Hello everyone,
I'm a C5/6/7 and after about two years with an indwelling catheter I recently started self-cathing. I've got a few issues that I'm still working through, but ultimately I feel like I've figured out supplies and a process that work. That said, my overnight setup seems really tenuous and I feel like there's got to be a better way. I'd love to hear what others are doing to make it work! For reference, here's what I do:
I use a Coloplast Speedicath Compact Set, which seems like the only catheter that I've been able to figure out a way to use successfully due mostly to the built-in 800ml bag, as well as the tube's rigidity that I can control by grasping with tinodesis up near the bag. I put a bunch of these in a plastic tub, along with a bunch of antiseptic towelettes (gosh help me those things are a pain in the butt to manage without functioning hands, too!), and keep it next to my pillow in the bed where I can reach it easily at night.
The bed itself is an adjustable model, which lets me raise the head in the middle of the night when it's time to cath. I'd like to be able to just sit up in a flat bed and then brace myself against pillows or a wall, but unfortunately I have ossification in my pelvis that prevents me from having decent bed mobility. So the best idea I've got is the adjustable bed at the moment, as well as a light in the room that I can control through Alexa so I can see what I'm doing.
Over the course of the night, I generally cath about 700-800ml 3 times, and I whipped up a little container that I keep bedside on my wheelchair just barely within reach in which I can set the full bags upright into little PVC tube holders so that they don't fall over and pour back out through the tubes (see photo). I also leave an open space where I can dump the used towelettes and catheter housings. Then in the morning I bring it all into the bathroom where I can empty the bags into the toilet and throw everything in the garbage.
I feel like there are a few shortcomings with this setup. First, my wheelchair next to the bed is only just barely within reach, and I worry that sometimes I'm not going to be able to get the full bags into the little bucket without spilling on to my chair or floor. Second, I'm really quite dependent on the adjustable bed, which means I won't have a process if and when I travel anywhere else (family has me staying in a ski house for a couple of nights next week), and I'm pretty well relegated to permanently sleeping alone. Finally, it's just a super slow process with all of the steps involved and I feel like I'm not getting as much sleep as I'd like dealing with it three times a night.
I've got to imagine people have better ways of doing this! Please share.
Thanks in advance,
Emmett
I'm a C5/6/7 and after about two years with an indwelling catheter I recently started self-cathing. I've got a few issues that I'm still working through, but ultimately I feel like I've figured out supplies and a process that work. That said, my overnight setup seems really tenuous and I feel like there's got to be a better way. I'd love to hear what others are doing to make it work! For reference, here's what I do:
I use a Coloplast Speedicath Compact Set, which seems like the only catheter that I've been able to figure out a way to use successfully due mostly to the built-in 800ml bag, as well as the tube's rigidity that I can control by grasping with tinodesis up near the bag. I put a bunch of these in a plastic tub, along with a bunch of antiseptic towelettes (gosh help me those things are a pain in the butt to manage without functioning hands, too!), and keep it next to my pillow in the bed where I can reach it easily at night.
The bed itself is an adjustable model, which lets me raise the head in the middle of the night when it's time to cath. I'd like to be able to just sit up in a flat bed and then brace myself against pillows or a wall, but unfortunately I have ossification in my pelvis that prevents me from having decent bed mobility. So the best idea I've got is the adjustable bed at the moment, as well as a light in the room that I can control through Alexa so I can see what I'm doing.
Over the course of the night, I generally cath about 700-800ml 3 times, and I whipped up a little container that I keep bedside on my wheelchair just barely within reach in which I can set the full bags upright into little PVC tube holders so that they don't fall over and pour back out through the tubes (see photo). I also leave an open space where I can dump the used towelettes and catheter housings. Then in the morning I bring it all into the bathroom where I can empty the bags into the toilet and throw everything in the garbage.
I feel like there are a few shortcomings with this setup. First, my wheelchair next to the bed is only just barely within reach, and I worry that sometimes I'm not going to be able to get the full bags into the little bucket without spilling on to my chair or floor. Second, I'm really quite dependent on the adjustable bed, which means I won't have a process if and when I travel anywhere else (family has me staying in a ski house for a couple of nights next week), and I'm pretty well relegated to permanently sleeping alone. Finally, it's just a super slow process with all of the steps involved and I feel like I'm not getting as much sleep as I'd like dealing with it three times a night.
I've got to imagine people have better ways of doing this! Please share.
Thanks in advance,
Emmett
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