Being sent home with a catheter Female
Date issued: April 2022
Review date: April 2024
Ref: C-487
PDF: Being sent home with a catheter female final April 2022.pdf [pdf] 1MB
Being sent home with a catheter - Female
Keeping clean and germ free:
It is really important that you keep you and your catheter clean to stop germs getting into yourbladder. You must:
• Wash your hands before and after touching your catheter.
• Wash daily. You can have a bath, shower or strip wash. You may need to do this more often if anything leaks from your catheter.
• Wash with unscented products and warm water. Do not use strong smelling soaps, shower gel, bubble bath or talcum powder. Look for things with the word ‘sensitive’ on.
• Ask anyone who is helping you manage your catheter and personal care to wash their hands and wear gloves.
Washing tips:
When washing yourself be sure to clean around where the tube enters your bladder.
Wash from front to the back.
If you have a suprapubic catheter:
It is important to wash the skin around where the catheter goes into your body (entry site).
This should be done once or twice a day with unscented products and warm water.
If your skin is sore or you see any discharge coming from the entry site please phone your doctor (GP) for advice.
Drainage bags:
Drainage bags are what your wee drips into. The hospital uses different types of drainage bags: leg bags and catheter valves.
Leg bags are a bag worn on your leg. You can chose to have leg bags with a long or short tube. This means you can choose how high you wear your catheter.
Leg bags are secured with straps or a leg bag holder called a sleeve.
Catheter valves can be used instead of a bag. You can talk to your nurse about this. You will be told how often to open the tap to empty it if you decide to choose this option.
Night bags:
Night bags are either connected to a leg bag or catheter valve. They can hold up to two litres of wee but should be changed before they become too full.
It is important to ensure that the drainage bag is lower than your bladder to help the wee drip down.
When attaching the night bag to your leg bag or catheter valve it is important to open the tap so your wee can drip from one to the other.
When you go to bed hang your night bag from a stand or bed hanger.
Emptying a night bag:
Close the tap on the leg bag or catheter valve and take off the night bag. Empty the wee into your loo. Always wash your hands before and after this task.
Emptying and changing a leg bag:
Leg bags need to be emptied before they are almost full. If the bag is too full it can pull on the catheter and become uncomfortable.
Empty the leg bag using the tap. Pinch the end of the catheter before taking off the old bag to stop the wee from coming out before you are ready.
Take the wrapper off the new leg bag. Join the connector to the catheter straight away. Make sure you strap the catheter to your leg using the straps given.
What to do with used bags:
Drainage bags go in your brown or black dustbin. Put them in old carrier bags or newspapers first.
Night bags you can empty should be thrown away after 5-7 days use.
Single use bags should be thrown away when they are almost full. Empty them down the loo before putting in your bin.
General catheter information:
You can get catheters, leg bags and night bags on prescription. The nurses will set this up with a company called Script Easy before you go home.
Spares for your catheter should be stored flat in a cool, dark and dry place.
The hospital will give you and your doctor a letter saying that you are being discharged with a catheter. Ring your GP to check they know.
Possible catheter issues:
Sometimes you may get an issue with your catheter. Try these tips first to sort out the problem. If they don’t work, phone your doctor for advice.
The catheter is leaking/no wee is dripping down:
Check to see if there are any twists in your catheter tube. Is it squashed against your leg? Are you drinking enough? Is your drainage bag lower than your bladder? Have you been able to poo? If nothing improves phone your doctor.
Cloudy/smelly wee or feeling itchy:
You may have an urine (wee) infection. Phone your doctor who will might ask you to take up a wee sample to the surgery.
The catheter has fallen out:
Phone your doctor or district nurse straight away. You will need to have a new catheter put in.
