Jump to content
LL Medico Diapers and More Bambino Diapers - ABDL Diaper Store

My experience with stents


Recommended Posts

Hey everyone, made an account just to post in this thread!

I tried making a stent modeled after cathdiaper's, and after my second attempt, I got  it right. I made mine from a  18 fr foley catheter, and a bit of 1mm plastic tubing. The first one I made was slightly too short, which resulted in discomfort when I clenched, as the end was sitting in the middle of the outer sphincter. I made a second one that was 2 cm longer, and that problem was quickly solved. It has now been 3 days since I put mine in, and as I'm typing this, I'm perfectly happy to leave it in. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it since I hadn't imagined it would be so successful that I would want to just keep it in.

While this current one does get the job done, I'm trying to think of ways to improve it. What it does currently:

-There is a constant, slow dripping which can't be stopped by any means. This alone is enough to force me to wear diapers 24/7.  However,  this dripping is only once every couple of seconds,  and it's slow enough that my bladder still fills relatively quickly (I drink way too much coffee)

-Whenever I cough,  sneeze, stretch, or move in general, a bit of urine gets pushed out. However, it seems like it takes a bit of pressure for this to happen, even when my bladder is relatively full. I feel like there shouldn't be this much resistance to the flow. 

-When I start to urinate, clenching initially doesn't stop the flow. However,  it does reduce it significantly,  which supports the theory that the flow resistance is too high, and some of the urine passes around the stent. After a few seconds of clenching though, my bladder stops squeezing, and this halts the flow, until something other source of pressure forces the urine out again.

-When I'm sitting in certain positions, or lying down in certain positions, the flow resistance increases dramatically, so that I have to consciously push somewhat hard to get a flow. I'd like to fix this so that the feeling of fullness doesn't distract me when I'm trying to sleep. 

So it seems that the flow resistance of my stent is so high that it only causes stress incontinence right now,  plus a bit of dripping. While this technically makes me incontinent, I wonder if it could be made a bit better.  

-I'd  like to not be able to stop urinating at all, after it starts. This means that even if my bladder is not squeezing, the passive pressure cause by its fullness would be enough to cause flow.

-I  also want to retain a little bit of urine when my bladder is relaxed, so that there will still be an element of stress incontinence. 

So both of these problems would be solved by having just the right flow resistance. The 1 mm tubing I'm using to create the bends is probably the culprit here. However, that's the biggest tubing I can fit into the 18 fr catheter. So my idea is to take one of my 28 fr catheters and put some bigger tubing in. At that point, I won't be able to stop urine flow just from having a fully relaxed bladder. However, if the flow is too high, I might just end up with a constant dribble, which is not completely ideal. So I'm thinking if that's the case, I'll just heat the inner tube up and pinch a few kinks in it to narrow it. This way I should be able to fine tune the resistance to exactly what I want. 

I also want to make some sort of stringless retrieval method, maybe something like the crochet hook idea that's been mentioned several times here.

I'll post again when I have the chance to get my new stent made

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Qwerty, welcome to the board. I have many of the same issues when laying down or coughing. I will leak when laying down but only after the pressure has built some. Its always a surprise when standing after a afternoon nap. When I get that uncontrollable rush and there is no stopping it. In fact more than once I have stood only to rush to the bathroom for a change knowing full well the soaked diaper I'm wearing is not going to hold whats flowing.

Link to comment

I also use .8mg of tamsulosin, half in morning and half at night, and find that it helps me pee better and have a stronger stream, and as a result, limits the amount of left overs or dribbles when I finish.  You could say it gushes when I go, but other than know I need to find a bathroom quickly when the need arises, I certainly don't dribble as much after as I have done in past.  One concern is if I am slow getting to a bathroom, I have started early trying to get there and ready, and ended up with wet underwear and pants on occasion. This is the reason I often wear diapers when working outside or when traveling and not close to a bathroom. 

Link to comment
6 hours ago, deewet said:

I also use .8mg of tamsulosin, half in morning and half at night, and find that it helps me pee better and have a stronger stream, and as a result, limits the amount of left overs or dribbles when I finish.  You could say it gushes when I go, but other than know I need to find a bathroom quickly when the need arises, I certainly don't dribble as much after as I have done in past.  One concern is if I am slow getting to a bathroom, I have started early trying to get there and ready, and ended up with wet underwear and pants on occasion. This is the reason I often wear diapers when working outside or when traveling and not close to a bathroom. 

The tamsulosin relaxes the bladder sphincters so as the urine builds up  in the bladder I am fighting a loosing battle to hold it. In the end the sphincter gives way and I flood my nappy. Also during the night I often wake up in the morning finding my bladder has emptied while I was asleep, it does not matter as I am well nappied.

Link to comment

Randomly browsing around Amazon just now and saw a USB borescope... which they also refer to as an endoscope... anybody ever try using one to look around places we shouldn't look?
My main curiosity with it would be to try to get an accurate measure of the distance between sphincters to take the guesswork out of stent design.

http://a.co/d/dbk8JmB

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Somelildude, you may want to say what design your are working with? Using the 16FR stent design when inserting if by bladder is full it can slip out. Normally I will drain my bladder and then insert my stent. Once in place it says in place very well for me. 

Link to comment
On 10/10/2018 at 6:33 AM, GrumpyMonk said:

Randomly browsing around Amazon just now and saw a USB borescope... which they also refer to as an endoscope... anybody ever try using one to look around places we shouldn't look?
My main curiosity with it would be to try to get an accurate measure of the distance between sphincters to take the guesswork out of stent design.

http://a.co/d/dbk8JmB

Wouldn't try anything like that unless it can be totally sterilized, was not made from anything which could cause harm or irritation to body tissue, and positively would not come apart inside you in use. This is one place where medical-grade is a necessity, not just a suggestion.

Bettypooh

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
On 10/10/2018 at 9:11 PM, Loveable_guy said:

Somelildude, you may want to say what design your are working with? Using the 16FR stent design when inserting if by bladder is full it can slip out. Normally I will drain my bladder and then insert my stent. Once in place it says in place very well for me. 

I will have to give that a try at some point!

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...
On 10/6/2018 at 6:11 PM, NotMyname said:

What keeps you from pulling out the plastic tube from the silicone tube when you go to remove the stent? It doesn't look very well secured.

You have to use quite a bit of force to get the bent plastic tubes in place.  My fingers are always sore after doing the two per stent.  I have tried pulling the plastic out with the attached retrieval string with no luck.  It would likely just break first.  

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/6/2018 at 7:56 PM, Loveable_guy said:

I'm not a big fan of the formed hard plastic stent design. I gave it a try, never really got comfortable. To each their own I say. I have however used the attached with great success.  Easy to make low cost, after use I wash in soap and hot water allow to dry and then soak in alcohol for  twenty minutes before wrapping in a fresh paper towel. The balloon has 1 cc +/-  of fluid inserted. To plug the cut end I use a piece of weed wacker line reduced in size to suite.  Now that I have been using this design roughly four years now I have no discomfort at all when wearing. My longest continuous use time  is only four days but that is due to family life.

IMG_0543-1.JPG

Sorry to bring this up from 9 months ago but I'm hoping to make a stent similar to this one. I'm curios what you're using as the white cap on the end and how you secure it to the modified catheter. I've been lurking in on this thread for over a year now, its been my motivation for getting comfortable with catheters so i can eventually make stents for myself.  (Edit: Nevermind, I see you went into great detail about this design in the "Close To Incontinence With A Catheter" thread.)

Edited by NoMoreUndies
Found new information
Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

Hate to break it to you but catheter or stent use is not going to render you incontinent anytime soon. While using a stent you will be incontinent but even after months of use most report things work as designed after removing their stent. 

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

Hi guys just to add my two cents worth. There is a post which asks have any of you guys had UTIs? I have had UTIs in the past and now I seem to have cured them with a very simple solution. I have one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar it has to be apple cider vinegar which is organic unfiltered and with something called the mother. I put one tablespoon in a glass and had one teaspoon of honey then fill the glass with water and mix it and drink it down I take just one glass a day and I have not had a UTI since. Also it is pretty darn good.

Sent from my TA-1020 using Tapatalk

Link to comment
On 2/7/2018 at 7:28 AM, dlnoir said:

I had no chance to take a picture of my stent any sooner than this for it was in use.;)  It isn’t all that different from what I’ve posted  and used before. The things I have changed over time in comparison to the other stents; the total length somewhat shorter, the distance between the O-ring has been altered / tweaked to suit my personal internal measurements, the two O-rings now face in the same directions as the curve in the tube and finally in found a way to give the tube a slight curve so it follows you internal plumbing better. The retrieval wire is only 2” in length and at the end I tied a standard silicon O-ring the same size as the ones keeping the stent in place. These O-rings are very soft. The one at the end of the line folds in and remains in the urethra. The crochet hook picks up on the O-ring usually in one go and the stent can be pulled out very gently.:P

IMG_0427.JPG

Hi Boyhood,

I don’t mind answering at all. I make my stent out of 6 mm silicon tube with an inner diameter of 4 mm. (sorry for the metric measurements, Europe you know). The O-rings are made out of silicon as well. The wire thickness is 1.78 mm and the inner diameter of the O-ring is 18 mm. I do experiment with other diameters but is found that these do the trick just fine. These O-rings fold back quite easily which eases the installation of the stent and are sturdy enough to keep the stent in place and keep it from migrating. The distance between the O-rings is 60 mm in my case, but might be different for the next guy, very personal. I use fishing line to stitch ever thing together, it is just one line with only one knot in it to tie it off in the end. I stitch the O-rings three maybe four times to the side of the stent. I’ll push a needle through the tube some 25 mm from the top so you’ll get a wire on the left hand and the right hand side of the tube. Even though it is one wire from this point on you’ll have two, left hand and right hand wire. Further I proceed to  loop the wire around the O-ring. Punch another hole with the needle trough the tube (some 2 mm apart of the first hole) so the needle enters the tube again. Then I go straight back to the first hole that I’ve made leaving the inside of the tube right away, this I repeat a couple of times. This is very easy to do since the tube is very flexible. If I tie the O-ring to the side of the tube I use only the minimum amount of tension on the wire since it will be tied multiple times no excessive force is needed, just keep things flush. I’ll start out with both sides of the top O-ring and then I proceed to the lower one. When I start with the lower one I’ll twist the wire inside the then I’ll put some tension on it. By putting some tension on it the tube will bend giving it the desired curvature. In one of my earlier designs (years ago) if tried to run the O-ring through a punctured hole but it clogged up the inner diameter too much 2 x 1.78 almost equals the inner diameter of the tube resulting in a very poor urine flow to say the least. I found that the length above the upper O-ring with the puncture holes is beneficial to the urine flow. easier to enter the tube and I think it eases installation of the stent. I have tried a shorter version but the urine didn’t flow as good but that is just an opinion. The length sticking inside your bladder will help to keep the neck of you bladder open I think. So overall measurements add up to 25 mm inside the bladder, 60 mm between the O-rings, 20mm under the lower O-ring total of 105 mm. The retrieval line is 55 / 65 mm in length and the O-ring at the end of the line is a standard O-ring with the same measurements as stated above. I hope I’ve answered your questions and I hope it all makes sense to you, since English is not my native language.

Hey Pro Stent Designers,

Here is my latest design, based on dlnoir's idea that appears to work perfectly for him.

Instead of stitching the O-rings to the outside, I have been able to squeeze these through a punched hole, followed by securing a piece of Teflon through the middle of the ring on each end. This method keeps the O-ring in place and risks virtually no danger in the O-rings coming lose. In addition, it makes insertion and removal easier while still providing the needed "wing" support on each end.

1005683042_120180708_203001(Large).thumb.jpg.82d87e20740906cfeba2b283c9ce7c92.jpg

417530545_220180708_211433(Large).thumb.jpg.48b1de895f337dbaa3846574aea2d20e.jpg

1122374504_320180708_203015(Large).thumb.jpg.7014d407b398236dc3b225c16cdf6a3b.jpg

This design doesn't seem to budge after it's put into place (that's good news, as movement is seemingly the #1 issue talked about in this thread), but there are "one or two" primary issues that still need to be worked out: 

• Length: Beforehand, I experimented with a shorter version of the above, more similar to dlnoir's length, but the placement appeared too short... meaning one end could expand into the bladder, but the other end would end inside the prostate before passing through the external sphincter. This rubbing caused me a considerable amount of pain. I figured this design must have been too short based on the fact that I only had urge incontinence where pushing was required. Elongating the design to have the wings 11cm apart like in the above interestingly did not change the urge incontinence-- pushing to release urine was still required. This design "has to" have passed through both sphincters at 11cm, no? Should I still experiment with going larger? If not, this leads me to question this next issue which is even possibly "the only" primary issue.

• Flexibility: Surely to have Teflon placed only at the ends is the most comfortable, but I am wondering if regular silicone tubing is "still flexible enough" to be pinched closed by the sphincters-- I think our sphincters are stronger than we think, and likely why a regular catheter takes a "considerable amount of more pressure" to pinch tight. Adding more Teflon inside the stent will definitely prevent any possible pinching of the silicone, but also reduce Flexibility and add to possible discomfort. An idea was to run Teflon tubing throughout the entire stent (or at least two pieces pushed in a couple inches on each side) to ensure there is no pinching. Could this be worth trying? Even if it were a bit more uncomfortable, I imagine the Teflon shape would eventually conform to the bend that takes place outside of the external sphincter.

Please let me know your thoughts!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
On 12/13/2018 at 1:25 AM, boyhood said:

Instead of stitching the O-rings to the outside, I have been able to squeeze these through a punched hole, followed by securing a piece of Teflon through the middle of the ring on each end. This method keeps the O-ring in place and risks virtually no danger in the O-rings coming lose. In addition, it makes insertion and removal easier while still providing the needed "wing" support on each end.

Did you still secure the rings with the fishing line or does the teflon tube provide enough "friction" so that it can't fall out. I assume you used 4mm wide teflon tubing. Where are the anchor points for the retrieval line? And did you fold the ends of the silicone tubing over into itself to provide a smooth, round end? Do you have any tips, it's just luck if I ever get it working...

On 12/13/2018 at 1:25 AM, boyhood said:

Flexibility: Surely to have Teflon placed only at the ends is the most comfortable, but I am wondering if regular silicone tubing is "still flexible enough" to be pinched closed by the sphincters-- I think our sphincters are stronger than we think, and likely why a regular catheter takes a "considerable amount of more pressure" to pinch tight. Adding more Teflon inside the stent will definitely prevent any possible pinching of the silicone, but also reduce Flexibility and add to possible discomfort. An idea was to run Teflon tubing throughout the entire stent (or at least two pieces pushed in a couple inches on each side) to ensure there is no pinching. Could this be worth trying? Even if it were a bit more uncomfortable, I imagine the Teflon shape would eventually conform to the bend that takes place outside of the external sphincter. 

Due to the fact that silicone tubing becomes a bit more flexible, when it warms up (reaches body temperature), it could be that your sphincter closes it shut. I think that using a "full length" teflon tube is worth a try, it will significantly reduce the inner diameter though. Maybe bend it a bit with a heater gun before inserting it into the silicone tubing.

Link to comment
17 hours ago, tux22 said:

Did you still secure the rings with the fishing line or does the teflon tube provide enough "friction" so that it can't fall out. I assume you used 4mm wide teflon tubing. Where are the anchor points for the retrieval line? And did you fold the ends of the silicone tubing over into itself to provide a smooth, round end? Do you have any tips, it's just luck if I ever get it working...

Due to the fact that silicone tubing becomes a bit more flexible, when it warms up (reaches body temperature), it could be that your sphincter closes it shut. I think that using a "full length" teflon tube is worth a try, it will significantly reduce the inner diameter though. Maybe bend it a bit with a heater gun before inserting it into the silicone tubing.

Thanks for your questions, happy to help.

The Teflon tube does provide enough friction to pin the O-rings in place. From what I understand from prior conversation here, the primary reason dlnoir didn't put the O-rings through a hole was because it would have blocked the inside of the tube. To alleviate dlnoir's "blockage" issue, I placed a small piece of Teflon (sharpened on one end w/ scissors) through the O-ring inside the silicone. The Outside Diameter (OD) of the Teflon is 4mm, Inside Diameter (ID) is 2mm. Likewise, the OD of the silicone is 6mm, ID is 4mm. With this approach, there is still 2mm (ID) for urine to pass through quickly with no risk in pinching wherever the Teflon is placed.

I have never wanted to rely on the strength of knots in the retrieval line, so have stitched a continuous line (10lb fishing line) like this:

line.png.53cde25c214c8b3a2cb3082669c5ea0f.png

I have found there to be absolutely no difference in having two lines exiting the urethra vs. one. After all, you are talking about the single most significant factor that will put you in the E.R. if anything goes wrong. I also always ensure the line goes through both the silicone and Teflon, adding to the strength of the line by at least 10 fold. This way you can pretty much ensure your baby isn't going to ever tear or break loose and wreck havoc on your financial life. Stitching through the O-rings was optional, but I did it anyway because there would be less rubbing in that position than other available places.

Next, yes, I did fold the end of the silicone in as you can see in this picture:

end.thumb.png.ed920c3295b2791d64f5fda2e56daf68.png

This is possibly the hardest part in making the stent. You asked for a tip, and a new method I found is to find a woodworking screw with a diameter of ~4mm. The threading on the screw allows you to push the end in (straight) and then carefully screw out so you don't lose your progress. Slowly but surely, you should be able to make progress repeating this process. I even use a small screwdriver to do both the pushing and screwing out.

I think I will try on my next attempt to make these two Teflon pieces a few inches longer to ensure my sphincters aren't pinching the silicone shut. If I find that uncomfortable near the bend that takes place past the External Sphincter, I will use my heat gun to bend the Teflon in the right spot. The reason I won't do that on the first attempt is that I have no idea what the actual distance is between my two sphincters yet. Hopefully by leaving the Teflon straight, I will see a slight bend in the stent after removal to know where this distance is.

Hope that helps you!

  • Like 3
Link to comment
8 hours ago, boyhood said:

I have found there to be absolutely no difference in having two lines exiting the urethra vs. one. After all, you are talking about the single most significant factor that will put you in the E.R. if anything goes wrong. I also always ensure the line goes through both the silicone and Teflon, adding to the strength of the line by at least 10 fold. This way you can pretty much ensure your baby isn't going to ever tear or break loose and wreck havoc on your financial life. Stitching through the O-rings was optional, but I did it anyway because there would be less rubbing in that position than other available places.

[...]

This is possibly the hardest part in making the stent. You asked for a tip, and a new method I found is to find a woodworking screw with a diameter of ~4mm. The threading on the screw allows you to push the end in (straight) and then carefully screw out so you don't lose your progress. Slowly but surely, you should be able to make progress repeating this process. I even use a small screwdriver to do both the pushing and screwing out.

 

Thank you very much, the trick with the screw sounds very promising. I will give it a try after the holidays :)

Link to comment
On 12/13/2018 at 1:25 AM, boyhood said:

Hey Pro Stent Designers,

Here is my latest design, based on dlnoir's idea that appears to work perfectly for him.

Instead of stitching the O-rings to the outside, I have been able to squeeze these through a punched hole, followed by securing a piece of Teflon through the middle of the ring on each end. This method keeps the O-ring in place and risks virtually no danger in the O-rings coming lose. In addition, it makes insertion and removal easier while still providing the needed "wing" support on each end.

1005683042_120180708_203001(Large).thumb.jpg.82d87e20740906cfeba2b283c9ce7c92.jpg

417530545_220180708_211433(Large).thumb.jpg.48b1de895f337dbaa3846574aea2d20e.jpg

1122374504_320180708_203015(Large).thumb.jpg.7014d407b398236dc3b225c16cdf6a3b.jpg

This design doesn't seem to budge after it's put into place (that's good news, as movement is seemingly the #1 issue talked about in this thread), but there are "one or two" primary issues that still need to be worked out: 

• Length: Beforehand, I experimented with a shorter version of the above, more similar to dlnoir's length, but the placement appeared too short... meaning one end could expand into the bladder, but the other end would end inside the prostate before passing through the external sphincter. This rubbing caused me a considerable amount of pain. I figured this design must have been too short based on the fact that I only had urge incontinence where pushing was required. Elongating the design to have the wings 11cm apart like in the above interestingly did not change the urge incontinence-- pushing to release urine was still required. This design "has to" have passed through both sphincters at 11cm, no? Should I still experiment with going larger? If not, this leads me to question this next issue which is even possibly "the only" primary issue.

• Flexibility: Surely to have Teflon placed only at the ends is the most comfortable, but I am wondering if regular silicone tubing is "still flexible enough" to be pinched closed by the sphincters-- I think our sphincters are stronger than we think, and likely why a regular catheter takes a "considerable amount of more pressure" to pinch tight. Adding more Teflon inside the stent will definitely prevent any possible pinching of the silicone, but also reduce Flexibility and add to possible discomfort. An idea was to run Teflon tubing throughout the entire stent (or at least two pieces pushed in a couple inches on each side) to ensure there is no pinching. Could this be worth trying? Even if it were a bit more uncomfortable, I imagine the Teflon shape would eventually conform to the bend that takes place outside of the external sphincter.

Please let me know your thoughts!

I do have to say I like your design and it all might work very well. You used a different approach to secure the O-rings to the tube it looks sturdy and robust. If it stays firmly put it should be okay. As for measurements there is no right or wrong. In previous entries a lot was said about the measurements. Although the male plumbing is all the same there are without any doubt variations in length in it all, I guess that is safe to say. From what I can see I would say the distance between the two O-rings is massive but if that is the distance you need, so be it, there is no right or wrong. The only one who can figure out what works or doesn’t is you. Personally I never had any issues with a collapsing silicon tube. The again that could very well be related to my prolonged use of catheters and stents so the muscular strength has diminished.

The stent I use nowadays is short maybe even very short but it does the job. Total length is 8,5cm or 2-3/8”.  I took the bottom O-ring out and made a silicon ball in at the end. The bulge is big enough to not allow the stent to slip in to the bladder, small enough to pass easily though the urethra. It is nice and round so no irritation due to an expanding O-ring. I used a fishing line like always to retrieve the stent. So far my aim has always been to make something that works without any hindering, that is basically why I kept experimenting and testing although others stents worked nicely. This is where I ended up. My most recent design, I’ll post a picture of it.

 

IMG_1330.JPG

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...