I had my supra-pubic for a little under 17 years. I just had mine removed in May to be replaced with a urostomy.
For the first 15 years, I had great results. Much like many of the other guys and ladies. It's pretty easy to take care of the SP and I would have to say it's one of the better ways to manage the bladder if you are a quadriplegic incapable of catching yourself. Over the years I was told to change the catheter every two weeks, every three weeks, and ultimately every four weeks. I did have a doctor who did a pretty extensive experiment over a couple of years and determined that it was best to change the catheter every two weeks. They have empirical data which indicated there was much less incidence of UTIs, but for most of the time I liked changing my catheter every three weeks. I had to have my SP removed because my bladder atrophied to the point where it would not drain properly and I was in constant pain. As I said before, that is not the norm. Many guys are able to go for 30+ years without any significant difficulties. Cleaning the bags is important and I really wouldn't advise plugging the SP unless you're trying to use an external catheter and intermittently draining the excessive urine out of your bladder. Hopefully I didn't confuse you, but I tend to think it's a good procedure if you have a decent urologist who is familiar with quadriplegic. Quadius On Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 3:36 PM, Ben Mattlin <[email protected]> wrote: > Anybody had good or bad experiences with a suprapubic? I'm wondering about > the initial installation operation as well as daily and monthly > maintenance. > Do you use a leg bag or just plug it and empty it every 4 to 6 hours? What > are the "side effects" the doctors don't tell you about? Brutal honesty > appreciated. Best, Ben > > ______________________________ > Ben Mattlin > www.BenMattlin.com > www.MiracleBoyGrowsUp.com > >
