swimming with PD catheter

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amanda in CA
Posts: 1806
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 5:14 pm
Location: Georgia, USA

swimming with PD catheter

Post by amanda in CA »

Hi, I have tried various methods for enclosing my dialysis catheter and exit site adequately to prevent it getting wet when swimming. In the past I have used a paediatric colostomy pouch which was absolutely perfect.

I am absolutely desparate to swim wherever I want. Blake is getting increasingly interested in the water and I would hate to miss out on this aspect of my son's childhood.

I've decided to order some of the above pouches. They come in either one or two piece types, the former has the flange which attaches to the skin and the bag attached, the latter the flange and bag are separate and clip together. I thought that the two piece would be ideal for a holiday or for someone on CAPD because it would not be necessary to remove the flange for the night if on CCPD or each exchange for CAPD. (since the bag would be removed, it would still be possible to do exit site care). I thought that the one piece would be ideal for one-day use when swimming is only occasional (may not be ideal for someone who does CAPD and has to access catheter several times of the day).

The ones I have ordered cost: $4.73 for flange and bag (2 piece system), (bear in mind that this could be used for several uses) or $1.60 for the one piece.

I will let you know how I get on with them. Amanda
amanda in CA
Posts: 1806
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 5:14 pm
Location: Georgia, USA

swimming with PD catheter

Post by amanda in CA »

The prices I have quoted are per bag and flange but they come in packs with multiples in. Amanda
res
Posts: 232
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2005 4:35 pm
Location: Lancashire

Post by res »

It will be interesting to hear how you get on Amanda. Thanks. I would love to try swimming but have had no luck with waterproof dressings, etc. They have been rubbish. One I tried over PD catheter fell off my tummy before I'd even got out of my front door and anywhere near a swimming pool. So frustrating. Anyway. Will be interesting to hear how you get on. Good Luck Amanda. Bye for now. Res.
Julie

Swimming on PD

Post by Julie »

Last year when we went to France we had a villa with its own pool. So before we went I got some large sheets of Tegaderm - I guess they were about 6" x 8" and they weren't cheap. Had I been more prepared I could have got them on prescription, but I bought them from the chemist as a special order box for £40 in the end.

Each morning, he stuck one over the whole thing, mepore dressing and all and left it for a couple of hours to properly stick down. Then he could dip in and out of the pool all day.

At the end of the day he would take it off, and have a shower.

It worked superbly.

Good luck.

Love,
Julie
xxx
Mike
Posts: 1594
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 2:47 pm
Location: Mansfield :o)

Post by Mike »

Hi Julie,

Is tegaderm the clear plastic transparent type of dressing? If so i was wondering if they might be a better solution for swimming. My surgeon used them and I have a couple of smaller ones lying about still.

Mike
res
Posts: 232
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2005 4:35 pm
Location: Lancashire

Post by res »

That's where I might have been going wrong - leaving time for the dressing to settle and stick on properly. I'm so inpatient! Also, I have suddenly thought that any products on my skin might also be stopping the dressing from adhering to my skin. For example, I, sometimes use plaster remover to get rid of the tape marks on my tummy. However, any residue from this might have been making the dressings fall off I now realise. Oh, well, just thinking aloud. Thanks for the tips anyway Julie. You have made me think!
amanda in CA
Posts: 1806
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 5:14 pm
Location: Georgia, USA

swimming again

Post by amanda in CA »

Hi, I have tried various dressings and each time have ended up with leakage which to my mind is worse than not having anything over the catheter at all, as it then acts as a wet 'reservoir' for bacteria (I do remove it as soon as I have finished swimming but nonetheless). Once I get the colostomy bags and have tried them out, I will let you all know. I have used one in the past and it seemed to work very well. As I don't tape my catheter it also supports it which then prevents any embarassing slippages out of my swimsuit. Amanda :)
amanda in CA
Posts: 1806
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2004 5:14 pm
Location: Georgia, USA

swimming with PD catheter

Post by amanda in CA »

Well, I have tried the colostomy bags for putting the catheter in to go swimming. They work very well, and the sticky flange doesn't leave a sticky residue and doesn't make my skin itch. They are very comfortable, and do not show under clothing any more than the dialysis catheter does itself. I would highly recommend them. I bought them off the internet and scouted around because not many sites seemed to sell one piece pediatric bags. Using one of these gives me more piece of mind than any other method that I've used, which have always leaked, plus I can leave it on for the day without any ill effects. Amanda
WillTal
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2017 4:59 pm

Re: swimming with PD catheter

Post by WillTal »

does anyone know what the colostomy bag / stoma protective pouches for swimming are called? I used to go swimming with my 8yo boy every weekend but haven't done it for months now. ☹️ I asked my clinic and baxters but they said I need to go to gp. I've a feeling that unless I know exactly what I'm asking for I'll get the wrong thing.
Thanks all
Will
37, from London
Amyloidosis AA & Stage 5 CKD
Diagnosed @ Kings College Hosp: July 2016
Started PD : December 2016
SKM23435
Posts: 289
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2013 2:39 pm

Re: swimming with PD catheter

Post by SKM23435 »

Just had a look in the cupboard for my old ones and was going to offer to send you them but I see they are out of date.
Mine were: "independence activity pouches" code AP1

I experimented with various solutions to protect my PD catheter while swimming/water sports.
The pouches were good. To make sure they stuck well I cleaned my skin with an alcohol wipe before application. This removed any grease from skin. The nurses on my unit also told me it needed to be stuck on at least 30 minutes before I wanted to use it. The warmth from the skin makes the glue stick better.

I also experimented with the tegaderm dressings mentioned above. The problem with this was you needed a pretty large dressing to get everything covered. It did work and I found it very comfortable. The nurses in the unit however didn't approve (so I didn't tell them!). There was quite a knack to using them.

I think it's a matter of finding what works for you..
Good luck.
Started APD July 2014
On transplant and paired exchange lists.
Transplant 9/5/15
Soobee
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri May 23, 2014 1:09 pm

Re: swimming with PD catheter

Post by Soobee »

I found the pouches very hard to get a waterproof seal with my skin so started using tegaderm, I used 4 and overlapped them to get around the size problem, they were far better at keeping my entire tube and exit site dry and no cleaning the skin with wipes etc just stick them on and change them afterwards. They also kept the tube flat to my skin instead of having a hanging pouch!
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