Diaper with a Foley catheter?

[DL-Boy]

I was curious if anyone here has ever used a Foley catheter and a diaper together, with the catheter draining into the diaper.

I tried this several weeks ago but after I cath'd and padded up, I started scouring the Internet for references to the practice and found that it's practiced for infants  sometimes but it's highly discouraged for older children and adults due to the almost 100% chance of getting a UTI.  After reading that, about 45 minutes after getting ready for bed, I immediately went to the bathroom and removed the Foley.

I'm wondering if anyone here practices the Foley draining into a diaper and what if any problems have been experienced as a result.

As many here may already be aware, urinary catheters, both intermittent and Foley are available from many sources in the USA (online), without a prescription (despite there being an "Rx only" requirement.

[DiaperPilot]

You should never get an infection from a catheter if you follow some basic universal precautions and keep things are sterile as possible. that means never touching the catheter with anything but sterile gloves, using sterile lubricant,  & prep the area of insertion with alcohol or betadine solution to kill any potential germs in the area. although catheters tend to be uncomfortable for me when I have used them in the past, I have done it over a half a dozen times myself and never had an infection issue. You can Google how to videos on doing a catheter insertion put out by the medical community.

[Cruiser 03]

I straight cath 5X's a day ,unless I am having trouble with prostate or on the road ,then I foley , my bladder hates the ballon ,so my bladder periodicaly tries to expel it ,just as much urine goes around the catheter as thru it . The drain bag sits under my chair ,i have on occasion hit something and pierced the bag ,so being in an impossible situation if i remove the catheter i cant pee ,i leave it as the lesser of two evils and just drain into diaper till i get home . The irony of incontinence when you think you dont have to wear a diaper is when you really need it ,if you insert the foley using a clean technique and your not a pig about hygeine or diaper changes, its not an ideal situation by any means but i have done it no worse for the wear.

I can foley myself at home without problem ,anytime I have been in hospital and had one I get an infection everytime ,underneath the clean appearance of hospitals is petri dish of nasty .

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[Alex Bridges]

I put in a foley once, found it very uncomfortable, and took it out. I did a very poor job of being sterile and gave myself a UTI.

[DL-Boy]

I have 26 Foley catheters of two different manufacturers.  I've got 17 Rusch 14 french latex straight tips and 9 Amsino Amsure 100% silicone 14 french straight tips.  After trying them, I probably should have gotten coudé tips but I have only a small discomfort in inserting the straight tips.  I also have 26 syringes of sterile saline (10cc) to inflate the 5cc bulbs to manufacturer specs.  I have the iodine, sterile cotton balls, the whole nine yards.

My only UTI was contracted as a result of improper sterilization and reuse of a collection bag that ultimately back-washed into the foley due to my stupidity while inspecting the level to verify if the cath was draining properly.  I held the bag up too high (above hip level as I was in bed) and noticed an air bubble was moving TOWARD the cath and I freaked out and removed the catheter.  Unfortunately, the damage was done and I ended up the next day with low-grade fever, went to the urgent-care clinic and got antibiotics but by that evening I had a 104 F fever and had teeth chattering shivers until the fever passed about 3-4 am.

My concern and question to those who may practice cath to diaper is whether draining a properly applied sterile Foley into a fresh diaper could cause another screaming urinary tract infection.  I understand that to have a closed sterile system, the sterile bag hose must be connected to the sterile end of the Foley and left that way except when changing bags (which can cause introduction of bacteria into the system that could lead to a UTI as well).

Draining directly into the diaper instead of a collection bag, means the drain end of the Foley is not sterile and the medical papers I Googled stated that bacteria could quickly and easily traverse the 40 cm distance of the Foley to enter the bladder if it drained into a diaper.  The article stated that the practice is only recommended for newborns and not toddlers to adults.

 

For what it's worth, all of that was in an effort to sleep through the night without hours of standing at the toilet during the wee hours.  This Monday I will be having a procedure that hopefully will be resolving that issue in a short few weeks.  Nothing too radical though, as the procedure can usually be done in-office, although my urologist doesn't do it that way because of the risk of infection when doing a prostate nerve block (look it up and see where the needle goes and you'll know why).

[dlnoir]

I used to use catheters prior to using stents, I have done it for a year or so I never had a UTI during the mentioned period. That said I was very much aware of the risks that came with the catheter draining freely in my diaper and I could tell when it was time to take the catheter out. I kept it in for days in a row in hindsight I doubt it was a smart thing to do. You will grow bacterial colonies and if they reach your bladder you’ll have a good chance to develop a UTI.  I always drank loads of fluids but I can only say I was very lucky I never had a UTI.

[ppdude]

2 hours ago, dlnoir said:

I used to use catheters prior to using stents, I have done it for a year or so I never had a UTI during the mentioned period. That said I was very much aware of the risks that came with the catheter draining freely in my diaper and I could tell when it was time to take the catheter out. I kept it in for days in a row in hindsight I doubt it was a smart thing to do. You will grow bacterial colonies and if they reach your bladder you’ll have a good chance to develop a UTI.  I always drank loads of fluids but I can only say I was very lucky I never had a UTI.

You have some real balls. My middle name is UTI and have never used a cath myself; it's always inside a medical setting.

[dlnoir]

57 minutes ago, ppdude said:

You have some real balls

Maybe, that is why I said it was absolutely not the smartest thing I have done. ? Frankly I’ll never go back to catheters, but I simply like to wake up in a soaking wet diaper. ?

[DL-Boy]

22 hours ago, DL-Boy said:

For what it's worth, all of that was in an effort to sleep through the night without hours of standing at the toilet during the wee hours.  This Monday I will be having a procedure that hopefully will be resolving that issue in a short few weeks.  Nothing too radical though, as the procedure can usually be done in-office, although my urologist doesn't do it that way because of the risk of infection when doing a prostate nerve block (look it up and see where the needle goes and you'll know why).

UPDATE: The procedure (UroLift) was done today.  Ironically (maybe), I went home wearing a Foley.  The thing is, I'm used to 14 fr catheters and the doctor inserted a 20 fr...  Quite a bit bigger than I'm used to and boy am I uncomfortable, partly due to the catheter diameter.  Of course it didn't help that I've got 4-5 needle/suture sized holes punched through my prostate (ouch).  Don't know exactly how many UroLift devices he installed, he estimated a possibility of 4 or more when we discussed it a few weeks ago.

Interestingly, the doctor was aware that I had self-prescribed and inserted Foleys in the past few months and even though he didn't approve, didn't really say much about it.  What he did say today in recovery was that I would need to return to see him tomorrow to have the Foley removed, but then he added, "...or you can remove it yourself if you would rather."  The bummer is that I'll have to sacrifice a perfectly good sterile saline syringe to do so, unless I decide to cut the port off and let it drain on its own or use the pin on the cap to bleed the water off.  My syringes and Foleys are matched with just enough syringes for the number of Foleys I have left.  

Here's another medical term that means a lot to me right now:  HEMATURIA  (blood in the urine).

 

[willnotwill]

Syringes are cheap.   Well under a dollar.     While you can cut the lock off (in fact, I've got home care notes that say to do explicitly that), I'd sure love to know that I withdrew as much water as went in.

[DL-Boy]

On 8/14/2019 at 7:58 AM, willnotwill said:

Syringes are cheap.   Well under a dollar.     While you can cut the lock off (in fact, I've got home care notes that say to do explicitly that), I'd sure love to know that I withdrew as much water as went in.

Word of advice when removing a Foley is that you should never aspirate the catheter with the syringe (pulling water from the balloon).  This is because once all saline has been removed, the balloon will have wrinkles in it which can be very painful when the catheter is being removed.

Instead, exercise the syringe a few times before plugging it into the luerlock on the port, to make sure it's moving freely, then once attached, let the pressure of the balloon push the syringe plunger out on its own.  This will leave a slight bulge in the balloon after fully deflated but it will be smooth rather than wrinkled and is almost pain-free to remove.

I have practiced this on ALL Foley removals since the first time I removed one and fully aspirated the balloon and had to scour the Internet to figure out why I was in so much pain while removing it.  It shouldn't HURT to take it out although it's not necessarily going to feel good doing so.

[IdoPiddleSome2]

Was that a Latex or a Silicone Foley?
I ask because I've an allergy that rules-out latex (& no desire to find out how my body might react to a latex Foley, no matter how it might be)
For me it's a rough ride going IN, but taking one OUT has always been easy. I use the red plastic tube from a spent "Dust-Off®" can to push the pin on the inflation-valve & hold it down as I begin to pull; it slides right out!

[PullUpDiaperLover]

Sounds like fun, losing control over wetting naturally. But I am scared about the pain of insertion....

[DL-Boy]

Insertion was a breeze for me. I started out with a small silicone tube I cut from an oxygen cannula my wife had thrown out, then got some intermittent catheters and used the entire box of 10 over about a month. After a couple of insertions, knowing how to relax and "push" (to pee) slightly at the right time to aid inserting past the prostate & sphincters, it's easy. The only diff between the intermittents and the Foleys is the addition of the balloon and the port to inflate it. Always follow the manufacturer's inflation recommendation because it is usually double the balloon's capacity (5ml balloons usually fill to 10ml for full symmetrical inflation).

On 9/10/2019 at 9:42 PM, IdoPiddleSome2 said:

Was that a Latex or a Silicone Foley?

The wrinkle which I experienced pain during extraction was in a latex Foley but the silicone Foley I tried also wrinkled when fully aspirated after being inflated for some time.

[Old_PA]

When removing the Foley, try to let the water flow into the syringe without 'pulling' it out. If you suck all the water out, it will wrinkle more and be more painful during extraction.

 

[DL-Boy]

28 minutes ago, Old_PA said:

When removing the Foley, try to let the water flow into the syringe without 'pulling' it out. If you suck all the water out, it will wrinkle more and be more painful during extraction.

That's what I was saying... Don't "aspirate" or forcibly draw the water out.

On 9/10/2019 at 9:42 PM, IdoPiddleSome2 said:

I use the red plastic tube from a spent "Dust-Off®" can to push the pin on the inflation-valve & hold it down as I begin to pull; it slides right out!

The saline syringes I bought off Amazon (BD) had a pin point on the back of the cap that covers the luerlock.  That works perfectly (and was probably intended) to release the saline from the Foley.

[willnotwill]

Yep, wasn't saying you should draw the syringe back.  It goes by itself, but it's reassuring to seem 30ml (or whatever went in) come out when you put the syringe in the lock.

[DL-Boy]

15 hours ago, willnotwill said:

Yep, wasn't saying you should draw the syringe back.  It goes by itself, but it's reassuring to seem 30ml (or whatever went in) come out when you put the syringe in the lock.

I know, I was agreeing with your statement and mentioning that it was similar to the advice I had given several posts earlier.

[DL-Boy]

I got an order of five belly bags today (Thursday) so I took a chance and cath'd up to try one out with a 14fr Rusch yellow latex catheter.  I took all precautions I could this time.  I used Betadine on sterile (semi-sterile) cotton balls to disinfect the meatus. I used antibacterial foaming soap (Dial) to clean my hands before opening the belly bag and cath packages and connecting the bag to the cath (without removing the sleeve that covered the cath. I also connected a 10cc syringe of sterile normal saline to the inflation port and slowly inflated to about 8-9cc to test the balloon (I'm terrified of a balloon failing to deflate) then deflated it naturally before inserting it.  I used sterile lube packets, one squeezed into the meatus, the other along the length of the catheter then inserted the catheter and inflated the balloon.  Hung the belly bag and it is working well.

I put an Assurance stretch brief over it loosely just in case I leak around the catheter.

[Old_PA]

I have found the belly bags work very well but not too good for sleeping as I sleep on my stomach. 

[DL-Boy]

I have been sleeping on my back for a couple of months now because the diapers I've been wearing tend to leak if I'm not on my back.  This was the first night in a long time that I was able to sleep on my side. 

I haven't been able to sleep on my belly for years due to my weight but that used to be my go-to position. Now that I've dropped from 248 about 18 months ago to 208 now, it seems that belly sleeping may be back in my future soon.  

 

[Clr224]

I have a similar weight problem.  I’ve found that by using pillows on either side of me to provide support, I can comfortably sleep on my stomach. Side sleeping with disposable diapers is not practical because of the likelihood of leaks. Cloth diapers solve that problem. I can sleep in any position without fear of leaking. 

[DL-Boy]

I wore the ideal sleeping combo on Wednesday though I haven't tried it to sleep overnight in it yet.  It was a doubled (2) large adult square flannel prefolds pinned with toddlers sized "SnappiBaby" fasteners, covered with a Velcro PUL diaper cover containing two 4-ply microfiber inserts in the middle and four microfiber dish towels in the back wings with one microfiber dish towels in the front wings.  It was then covered by a water-proof cover made of nylon fabric covered with vinyl or rubber (?) on one side, then by my onesie.

I layed down on my bed and did some side pee tests and it passed the tests admirably.

[DL-Boy]

On 9/27/2019 at 4:30 AM, DL-Boy said:

I got an order of five belly bags today (Thursday) so I took a chance and cath'd up to try one out with a 14fr Rusch yellow latex catheter.  I took all precautions I could this time.  I used Betadine on sterile (semi-sterile) cotton balls to disinfect the meatus. I used antibacterial foaming soap (Dial) to clean my hands before opening the belly bag and cath packages and connecting the bag to the cath (without removing the sleeve that covered the cath. I also connected a 10cc syringe of sterile normal saline to the inflation port and slowly inflated to about 8-9cc to test the balloon (I'm terrified of a balloon failing to deflate) then deflated it naturally before inserting it.  I used sterile lube packets, one squeezed into the meatus, the other along the length of the catheter then inserted the catheter and inflated the balloon.  Hung the belly bag and it is working well.

I put an Assurance stretch brief over it loosely just in case I leak around the catheter.

I'm still wearing the Foley and Belly Bag tonight, almost 48 hours later.  I will either be removing it Sunday or before I go to work Monday morning.  I have been "test driving" this one to see how well I can tolerate my day-to-day life while being catheterized.  I've already figured out that a pair of Hanes briefs helps to keep the bag from chafing my abdomen.  I slip the bag through the leg of the briefs and put the briefs on, then hang my penis out the leg and put the bag strap around my waist again.  I then wear a snap closure PUL diaper cover without inserts to keep everything properly positioned.

I am thinking about taking a pair of briefs and modifying them with one side between the fly and the leg hole being cut and snaps added so I can place my penis in the fly properly.  I'm also considering getting some fabric and creating a strap with a snap on the opposite side of the fly to fasten down my penis so it stays in one place.

I went out today to have dinner and go grocery shopping, all the while wearing the Belly Bag.  

[Cruiser 03]

I'm still wearing the Foley and Belly Bag tonight, almost 48 hours later.  I will either be removing it Sunday or before I go to work Monday morning.  I have been "test driving" this one to see how well I can tolerate my day-to-day life while being catheterized.  I've already figured out that a pair of Hanes briefs helps to keep the bag from chafing my abdomen.  I slip the bag through the leg of the briefs and put the briefs on, then hang my penis out the leg and put the bag strap around my waist again.  I then wear a snap closure PUL diaper cover without inserts to keep everything properly positioned.
I am thinking about taking a pair of briefs and modifying them with one side between the fly and the leg hole being cut and snaps added so I can place my penis in the fly properly.  I'm also considering getting some fabric and creating a strap with a snap on the opposite side of the fly to fasten down my penis so it stays in one place.
I went out today to have dinner and go grocery shopping, all the while wearing the Belly Bag.  

They do make catheter holders both garter band style and self adhesive to skin ,they will keep your catheter from rubbibg the urethra raw , keep your penis from moving around and of course ensures "no traction injuries" anything pulling the cathter out or pulling on the hose ,they are cheap "insurance". Also as a matter of course if you insert cath in sterile manner as you describe into leg bag or belly bag of "closed system" my doctor doesnt require i change it more often the every 30 days . Into an open diaper allows bacteria a path into the body ,closed system doesn't offer bacteria that chance ,so 30 days is no sweat .

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