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Well, I'll add life to an older topic..... I got my first foley experience yesterday. I am being worked up by a urologist for what he thinks is overactive bladder. I have been on two medications and neither one of them have done anything for me so far. The last four months I have had urinary frequency and incontinence and have been going at least 15 times per day with accidents every time I go to the bathroom. The last few days the frequency and the incontinence have picked up and yesterday I got to be pretty bad. I have not slept through the night in the better part of a week now. I had to make contact with my urologist office in reference to the latest medication that was not working to see what they wanted to do about that when I explained the things that taken a turn for the worse and so they got a hold of the doctor and we made phone calls back-and-forth and they told me to go to the emergency room. My wife is an ER nurse so she took me down to the local ER (where she used to work) and I was evaluated by the ER physician. He asked me if I wanted a catheter, I chuckled and said I didn't really want the catheter but I knew was the best solution and that's what my urologist office had sent me over here for. But I told him that I would be a lot more comfortable if my wife, who was sitting next to me could put it in, instead of the nurse who was standing right there. To my amazement, he said I don't think there's a problem that I'm comfortable with her, as they had worked together many times in the past. The nurse went and got the supplies dropped them off in the room and they were like, we'll be back in 5. So my wife inserted my foley last night in the ER. now I have an "emergency" follow up with the urologist tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes........

Hi pb&j32
I've been there and done it. I had a Urodynamics test done because I was going maybe twice an hour and I was living in the bathroom. I was also having to squeeze out urine. So now I wear a Foley 24/7. The one I wear is the Duette. It is very comfortable if you have to go long term.. It is very flexible and has a two balloon design. I don't know I have it. I am very glad I have mine as I can go about my day and not have to worry about finding a bathroom to pee!. I use a belly bag which holds 1000 ml.
If you need to talk I'm here
Dan

Thanks, Dan, this thing sure is making life easier so far.....I haven't had to run to the bathroom a bunch of times today, so that's real nice.......and no accidents.....I'm wearing a diaper over it, though for support and to catch whatever leaks or discharge might come out and, there's been a little discharge but minimal on the leaks. It really wasn't horrible to have inserted, but considering how nervous and uncomfortable I was I didn't really care. I was glad it was my wife doing it and not the total stranger ER nurse......

PB,
I just wear a pullup from Depends. I can get it down faster. Diapers are too expensive anyway. Your insurance will pay for all your catheters and supplies.

Dan, do they specify which catheter & type of insertion tray etc??? They will cover? Or do you pretty much have free reign of the catheter market as to what you purchase????.. I'm headed for the urologist this morning and WILL be asking for a prescription for foley's and/or intermittent catheters. My wife being an ER nurse can insert either for me....

PB&J32

I also use the Duette catheter it is a breakthrough in the Foley catheter design.
One balloon is of cores to hold the catheter from coming out this is on all Foley catheters. The second balloon when it is inflated covers the tip of the catheter it is supposed to stop trauma to the bladder by stopping the pointed tip from rubbing inside the bladder. I been using the Duette now for over a year 24/7 it is amassing something so simple works so good.

As for free reign of catheters section usually your doctor will most likely prescribe what he or she wants you to use and most doctors prescribe a Silicone coated rubber catheter why, it is the cheapest on the market. If your doctor is open-minded then he may let you try different catheters and believe me there is a difference in them.
Over the years I tried many different catheter manufactures and from my limited use of different manufactures I found Bard silver antibiotic Foley catheter to be one of the top as for helping with infections and comfort.
My number choice of Foleys is the Duette dual balloon Foley catheter it is the most comfortable catheter I used.
I do almost anything I want it is not the catheter that slows me down but my age and medical problems.

It is also nice your wife is an ER nurse if the catheter is going to be used long term she can help you learn to live and use it a Foley dose take some getting used to.
I have no leaking around the catheter unless I have an infection but like a lot of people I do wear a Depends Perfect Fit pull-up they are comfortable and I have some bowel problems mostly under control.

Lyle

I changed over to a Foley catheter last February and use it with a valve. I find it much better than diapers but so far every time it's been changed I got an infection. In future I am going to have antibiotics for three days before the catheter is due to be changed so am hoping to be infection free when it's next changed.
Apart from the infections I think a foley is great and it's something I think you should give a go.

4wheeldave.

well, I just got back from the urologist's office. He gave me a pile of catheters and supplies. As far a foley's being a long term solution. I don't think it is going to be one for me. I was referred to the ER by the uro office the other night because of extreme urinary frequency (way more than normal 15x in 10 hours) normally my incontinence is relatively light and is contained easily by a pad/pullup combo and sometimes a pad alone....a diaper is usually overkill for me. Although the incontinence over the days prior to the catheter had picked up quite noticeably.....So I have to take the catheter out to go to work as I am a firefighter and I don't feel comfortable wearing it to work due to the strenuous nature of the job. The Doc made it sound like I could wear it to work but I'm not going to. He gave us a pile of catheter supplies for her to put it back in when I get home from work should I need it to be replaced. The foley she put in me in the ER is a Bard lubri-sil I.C. (infection control model), and it appears as though it is the silver coated type. This has been very comfortable for the nearly 2 days I've had it in.....I hope when I have it out that the urinary frequency tames back......I do have to live my life outside the bathroom. I asked him about a prescription for foleys and he said not just yet....but I wouldn't mind having them around for her to put in when things get bad at home without going to the ER

PB,
your lucky with 5x in 10 hours. I was going 10 times in 8 hours. I was living in a bathroom. I had been wearing diapers and switched to a condom catheter for a few years.
Then after my prostate cancer operation, my sphincter wouldn't open and I had to force urine out. So that is why I wear a Foley. I flunked my Urodynamic test!
My Urologist did it to protect my kidneys. Back flow into the kidneys is bad!
Being a firefighter and wearing a pad must be horrible. With all the sweating you do that would ruin the pad. When I was in diapers I had to change a lot because of my sweating and the material in the diaper separating!

That's 15 times in 10 hours