Incontinence Catheter (Corrected)

Edited to add a response to the correction above:

Thank you for clarifying the type of catheter you are considering. We have no personal experience with this type. Looking at information on male external catheters at WebMD.com, it looks like the process to apply and remove the catheter is rather complicated for a PWD, but I assume you would be able to help. If you do decide to try this option, please let us know how it works out.

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Original response:

My DH has had an indwelling catheter (aka Foley) for over 6 months. It was placed due to an inability to pass sufficient urine due to BPH (enlarged prostate) and a latent prostate tumor. During that time, he has had numerous UTIs, including one (acquired in the hospital) involving two drug-resistant strains of bacteria that required IV antibiotics to finally clear. He has suffered extensive tearing up the side of his penis from the internal portion of the catheter. He also has fecal incontinence and wears a heavy duty incontinence brief. Having large, messy BMs makes the area around the catheter a veritable petri dish of bacteria. At one point, he kept tugging at the catheter, trying to remove it. Fortunately he stopped doing that before he harmed himself. His catheter frequently becomes clogged with sediment and has to be changed (by a medical professional) about every two weeks. Normally they are supposed to be changed every 30 days.

Given that your DH already has trouble performing basic bathroom hygiene, he will not be able to keep the area as clean as it needs to be. I cannot see how having a catheter would be a good idea for anything other than a compelling medical reason. I am not a medical professional; I know there are others who comment here who are and may have better advice.

My friend's husband had one when he was hospitalized last summer for issues that made him very weak. They were pushing diuretics and this was easier than a bedside urinal or commode chair.

One issue they had was that he developed hospital psychosis and pulled it off routinely. This didn't cause injury but was very messy. I don't see how it would be a strategy in your situation; it he can't remember the mechanics of toileting, he's not likely to recall that the collection bag needs to come with him nor why he's got this thing on his penis. You could end up with a mess in the bedroom as well as the bathroom.

In your shoes, it seems the answer is either to supervise his nocturnal trips to the toilet which sounds exhausting or to use the best quality incontinence products you can find and have him wear a one-piece PJ set that would prevent him accessing that area. I suspect, not being able to access the area would likely cause confusion and agitation as well.

northernlady, we have a couple of friends that used external catheters in the hospital during short stays and they both got UTI’s. And they didn’t even have dementia. I would steer clear of them. With the right types of products, urinary incontinence isn’t a big deal for us.

We use a good quality pair of soft comfortable pull-ups and add a heavy duty pad to the inside. The pad is a thick one, the type designed for women after childbirth. It has a sticky backing that keeps it in place in the pull-up. If we check every couple hours we can often replace just the pad. At night I poke about 5 little holes in the sticky backing of the pad before placing it in the pull-up. That way, when the pad gets saturated it leaks down into the pull-up where it is absorbed, rather than over the sides. 

We use large washable soft pad that has a moisture proof barrier in it on the bed. On top of that we use an extra large puppy pee pad. We usually have a couple wet spots on the pee pad, but not often on the washable pad. In the 2+ years of urinary incontinence, we’ve never had it reach the fitted bed sheet. My DH sleeps on his back and barely moves during the night so that probably helps.