Foley catheter?

[tracydr]

Just wondering if anybody uses a foley catheter rather than a she-p? If so, pros/cons?
I know how to catheterize another person but would need to learno how to self-cath, or teach hubby.
I'm trying to decide which I would prefer. The she-pee sounds quite fiddly.
im one of those that can't stand thongs, not for five seconds. Will I be wanting to tear the thing off immediately? I also have sensitive skin and I'm allergic to the adhesive from normal adhesive tape on bandages/ regular tape and other types of medical sticky stuff. I would really, really hate to get a nasty rash on my labia. Obviously, I'd need to do a test patch with the adhesive, but those aren't always perfect, since some skin is more sensitive than others and I always seem to develop allergies over time when exposed to things.
Anyway, we have a three day live aboard trip coming up and I have the world's smallest bladder. The trip is in the Northern Channel Islands so it will be all drysuit diving.

 

[TSandM]

I believe Clare Pooley in England played around with self-catheterization. There's not really any reason why it wouldn't work, and certainly there are plenty of folks out there with problems that require that they learn to self-cath. The infection risk would be significantly higher, I think. There is also the issue of where/when you install the catheter, and having to plug it to avoid leakage when you aren't "hooked up".

The She-P IS a bit fiddly, but there are a lot of us using it. There are a couple of adhesive alternatives. I use the Urobond, but I know folks who have had success with the Hollister spray. There are failures, and there is a learning curve. I do not use a thong or any other kind of trussing setup to reinforce the device. It is generally surprisingly comfortable to wear, although it can be a little ouchy to remove.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure that Clare gave up the catheter and either went to the She-P or back to diapers.

 

[tracydr]

Okay. I think I'm going to take the plunge.
I can't believe how much these things cost! Holy cow! Is the kit, with the valve the best way to go or is there a preferred valve that I should buy separately?
i like the idea of using regular underwear with a pad or even a diaper to hold in-place rather than a thong. I've never tolerated a thong, tried and couldn't stand them, back when I dated.

 

[TSandM]

Well, let me ask some questions.

Do you have a p-valve in your suit already? If not, you have to buy one. You'll get a lot of opinions about balanced vs. unbalanced, and about brand. I will vote for balanced; I've had one p-squeeze experience, and I do not EVER want another one. Not ever. Would rather pee in diapers. Balanced all the way for this gal.

I've used the LM and the Halcyon valves. I think the resistance is similar. I like the way the Halcyon empties better, because I can instantly SEE whether things are going where they ought, when I use the valve on land. The LM baffles flow so that by the time you figure out the urine is coming out where you want it to, your suit is wet.

The She-P kit with the QD and Urobond is the way to go. You want the QD and the plug for the She-P end of it. Yes, you do.

 

[jar546]

I will chime in as a former medical professional. You need a certain amount of pressure to push out of the P-Valve. When you have a foley in, the end of the catheter is inside the bladder and gravity/static pressure is all that you have and I am not sure if that is enough pressure to work with a P-Valve. Has anyone tried this? I would think the bladder would still get full and have nowhere to go unless enough pressure was built up.

 

[TSandM]

I suspect that, even with a Foley, you would have to contract the bladder or Valsalva to empty, since there would be no "gravity drainage". But I don't see how that would be significantly different from an external device, except for the fact that when you disconnected the Foley from the p-valve, it would drip.

 

[tracydr]

I will chime in as a former medical professional. You need a certain amount of pressure to push out of the P-Valve. When you have a foley in, the end of the catheter is inside the bladder and gravity/static pressure is all that you have and I am not sure if that is enough pressure to work with a P-Valve. Has anyone tried this? I would think the bladder would still get full and have nowhere to go unless enough pressure was built up.

Hmm. I really never thought of this. You would probably have to contract muscles or valsalva to overcome the pressure? But, how does the She-p overcome the pressure? Just by filling?
i don't have a p-valve. My husband has one on his suit and I'm pretty sure he did the install.

---------- Post added ----------

Urination can sure be complicated!

 

[Peter Guy]

Urination can sure be complicated!

But also divine!

 

[tracydr]

But also devine!

Yeah, you can bet my husband told me more than once, or twice, last week how nice it was to drink from his camelback and pee in his drysuit!

 

[TSandM]

The She-P operates the same way a Foley would. If you pass urine into the reservoir on the device, the reservoir fills, and when it's full, urine has to go SOMEWHERE, so it goes out the tube. You don't need much above ambient pressure to get urine to flow, if the resistance is low. This is one of the reasons the Halcyon p-valve is so nice -- it has VERY low resistance.