Hi everyone, I have just started to self catheterise, and now I’ve got a UTI. I only started to catheterise 10 days ago, and when the continence nurse came to see me on Wednesday she checked my urine, which she said was borderline for infection so she sent the sample away for a more indepth test. She phoned today telling me I had an infection and there was a prescription for me to collect for Trimethoprim. The infection has been caught early and I only have a bit of kidney pain and nothing else.What I am worried about is am I going to get these infections a lot now, the nurse thinks that soon I will probably only need to catheterise once a week. Does anyone have any advice, am I worrying about nothing (as usual!)
Lynne x
Thanks Mel, I was sure I was being hygenic, but thinking about it I did drop one (MS clumsiness!), so maybe that is the cause. I have had to do a bit of poking around till I got the right spot (I hope I get used to it), so maybe thats it, who knows! The continence nurse did say that my body might just be reacting to a foreign body being in a senstive place. I really hope this is just teething problems and things will get better.
Lynne x
I’m sure we will get used to it. I couldn’t use a mirror, and I tried a few. The nurse gave me a mirror made bt one of the catheter companies, but I dropped it! Oh well!
Lynne x
Hi.
I rememeber this from starting to ISC, I used to get a lot of infections. Try using the mirror and wipes, also try using Antibac catheters if you can get hold of them. They are antibacterial coated (lessens infection) and although I use those and Lofric sense; the antibac are good and have definitely lessen my infections and the Lofric are great when out and about.
Don’t let the infection put you off doing something that is such a benefit and I catheterise everytime I wee so don’t worry if you never get to the elusive once a week, once a day isn’t even on my agenda!!
Good luck and I still use a mirror 4 years on!
BFx
Girls - sorry to hijack…but as you have raised the subject and all that…
I have been doing this for around 2 years now, saw the wee nurse twice! i have the catheters where you have to pop a foil sachet inside the pouch before you open it. Do you use these ones? its becoming harder and harder to pop the foil pouch with my hands these days and I wondered what other options are available???