LADIES! How to Cath in Public? HELP!

[28darline]

I'm a t10 complete para. I cath every 4-6 hours. I cath myself. However, I can't cath in public unless my boyfriend helps me. When I cath, I have to place my legs in frog leg position. I also can't cath w/out a mirror. Trying to work around the 4-6 hr time frame is starting to become a hassle when I'm out of the house. Please help!!!

[47+years]

What does your boyfriend do for you? I made straps (cloth loops) that went around each leg to hold them in place. I hooked one end around the wheelchair handles and the other around a leg. I also used a disposable diaper because you can drain the tube right into it in front of your mirror. You really have to rock forward with your bottom on the very edge of the pillow.

You sit frog style with the bottoms of your feet together and the mirror in front of your shoes.

[november]

mitrofanoff

[offroaderswife]

I am T-10 complete also. I've been peeing on the toilet by transferring over, bending forward and pushing for 17 of the 18 years that I've been paralyzed. I have a nice cushioned toilet seat at home and transfer very carefully on to hard public toilets. Have you tried to sit on the toilet and push? I will cath if I am camping remotely or at someones house that is not wheelchair accessible (that's usually the case with most peoples bathrooms). Other than that I try to avoid using a catheter unless I absolutely have to. It might be worth a shot for you. I closely monitor how much I drink and the timing of my drinks. You have to pay close attention to your body until you get use to how it feels when your bladder is full. Hope this helps some.

[rebajane]

When I was IC I just did like so many others: scoot to front of cushion, frog legs with feet on the toilet. Only once lost my shoe in the bowl !! LOL Used mirror and cath into a bag or container. Now I use a leg bag all the time and as I have said before, has made my life so much easier. Before I was either cathing, thinking about cathing, scheduling around cathing. Geezz ! So much free-er now.

[november]

I am T-10 complete also. I've been peeing on the toilet by transferring over, bending forward and pushing for 17 of the 18 years that I've been paralyzed. I have a nice cushioned toilet seat at home and transfer very carefully on to hard public toilets. Have you tried to sit on the toilet and push? I will cath if I am camping remotely or at someones house that is not wheelchair accessible (that's usually the case with most peoples bathrooms). Other than that I try to avoid using a catheter unless I absolutely have to. It might be worth a shot for you. I closely monitor how much I drink and the timing of my drinks. You have to pay close attention to your body until you get use to how it feels when your bladder is full. Hope this helps some.

Do you have yearly ultrasounds on your kidneys and bladder to make sure you aren't damaging them?

[crypticgimp]

before i got my mitro, i'd take off my pants/undies, trandfer to the toilet, and then felt for my urethra and then inserted the catheter. takes practice but no loss of shoes nor crazy mirrors

[addiesue]

I use a closed kit made for women called Cathlean by MTG. Less crap to keep up with. Practicing not using a mirror saved me. I would practice in the shower so it wasnt a mess until I got it.

[offroaderswife]

Do you have yearly ultrasounds on your kidneys and bladder to make sure you aren't damaging them?

The last one was about 2 years ago. Everything looked good. He said routinly cathing has it's cons and so does pushing. Everything looked good so he said to keep doing what works for me. Cathing was not working with a fast paced full time career so I started experimenting with going on my own. It's quick and efficient. Someday I might look in to getting a mitro when things stop working correctly. Haven't had a UTI or kidney issues very often over these 17 years. I'm looking for a urologist in the DFW area to get another check up soon. Need one with a low table. Anyone have an suggestions in this area?

[st870521]

To offroaderswife: may I ask how and where you push? and how long it usually takes for you? Thank you

[offroaderswife]

Hi. I transfer to the toilet and bear down and push with my stomach. I started doing this about a year after I was injured and it helped me keep some upper ab muscles.
I actually put some oat meal in the microwave for 2 minutes this morning and went to pee while I was waiting. The microwave timer went off around the same time I was done pulling my pants back up. I drink about 1 gallon of water a day so my bladder is usually full and ready to go so it's not hard to push it out. I push a little harder when the stream slows down just to make sure i'm getting everything out. I pee a lot since I drink so much. Probably pee 12-14 times a day. Unfortunately, I'm going to a party at a friends house tonight and their bathroom is not accessible so I'm taking a catheter and a large water bottle to pee in while I'm there...

[Phillis]

Offroaderswife, I go to a great urologist at UT-Southwestern in Dallas, Gary Lemack. He is very knowledgeable about SCI. I like him!

[offroaderswife]

Offroaderswife, I go to a great urologist at UT-Southwestern in Dallas, Gary Lemack. He is very knowledgeable about SCI. I like him!

Thank you so much Phillis! I made an appointment for the end of June! I really appreciate your referral!

[Wheelie_girl_]

I have a basket under my chair. I put my feet on them ( sneakers are the best), pull my self forward and cath..easy peasy

[BiancaS]

This is how one of my rehab nurses taught me to cath without a mirror:
You want to start with clean hands, of course and you'll use three fingers on your non-dominant hand. Use your thumb and middle finger to spread your vaginal lips, use your index finger to find your urethral opening and guide the catheter in. Visualization helps until you get the hang of it, too. I also carry a male catheter so I can pee in/from my chair without having to transfer if the space is tight or I just can't get to it, in which case I just go in a soda bottle or something similarly handy. If you are cathing in your chair, try putting a rolled up towel or the like under your bottom to lift yourself up some. Work around that 4-6 hour time frame by just paying attention to when/what/how much you drink. If you're thirsty, sip water with a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime. It'll keep your bladder healthy, too