I was hospitalized for a total of 9 days with a Pericardial Effusion in 2021. Due to my heart rate, they wanted me to stay in bed and not use the bathroom in my room. They gave me a bedside commode, which was fine. At a shift change on day 5, I was told I had to use Pure Wick and could no longer have the commode chair. It was a disaster! I am not incontinent, and can’t just “relax and pee” on command. I ended up sitting on it on the edge of my bed in order to make it work for me, and then getting reported for not laying down in my bed. It was a very long and difficult shift to say the least. The Nurse even turned on the bed alarm as a deterrent.
I requested a catheter (which I’ve always had for prior surgical visits - 3 cervical fusions, 2 lumbar fusions, 1 knee replacement, etc.), but she refused citing UTI’s as an issue.
Thank God when the shift changed again. I got my commode chair back and the new Nurse took the Pure Wick away, and turned off the bed alarm. She couldn’t understand why it was imposed on me. Even after I had the pericardial effusion drained, I was on bed rest for several days with a chest drain in place. I still used the commode chair.
While I think Pure Wick is a good innovation, it’s NOT the answer for people still in control of their bodily functions. I wake up to pee, and I use the rest room. I don’t wet my bed - at least not yet.
I read your many comments on Pure Wick, and all the issues related to leakage, urine smell and vapor release, weak suction motors, etc. I was wondering about your thoughts on forced institutional usage for non-incontinent people?
And what about men? Hospitals still use catheters for men.
I dread having to go back to the hospital for any reason, just because of this issue.
I’m glad common sense rules in some places.
When I was reading the Pure Wick comments from 2019, I was horrified by the manufacturer’s selling it as “the end to incontinence for women” and hospitals just buying into the dream - but applying it to everyone, incontinent or not.
The ads never talk about the smell, urine vapor, leakage, poor suction, etc on TV. Nor the chore of cleaning it every day.
I am potentially going to have knee surgery in the near future. Hopefully just a repair and not a total replacement. I really hope I’m not confined to bed!
Well, in my case, not at all. I gave it a manful effort, but I simply could NOT get my brain to override my bladder. It was miserable.
I think for anyone who cannot release urine on command they are an epic fail. The nurse wasn't super familiar with it and she was kind of intrigued too. All I can say is, when the doc popped his head in (aboiut 4 hrs post procedure) I begged him to let me get up and go to the bathroom. He said "sure. don't fall, OK?"
I can see that from an engineering standpoint, these things look like game changers. Well, maybe for a few people, but not for the potty trained.
Was a bit breezy 'down there' but not unpleasantly so. Just didn't work for me.
I like your sense of humor! 😁
I’m with you. My brain tells me I need to pee. If I’m asleep, it wakes me up to get out of bed and go pee. I take water pills every day, so it’s always several times a day, or night. I sometimes take them late day or evening when I have commitments during the day and have to go out. I try very hard to avoid a “gotta go now” emergency away from home and try to find a restroom in time! 😵💫
I like that with a catheter, there really isn’t a difficulty in just peeing when you need to. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been sedated, but it’s never been a problem. I’ve had them a lot due to neck, spine and knee surgery, and I’ve never had a UTI as a result (thank God!).
But with Pure Wick, not only does it constantly blow air on you (I think it’s the suction), but you have to get past the whole “just relax and pee” thing. Perhaps some people can - but I’m not one of them. I can’t lay back and just pee in the bed. As I said, I put the disposable bed pad under me and perched on the side of the bed just to try and make it work. It was definitely not an experience I ever want to repeat.
Ten days after leaving the hospital, I saw my Cardiologist at his office for a follow-up. I was diagnosed on the spot as being in AFib, and was taken back to the hospital (same one) by anbulance for two days. Due to a bed shortage, I was admitted, but stayed in the ER the whole time. They started me on medication right away.
What I found funny was that it was no issue at all to leave my glassed-in room and walk down the hall (about 35 feet) to the public restroom and back. Nurse told me to call the desk and let them know if I was going there, and also let them know if I needed any help walking to or from the bathroom. So I called them, and came and went as needed. Otherwise, I just stayed in my room and watched TV with the door shut to limit my exposure to whatever else was “visiting” the ER (Covid, flu, pneumonia, drunks, insanity, people under arrest, etc).
Same hospital - totally different approach to using the bathroom!
Men do get an easier deal with urinal bottles, condom drainage & with a longer urethra, less UTIs from catheters (I was told). Sigh.
While I personally don't have any experience with the Pure Wick system, I agree with you that it doesn't seem appropriate for a continent person.
I believe she thought it meant less for her to do, so she put me on Pure Wick and basically confined me to my bed. As you’ll see below, she and the Tech were both unreachable for 4 hrs, starting when my dinner tray was delivered.
When I called the Nurses Station for help, the person answering just said “she’s not here right now, I’ll leave a message”. After multiple unanswered calls, I asked if she could possibly send the Tech or someone else, and was told “she would, if my Nurse and my Tech didn’t return soon”. So - they were both gone. When my Nurse and the Tech finally showed up, I had been in a soaked gown for almost 4 hrs - from accidentally spilling a juice cup on myself while trying to peel off the foil lid. Not easy with taped on pulse-ox, and IV’s in the backs of both hands.
The Nurse was angry with me and said she “had the right to take breaks and go to dinner”. I was also angry, but I didn’t disagree with her. I did say “when she and her Tech are both out of touch for 4 hours, and leave no back-up instructions, that’s a problem”. The Tech returned with a dry gown and bed pad for me, and while there, they continued their apparent break and dinner conversation right there in my room!
So, as I said above, I think she just didn’t want to deal with the commode chair, or any calls for assistance. So, she (and her Tech) effectively stranded me in my bed with the Pure Wick and left to have a good time with their friends.
Every other shift, every day I was there, I had Nurses, Patient Care Techs, and Charge Nurses in and out of my room all the time (plus Doctors and Hospitalists) following their scheduled rounds. I’m pretty self sufficient, so I almost never call anyone unless it’s something I truly need help with. If I hadn’t spilled the juice, I would never have known they were gone, because I would not have called otherwise..
BTW: she did actually write me up and said “I was uncooperative and refused to lie down in my bed despite her efforts to impress upon me the importance of doing as I was told”.
Her’s was the only negative report I received in 9 days.
Just read up on it, seems to be very uncomfortable. Didn't Medicare stop paying for it?
I do have to sleep on my back. Have been like that for years. I have had multiple neck and spinal fusions that make it impossible to lay on my stomach (I have limited neck range of motion). I also have Scoliosis, hip bursitis, and shoulder issues that makes it very painful to lay on either side, even for a few minutes. I have spinal stenosis, and arthritis in multiple joints. So, on my back it is. I do sometimes sleep on a heating pad set on low with 2 hour auto shutoff. It helps relieve back aches so I can sleep.
I’m thankful I went to “Back School”, a class put on by the Orthopaedics & Rehab Depts at the hospital before I had my first surgery. It taught me how to safely get into and out of bed, and how not be stuck like an upside down turtle. How to get into and out of cars. (I would highly recommend Back School to anyone planning surgery like that. Very useful information that I still use today).
I did eventually buy an adjustable bed at home, which really helps me. I just leave it in a comfortable position and seldom make any changes. I also have a neck roll pillow that has lost a lot of stuffing over the years. It is thin in the middle, with more stuffing on the sides. It provides head and neck support with no pressure. I carry it with me whenever I travel, as standard pillows don’t work for me.
I honestly don’t know if Medicare covers Pure Wick or not. You can always call them and ask. I was hospitalized on BC/BS. I became eligible for Medicare the day I was discharged (and have used Medicare ever since).
Problem with my back is I have a sway in the lower part. Right where the arthritis set in. So I can't stand for long periods and laying on my back hurts.
I have a dog bone pillow for travel. A small square one I use for my back and a small stool I can put my feet up on to take stress off my lower back.
https://www.amazon.com/NeckBone-Chiropractic-Pillow-Original-Bones/dp/B009AMM5XO/ref=asc_df_B009AMM5XO/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167132397839&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=54473458233143482&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003829&hvtargid=pla273614875080&psc=1
My mom fractured a disk in her lower back. This bed rail was suggested to help pull herself up and help with stability when she stood up. Also helped her from rolling out of bed.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vive-Adjustable-Compact-Bed-Rail-Fits-Any-Bed/730080319?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=6195&&adid=22222222227558971033&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=571779187854&wl4=aud-1651068664746:pla-1567879944387&wl5=9003829&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=114431331&wl11=online&wl12=730080319&veh=sem&gclid=Cj0KCQjw166aBhDEARIsAMEyZh6uameNQs4eeVvRBhl3-d02cJMOuQW-gkhC_OuRkhqn1Kk3_tvmrUAaAqSsEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
It sounds like you can take it or leave it re: Pure Wick, but since you said you don’t produce much urine, perhaps that’s okay?
I’m so very sorry to hear you’re on dialysis! I hope you don’t mind, but I will add you to my prayer list. Take care…
I think you’re right on the follow the money angle. I’m sure Pure Wick was developed with good intentions and to help a segment of the female population and their care givers. Unfortunately, the marketing people jumped in to find new ways to sell it outside it’s original target market. I’m sure some people can successfully adjust to it - but I’m just not one of them.
LOL! In grammer school, I was the little kid who waited in a stall until I was alone to pee, even if I was late returning to my class room. Not so by high school. Guess I grew out of it. Then I went in the Navy at 18. Boot Camp (14 weeks back then) gets you past all those privacy things really fast! You live in one huge barracks bay lined with lockers and bunk beds. You dress/undress in front of your locker. Shower stalls were concrete with no shower curtains. Toilets had doors, but no locks. Every morning was a mad rush to get 100+ women in, use the bathroom, showered, teeth brushed, dressed properly in uniforms, and out to assemble as a Company on time - that there was no possible waiting for privacy of any kind. If you were late, you initially only hurt yourself. If you were late at least twice, your company got demerits, too. That affected everyone, so the pressure was applied by all on the late one(s), the uniform confused ones, the ones with unshined shoes, etc to conform and be on time. There were a few who initially tried to take their clothes and dress in the bathroom stalls, and avoid the open showers, but our Company Commander put a stop to it immediately. It was literally adjust or go home. No joking around. If you want to stay in, do what’s expected of you. The Asst CO (an Ensign) was assigned to stand watch by the bathrooms and showers to identify non-compliant recruits and put them on report.
When I joined the civilian work force, I noticed there were always adult women sitting in stalls already when I arrived and that were still there after I’d washed my hands and left. Sometimes I heard pages turning. The ones I never understood were the ones that were in the stalls AND on their cell phones talking. THAT I find an invasion of privacy!
Well, we can only hope that hospital managers listen to their Nurses (except for the one I had!) and convince them that Pure Wick is not an end-all solution to be used by all female patients. It’s really not. They should limit their purchases and save their budgets to spend on better, proven technology.