Hello everyone, I am wheelchair bound and finding it difficult getting to and from the toilet. I recently met with a Urologist who suggested getting a suprapubic catheter fitted . I would like to know if anyone has had this done , any information would be greatly appreciated, Thanks Fiona
Hi Fiona
I used to self catheterise but kept getting infections, so my urologist suggested a suprapubic catheter. I had it done a few years ago as a day case under general anaesthetic, and it’s made life a lot easier. No need to mess around self catheterising or getting on and off the loo. I have it attached to a leg bag, and simply empty it down the loo when it’s full. Then at night, I attach it to a larger night bag which just goes on the floor next to the bed. It doesn’t hurt at all - I can’t feel a thing as I write this. Every now and then I’ll get some bladder cramps, but never for long. I used to have it changed every 6 or 7 weeks, but found it could start to block a bit if I waited that long, so now it gets changed every 5 weeks by a district nurse. I can feel the catheters come out & go in, but personally it doesn’t hurt. If it does ever block, I can perform a bladder flush. This is where you get a small bottle of liquid, attach it to the catheter and squirt the liquid up the catheter to clear out the sediment that’s built up in the catheter.
If you have any questions, let me know.
Dan
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Hello Dan thanks for replying, my main problem is being housebound because of my bladder 
.Not having to worry if there’s a disabled toilet before going out . My husband is my 24 hour carer and I feel getting this done would give us more freedom , just to go out and not worry about looking for disabled toilets. Questions now (sorry )was the operation painful ? Can the catheter fall out ? How long did the wound take to heal ? How exactly do you empty ?do you get infections? Thank you again ( I’m a little scared getting this done)Fiona
Hi Fiona
I was under general anaesthetic for the op, so obviously was painless. Afterwards, my insides were painful, BUT this probably wasn’t due to the SPC - they did a couple other things while I was under, including putting in a temporary stent, which was responsible for the pain (it was so much better when it was taken out).
The catheter shouldn’t fall out - there’s a balloon to keep it in place, which the nurse inflates when inserting a new catheter. Personally, my wound hasn’t ever fully healed up - I need to keep a dressing on it (it doesn’t bleed, it’s just a tiny bit ‘moist’). It doesn’t hurt though. I only get maybe one infection a year, probably even less than that - far fewer than I used to get. And to empty it, the leg bag has a valve at the bottom, so I simply wheel up to the toilet, pull my trouser leg up, lift the bag over the edge of the toilet and flip the valve so the bag drains into the loo. Easy peasy 
I hope that all makes sense! It’s definitely made life a lot simpler & easier, so no regrets at all. Keep asking away if you have any other questions though
Dan
Hi Fiona. Yeh, I had an SPC fitted about 9 years ago.
On the plus side, they are generally very good. I use to struggle before and wet mesen a lot!
Last year I had a uti and was spasaming and wetting a lot…they call it bypassing.
I had botox in my bladder to calm it and it worked.
Like you, I am a full time wheelie, so the SPC is a good idea.
I get it changed by district nurse every 4 weeks.
Go for it girl!
Boudsx
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Thanks Dan , I appreciate your help. you have been great .
How long were you in hospital for after getting the operation? . I’m am thinking about still having to go to toilet for a number 2 and not using my legs as much as usual , will I lose the ability to do that ? 
Hi Fiona, I have a spc and wear a belly bag as the name suggests it’s worn around tummy,I’ve had it about 7 yrs,I still get bypass events and need to wear a pad as well.
I have it changed every 6 weeks, unfortunately for me it’s horrendous and I have to apologise for screaming,it causes me a lot of pain and have considered having it removed but that means being incontinent again,I’ve had Botox but that didn’t help.
I ask my self if I had it removed would I be happy? no I don’t think I would ….as it does give me the freedom to go out.
Sue
Happy to help Fiona!
I can’t remember how long exactly I was in hospital for (you know what our memory can be like with MS 
). But it was done as a day case, so it was later that afternoon. I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t be able to sit on the loo for #2, though I guess we can all react differently to a procedure like this. I don’t remember having any issues myself, other than that I was moving more gingerly. If you have any concerns though, you could ask your urologist. Or, when you get contacted by the pre-op team, ask them.
Dan
Thanks Bouds for making me feel like I can do this. I am glad you answered my question 
I stay with my husband who is my carer 24/7 although he’s says it’s a privilege to look after me 
, I feel getting this done would help us get out and about without worrying about disabled toilets 
. I would love to go on a holiday as we’ve not had one since we were 17 we are now 50 
so I think it’s well due . It will need to be somewhere that’s excepts dogs as I won’t go anywhere without her , sorry for going on and on . Hope you are as well as you can be 
xx
Thanks Dan you have helped me out greatly with answering all my questions . Hope you are as well as you can be xx
Hi again. Glad my words helped.
Regarding holidays…I help run a group on facebook called. Limited Mobility & Wheelchair Friendly Holiday Accommodation. We have loads of dog friendly places. Have a look.
Boudsx
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Hi thanks , I have joined , we are really considering a holiday with our little dog now Thank you so much x
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