Reality Check

Tom here:

I am up again in the wee hours after changing diapers, cleaning and greasing with A&D ointment in an attempt to protect my skin. As I look forward to the possibility of having my catheter removed on Thursday, I looked at our record of urine output and started doing some math.

I have been producing somewhere between 2500 and 3500 cc of urine a day. The volume depends a lot on how much I drink, and how much has been collected be the diapers, but just for the sake of calculations, lets say that after the catheter is removed, I will have to deal with 3000 cc of urine a day.

If I am completely incontinent for a while (something not unlikely, since I have been beat up by a month of catheter wear) I will be dealing with three to four times as much urine as I have dealt with with the leak. I may never make it out of the bathroom! This was my father's situation, and the reason he wore an external catheter. If I am able to hold 100 cc of urine in my bladder before I start leaking, I will have to urinate 30 times a day, or a little more than once an hour. Sounds doable except at night. I have noticed that my output increases as much as four or five times when sleeping, so the frequency of urination would increase to the same extent.... I could never fall asleep.

As my ability to hold more in my bladder increases, then everything gets better. An average male, in good health, can hold more than 1000 cc in their bladder overnight. But I have never been that average male. Even in my late teens and 20's I was never able to go through a night with out waking up at least twice to use the restroom. I doubt my bladder capacity has ever been more than 600 cc.

On my mission to Austria we typically rented a bedroom in someone's home. I remember one home in Vienna where the Frau of the house confronted me about getting up at night to use the restroom. She didn't want me to do it, she said it was making it difficult for her to sleep. This was where I discovered and starting using what I called the "Happy Bottle" a two quart or two liter container to use at night. (I still do this when camping). I think the Frau suspected that something like that was afoot, and probably disapproved of it as well, but never said anything about it.

Anyway, all of these things will have to be worked out by seeing what happens. And since we've gone this far in this journey together, I will keep you posted. After all, I suspect many of you following this blog are males, wondering if you will be next to deal with this stuff, so you have a built in interest (so to speak).

I will start getting some answers tomorrow night (I hope).

Tom