Many people have questions and concerns about urinary catheters.  Some of these concerns and what you can do are listed below.

Concern:  After catheter insertion, the patient feels mild burning or a need to urinate.This is a common feeling.

What you can do:

• Try deep breathing, relaxation exercises, or diversion such as reading, watching TV, or visiting with family or friends.

Call the Hospice nurse if these symptoms persist for more than two days.

Concern: The urine is dark or amber colored.  This can be caused by some diseases, some medicines or when the patient does not drink a lot of fluids.

What you can do:

• Encourage and increase fluids as tolerated.
• Ask the Hospice nurse if the patient’s disease or the medications can cause dark urine.

Concern: No urine has drained into the tubing or bag.

What you can do:

• Be sure the tubing is not caught under the patient, kinked, or looped. Straighten the catheter tubing.
• Try changing the patient’s position.
• Check to be sure the bag is below the level of the bladder.
• Check for leaking around the catheter entry site.
• Check to see if the patient has fullness, pressure, or pain in the lower abdomen.
• Call the Hospice nurse if there is leaking, discomfort, pressure or you have tried everything else and you still see little or no urine in the bag 8 hours after you emptied it.

Please feel free to call your Suburban Hospice, Inc., team at 833-888-7222 for questions or concerns you may have about urinary catheters.