPC for 6 months prior to my urethroplasty.
Hi
I don’t even know whether anyone has anything to do with this site anymore, but if there is, I could do with some advice.
I am a 53yr old lady with a permanent doc. I have a husband who I love to bits,2 grown up and left home sons one of whom is married and their daughter ie my granddaughter brings joy, laughter, fun and games into our family.
But I cannot figure out what to wear to hade my leg bag, my stomach bag and protect my spc site.
How are women supposed to cope?
Help me please
Women are certainly able to wear the same clothes as men – at least if my wife is any example 🙂 (she wears my clothes all the time). But I found wearing draw-string pants with the waist well above the insertion point worked really well for me. I was often out in public without anyone being aware. the pants also worked well both to hide my leg bag, and to be loose enough to access it in the restroom when I needed to empty it. I’m asking my wife right now what she would recommend if she had an SPC. She helped me with mine during the 6 months I had it.
You said something about a stomach bag? Do you have 2 bags simultaneously? I didn’t have that. Where does it sit and how is it attached? I only used one bag – the leg bag. And it was easily covered by the loose drawstring pants.
My wife is talking about foundation garments – something with enough elastic (like spanx) to hold a bag somewhat close to you, but not strong enough to put too much pressure on the bag to make it uncomfortable or prevent urine from filling it. Here is a picture of a lady pulling up a skirt over a belly bag, if that is what you have. This might help – https://www.allegromedical.com/catheters-c539/belly-bag-drain-bag-1000cc-p193132.html?CS_003=9164468&CS_010=8ab281020bb66dff010bb68030e0779b&gclid=CjwKCAiAg8OBBhA8EiwAlKw3krNUV9dVm-lN-VWQZ016pG3RlKQU3nMb7L4Tsy7doW8me70W9K4WvxoCyTUQAvD_BwE#RUS-B1000_EA A thought I had about protecting the insertion site was you could get some closed-cell foam (like is used in camping pads that go under sleeping bags) and cut a hole in it, Place the hole over the tube and insertion point so that any garment over the top of it wouldn’t put so much pressure on the tube at that point. You would then use some medical paper tape to hold it to your skin so it didn’t slide around. I hope this helps!
I have an spc the site is well below my pants line however it has been 9 months and I am still unable to wear pants as it’s to much pressure on the site where the tube enters.
As for clothing, summer I wear dresses
Winter I wear dresses, I layer them with stockings that I cut holes in to let the spc hang out and I wear boots.
But I havnt been able to wear pants yet and gosh I miss them!
Sorry to hear that, Sarah! I might have been lucky in how much lower than my pant’s line my hole was. I could wear pants but had to be very careful where they sat. I hope you will not be wearing the SPC for long. You might also try loose pants but with suspenders? Just a thought. Best of luck!
Hi, I am due to have my indwelling catheter changed to a SPC this Friday. Can anyone tell me please how long it takes to heal on the insertion site? Also can anyone tell me how they’ve secured their tubes on their stomach to stop it from pulling? I’m not nervous about the surgery, I’m more nervous about the recovery and the mobility side of bag placements and which bags to use etc. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you, Kim.
I use 500ml leg bags as I find they are the most dicreet yet functional. I can answer any clothing questions as this I’m still struggling with my self but there are a lot of different products out there and you need to try different things that work for you. However if your can get a BARD STATLOCK 2 way securement device. You will thank me when you have skin left on your body as I learnt the hard way and having to move the tube around and secure it I tried many different things and this keeps my skin intact and has a swivel click so very comfy to sleep with and exercise with.