6 inches! I do not pee until the 10 inch mark! I highly recommend the catheters that, in a bag. With practice you'll be able to independently catheterize on your own and just toss the bag into the garbage.
I get my catheters through mail order. Again you can ask for samples that are free. I use A-med in Huntington Beach California. There's also a big company in Georgia. The catheters are quite expensive. Mine are covered by Medicare. At the cost of $1000 a month. If you have Medicaid I believe that they are covered as well. Probably easily. You'll need to have the doctors prescription. I must say that this is the best thing that I have ever done. I was suffering from autonomic dysreflexia to the point of almost having a stroke. I still take bladder medications to stop spasms, as they also stop the sweating caused by the spasms. Everyone is different. Practice, practice, practice. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dana Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "quad" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 4:51 PM Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] Help.... > Grin! Need to get rid of those 6 inchers! They are useless. The curved > tip is a coude' tip. Get rid of the red ones too--unless you want to keep > them 'in case', which I did a lot of! he! he! > Not sure what you mean by going 'uphill' unless you mean 'up' into the > catheter. That is particularly true if you are laying flat on your back and > need to cathed, it does take a few seconds longer to get it up and out--make > sure the end of the cath is "below" the stoma! Some nurses don't get that > 'gravity' thing! Plus when taking the cath out-keep the cather "down". > Otherwise what is in the catheter will drain back into the bladder. > > I cannot cath myself when laying flat, or laying on either side. To do it > in bed I must raise my knees and the head. Raising the knees first will > keep you from sliding down in the bed quite so much. When laying back down, > lower the head first, then knees. You will still slide, but not near as > much. Gads, the looks and why's I get from nurses when I ask them to do > that! They would just as soon pull me up in bed several times a day. Thats > not the point, "I" get uncomfortable squished down in the crease where the > head comes up. I like my head touching the headboard whether I am on total > flat bedrest or not! Well, more venting. gotta go! Glad to be of help! > > Dana and ? > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "~LittleQuad~" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Dana Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "quad" <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 10:51 AM > Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] Help.... > > > > girl right now i have so many catheters its crazy! i have all the ones > > from b4 surgery, 6 inches long, and the ones doc office sent to let me > > decide what kind i like...they are all 14 french tho.. > > i have 2 kinds long clear ones, one has a curved tip, i think its best so > > far...other long clear one has straight tip..the red ones are nice and > > soft but too pliable... > > will it take a while for it to get used to going kinda uphill? it takes > > some coaxing to get the last bit up out of the cath....yuk, can you > > believe we are talking about this?? lol > > anyway thanks so much, you've been my saving grace......have great day! > > amye > > > > Dana Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > If you can tell when you need to pee, thats great! I can too, so I just > > cath when needed--depends on how much water I guzzle at one time. Timing > > it > > may or may not help now. What ever works for 'you' is the answer! > > > > I do have a stoma, the nurses etc. will call it an Indiana nipple. I asked > > one time why a 'nipple' and they could not really answer that. Mine is > > about 2-3 inches to the right of my belly button. My scar runs from > > my --well--groin area, up and around my belly button and stops about 4 > > inches above my belly button. I hardly know its there (only because it has > > been there so long) but it comes in handy when someone is dressing > > me--they > > line the middle seam of the slacks/jeans up with the scar! My SP was on > > the > > other side very low down sort of where my leg and belly meet. I have no > > idea if there is a scar. > > > > As for scars, get used to them! Over the years they will come. My back and > > right back thigh looks like a road map. But that is because of flap > > surgeries. I used to be very picky about how my hands, elbows and places > > that people see every day, looked. I would see guys with very nobby elbows > > that were calloused over and the middle knuckle much taller and calloused > > than the rest of their hand. I have been lucky and have aides that put > > lotion on every day. My fingers have stayed straight, but my right hand > > fingers are curling 'up' a bit. Not so that it looks wierd or even close > > to > > it, but it is harder for me to 'make' them curl. > > > > Your not vain, its normal for people, especially women, to want their skin > > to look nice! Once the SP is out, the place it was will close quickly. > > Once the incision is healed to minimize the look of it, keep it lotioned > > or > > moist with something. I have been seeing a advertizement about a cream > > that > > is supposed to keep scaring to a minimum. > > > > I get my catheters from my pharmacy now. I pay for them, but they last a > > long time. I buy a box of 30 and they deliver them with my meds. They are: > > Brand: Mentor > > description: Self-cath coude' olive tip with > > guide stripe (useless! the stripe) > > size: 16 french > > reference number: 816 > > > > They are clear/white color with an orange end. The first ones I used were > > closer in color to the red caths, but were a bit browner, shorter and a > > bit > > stiffer than the red ones. Go to the pharmasist and see what kinds they > > have or can get. The clearer colored ones are better as you can tell if > > the > > end is harboring gook or growing things! :) Can also watch the mucous come > > out! In the beging it is usual for so much mucous be produced that it will > > clog the SP or even the cath. Run water thru the cath and try again if > > this > > happens. If your SP clogs, irrigate. Do this on top of your daily > > irrigations. Sometimes nurses may not want to irrigate an extra time--get > > the doc to write irrigate daily "and" prn!! Be sure to tell them the way > > 'you' want it done! Usually what they are vtaught is different, such as > > 'not pulling out' they will let it drain out. That does not get the mucous > > out. Once they have done it a couple of times and see the amount of mucous > > come out, they will give in. If you get a hard head,. call the agency and > > ask for a different nurse! They will provide the irrigation kits too! Tip: > > whatever they do not use--KEEP! It will come in handy sometime! I have a > > bottom drawer of a dresser I use just for such things. Urine sample > > bottles, iodine swabs, tweezers, lubricant packs, pads of any shape or > > form, > > tape--can 'never' have enough tape. Extra drainage bed bags, legs bags-for > > a while-60 cc syringes, just anything! > > > > This is getting long. Ask if you have any questions! > > take care, > > > > Dana and ? > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "~LittleQuad~" > > > > To: "Dana Miller" ; "Quad-list post" > > > > Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 9:03 AM > > Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] Help.... > > > > > >> wow i did it for the 1st tie at home! i have been dreading this > >> enormously! it just looks so awful, as i hate any scratch! thanks so much > >> for the note, i must had read it 10Xs! i will try and be on a strict 3 > >> hour regiment, unless needed before...as i can still tell when i need to > >> go...the nurse at hospital said i'd most likely lose it, thank goodness i > >> haven't!! > >> so you have a stoma also? where is yours? mine is like 2 inches to right > >> of belly button, and the SP is 2 inches below...temporarily! i don't > >> think > >> i'll have mine a year...i go back in 2 weeks and he mentioned removing > >> it...hope so, it hurts my feelings to see how it rubs my skin and > >> stretches it, my eyes water every time i see it...i must be a vain > >> person....haha > >> thanks a lot dana!! > >> > >> > >> Dana Miller wrote: > >> It will be fine! It will produce a lot of mucous at first because part of > >> your intestine was used and that produced mucous! It "will" bleed, the > >> edge > >> of the hole is tender right now. I kept a SP in for nearly a "year" > >> before > >> 'trusting' that weird thing in my belly. Make sure you irrigate it!! At > >> least daily. Do not be gentle about it! Put 60cc's of sterile water inn > >> the syringe and shove it in! Then pull 30cc's out! When you pull out, do > >> not pull if you get resistance--the end of the catheter may be against > >> the > >> wall of your new bladder. Irrigate again. I irrigated at least twice or > >> until it pulled back clear. It is amazing how much mucous can build up in > >> 24 hours. > >> > >> Between cathing, cover it with 2 x2's or a 4x4. It will keep the > >> irritation > >> of clothes down. When you do cath, make sure you get far enough in--the > >> first few weeks of cathing, if my doc did it, I would be flabbergasted as > >> far in she would put it. The type of cath I use, only about 5-6 inches > >> sticks out in order to get it all the way in. I really should measure > >> that. > >> I will let you know what kind of cath I use as those red rubber hospital > >> kind might as well be a piece of spaghetti! Plus they drain slowly. > >> > >> Do you still have a SP in? Using that at night gives the hole a chance to > >> rest and the sides to heal a bit. If the cath will not go in easy, if > >> there > >> is resistance, take a deep breath and let it out--relax! And keep your > >> water drinking up! It will help expand the new bladder--altho if you are > >> cathing only every 4 hours, I would cut back on the water, or just sip it > >> now and then. If you drink a whole glass it will hit in about an hour and > >> you will need to cath every 20-30 minutes, if that much, as your bladder > >> will not be able to hold that much liquid at a time. If your are leaking, > >> up the caths to 3 hrs. > >> > >> It will take quite a while to get used to it and to the new feelings you > >> will get. They re-arranged your insides! They will be sore. A picture > >> will help. Sometimes, no matter what you do, the durn thing will 'not' go > >> in. Relax for a bit and have someone else try. The angle of the cath will > >> help. When it goes in the hole have it pointed down a bit towards the new > >> bladder. > >> > >> The main thing is to be patient! It "will" work--stay on ditropan or > >> whatever you use for bladder relaxation. What kind of cath are you using? > >> The red rubbers are the softest, but because of that it does not have > >> enough > >> stiffness to get thru the tight times, but will eventually if you > >> lubricate. > >> I forgot about lubricating--its been so long since I have used it, I > >> forget > >> about it. > >> > >> Basically its one of those things that the more you 'fight', the worse it > >> is. Then suddenly it will go in, and you have no idea what you did! I > >> will > >> be signing off for the day, but be optimistic, it will work and see ya > >> tomorrow! take care, > >> > >> Dana and ? > >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: "~LittleQuad~" > >> > >> To: "Quad-list post" > >> Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2005 5:52 PM > >> Subject: [QUAD-L] Help.... > >> > >> > >>> Hey gang! I've had my surgery and my doctor says it was a success. I'm > >>> not > >>> so convinced! The hole gets clogged up and fluid build-up. It's very > >>> sore > >>> and bleeds when messed with. I can hardly stand to look at it, much less > >>> cath thru it! My mom tried and she couldn't figure it out. So I'm going > >>> to > >>> try it in a little while. Doc says do it every 4 hours. Ugh, help! Is it > >>> supposed to do that??? I'm going to get a pic taken of it and send, > >>> hopefully this week. > >>> Thanks guys!! > >>> Amye > >>> > >> > >> > >> > > > > > > > > >
