Hello Ski, I will attempt to answer your questions the best I can. I have used the external system on and off for over 10 years, closer to 15, but I have only ever used the one peice catheters, those with the glue already applied to the inner lining. They do make them with a 2-sided sticky tape and the catheter with no glue at all (called a Texas-Style), it sticks to the tape once you have wrapped that around the penis first, then roll the catheter over top and seal it as best possible. I doubt the seal would be anywhere near as good as it is with the glue already applied, but like I said, I have never tried, I get great results with the one piece, ready to go with no messing around with a 2-sided tape. I also don't like the idea of wrapping anything around down there, especially a tape that won't stretch too much, just makes me nervous about restricting blood flow!
I have tried all the brands of one piece, and after figuring out what ones work best for me and have the best seal-ability, the Mentor ones are the best. I use the LS (long seal)
http://www.athomemedical.com/External-Catheters/Coloplast-Mentor-Freedom-Clear-LS.asp and have yet to have one that even came close to becoming un-glued. Rochester also makes a great one-piece unit too, both the Wideband and the UltraFlex work well. They have a new style out that I have not tried yet, Spirit Hydrocolloid Adhesive Sheath, it may be another one to try if you can get samples. I also prefer the Silicone type compared to the Latex, I don't want to get into the Latex allergy issue, especially down there! Skin prep is also a good idea, you get a much better seal with it then without, and is a cheap option to get better results.
http://www.athomemedical.com/External-Catheter-Accessories/Smith-and-Nephew-Skin-Prep-Protective-Barrier-Wipes.asp Coloplast also makes one called Cavilon that does the same thing. If that is not enough for your piece of mind, you can use a foam strap that goes overtop of the catheter as a last means of leak prevention, does not apply tight, just keeps things on where they are supposed to be.
http://www.athomemedical.com/external-catheter-accessories/rochester-medical-natural-external-catheter-re-usable-strap.asp I use them when I am on holidays on the motorcycle, and they work really well for me, another line of defense so to speak, but not absolutely needed.
Which style of leg bag you use is another option, there are dozens of makers out there. Hollister and Coloplast are the top of the list as far as my opinion goes. I use this one
http://www.hollister.com/canada/products/product_series.asp?id=3&family=22&series=183 and have never had any problem with them, they fit the best in the Urocare holder too!
As far as keeping the tubing in place, there are a few options to do that. I use a medical tape at the top end, and apply to the inside of the upper leg, with enough movement to not be pulling on things, but not allowing enough slack to have a kink happen in the tubing or end of the catheter. I use a fabric strap holder that I found online, along with a fabric leg bag holder that eliminates the straps and pressure sores from the weight of the bag, both made by Urocare, and worth their weight in GOLD! Straps are located here
http://www.urocare.com/EN/Products/UrocareFbrcStrpsEN.php Leg bag holders are here
http://www.urocare.com/EN/Products/FrbcLgBgHldrsEN.php How you route the tubing will also help, I tend to run it across and down towards the hip, and straight down the leg to the bag, which I wear on the outside of the leg. Everyone is different in how they set it all up, but after seeing what you like and what works best, it is a great system to deal with the plumbing problems.
If you contact the vendors thru their websites, you can request samples from them, I went that route and it saved me a ton of time and money trying all the different brands out to see what worked best for me. Hollister, Rochester Medical, and Coloplast will all send sample kits to you. By the time I did that, I must have had 40+ catheters, along with leg and bedside collection bags, and tubing sets to last me months, I really appreciated them doing that as the stuff is not cheap! I highly recommend getting a hold of them all and seeing what they can send you to try, well worth the time!
If you have ANY other questions that come up from all this, feel free to ask. I wish I had this site when I started to have problems instead of figuring it all out on my own, it would haver made life SO much easier getting help with the where/when/how/why questions I had, and there were many! It's nice to be able to give back in some form, hope this helps you get some answers to your questions!
Puffy
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
