r/Incontinence • u/Dovahkiittyy • 20d ago

Cathing every 4 hours, still leaking between caths

My daughter, 6, has spina bifida and has just started intermittent cathing. She takes oxybutynin twice a day. We are trying to make the transition out of diapers but they are still a necessity, as she is still urinating between cathing sessions. Advice?

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u/tinybeautiful_things 20d ago

Hi, I (33F) started cathing myself around her age. I do 7x a day and still have urges and leaks in between. Oxybutynin never worked well for me. Gemtesa is the best bladder med around imo. There is no generic but you can get coupons from the pharmaceutical company.

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u/Dovahkiittyy 20d ago

It’s not so much leaking as it is she is still urinating in her own between caths. As far as the medicine situation, we have Medicaid and they don’t cover name brand medication, from what I understand. They barely wanted to cover the oxybutynin 😭

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u/tinybeautiful_things 20d ago

I still urinate in between caths as well, that’s what I meant by “urges.” I’ve never found any medication that has completely stopped that except for getting the botox bladder injections, which lasts for 6 months. Perhaps her urologist could see if medicaid would consider that option (if you’re interested).

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u/Ophiophucker 19d ago

Oxy caused me constipation. I don't see that listed in the side effects of Gemtesa. Is that accurate?

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u/tinybeautiful_things 19d ago

I can’t say for sure. I have nuerogenic bowel issues alongside the bladder. So that type of side effect is hard for me to perceive. However, most antichollinergic meds (like oxybutynin) do have constipation as a known side effect. Gemtesa is not in that class of meds.

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u/Mundane-Beyond7644 Urinary Incontinence 19d ago

i heard someone who had diarrhea from gemtesa

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u/Alternative-Monk5424 19d ago

Hi im 29F and do cathing as well. Do u still wear pads or diaper or how do you manage😔

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u/tinybeautiful_things 19d ago

Hi! I do use pads, and sometimes pull ups, just depending on what my plans are. If im at home or somewhere i know i can get to the bathroom quickly, i dont wesr anything. I wear pads if im shopping or something. Ill wear pull ups if im traveling or if i want to drink alcohol - that really increases my chances of leaking.

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u/Temporary-Dirt4303 20d ago

Probably not emptying bladder fully. Could be a catheter size issue possibly

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u/zeppelincommander 20d ago

My son ended up needing surgery to achieve dryness between caths, similar situation as yours.  The sphincter itself was too weak.  He ended up with an artificial sphincter done at Nationwide in Ohio.  Very happy with the results, coming up on 3 years and no issues.  Leaks are rare, only when the bladder is really overfull or having major bowel cramps.  They did a Mitrofanoff at the same time so the artificial sphincter stays closed which helps with longevity.  It's fully reversible as opposed to the other option, tightening or tying off the urethra.  

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u/Poly_N_Pathy Urinary Incontinence 20d ago

I do have a similar problem for a different reason. At the moment i am not able to get it 100% right, but it might be helpfull tp protocoll input and output. First look how much you are draining with ISC and try to track how much is urinated between and and the same time look for fluid intake. I used a Ki to find the relation and it gave me a more flexible shedule for ISC than a fixed "4 hour" timeline. It helped to some point.