UOAA Discussion Board

Is there a way to prevent clogging of the catheter by the mucus in the pouch?

How old is your pouch? As time goes on the mucus gets thinner. Make sure you drink LOTS of fluids this also helps out and are you irrigating the pouch? That can help too. My pouch is18 years old now and even though I still have mucus ( which you will always have) clogs are no longer a problem.

Diito to what Squid says.

I know this sounds crazy, sometimes I just push my abdomen to get the flow going harder, probably not the best thing to do?
I have not really had the mucus plug my catheter but - I do move the catheter around as in in & out to make sure I get everything.

In time it all becomes a little easier. Take care.

I also push down on my abdomen at times. But more often than not I have to remove the catheter, remove the mucus plug and reinsert the catheter to ensure the bladder has been drained sufficiently. Most days the mucus just drains out on its own, other days the amount of mucus and mucus clogs is overwhelming. I have yet to figure out why sometimes catherizing is stress free and other days are a bit anxiety provoking.

My urologist has me do a daily (which is more like weekly) flush to keep the mucous minimized and prevent plugs. I simply use a 50cc piston syringe and insert a total of approximately 150 ccs into my cath while inserted into my stoma. It's similar to a gas siphon where the pressure of the saline going on forces out the mucous. I assumed this was fairly common?? Good luck..