Absolutely, compared to ANY alternative! My note of
6/24/98 is appended to the end of this reply.
>From time to time he can discretely check from the
outside of the pants for a hose disconnect. A hose
disconnect can result from a kink or from unwise
routing to the leg bag (e.g. go bedside the knee,
not over the top of the kneecap.) Pay attention to
how the hose exits between leg and underwear. Make
sure the hose length is generous but not long enough
to kink.
The area of the adhesive is usually the major concern.
1. Some brands stick significantly better than others.
I tried about four different brands. The first had
the adhesive pre-applied within the rolled up
condom. That is easy to put on and, sigh, easy to
have it come off. Two brands used a separately
packaged strip of double-sided sticky tape; it stuck
to anything it touched --- fingers, clothing, nearby
hair, etc. Removing it dry was not nice (I think I
used to remove it in the shower.) However, as long
as the tape overlapped itself after going around the
intended area, it almost never leaked. It never
failed catastrophically.
2. The skin must be prepared properly.
Follow the package directions to the letter. Shave
off hair in the appropriate area (If you don't, the
adhesive removal will eventually and memorably
alleviate the need to shave.). Wash thoroughly. Dry
it. Dry it. Dry it. Do not use any powders nearby.
3. The risk greatly increases when a change is overdue.
These adhesives wash off, so they are vulnerable to
repeated wetting from the inside. They are probably
vulnerable to sweat, but my own experience was
during cold weather.
4. The size must be correct.
My first encounter (in the hospital) gave me to
understand why it was called, "a Texas catheter."
They also make them in Yankee sizes.
5. Special patient characteristics might need attention.
Circumcision is not a significant factor., but
something called, "a retracted penis" might need a
special product. It doesn't apply to Greg, but a
need to use a straight cath needs a special Texas
cath.
Here are some brands and sizes:
Hollister, Inc. (Libertyville, IL)
Extended wear self-adhesive urinary external catheter
#9806 pediatric/geriatric (22mm)
#9807 medium (26mm)
#9809 intermediate (30mm)
#9808 standard (34mm)
Everyday self-adhesive urinary external catheter
#9606 pediatric/geriatric (22mm) etc
I don't know the difference between "Extended wear" and "Everyday".
Intermed, Inc. (Sparta, NJ) (Tried it once -- didn't like it.)
#4002 External male urinary catheter
Chesebrough-Ponds Inc. (Greenwich, CT)
Uri-Drain male urinary control device/
One-Piece molded construction with two-sided
adhesive strap and skin protective wipe #5-7330
Good luck,
Alton
----------------------------------------
appended post of 6/24:
Subject: re incontinence
Resent-Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 17:10:52 -0700
Resent-From: tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com
Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 20:07:44 -0400
From: A.Ryder(AT)ix.netcom.com
To: tmic-list <tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com>
Barbara Harper wrote:
> ... so odd to discuss some of this stuff ...
I can think of no better environment to discuss
these problems. In the reply of Bob (Cook?) from
Houston you heard of an experienced person's
solution. Here are two others.
For men only [the girls can skip this paragraph,]
there is a device called a "Texas catheter". The
proper name is "male external catheter". The
device is essentially a condom with a hose on one
end and adhesive inside the other end, and it is
used in conjunction with a leg bag or a
bedside/wheelchair bag. I used them for months,
and I recommend them. There are some negatives:
the foreskin stays wet and can become irritated,
the adhesive can be brutal at removal time, and a
failure is a minor catastrophe [do not kink the
hose!] I suggest that you remove them each night,
but I, myself, have gone up to two days without a
change. They are available in different sizes and
with different adhesive strategies. Send EMAIL if
you want details.
For both men and women for whom the word dribble
is more appropriate than deluge, there are
incontinence pants. After a few months of needing
nothing extraordinary, I am just starting to use
these, but not every day. I don't yet know much
about them, but it does seem that if I wear them,
I don't need them, and if I don't wear them .....
Alton
p.s. The neuro told me today that the recent
dribble problem is not related to TM. "Once
control comes back, it stays." We believe this
problem is related to two new medications.
Someone here said, "Just because you have TM
doesn't mean you are immune to all the other stuff."