I think just people should probably drink more, not just me. And I think the actual mechanism needs explaining really. And I have leakage problems. And it’s usually the exit from my bladder and it’s quite embarrassing. I think it would be difficult if one went out a lot, whereas I don’t, and if I was still working for instance it could be very embarrassing.

Problems of leaking.

Yes. Leaking, particularly, it’s just impossible, just going from here to the kitchen. I might have said to you, I certainly would, occasionally friends are, people who don’t know me too well and I’ve been here, oh we’ll go to the kitchen and it’s sort of spouting, so then I’ve got to ring the nurse. It doesn’t happen at convenient times normally.

And then the nurse comes and what does she do?

Normally just puts a new catheter in. Normally, also looks at it and they don’t dwell on the blockage and I’m sort of wondering what I’ve been drinking that’s done anything wrong then.

I’d love to know what does cause blockages obviously.

I’ve never leaked through the site of the suprapubic. I did leak for a while when I was first using, when I was doing the intermittent, the flip flow using the suprapubic. I did start leaking urethrally. I blamed myself for that because I didn’t empty my bladder often enough and I think I overstretched it. I started leaking urethrally. I did it in the cinema one day – and it really kind of upset me. I had to get in a friend’s car to go home, wet the car seat and that traumatised me a bit. I think that was another significant reason for going back to a leg bag because I had more control and more insurance policy if you like that I wasn’t going to leak in public.

I’ve had a suprapubic and I didn’t like that. It didn’t seem to be working for me. And I went onto the other one [urethral].

The other one. What kind of problems were you having with the suprapubic, because some people have mentioned that they did have problems with it?

Well there again I’m rather vague because I don’t remember, but I have a feeling that it was leaking. And that of course I found is one of the main problems with most of the catheters. No matter how careful you are, there’s a certain amount of leakage, and that can be rather unpleasant and. But I have to wear pads, I have to wear a pad as well as the catheter. My routine is that, during the day, as now, I just have the catheter and the flip flow. But, when I go to bed, I put on a night bag and that I find is very, very good because it enables me to go right through the night, which is so important.

Yes. And, in terms of leakages, are they more likely to happen at night or it can be any time of the day?

No, they’re less likely to happen at night. I don’t know whether it’s something to do with being in the horizontal and vertical position, but no it’s, yes a certain amount of leakage but it’s mainly during the day.

What kind of problems have you had with the leaking? Is it quite often or has it been less over the years or any difference or changes?

No, there’s a, it isn’t a big leakage really. You know, and I have found though the pads very good. They relieve me of quite a bit of worry and concern because they are quite good. But it’s nearly always a small leak there.

Yes. And do you get the pads from the doctor’s surgery or does the pharmacist come and bring them for you?

I go and collect them from the pharmacy.

The nurse weighed my urine and she said I’d not passed enough, so she put a catheter back in. I went back to the hospital then, I don’t know how many weeks later, and the nurse there was happy enough for me to leave the catheter in. But I suggested to the doctor that I should have the operation to have it removed. It would be a prostate operation.

So I went back to the hospital and I was examined thoroughly and the nurse said it would be a difficult thing because I would lose a lot of blood. I had to have blood transfusions when I had my hip done. And also I would have difficulty then in holding water. I would need to go the toilet often.

So, instead of having difficulty passing water, I would have difficulty holding water. And there was a question, I had a heart murmur, not too serious, just a heart murmur. Anyway, we were going to go ahead with the operation and they rang me to go back in and see the anaesthetist.

And in between time, I’d been put off and I’d decided not to have the operation. The doctor in fact, when I saw the doctor and asked him if I could have the operation, he was quite surprised because a lot of people won’t have the operation. So I put it off, and decided to live with it. Unfortunately, I’ve had problems since in that I’ve had to have it [the catheter] changed often.

So I’m undecided now whether or not to have the operation. You see I have difficulties in that, sometimes, if I’m not careful, I don’t plug the night bag in right. Then of course it leaks then, and there have even been night bags that have been faulty.

I had one that were not screwed in properly and that leaked. I had one that had not been closed properly and that leaked. Then I’ve had a connection from a day bag, the connection had come out. I’ve had to put it in myself.

Yes. Has that always been while you’ve been at home?

Yeah. Yes. I’ve been at home since about the end of July, beginning of August. And so, at the moment, I’m undecided what to do because of the worry about it.