Posted: 4/8/2008 at 04:15 PM
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The other night I awoke at 6am to find myself without catheter; A VERY bad thing if you require one to go to the bathroom (which I do; however I have a stoma in my belly button and cath through there instead of below). It's still a process. I need a drainage bottle, I have to get up once in the middle of the night to drain my bladder, and yes, depending on the existence of a tiny tube of plastic can be annoying. Case in point, the other night.
My lovely PCA (and I mean that) forgot to put a catheter in my "catheter purse." So there I was, alone in my condo, no PCA for 3 hours, unable to get out of bed to get one, and very much screwed. What to do, what to do...
Call one of my 5 PCA's and wake them up to come help? Call my boyfriend who lives 6 blocks away? Call 911? Or (the best option) call the security officer at the security desk in my 24 hour/day security building, and ask them to come on into my place to get a catheter for me? Seriously, which option would you have chosen?
I went with the security officer option being that A) he was right downstairs, B) he was AWAKE (no need to feel guilty waking someone up), and C) it was the fastest way I could get a cath to drain my very full bladder. At first the dude wasn't budging....apparently it's against some policy, but I told him that a year ago a security officer helped me in the very same circumstance, and that this situation was dire ("Him or 911" pretty much), so he agreed.
It was painless. He entered my unit, grabbed a catheter out of my closet and handed it to me, and then left. Took less than a minute. But of course, in this lame, lawsuit happy country we live in, the company the security guy works for got really pissed at him. Apparently - under no freakin' circumstance - can a security officer enter a single unit in my condo bldg. They're here to keep the common areas safe, that's it.
I just don't get this country sometimes. Everyone is so scared of getting sued, that doing THE RIGHT THING can't even be done anymore.
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OMG, how ridiculous! What harm was done? I am with you - people are more afraid of lawsuits than doing the right thing. Assinine.
Perhaps tuck a few catheters under your pillow so you don't get stuck again?
I had a similar experience a couple years ago Tiff. I drove to Ann Arbor, a couple hours from home, to see a client. I got half way there and realized I didn't have a catheter in my pack -I know - really stupid. I got off the highway at the next exit and found a small medical supply store. I explained my situation and asked to buy a catheter. "Sorry sir, that's a prescription item".
Well I just blew. I explained my only recourse would be to go to an emergency room and headed for the door mumbling about how no one can do the wright thing in a world filled with button pushing data worshipers. Fortunately there was someone there who could actually think and make a decision outside of the grid. She stopped me at the door and handed me a catheter. "No charge".
left, yup...done & done :) i now have a cath taped under my bedside table, and another in a pink carrying case on my bedside table that never leaves it....bleh.
rehab, yeah i was in duluth once and at the time i was using a leg bag. well the opener thing on it broke and it was leaking everywhere. i was 3 hrs from home, and had to choice but the go to the closest ER and pretty much beg for one. luckily the nurse was cool and just gave me one free of charge too.
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