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clergy Asked July 2019

Catheter help; how did you learn?

Any husbands who help wife with Parkinson's or multiple system atrophy (MSA) use catheter? How did you learn? She is 76, I am 81.

dawn1947 Jul 2019
My husband’s nurse taught me❤️

Silverspring Jul 2019
My husband has a foley. I have a visiting nurse change it out about once a month or go into the urologist’s office and the np can do it. I change the bags but I don’t want to go any further then that. I recommend having the nurse train you in what you are comfortable learning. I am going to ask the nurse to teach me how to use a clamp to get a clean urine sample when I need to check for a uti. I found it easier to change bags when he is in bed and I raise the height; less stress on my back.

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drooney Jul 2019
You need to have a nurse teach you. Perhaps try contacting your local VNA

disgustedtoo Jul 2019
I would ask the doctors if they can order home nursing care and let the nurses handle this. Our mother was Dxed with Interstitial Cystitis and they told her to use some kind of tubing after voiding to eliminate all urine. She would get regular infections, and I would guess it was from doing this (she gloved, cleaned, etc.) At some point she stopped doing this and the UTIs went away! She had no other real medical issues, but your wife does. I would be concerned about her getting UTIs.

As for the home nursing care, when I went home from almost 1 month in hospital (BEGGED them to let me go home!), they set up nursing care/supplies for me. I was on 2 heavy duty antibiotics and a PICC line (for feeding and intravenous antibiotics.) The nurses would come to set up the "feed" bag daily, periodically clean the PICC line area and took blood as needed for testing/adjusting the antibiotics. I wasn't nearly as old as your and your wife. Medicare and/or supplemental insurance should cover the cost (I didn't have to pay a dime, and I was not on Medicare then.) I would highly recommend requesting this from her doctors - clearly she has a need AND given her conditions, the last thing you need is UTIs!!!

Starre64 Jul 2019
From what I've read, please contact her physicians office and just ask them to have a Doctor, Nurse or Med Tech teach you. She also may have an indwelling (permanent) catheter after surgery until her hand heals. Please consider that there may be in home care available as well; since she is the patient, she would have other assistance if you were unable to care for her -- We as Caregivers tend to forget this!

clb2930 Jul 2019
I used to catheterize my Mom and, honestly, it just takes practice. The doctor gave us a brochure and sent us on our way. It's quite easy once you get used to it.

Mom now has a suprapubic catheter, which is so much better for us than straight catheterizing. It did involve a very minor surgery to place the catheter in the bladder and monthly changes of the catheter, which are done by a nurse. It was a better option for Mom since she was getting almost constant UTIs. It's hard to keep bacteria out when straight catheterizing, no matter how careful you are.

earlybird Jul 2019
I just recently had my mother in the ER. She was put on IV Lasix so the nurse placed a female external catheter. It collected 800cc of urine. A physician recently invented this product due to his wife with Parkinson's. The ER nurses were excited about this new invention. My mother was the first to use it on the medical floor. It needs to be somewhat perfected, if not placed properly it will leak. The catheter is similar to a peri pad but is sponge-like connected to a low suction.
PUREWICK female external catheter

AlvaDeer Jul 2019
A nurse must teach you because honestly infection control is the problem. Once you identify the anatomy it is quite easy to catheterize a woman, a male being so much more difficult because of the donut like prostate that grips the area, and because positioning of the organ must be really spot on. A nurse should do the procedure FOR you the first time with you watching, and have you return demonstrate the next time. As a nurse I will tell you that these lead to infections. It was for a long time thought that it was the placement itself being faulty causing infection, but truth be told they now believe it is the slight in and out shifting of the already placed catheter that moves surface bacteria from the outside into the short urethra into the bladder.
As a nurse all my life I am a western medicine girl who doesn't believe in much in the line of supplements, but from my own history with frequent bladder infection, and the experience of others, I have become a believer in D-Mannose. Comes in powder or capsule, is a simple sugar, cheap on amazon, and works much like cranberry, keeping bacteria from adhereing to the bladder wall.
If you are catheterizing you wife while she is in a low bed I will caution you to watch your back carefully. It is hard to maintain a sterile field, and stoop in this manner. This truly is not going to be easy for you to do. But they MUST give you a good foundation, or it will result in bladder infections.
AlvaDeer Jul 2019
One more word, and on a lighter note, have you tried YouTube? I haven't for this, but seems they have everything else on there from infant CPR to a young boy telling you how to reuse a Tomcat Mousetrap (sold as one use only). I would give it a try under female cathetization. That said you should still have direct "hands on" teaching.
cwillie Jul 2019
Can you ask for a nurse to teach you?

NYDaughterInLaw Jul 2019
Who prescribed the catheter for her?
clergy Jul 2019
It was prescribed at hospital (New England Baptist) almost 2 years ago after hip surgery. She could not empty bladder. She has been catheterizing herself ever since. But she has a "trigger finger" on right hand that will need minor surgery soon and she will not be able to use that hand for a bit and will need help catheterizing. Down the line as her MSA progresses she will probably need help as well.

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