icnmgrjill
07-10-2008, 09:40 AM
(Reprint - March 2006)
With more than 11,000 patients posting in the ICN Message Boards, we're sure to find posts that are so helpful and encouraging that they deserve a special mention to all our members and subscribers! This year, we will give those posts the award that you see to the right in recognition of there contribution to our support community and share some in our e-newsletters!
On January 30, 2006 ICN user Kadi replied to a posting about how to make rescue instillations more comfortable. She, too, had experienced discomfort while undergoing these treatments. However, with the help of her physician, they made several adjustments that made the procedure much more easy to tolerate. Her suggestions are certainly worthy of discussion with your physician if you are also struggling with discomfort:
I burned with lidocaine/heparin/sodiumbicarbonate/sterile water, til my doctor & I made the following adjustments.
1. Non-latex caths really really helped. I didn't have any indication of latex allergy, but thought it might be worth a try & the nonlatex ones burn much less!
2. Surprisingly, increasing the size of cath to 12Fr instead of the pediatric 8Fr helped because it moved less & irritated the urethra less. Also, the liquid passed through it faster, so I had less time with the catheter in. I think for me, leaving the catheter in would be far more irritating.
3. I couldn't understand why the DMSO instills I had burned less than these rescue instills. The only explanation I could come up with was that I used Marcaine with the DMSO's, so my doctor agreed to let me try Marcaine instead of Lidocaine, even though he didn't think it would work. BUT it did work, Marcaine is much better for me.
4. I only held the instills 20 minutes for the first few months on the treatments (even though my doctor insisted EVERYONE was ok at an hour), then I gradually increased the time to about 50 minutes - and that works fine for me.
5. Also discovered that one of the reasons the instills burned at first was because I was refrigerating the sterile water, thinking b/c it had no preservatives, I should. Uh, no, my bladder REALLY didn't like the cold bath I was giving it. When I thought of it and asked the nurse, she was shocked that I'd had it in the fridge, told me to just keep it at room temperature & I was sooo much more comfortable after that.
6. I shower before the instill, rinsing really well, but don't use soap, because every single soap I tried irritated the vulva so much, I burned all night. The doctor told me to stop using soap, but to rinse really really well with warm water. The warm shower also relaxes my muscles, so inserting the cath is easier.
7. After the instill I rinse well with a bottle of warm water, and then rinse again after voiding the solution. If I have any external burning, I pat dry & use lidocaine gel on the outside only.
Hope you find some things that work for you!
These instills have dramatically reduced my pain, pressure & frequency! - Kadi
Created:
March 1, 2006
JHO
With more than 11,000 patients posting in the ICN Message Boards, we're sure to find posts that are so helpful and encouraging that they deserve a special mention to all our members and subscribers! This year, we will give those posts the award that you see to the right in recognition of there contribution to our support community and share some in our e-newsletters!
On January 30, 2006 ICN user Kadi replied to a posting about how to make rescue instillations more comfortable. She, too, had experienced discomfort while undergoing these treatments. However, with the help of her physician, they made several adjustments that made the procedure much more easy to tolerate. Her suggestions are certainly worthy of discussion with your physician if you are also struggling with discomfort:
I burned with lidocaine/heparin/sodiumbicarbonate/sterile water, til my doctor & I made the following adjustments.
1. Non-latex caths really really helped. I didn't have any indication of latex allergy, but thought it might be worth a try & the nonlatex ones burn much less!
2. Surprisingly, increasing the size of cath to 12Fr instead of the pediatric 8Fr helped because it moved less & irritated the urethra less. Also, the liquid passed through it faster, so I had less time with the catheter in. I think for me, leaving the catheter in would be far more irritating.
3. I couldn't understand why the DMSO instills I had burned less than these rescue instills. The only explanation I could come up with was that I used Marcaine with the DMSO's, so my doctor agreed to let me try Marcaine instead of Lidocaine, even though he didn't think it would work. BUT it did work, Marcaine is much better for me.
4. I only held the instills 20 minutes for the first few months on the treatments (even though my doctor insisted EVERYONE was ok at an hour), then I gradually increased the time to about 50 minutes - and that works fine for me.
5. Also discovered that one of the reasons the instills burned at first was because I was refrigerating the sterile water, thinking b/c it had no preservatives, I should. Uh, no, my bladder REALLY didn't like the cold bath I was giving it. When I thought of it and asked the nurse, she was shocked that I'd had it in the fridge, told me to just keep it at room temperature & I was sooo much more comfortable after that.
6. I shower before the instill, rinsing really well, but don't use soap, because every single soap I tried irritated the vulva so much, I burned all night. The doctor told me to stop using soap, but to rinse really really well with warm water. The warm shower also relaxes my muscles, so inserting the cath is easier.
7. After the instill I rinse well with a bottle of warm water, and then rinse again after voiding the solution. If I have any external burning, I pat dry & use lidocaine gel on the outside only.
Hope you find some things that work for you!
These instills have dramatically reduced my pain, pressure & frequency! - Kadi
Created:
March 1, 2006
JHO