Telling others about your child
Of course, some people will wonder what it is like to be the parent of a child with bladder emptying problems. Some will ask you, while others will wonder in silence. How much should you tell as a parent, and what should you tell?
Quite simply, it is up to you to decide what you feel comfortable about telling. Even small children have a right to integrity, privacy and respect. But sometimes you will need to explain, especially for helpers who might be participating in the procedure.
Your child's friends
Small children ask questions that sometimes are very to the point and require straight answers. If you need some tips and advice, you can find help in our special children's material. As your child grows older, catheterisation can often become a more sensitive issue. Let your child decide how much he or she wants to tell his/her friends and classmates.
Relatives, friends and other people
Astra Tech has a brochure that can be helpful when you want to inform relatives, friends or other people about self-catheterisation. The brochure describes the causes of urinary tract problems, and how these problems affect a child's everyday life. When you inform someone who is going to insert a catheter in your child, you should also give this person a printout of the instructions for how catheterisation is performed.
Healthcare professionals
When you and your child visit the doctor, it can be a good idea to mention that your child uses LoFric, especially if your child needs to leave a urine sample. The higher urine bacteria level that is natural for people who perform intermittent catheterisation could otherwise easily be mistaken for a urinary tract infection (UTI) and be treated unnecessarily. Healthcare professionals could also have access to less current information about catheterisation than you and your child do. If your child is hospitalised and unable to perform self-catheterisation, you should inform the hospital staff so they can arrange for regular bladder emptying.