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Another thing I’m stuck on is the whole catheter situation. Joe had never needed a permanent one until about three months ago, but we ended up keeping it in after he left the hospital because of that pressure sore he developed. Now that the sore on his backside seems to be finally healing up, you’d think pulling the catheter would be the easy next step, but it’s clearly not that simple. I’m constantly worrying about whether his bladder is actually emptying all the way out so we don't end up dealing with some nasty bacterial infection. I keep hearing horror stories about people having all sorts of reactions—like blood in their urine or constant stinging—so I really need to know what specific red flags I should be watching for, and more importantly, what's considered "normal" so I don't panic every time something feels slightly off. P.S. He dealt with some kind of urinary bacteria recently—they told us it was pretty standard—and he was on antibiotics for two weeks.
God.
I originally joined this forum hoping to get some "firsthand" advice, but I ended up starting a whole new thread because whenever I try to chime in on the existing ones, it feels like I’m shouting into a void and nobody even notices me.🤷Anyway, here is what’s going on. My dad has been battling Parkinson's for about 20 years now, and he’s been disabled for five. We have to use a lift to move him—which is an absolute beast of a machine🙏—and he can only manage about ten steps if he uses his walker (my mom calls it her "little helper"🙂). Then, three months ago, things took a turn for the worse when he had a bowel obstruction and had to undergo surgery, which also meant they had to remove his spleen.🙂 While he was stuck in the ICU for a few days, he ended up developing a pressure sore. It started as a tiny little spot and turned into a massive crater, and honestly, it sounds insane, but the crater keeps shrinking back down into a small wound only to reopen again later.👍We immediately went out and bought an anti-decubitus mattress, and now the insurance company finally sent us our benefits check and told us we can choose between either a ROHO (that foam-style cushion with the little air cells that deflate) or the Excel 5000 (an alternating pressure air mattress that comes with its own compressor). I am dying to know if anyone here has actually used these things and could please share their experience? I really need to know what works.
I'm really hoping there's still someone out there actually reading these threads who can point me in the right direction.
My dad had to get a permanent catheter placed about three months ago following surgery, and because he was dealing with some nasty pressure sores on his kidneys, we ended up keeping it in. Thankfully, those sores are finally looking better—they’re healing up and shrinking right before my eyes. I guess I'm just wondering what a "normal" or acceptable timeframe is for someone to be stuck with a catheter like this. Once we finally manage to pull it out, what kind of headaches should we be bracing for? I need to know what specifically to watch out for and how often we should be getting his urine checked by a doctor. I'm starting to realize that just ripping a catheter out isn't as simple as it sounds, especially since my dad is disabled and has a hard time communicating clearly.