If you have had an Indiana Pouch for more than a few weeks you probably have figured out a schedule for catheterizations. Medicare provides 6 catheters a day for a month – 180 in all – so it’s likely that most of us can expect to drain the pouch about every 4 hours. Life should be so simple!
An every-4-hour routine usually works out pretty well but there is an occasional surprise overflow at 2-3 hours and sometimes an 8-hour stretch can go by if we’re not paying attention, and there is no leak. This has been my experience and I’m curious to know if others agree.
Our daily life and social activities hardly ever match the 4-hour routine. I find that an early cath is a good idea just to avoid being someplace where clean facilities are not available or you don’t want to have to leave a play or movie in the middle of a performance. If you notice that your recent fluid intake has been more than usual it might be a good idea to drain the pouch a little early in anticipation.
There is some reason not to go for long periods between catheterizations on a regular basis. Urine can back up into the kidneys and lead to hydronephrosis – a ballooning of the kidney’s collecting system that can interfere with normal kidney function. The actual likelihood of this complication seems to be quite small, however. Even though the junction between the ureter and the new bladder is theoretically not able to prevent back-up of urine into the kidney, it doesn’t happen very often.
Routinely holding back on fluid intake in order to extend the interval between catheterizations is also not a good idea. The more concentrated the urine, the more likely is the formation of stones within the kidney or bladder.
Note: Beginning this month the blog will be published only twice monthly. Feel free to offer suggestions for topics that will be of interest to the IP community.
