APAD Day 38 $1.72 to pee

~ msgracefulnot

Have you ever heard of a foley catheter? It is an indwelling catheter that is a attached to an external urine collection bag. If you have ever been hospitalized and needed a catheter this is the kind they used. Not fun right? RIGHT! Fortunately, they also make one time use catheters. They are individually packaged. When you need to urinate, you insert the single use catheter while sitting on the toilet. Your bladder is emptied, then you remove it and discard it. YAY!!!!…. or not.

Single use catheters are expensive! $1.72 each to be exact. So if I have to pee 10 times a day that’s $17.20 a day to pee or $516.00 a month. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?!?!

The reason this comes up is because I have Medicare and they have decided that I am allowed to pee free of charge 6x a day but no more. If I have to pee more, I’m gonna have to pay for it. $206.40 a month to be exact. Yeah that’s not going to happen. I do have other choices though

  1. Reuse the single use catheters ( Mind you the box they come in, the patient information, and just about every website that sells catheters STRONGLY insists that they are not to be reused.) Medicare even has a commercial on tv that a person should be able to use a new catheter each and every time they urinate. (Then why the hell won’t you pay for it?!?!!?)
  2. I can use a foley catheter (walk around with a bag of pee strapped to my leg everyday) for a couple weeks a month when I run out.
  3. Try to spread awareness of this issue, hoping it will make a change.
  4. Try to enlist others to spread awareness as well.

I’ve chosen to do all four of the choices that I feel I have. I am also going to attempt to contact Cure Medical to see if they have any patient assistance programs. https://curemedical.com/contact-us/

If you are able, please share this story or blog, tell someone the story, something. It would mean a great deal to me if you would.

Do you have any other thoughts on how to work around this problem?

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Published by msgracefulnot

So hard when someone says tell me about yourself...what do you want to know?

5 thoughts on “APAD Day 38 $1.72 to pee”

  1. $516.00 a month for the pleasure of peeing?! The figure would be double for me and my fickle pee needs. Jeeez. I’ve only had leave-in catheters (nerve damage affects peepee) and now I’m grateful I’ve not had to use singles.

    A sceptical part of my brain thinks “of course they’re going to tell you to never reuse one because that won’t make them as much money”. But from a hygiene perspective, it could up the risk of infection like UTI. But you can get that regardless, so who knows.

    I would think that trying to sanitise the catheter should be okay, just to use it twice (gives you 12 free pees p/day). Desperate times, desperate measures. I think doing all four options is a good idea. I hope Cure Medical can get back to you with something useful. Is this something that Medicare would need to be petitioned to change then, to get them to allow for more catheters p/day? I’m happy to sign a petition and share it, or maybe there’s another company or charity that could suggest another way to challenge it?

    xx

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    Reply

      1. Hang in there. I would say deal with one thing at a time, but it’s almost impossible when there’s so much happening at once. Wishing your mum all the very, very best & lots of love, I hope all goes as well as possible for her & that she’s well looked after for her surgery 💜💙💚💛

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