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Hi all,
Not sure what happened to the post I just posted but here goes again.

My hubby had an indwelling catheter fitted a week ago after leaving hospital after a stay of 2 weeks for a uti which kept him in hospital for 2 weeks.
On leaving he was advised to keep a long term indwelling catheter in place until 2nd August when he will have a suprapubic catheter fitted.
The hospital sent him home with a few leg bags but no after care instructions. A district nurse was called and she did not have a clue on how to fit the leg bag properly.
I could tell when she wrapped the straps around the bag a few times stopping urine from draining properly.
What do they learn in training surely catheters should be on their list.

I am agitated about the way I have had to research on the internet and wished that a continence nurse could visit.

Have you had an problems with lack of information to something new to you like this?

Caz

Hi Caz

I'm sorry to hear about the problems you and your husband have had to face recently and I hope that the SP catheter was fitted ok.

I'm am constantly gob smacked by the lack of aftercare regarding catheters in general. When I left hospital I had had my indwelling removed and was visited by the district nurse, I was going to the toilet about 30+ times day and night which when you can barely walk and have to use a commode is not great and not helpful when you're in recovery. I was told it was just trauma from the indwelling catheter and would soon pass; I had a damaged spinal cord and paralysis but no it was just trauma. As it turned out I had a neuropathic bladder which will never improve and only found that out after seeing the Neurologist and demanding something be sorted. I now self catheterise which has helped immensely.

I think it's important that you find a good continence nurse which you can do independently from your GP if you need to, their details are on NHS Direct, you need someone you feel comfortable approaching if any problems arise with the suprapubic catheter.

I hope things settle down for you both so you can get on with your lives and have some sort of normality which for me is the most important thing.

Take care x

The Bladder and Bowel Foundation are a charity promoting awareness and providing support for anyone struggling with continence issues. Our website http://www.bladderandbowelfoundation.org contains a lot of relevent information and provides links to patient fact sheets. We also have a nurse led helpline that enables callers to discuss their concerns and receive information about relevent treatments. The help line number is 0845 345 0165