Pee Valve Problems

[gasdiver]

When I first started diving dry suits in the early 80's the pee valve had no been invented, or I had never heard of them. I got back into cave diving after an extended period of time last year and bought a used dry suit. I had Gamble put in a new neck seal and pee valve. Since then I've been ranting about how nice it is to be able to relieve yourself underwater in a dry suit.

While I was aware of the possibility of UTI, I did not give it much thought. Being a cheap bastard, I would put on one condom catheter and use it for two dives in one day. After every trip I would flush the tube/valve generously with fresh water, but did not disinfect it in any way. Well, it caught up with me this weekend. Sunday morning I got up not feeling great. We made our planned dive and after I took my gear off, I felt like I had been hit by a milk truck. My lower back ached, my head ached and I had to pee every hour on the way from JB to Atlanta. By the time I got home, in addition to feeling bad and having a mild fever, I felt like I had to go, but could not.

So I ran to the urgent care facility a short distance away to see a doctor. I gave them a very small urine sample and told him what I had been doing that weekend. He took a look at the urine sample and considered all my symptoms. Heck, I could look at the urine sample and see there was something wrong. It looked like algae in my urine!

The doctor said it was either a prostate or bladder infection, but would not know until the lab results came back on Wednesday. He did give me a script for antibiotics, but he said it would take a couple of days before I started feeling better. So far he has been right, I still feel like crap and have a fever, but I seem to be improving.

Now, I'm going to search the forum for that pee valve disinfectant I read about some time back...

[icestac]

I think my buddies use a 50/50 white vinegar and water solution to flush the line. I've never had a problem myself and don't bother flushing with anything special, I just make sure the line is clear before hanging up the suit.

Are you sure the infection is not from the discount massage parlor behind the truck stop?

Hope you get to feeling better!

Cheers,
Jeff

[loquat149]

Balanced or Unbalanced???

Dave

[Greenwood_60]

My lower back ached, my head ached and I had to pee every hour on the way from JB to Atlanta. By the time I got home, in addition to feeling bad and having a mild fever, I felt like I had to go, but could not.

Sounds a bit like a kidney stone. Will usually cause an infection too. Had one a few years back, I can now feel my kidneys when my bladder is too full. If you can get pure cranberry juice from your health food store (and choke large quantities down) you will feel better a lot quicker. I would cut 50/50 with apple juice. Still tastes like ****.

[gasdiver]

No truck stop antics for me

It is a balanced valve.

Well, I had a kidney stone about 5 years ago. While this is painful, it pales in comparison to that. I mentioned the kidney stone to the doc, but he did not think that was my problem.

[JCGoodwin]

I have been using one cath for all day diving with no issues as of yet.
I do rinse and dry the valve every night post dive.
There have been other reports of wicked infections from using non-flushed or valves that were not dried between dives.
Thus why I always dry the valve and on occasion rinse with a little dish detergent and if I am having to put on wet I rinse with a weak bleach solution.
Beware getting that on your suit though not friendly at all.

Hope you feel better soon.

JCG

[Slüdge]

Real men hold it.

[cavemark]

Rochester Wide Bands hold so well that I have left one cath on for two days of diving in a row. Never had a problem with an infection. Unbalanced valve. I make sure the Norprene hose is completely empty at the end of the day. I try to hydrate enough before the dive so that I have to pee before I get in the water to flush the line.

[divindoc]

The doctor said it was either a prostate or bladder infection, but would not know until the lab results came back on Wednesday.

There's a pretty easy way to tell, called a DRE (Digital Rectal Exam). The prostate is boggy and tender with prostatitis; normally it has a firm, rubbery feel - I know, maybe TMI for some, but a simple rectal exam could have differentiated this at the time. It is important to make the distinction as prostatitis usually requires a 3 week course of antibiotics.

FWIW, I found an unbalanced valve to have much less resistance than a balanced valve when urinating. The adhesive on my caths works so well that my Unit can only stand 1 catheter/day of diving. I leave the QD on the catheter and just rinse with plain water between dives, and rinse the tubing with 50/50 isopropyl/vinegar or lots of plain water if that isn't available. Make sure the tubing dries thoroughly after you're done diving for the day.

Be careful that the tubing doesn't kink anywhere along its' length. For someone that drinks industrial-strength coffee every am, a functioning P-valve is a thing of beauty!

[Jax]

Sounds a bit like a kidney stone. Will usually cause an infection too. Had one a few years back, I can now feel my kidneys when my bladder is too full. If you can get pure cranberry juice from your health food store (and choke large quantities down) you will feel better a lot quicker. I would cut 50/50 with apple juice. Still tastes like ****.

You can find cranberry pills in any vitamin section. Pop a couple of 400mg or so every 2-3 hours, and drink lots of fluids. It will flush you plenty quickly and clean out your whole system.

Alternately, you can drink a 1/2 gallon of cranberry juice in a 4-hour period. Yuck. Chill the heck out of it if you go this route.