Great Ideas ...

Can I just comment on something that has been bothering me since Saturday morning? I would like to offer props to the individual who thought up the idea of a catheter -- use a tube to drain unwanted or needed fluid from one area of the body into a receptacle, I can definitely appreciate the ingenuity of this idea. HOWEVER, I don't know that the person who invented this miraculous device ever had one to remove fluid from an infected bladder. If so, I think they would have scrapped their idea, thrown away the prototype, and kicked themselves for thinking they could make things better :)

I found myself with a UTI late Friday night/Saturday morning, and because of the baby, I had to take a trip to the ER (UTI can cause preterm labor). Thinking I would simply to in and collect a sample in a cup, I was okay with this. Such was not the case. As I am over 20 weeks of my pregnancy, it is procedure to be admitted onto the OB floor to monitor the baby and make sure labor hasn't started. The nurse was great, and was sure we could to a "clean catch" (pee in a cup), but the doctor had another solution ... the catheter! For those of you who don't know, this is a fairly simple procedure. The nurse crams a bit of plastic tubing up to drain the bladder and collect a urine sample directly from the bladder instead of allowing it to pass through the body. I have not felt anything like this pain before ... at least with childbirth, there was a relief ... not so with the cath. If at all possible, I would avoid this at most costs!

Probably more info than you cared to know, but it was my current thought :) Have a great week!