Many patients worry that having a catheter will stop them going on holiday or travelling. But not only is it possible to travel with an indwelling catheter, many catheter users travel regularly without any problems. Follow these top tips about flying with a catheter to ensure your journey goes as smoothly as possible:

1. Pack the right products

Make sure you have enough products with you for at least 2 catheter changes in case you need an emergency change or should one of the products become contaminated. Remember to include everything you need for a change including:

– The catheter with inflation and deflation syringe

– Lubricant Gel

– Enough leg bags for your stay and at least 2 spares

– Sterile gloves if you have been trained to perform your own catheter changes

2. Pack your products in the right bag

Try to keep a proportion of continence products in your cabin baggage, just in case your hold luggage gets lost or misplaced. Keep some hand sanitizer available in your cabin baggage incase the onboard dispenser is empty.

3. Contact your airline

Call your airline in advance to ask if there is anything specifically they can advise or provide for patients who are travelling with an indwelling catheter.

4. Give plenty of time for security

Thousands of people travel with an indwelling catheter every day. Airport security should be accommodating for you. Ensure you get a travel certificate from your doctor before travelling to ensure the smoothest passage through security. A travel certificate is essential if you are carrying medical liquids of more than 100ml or large amounts of medication.  You can also request a private screening if you prefer not to expose your drainage bag in a public area.

5. Consider using a leg bag

If you currently use a catheter valve, it may be a useful to use a leg bag instead of a valve during the flight. Using a larger capacity leg bag like the LINC-Flo 750ml leg bag reduces the chances you will need to use the inflight bathrooms which can be unhygienic.  Always check with your healthcare professional before changing your drainage type.

6. Empty your bag before the flight

Make sure you empty your bag before the flight to avoid using the inflight bathrooms if possible.

7. Have adequate medical insurance

You may need medical assistance during your stay. So get adequate medical insurance. This is essential for travel outside of the EU. Currently EU travel can be covered with a European Health Insurance (EHIC) card, but the validity of this scheme for UK travelers is likely to end after BREXIT. Therefore consider comprehensive insurance for travelling inside the EU too.

8. Know the nearest hospitals in your destination

Before you travel, research the nearest hospitals in your destination and find out the relevant phone and emergency numbers. Make a note of which hospitals are reimbursable under your travel insurance policy.

9. Stay hydrated

While you are away,  take care to drink sufficient fluids and follow your healthcare professional’s guidelines on diet and catheter care.

10. Use the right catheter for you

Blockages and other complication can ruin a holiday. Make sure you are using a catheter that is optimized to prevent complications such as blockage and poor drainage, like the LINC Open Tip which has 3 drainage holes. This can help to ensure a problem free holiday. As one patient recently said: ‘Another holiday completed with a LINC catheter. They are Simply Amazing’

Now Relax! With good preparation, it’s possible to get away on holiday, enjoy yourself and not be limited by your catheter.

Thanks for reading!

Are you struggling in isolation? Many catheter users do. Blockages, infection, pain and other complications can be regular occurrences. You can sometimes feel like you are the only one in the world having such a hard time with your catheter. If that’s you, you need to know that you don’t have to go it alone. There are easy ways for you to connect with other catheter users and get help and advice. Sometimes a burden shared is a burden lifted. Here are 4 ways you can connect with other catheter users.

1. Social Media

If you have a specific health condition that means you need a catheter, you may already be part of a Facebook group for your condition. But did you know that there are some specific Facebook groups designed for patients who have an indwelling balloon catheter?

If you have a suprapubic catheter, the best group available is Suprapubic Catheter Users UK. Tracey Seal, herself a suprapubic catheter user, founded this group in 2018. Tracey and other users share helpful advice based on their experience. The community answers questions from new members and provides independent product recommendations. The group is growing rapidly, with 170 members at the time of writing. New posts happen on a daily basis and there is a helpful set of announcements at the top of the feed for new suprapubic catheter users.

A more general support group for people with continence difficulties is the Bladder & Bowel Community Support Group. This is a group run by the Bladder & Bowel Community and provides advice and support on a range of continence issues. At the time of writing there are over 5000 members and multiple posts a day. It is a group aimed at UK users.

An international Facebook group for catheter users is Urinary Catheter Users. The group includes users of indwelling and intermittent catheters, so it’s a good place to go to for more general catheter advice. Be aware that not all the advice given will be relevant to UK based catheter users. The group has over 450 members at the time of writing and there are normally a few posts per week.

2. Local societies

If you prefer to meet people face to face, consider becoming part of a local society for patients with your condition. Your local hospital will be able to direct you to any societies or support groups in your local area. Your Urology department may also be able to direct you to a specific catheter support group.

Many national societies also have local branches. For example, the National MS Society has local groups you can find out about here. These kinds of groups often include regular meet ups in community centers or coffee shops, where patients and/or carers can let off steam, seek advice and build lasting friendships.

3. Clinical research

There is some great researching taking place in the UK in the area of continence and catheters. Getting involved in clinical research allows you to play a part in improving care for catheter users and meet other users too. Research could involve trialing pioneering new continence products, undergoing new diagnostic tests or taking part in surveys.

To find out what trials are recruiting currently, you can search the NIHR website here. Alternatively, you can speak to your consultant who may be able to advise you of local research you can be a part of.

4. Continence Specific Societies

There are some national organisations that provide support to catheter users. The Bladder & Bowel Community and Bladder & Bowel UK provide some excellent online resources, a free phone advice service and range of other sources of support.

Societies like the above organise regular user meetings to provide help and advice give you an opportunity to get to know other catheter users. It’s best to sign up to their newsletters and follow them on social media to see what events are available.

Can you recommend any other ways to connect with catheter users? Contact us to let us know. If you found this article helpful, why not share it?

Do you know how much your continence products cost? To users, thankfully, they are free. But do you know how much the NHS pays for them?

This question is key. Because without costs being controlled, the NHS will not be sustainable.

At LINC Medical we think outside the box to find ways of saving the NHS money. Money saved means more money available for patient care. Everybody wins.

Rethinking products

For every indwelling catheter that is prescribed, a lubricant gel is also needed when the catheter is inserted. The NHS has to pay for two products. But on top of that, they must also pay the costs of two prescriptions. These are fees that are paid to chemists and delivery companies and total £13.45 per item! So even though the cost of a lubricant gel is relatively small, the NHS pays an additional £13.45 on top of the unit price. This is repeated for every catheter prescribed in the UK.

Do you know what is shocking? Very few health care professionals are aware of these costs. I have spoken to a room of 10 health care professionals and none of them were aware of the additional costs associated with each additional prescription item.

When we learned these facts, we realised there is a simple way to save the NHS potentially millions of pounds per year. We included a quality lubricant gel for free with our catheter. And we didn’t put our prices up.

This means that for every LINC catheter that is prescribed by a healthcare professional, the NHS saves £13.45. If everyone used a LINC catheter, it would equate to NHS savings of up to £24 million!

Are you struggling in isolation? Many catheter users do. Blockages, infection, pain and other complications can be regular occurrences. You can sometimes feel like you are the only one in the world having such a hard time with your catheter. If that’s you, you need to know that you don’t have to go it alone. There are easy ways for you to connect with other catheter users and get help and advice. Sometimes a burden shared is a burden lifted. Here are 4 ways you can connect with other catheter users.

1. Social Media

If you have a specific health condition that means you need a catheter, you may already be part of a Facebook group for your condition. But did you know that there are some specific Facebook groups designed for patients who have an indwelling balloon catheter?

If you have a suprapubic catheter, the best group available is Suprapubic Catheter Users UK. Tracey Seal, herself a suprapubic catheter user, founded this group in 2018. Tracey and other users share helpful advice based on their experience. The community answers questions from new members and provides independent product recommendations. The group is growing rapidly, with 170 members at the time of writing. New posts happen on a daily basis and there is a helpful set of announcements at the top of the feed for new suprapubic catheter users.

A more general support group for people with continence difficulties is the Bladder & Bowel Community Support Group. This is a group run by the Bladder & Bowel Community and provides advice and support on a range of continence issues. At the time of writing there are over 5000 members and multiple posts a day. It is a group aimed at UK users.

An international Facebook group for catheter users is Urinary Catheter Users. The group includes users of indwelling and intermittent catheters, so it’s a good place to go to for more general catheter advice. Be aware that not all the advice given will be relevant to UK based catheter users. The group has over 450 members at the time of writing and there are normally a few posts per week.

2. Local societies

If you prefer to meet people face to face, consider becoming part of a local society for patients with your condition. Your local hospital will be able to direct you to any societies or support groups in your local area. Your Urology department may also be able to direct you to a specific catheter support group.

Many national societies also have local branches. For example, the National MS Society has local groups you can find out about here. These kinds of groups often include regular meet ups in community centers or coffee shops, where patients and/or carers can let off steam, seek advice and build lasting friendships.

3. Clinical research

There is some great researching taking place in the UK in the area of continence and catheters. Getting involved in clinical research allows you to play a part in improving care for catheter users and meet other users too. Research could involve trialing pioneering new continence products, undergoing new diagnostic tests or taking part in surveys.

To find out what trials are recruiting currently, you can search the NIHR website here. Alternatively, you can speak to your consultant who may be able to advise you of local research you can be a part of.

4. Continence Specific Societies

There are some national organisations that provide support to catheter users. The Bladder & Bowel Community and Bladder & Bowel UK provide some excellent online resources, a free phone advice service and range of other sources of support.

Societies like the above organise regular user meetings to provide help and advice give you an opportunity to get to know other catheter users. It’s best to sign up to their newsletters and follow them on social media to see what events are available.