Bladder Scan self cath

[wolfaleena]

I was wondering if anyone has heard of or has used a bladder scanner.
I have post residual void. (Urinary retention) as one of my many symptoms of IC. It is awful, as many of you know.
I have to self cath to empty my bladder completely. I really can't stand self cathing. It hurts afterwards so much.. My urethra and bladder. but if I don't I am in pain as well because the urine stays in my bladder! A catch 22 situation for sure.
But anyway, when I go to the urologist, they use a portable ultrasound to measure my post residual void and I usually have a moderate to severe amount.
I was researching on line and there is a hand held device that many folks that have to self cath because of MS, spinal cord injuries and many other diseases, can use on themselves to see how much urine is in the bladder so they don't self cath unnecessarily.
I think that it is a marvelous idea. but I am having trouble getting information on this device/ My family doctor said that they are available and many patients use them. My urologist just seemed to know about the office ultrasound machine that is for professional use.
It would be great to know how much residual is in the bladder, so I would not have to cath unnecessarily. I can never tell. I am always in pain. and as much as I am so careful when I self cath I am so afraid of getting an infection. I am on an antibiotic prophylacticly. I have tried many different types of catheters, but my bladder and urethra always just freak whenever I self cath..
I am trying vaginal valium to try to get some relief and I use ice filled condoms also for the burning in the vagina.
If anyone has any knowledge of a home bladder scanner to check the amount of urine in the bladder, please let me know.
Maybe I will try to contact some MS boards or spinal cord injury boards to see if they know of something or perhaps my catheter supplier might know.
But if anyone has any info, I would be very grateful!
God Bless!

[GEMINI]

Im Totally Feeling You On Self Catherizing. Whenever I Go Into Retention, Using The Self Cath Is The Only Option. Otherwise My Body Will Feel Extremely Ill And Its Very Hard To Relax Because Of That Urine. I Know How That Awful Discomfort Feels When You Insert It/pulling It Out. You Have A Burning Feeling In Your Urethra Afterwards. How Many Times Do You Self-cath In A Day, If You Still Do It???

[ICNDonna]

How frequently are you self cathing? If your residual isn't too much, it could be that once or twice a day would be adequate --- you should really talk with your doctor.

Donna

[blackcat25]

Hi,
When i was using caths for post void residue, I was told that if I was draining 100-150ml, I should cath twice a day, and go up to 4 times a day if I was retaining 200mls+ each time. If the residues are up to 350ml I should cath every time. These figures may sound extreme, but I have no sensation of my bladder filling, due to neurogenic bladder.
I was also told that now I have complete retention I should cath at least every three hours. I've often had the portable scanner used on me in the hospital, but they are not always accurate.
Hope this is some help,
Blackcat
By the way, you might want to try the forum at www.incontact.co.uk. It is a UK site, but has lots of useful info on it. I post under the name of arwen on that site.

Ps. Hope you can convert to US measurements from mls