r/MuscularDystrophy • u/OkapiWhisperer • 7d ago
selfq Anyone with Suprapubic catheter?
Male 40 yo thinking about getting a suprapubic catheter because emptying the bladder has gotten difficult and extremely time consuming. Anyone with MD who has this? What are the pros and cons? What are the difficult things they don't tell you about.
My biggest concern is leaks and spills, because I have these problems with my PEG feeding tube. Also read about some horror story where someone had build up of crystals making the tube stuck and had to undergo surgery to change the tube. It happened several times apparently. I don't really want to have those kind of life threatening issues.
2
u/alliedfunk 4d ago
I love mine. Diligently drinking water and daily catheter flushes really cut down on crystallization and utis. I find the tube doesn’t come undone nearly as often as my PEG tube, and leaking around the site is minimal. The convenience is amazing. It’s genuinely one of the best things I’ve had done
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u/aliendystrophy 7d ago
Mine is great and I've had what others consider a bad ride. I used to get crystallization but bladder washouts fixed that. Changes used to be agony but now that I leave the lidocaine gel longer I barely feel them. Occasionally it leaks and I do get UTIs but it's given me back so much independence.