Showering with a Catheter

[GraphicBass]

Since getting my perma-cath, I have really suffered with the restrictions on showers, and the dire warnings from my renal team about catheter infections.

I take these warnings seriously, but — I REALLY miss my morning showers. It seems to be the only way I fully wake up and feel clean.

So I've been searching for solutions.

First up was stocking my bathroom with the same medical supplies the center uses: island bandages, povodine/iodine swans (triples), gloves and a mask I swiped from the center. If my dressing got moist or wet, I'd simply change it, using roughly the same techniques as the center.

I started to get worried about that procedure, since the more times I changed the dressing, the more opportunities there are for infection, so I looked for another solution, and found something allows me to take a nice shower and protect the dressing:

http://www.liquashield.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=29

These are thin plastic sheets with a 3/4" border of adhesive all around. Peel off the protective tape around the edges, apply over the entire dressing and catheter (the 7 x 10" size fits with plenty of room to spare), and make sure the adhesive sticks to the skin all around.

Voila: instant dressing protection!

Some tips from my experience:

1. Don't make the water too hot or it will loosen the adhesive.
2. Don't let the water spray directly on the shield. Runoff from your head or shoulder are OK, but direct water spray can work it's way between the adhesive and skin.
3. Don't move your arm too much, especially raising it above your head, as this can pull the adhesive away from the areas under the arm.
4. Don't stay too long; build up of steam (I like HOT showers) and moisture will defeat the adhesive in about ten minutes.

Other than that, you're pretty free to wash everything you want to.

The first couple of times I used this, it was a mess. But I've been doing this about two weeks now and have mastered the technique, with no wet or moist dressing after the shower for the last week. Makes the nurses happy and me, too, when they see the dressing THEY applied still there!

There is an expense: about $50 for a month's supply, but I figure my hygienic health and sanity, and that of those who have to be around me, are well served by my spending!

And — I get my morning shower! Hallelujah!

Just my $.02 contribution, in case anyone else has suffered this frustration and not known how to deal with it.

gary

[kitkatz]

I would put two trashbags over my head and then carefully use the hand shower we have.

[RightSide]

For a while, I used a Korshield, like it shows in this video (that's not me in the video):

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyf0hG3BniU

That worked pretty well for a nice few months. But then I noticed that the rubber seal around my neck was starting to loosen, and leak.  So I learned the hard way to always have a spare Korshield on hand for backup in case the first one failed.

[GraphicBass]

I tried the trash bag solution, but had trouble getting a good neck seal, a problem the Korshield seems to solve! What an ingenious product!

I think rather than re-order the LiquiShields, I'll just get a Korshield. It'll be cheaper, actually, than a month's worth of the plastic covers, and will certainly be easier to use and more reliable. If I only get a month or two of use (I should be able to use my fistula by the end of January) I'll still be ahead of the game.

Thanks!

gary

[ChickenLittle56]

A friend was able to get the SW and the doctor to somehow get Medicare/Medicaid to pay for the catheter dressing. I think the approval was for Tegaderm and he used that for showers. The only discomfort he had was that the pads really stick to the skin.

[vivalaslele]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE 3M tegaderm dressings!! I dont let the shower spray directly on them, but they can totally handle some splashing!!

[MooseMom]

I just had to find out how you "shower with a cat"...

[GraphicBass]

Heh. We have cats — eight of them — and two of them LOVE water. One of the two likes to jump in the pool from time to time, and the other will actually get in the shower (as long as the water is not running too hard or two hot). Weirdest thing I've ever seen in many years of being owned by a cat.

g

[RightSide]

I just had to find out how you "shower with a cat"...

There's a YouTube video on almost every topic including this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVJdIeKvchQ

[retrartpole]

It is indeed troublesome that you can’t shower like normal as how you used to do it before. I personally hate limitation as I am so used about the way I am. Actually it seems to be the best to use Korshield as advised as it is stated at their website that it is the best solution for your problem. I am glad that someone else had approach you earlier with this idea and you could resume your daily morning shower session.

[Riki]

I had mine line for over a year, and I got it because of a really, really nasty peritonitis infection, so, I didn't take a shower from December 2008 to May 2010.  My mother washed my hair, and I cleaned myself at the bathroom sink.  I was too afraid of infection, especially after the peritonitis, to defy what I'd been told about the showers.

btw, tegaderm are not waterproof.  They were used on my PD dressing, over gauze, and the gauze was always wet after showers.  Also, my line dressing was a tegaderm.  I was still told not to shower

[GraphicBass]

The LiquiShields work nicely, most of the time, but leak often enough that I don't think I'll continue to use them. Today, I order a KorShield!

g

[RenalSurvivorDotCA]

This may sound kooky but it works and is cheap. Glad Press-And-Seal. Yep. Get a piece big enough to "sandwich" over your cath and secure to your chest with tape around the edges. You still have to be careful about vigorously moving your arm up and down so the tape wont come off your chest.

After showering, pat dry the area and then after removing the Press-and-Seal inspect the dressing. If you were careful it should still be completely dry.

My 2nd choice would be the large TegaDerm but they are hard to get a hold of for free. My unit would give them to me when they had some in.

[onestronglittlelady]

My husband and I both with Cath. were told not to shower. Yuck! Anyhow, we use the Saran wrap and tape method unless we get lucky enough to find a nurse who will smuggle us some Tagaderm. I will have to pick up some Glad Press and Seal. Thank you to all for your ideas and suggestions!

[GraphicBass]

My clinic really advocates NOT changing  your own dressing, but I've have my own opinions about that!

Tagaderm is available at a couple of local drugstores, but they sure are expensive — about $3.50 each! My island dressings come 15/box for about $10.

The gladwrap solution sounds interesting, but I haven't found a tape that sticks to skin in the shower, even for a short time and being careful. What tape do you use?

g

[onestronglittlelady]

We found a waterproof tape at our local walgreens. We also had one nurse give us the same dressing tape they use if we ever do get our dressing wet. It does work better if you have some one help you with the tape and Suran wrap.  Once we have some extra money, we want to get a hand held shower as well.

[GraphicBass]

I'll check Walgreen's — thanks!

I hear you about the handheld shower head — nice ones are expensive and sort of a pain to install. I may hold off on that until I see how long it will be before I use my fistula. Right now, I can point the shower head down and turn down the pressure of the spray.

Who would have thought the the simple act of taking a shower would be so complicated?

gary