Riding with a catheter

[patterson]

Hi All,
Can anyone advise me on riding with a catheter fitted.

I came off bike in December breaking an elbow, then went down with water works problems.

I'm waiting for prostrate op sometime this year, but I'm worried about getting on my bike again with this fitted,

[Swallow]

Best advice, I would have thought, would come from your medic

[eileithyia]

Friend of mine has a permanent one, and it did not stop him riding with it, sadly deteriorating memory and other health problems have ... TBH I fail to see how it would be a problem, possibly more of a problem for ladies who might sitting on the tubing, more so than gents....

[Aikon]

A friend in his late 30's rides with one permanently, he rides off road mostly and seems as capable as he was before he had it fitted.

[velorog]

I suffered a similar problem a year back but managed to continue riding while waiting for my operation. From my experience you need to address two problems.
First there is the problem of avoiding any pressure on the catheter tube where is passes under the perineum. If you are not already using one you will need an ergo saddle with a slot. In my case I modified my B17. Just make sure you are sitting comfortably and pain free. A more upright position will also help.
At first I started riding with the bag strapped to my thigh, but once the bag start to fill up it becomes a hindrance even with a small amount of liquid sloshing around. To get round this problem I fitted an extension tube to the drain tap of the bag. This extension ran down the inside of my tights to my ankle where I fitted another tap. I used a bits from another bag for the extension and tap. When riding I would have both taps open allowing any urine to drip onto the road. On stopping it was just a simple matter of closing the lower tap. I know it sounds messy but it was effective and my companions did not seem to mind or notice.
I did have to reduce my mileage and needed to stop every hour, but at least I continued to get out. I do hope that you can also resume riding.

[eileithyia]

AFAIK Lionel just keeps his tucked up inside his shorts, regular stops to empty at appropriate places, main thing is to keep well hydrated to prevent infection ... not sure the open tap idea is necessarily a good one, as it susceptible to dirt and stuff spraying up off the road surface and tracking upwards...

[patterson]

I thank you all for your advice, just worried at 82 i would like to continue to ride, since before i was out everyweek doing 40 /60 miles, really missing going out

[Milfred Cubicle]

I've heard of people using a condom during sports, which allows the catheter to be looped back on itself, and held securely against the penis. It also allows a little safety leeway should the tube get caught on anything. I would just be cautious to ensure the loop is not too tight and kinking the tube. Similarly, if you were to try it, I'd keep a close eye out for pressure on the penis itself.
As others have said, cleanliness and good hydration are a must. I would also try to make sure you 'syphon' the system at regular intervals, to prevent urine gathering too long in the tube.
If you are booked in for prostate investigations/operation, it would be worthwhile 'phoning your hospital and asking if they have a urology specialist nurse you could speak too. Quite often they will have come across similar problems, and in my experience are a little more practical than doctors when it comes to problem solving. Good luck, and I hope you find a solution to keep you riding.

[Milfred Cubicle]

Sorry, the unpleasant word in the previous post was the anatomical term for the gentleman's appendage, the 'p' word. I've worked in healthcare a lot of years, and sometimes forget. No offence intended I assure.

[Cunobelin]

Sorry, the unpleasant word in the previous post was the anatomical term for the gentleman's appendage, the 'p' word. I've worked in healthcare a lot of years, and sometimes forget. No offence intended I assure.

Don't worry - it is an automatic system, so even if the word is used correctly and in context it will be removed

[[XAP]Bob]

Sorry, the unpleasant word in the previous post was the anatomical term for the gentleman's appendage, the 'p' word. I've worked in healthcare a lot of years, and sometimes forget. No offence intended I assure.

Don't worry - it is an automatic system, so even if the word is used correctly and in context it will be removed

And yet it won't remove gentleman's sausage....

[Milfred Cubicle]

There's a game in there somewhere...how to sneak double-entendres past the compter filters.

[TonyR]

And yet it won't remove gentleman's sausage....

Quite right. Even the Daily Wail uses the term with relish.

[Phil Fouracre]

What on earth is wrong with using perfectly normal biological names. As far as catheters go, I have been using one for paragliding for a while and it works really well. Probably simpler in that I just run the tube down the inside of the leg of my trousers, lift leg out of harness when I need to use it, give it a quick shake and put it back! If you wore leggins, stretchy Lycra you could simply run the tube inside, and it would be held in position. Urologist I spoke to asked if I wanted a bag, no need, at 5000' I wasn't really bothered where it went after it left me!! I would have thought any sort of bag would be a real pain, in more ways than one. Look at Conveen Optima on the net, perfect kit, very. Kind lady even sends samples and a special sausage measuring device!!

[TonyR]

What on earth is wrong with using perfectly normal biological names. As far as catheters go, I have been using one for paragliding for a while and it works really well. Probably simpler in that I just run the tube down the inside of the leg of my trousers, lift leg out of harness when I need to use it, give it a quick shake and put it back! If you wore leggins, stretchy Lycra you could simply run the tube inside, and it would be held in position. Urologist I spoke to asked if I wanted a bag, no need, at 5000' I wasn't really bothered where it went after it left me!! I would have thought any sort of bag would be a real pain, in more ways than one. Look at Conveen Optima on the net, perfect kit, very. Kind lady even sends samples and a special sausage measuring device!!

Remind me not to look up when you are paragliding overhead!