As with most things in life there are always potential complications and the use of a catheter is not excluded from this. When you are forced to use a catheter some of these complications include urinary tract or kidney infections, blood infections, kidney damage, bladder stones and allergy or sensitivity to latex. It doesn’t mean that any of these are an inevitable outcome of using a catheter, but there is a chance and you should be aware of potential problems.

Urinary tract infections are among the most common complications from catheter use. The risks of this can be greatly reduce by proper cleaning and disinfecting of the catheter itself, as well as the drainage bag, and thoroughly cleaning the area after all bowel movements. Drinking an adequate amount of fluids will also help to prevent infections. You can talk with your health care provider to learn more about how to care for your catheter.

Learning what signs and symptoms you need to look for will help to recognize any of the complication and prevent them from getting worse. Some of them will be easy to recognize while others are not as visibly noticeable.

Some of the symptoms possible include blood in the urine, cloudy or thick urine, and tenderness around the catheter puncture. In addition, you may also experience a large amount of leakage around the catheter, bladder spasms that does not go away and little to no urine when you have been drinking large amounts of fluids.

Different urinary catheter types will require specific types of care. This is something you will learn when the catheter is placed by your medical health provider. It’s important that you ask questions. A great place to do some research is online, but you should consider this research only. Discuss your findings with your doctor or other health care provider. It is not suggested you attempt to follow the instructions that you find online.

Be sure you follow the steps exactly as your nurse or doctor tells you to. Ask any questions you may have when they are taking you through the steps. This will ensure you are doing everything correctly and you will avoid infection.

Never be afraid to ask your doctor any question, no matter how silly you think the question may be. One thing many people neglect to do is drink enough water daily. You should drink eight to ten glasses of water each day to not only reduce infection, but to also reduce the chances of being constipated. Constipation can lead to leaks.

The Internet is a great place to find many answers to your questions, but it would be in your better interest to run them by your Medical Products provider to ensure the information is correct. Remember, there is no way of knowing if the person is a doctor or just a person giving their advice on a External Catheters. This doesn’t mean it’s not good information, but it would be best to get the okay from your doctor or nurse.