Blog posts of '2017' 'June'

What is a Regulated Colostomy? A regulated colostomy is when a person uses ostomy irrigation to regulate their stomal output. Ostomy irrigation is a medical procedure that Colostomates can use to control their stomal output. It takes time and patience and should be overseen by your medical team. If you are interested in starting ostomy irrigation, contact your ostomy nurse or your physician so you can discuss with them if it is right for you. Ostomy irrigation is intended for people who have a colostomy, if you have an ileostomy then it would be difficult to have success with ostomy irrigation. The benefits of having a regulated colostomy would be controlling your stoma output which would mean you would not have to necessarily wear an ostomy pouch all of the time. Instead you can wear a stoma cap, mini pouch, or a stomaseal dressing.

Why Use Toilet Seat Cushions? Bedsores — also called pressure ulcers and decubitus ulcers — are injuries to skin and underlying tissue resulting from prolonged pressure on the skin. Bedsores most often develop on skin that covers bony areas of the body, such as the heels, ankles, hips and tailbone. People most at risk of bedsores are those with a medical condition that limits their ability to change positions or those who spend most of their time in a bed or chair. Bedsores can develop quickly. Most sores heal with treatment, but some never heal completely. You can take steps to help prevent bedsores and aid healing. Mayo Clinic: Bedsores & Pressure Ulcers An important step you can take to avoid developing a pressure ulcer is to use a cushion that redistributes pressure evenly. This careful redistribution of pressure is what ROHO air cushions

A pre-lubricated catheter is an intermittent catheter that is ready to use right out of the package. Before inserting a catheter into the urethra of a man or a woman, the catheter needs to be lubricated. There are several ways you can accomplish this, use a separate sterile lubricant like Surgilube, use a pre-lubricated catheter like Cure Ultra, or you can use a hydrophillic catheter like Coloplast SpeediCath. Pre-lubricated catheters are covered in a gel like sterile lubricant that is immediately ready to use once the catheter is opened. The entire catheter is coated in a "no drip" lubricant. This is different from the hydrophilic style of catheter lubricant because there is no sterile water or sterile saline, the lubricant is actually a lube so it is more gel like and it won't drip water from the packaging. The Cure Ultra catheter also offers another design bonus, the funnel is designed so it won't roll. This is important because when you place your catheter down on a sterile surface, like the underpad found in catheter insertion kits, you don't want your sterile catheter to roll off the counter and hit a floor that is decidedly not sterile. The texture of the Cure Ultra funnel as well as the texture of the gripper sleeve work well even if you deal with dexterity issues in your hands. Personally, I think that Cure catheters do a great job paying attention to details. No roll funnels, grippers that are substantial and easy to hold, lube that doesn't drip, catheters that aren't made with DEHP, BPA, or natural rubber latex, all of these details add up to a catheter that is designed to be used by people with spinal injuries and/or limited dexterity.