Sometimes you may have leakage of urine at unwanted times. Leakage can cause many problems such as damage to your skin as well as embarrassment in social situations. Leaking can even stop you going out altogether.
Leaking from the bladder can also occur with people with indwelling catheters (IDC or SPC).
Leaking with IC
Your bladder may be:
- oversensitive to filling (overactive bladder)
- overfilling due to the amount of liquid you drink and how often you do your catheters
- irritated due to an infection
- under extra pressure due to an overloaded bowel.
If you are leaking near to the time that you are doing your catheter, and your catheter amounts are high (greater than 500mL), then you might consider doing extra catheters.
If you are unable to solve the issue, or your leaking doesn’t have a pattern, discuss the issue with your doctor or the spinal urology nurse.
Leaking with IDC/SPC
Leaking with indwelling catheters is sometimes called bypassing, as urine leaks around the catheter.
This type of leaking is usually caused by bladder spasms or a catheter blockage, both of which cause pressure in the bladder to increase.
Causes of catheter blockage may be as simple as having a full drainage bag or kinked tube. A full bowel can also cause leaking around the catheter.
Leakage is not normal for a well-managed bladder so it should be discussed with your doctor or urology nurse.
