www.incontinentsupport.org

Hi everybody, it's been a while since I last posted. In the last couple of months, my medical conditions deteriorated quite rapidly, and due to pain and spasms, I can now only walk about 20-30ft, so I'm now in a wheelchair when out of the house. It wasn't expected to happen for another couple of years, and took me a bit by surprise. I also don't think it will be too much longer before I am in a wheelchair in the house too. I can only just make it from one room to the next.

Anyway, I was wondering if there's anything different I should be doing diaper wise, now I'm in a chair, and now spend the majority of my day sat down? I've heard leaking when sat is more common, and really wish to avoid this. After months of waiting, I now finally have my appointment with my local incontinence service, but the appointment isn't until the 26th of May.

Also, because I now spend the majority of my time sat, I thought it would be a good idea to sleep on my stomach, to give my backside a bit of a break, to try and avoid pressure sores, but seem to be leaking badly. Is there anything I can do to make sleeping on my stomach possible?

Thanks, and I hope you are all well,

Cheryl

As a wheelchair user myself I found wearing diapers ok but used to have to change them more often. Sitting in a wet diaper for any length of time is uncomfortable and that is one of the main reasons I changed over to a catheter early last year. As you may have read from my posts catheters are not without there problems too. I just could not cope with all the changing and stuff with my mobility being so poor but there have been times in the last 12 months when with a feaver and high temperature that I have said " if only I had stuck with using diapers ". The catheter is great for me when I am infection free and all is working well but can be bad when it all goes wrong.
I think you will have to find out by trial and error with diapers and the chair what works best for you. As for sleeping on your stomach it will probably take a few weeks till your able to adjust to it but it should help in the long run.
Good luck with everything.

4wheeldave.

I'm in the same situation. I use Abena diapers and take very diligent care of my skin. I have tried catheters but I got a lot of bleeding and constant spasms with leakage around the outside of the catheter so it still required me to wear diapers of some kind to prevent leaks all together.

I also put a washable chuck on my wheelchair when I at home. I also have a waterproof cover on the core of my cushion so if my diaper leaks when I am away from home.

_________________
When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.

To be fair, nappies are not ideal for wheelchair use and a better solution ought to be found as damaging the skin on the buttocks can result in a nasty would that can take a while of permanent lying on the front to heal. That is not recommended.

For males a sheath (external catheters) are the best idea. For ladies some sort of catheter would probably be better.the continence service ought to be able to help with that or at least refer you to a doctor who can help.

Hi guys, thanks for the replies. I have an appointment on the 26th of this month with the continence team, and I'm definitely going to be talking to them about catheters. A few people have mentioned self catheterization to me, but to be honest, I don't really fancy doing that away from home in public bathrooms. The germ factor creeps me out, and the thought of getting infections kind of terrifies me. Personally right at this point I'd prefer something that could be used with a leg bag, as I'm happy to just empty that that the toilet. I'm not sure what the options are like for women though. This appointment can't come fast enough!!

Cheryl

Well, good luck with the Continence advisor! You might need it.

Broadly you have three choices -

1. If you bladder will hold enough to make it worthwhile Intermittent catheterisation is the best option. Bladder infection are minimal and, for ladies, the Coloplast Speedicath Compact is the size of a lipstick so easily carries and disposed of.

2. The obvious Foley catheter and drainage bag will work fine but the infection risk is a lot higher. If you managed 1. you might have to to use a Foley for long flights if you can't get to the toilet. It's always an option when things could be awkward.

3. The Suprapubic Catheter is a standard Foley inserted through the abdomen in a short operation. It is more easily changed than a Foley, has a much lower infection rate than a Foley and can either drain into a bag or have a valve to empty it from time to time.

If you have a choice, 1. is certainly the better option but will only work if your bladder will hold a reasonable amount. Let me know if you want to know any more.

Hi, thanks for the really helpful info. My bladder does tend to work somewhat normally for the most part, as in in generally voids a bladder full every couple of hours. Sometimes it can be every 5-10 mins, but for the most part it's every 2-3 hours. Because of the spinal chord injury I have, I now just have no bladder sensation at all, as I don't feel it fill, and have no idea when I'm going to release, until I'm already voiding. Hope that makes sense. I'll look into the speedicath so I have something to discuss with advisor. I like to have SOME kind of knowledge when going to medical appointments.

Cheryl

Do you know what level your spinal injury is? Knowing that can sometimes predict how things ought to work... or not.

My injury level is L3-L5

The big problem I used to have with leaks was that I would pee as I stood/crouched to do a transfer and then as I sat back down it would leak out of the sides.