Display Patient Information Leaflets

Date issued: August 2024

For review: August 2026                

Ref: C-561/AKR/Learning Disability Team/You need or have a Sheath Catheter or Conveen v2

PDF: You need or have a Sheath Catheter or Conveen final August 2024 v2.pdf [pdf] 227KB

You need, or have a Sheath or Conveen: 

Your doctor or nurse may speak to you about wearing a Sheath or Conveen, or you may already wear one.

This is a funny sounding word; this is how you say it: sheeth or con-veen.

There are different reasons for wearing a Sheath/Conveen

• You may not get to the toilet in time when you need to pee. This means you wet your clothes.

• You prefer to use a Sheath/Conveen than wearing a pad.

• You may wear it at night to stop you having to get out of bed to pee.

• Wearing one helps you to sleep better.

• You may have skin that is sore, and this stops the pee from making this worse.

• You are unable to get out of bed and can have this to help the nurses know how much pee you have.

No-one will know you are wearing a Sheath/Conveen.

It can be covered with trousers.

It is okay to ask questions

For example: how to walk around with your Sheath/Conveen if you are mobile and what to do if you are sore or feel uncomfortable.

Keeping clean and germ free

• Wash your hands before and after touching your Sheath/Conveen. Also wash your hands before and after changing your leg bag or night bag. 

• Whilst in hospital the nurse will be wearing clean gloves and an apron.

Fitting a new Sheath/Conveen

• It is important to pull your foreskin down and clean around the top of your penis (willy) each day or before putting a new Sheath/Conveen on.

• Remember to put your foreskin back after you have cleaned there.

• Open the pack with the new Sheath/Conveen

• Place it over the tip of your willy.

• Unroll it up your willy.

• Gently squeeze the unrolled Sheath/Conveen around your willy. This will make sure it is stuck in place.

• Join the connector of a new urine bag to the end of the Sheath/Conveen straight away. 

• The Sheath/Conveen needs to be changed once a day. 

Removing the Sheath/Conveen

To remove the Sheath/Conveen unroll it down your willy. Warm soapy water can help it roll down.

Possible Sheath/Conveen issues

These tips can help to sort the problem.

The Sheath/Conveen is leaking/no pee is dripping down

• Check to see if there are any twists in the tube.

• Is the tubingsquashed against your leg?

• Are you drinking enough?

• Is your drainage bag lower than your bladder?

• Have you been able to poo?

• If nothing improves tell your doctor or nurse.

Cloudy/smelly pee or feeling itchy

• You may have a urine (pee) infection.

• If in hospital tell your doctor or nurse.

• If at home phone your doctor or tell your carer who might ask you to take a pee sample to the surgery.

Going home with a Sheath/Conveen

• You can get Sheaths/Conveens, leg bags and night bags on prescription. The nurses will set this up. before you go home.

• Spares should be stored flat in a cool, dark, and dry place.

• The nursing staff will tell you and your family/carer/support how to look after it.

• The hospital will give you and your doctor a letter saying that you are being discharged with a Sheath/Conveen.

Changing and Emptying a leg bag

• You can choose leg bags with a short or long tube. This means you can choose how high to wear your bag. 

• Take the wrapper off the new urine bag.                        

• Join the connector to the end of the Sheath/Conveen straight away.

• Leg bags are secured with straps, or a leg bag holder called a sleeve.

• Leg bags need to be emptied before they are almost full. If the bag is too full it can pull on the sheath and pull the sheath off.

• Empty the bag using the tap. Wash your hands before and after emptying your bag.

Night bags

• Night bags are connected to the Sheath/Conveen or to the tap of the leg bag. Your nurse will show you how to do this before you leave hospital.

• Night bags hold up to two litres of pee. Single use bags should be changed before they become too full.

• When you go to bed, hang your night bag from a stand or bed hanger.

• To empty your bag, close the top on the leg bag and take off the night bag. Empty the pee into your loo.

What to do with used bags

• These can go in your brown or black dustbin.

• Put them in old carrier bags or newspapers first.

• Night bags can be emptied and should be thrown away after 5 to 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.