Conveen do a range of these aids. When I contacted them in 2008 the supplied me with complimentary samples of bags and tubes. I can't remember whether they supplied the sheathes also that come in different sizes but my GP arranged a supply of these through a local pharmacy. So I don't know if these are still available through the NHS. (I only needed them for a short time after RT). They do the job fine but I found it necessary to trim the pubic hairs because the sheaths have a light adhesive and it can pull when removing if hairs have been caught up. Each of the sheaths I had came with a removable insert to assist placement. The tube connects the sheath to the bag, the latter incorporating a valve to enable emptying. There was a day bag for wearing on the leg and a night bag.
I found a slight draw back to be that during the day when walking about, the bag tended to slip down the leg, meaning you could not move quickly without this happening. This situation improved when Coveen supplied a 'to patient size' stocking to supplement the belt provided to retain the suspended bag. The tube passes through the stocking to help secure the system.
I think a person using this system regularly would become accustomed to it. I must say that it felt strange to be conscious that I was passing water whilst I was chatting to somebody whilst on a long coach journey without a toilet, long journeys being the main reason why I used the system. That this was so easy may mean that some men who should be trying to use muscles to hold back urine as part of bladder retraining, could just rely entirely on the system instead, which is not wanted. However, for men using this as a temporary measure only, or who are never going to improve continence, the system can make life easier. So consider the drawbacks and discuss with GP before adopting permanently.
Edited by member 02 Jun 2023 at 19:08
| Reason: clafication
Barry |
User
Thanks so much for the long and detailed reply, Barry!
I'm sorry for my slow response, I have not had time to pop in here recently - I'm leaving to go back home to the UK in a few days and have been managing all sorts of issues here for my dad. We saw his urologist last week for his latest check-up and HT injection (urologists do that here, not oncologists, it seems). The urologist was somewhat dismissive of the sheath, suggesting that it often "slipped and leaked" and recommended high absorbency diapers instead for travelling - ones that claim to last up to 12 hours.
I suppose given that the sheath products are hard to come by over here, we'll have to give the high absorbency diapers a go and see how well they do. Just rather disappointed there aren't so many options available here.
Will give Conveen a call when I am back home to see if they can give me further advice. Thanks so much for relating your personal experience, it has been really informative!
Jin
User
Just a couple of further points. One should not reduce normal intake of fluid to reduce the passing of urine. This can result in other problems. The slippage of the bag can be minimised if the bag is emptied if an early opportunity is taken to do so, less weight being suspended this way. This is very easy to do as bags can be had that incorporate a valve and it is not necessary to disturb the sheath or tube. The bags and tube can be washed and reused. The sheath that covers the penis obviously has to be removed when showering but is then disposed of, so a new sheath is then slid on and connected to the tube, hence a good supply of the sheathes is needed.
I found Conveen very helpful when I spoke with them over the phone. As I said in my previous post, some slippage can occur as the Urologist has also mentioned but I found the belt plus elasticated stocking in combination minimized this.
I can understand some men would be able to adapt to this system more easily than others.
Barry |
User
Jin, something to consider with any pads, they do reach saturation point and then leak. A few small leaks into a pad will eventually cause it to leak. For me frequently changing a small pad was easier that having the pants and having to undress to change the pant type pads.
Thanks Chris