Big wall climbing is perfect - if super tough - adaptive adventure, and I’ve climbed El Cap with climbers who have been blind and climbers who are wheelchair-bound.
I’m 81 and have a supra pubic catheter. Have climbed 100+ days a year since 1957 until this year.
Can I use a lightweight alpine paragliding harness to a)lead climb b) second climb.
Have looked at Neo and Jingliders lightweight products on line but cannot decide if they will give me the freedom to climb. Very sorry to bother you but climbing and the comradeship has been my life.
You can only use a para harness for suspension, so no good for leading or seconding unless you're jumaring. A full body harness would probably be best when using a SP catheter, as some models leave the groin area clear. Hope that helps. andy
An indwelling urinary catheter is in my future. I'm trying to delay this because I don't know if the catheter would be safe in a fall even though it would be under the climbing harness. I really do not want to give up climbing. Can you suggest a solution?
I only have experience with climbers wearing paragliding-style harnesses, not actual sit harnesses, and they were never taking falls, but I think there will be ways to do this, but I guess it depends on lots of things, such as where the catheter comes out of your abdomen (I’m guessing that’s what an indwelling catheter is?), where the bladder is located. Some issues might be solved by using a full-body harness, which would remove the waistband inssue, but you’d not really want to be taking lead falls in this kind of harness. There is also the option of just letting your catheter run free, with no bag attached, which is smelly but an option, or feeding the drain into a pad (like a nappy), rather than a bag. In my limited experience (I suppose I lived with someone with a super pubic catheter doing all sorts of crazy things, but they were not walking), there are ways to overcome most issues, but it takes some work, but a pragmatic and practical solution tends to work best (like a wheelbarrow inner tube as a toilet, rather than a folding carbon fibre uber para toilet). Not sure if that helps, but I suppose it all just adds to the adventure!
An indwelling Foley style catheter comes out of the penis. A small inflatable balloon just inside the uinary bladder holds the catheter in place. The catheter is usually attached to a leg bag (typically calf mounted). However, at the leg bag tube connection point, near where the catheter emerges from the penis, a "dump" valve can be instaslled instead. My worry in either case is pulling on the catheter in a fall. The nature of a fall is unpredictable of course, but most falls I have taken I stay vertical with a "sit" catch. In these cases I think either a leg bag rig with a tube running along the upper thigh, or a valve rig with the valve padded and stowed along side the penis would perform fairly well. However, theory is one thing, and real world experience is another, especially in the climbing world.
I climbed with someone with this kind of catheter (sorry for getting them mixed up), and he seemed to make it work. I think it would be worth having some breakaway system that would stop the catheter being pulled out (maybe it has this?), although I expect the ball makes it pretty hard to pull out! I do know people who switched to a super pubic (right term?), found life a lot easier, even though it sounds pretty radical (the same is true of people who use stoma bags etc). Again, not speaking from first hand experience, but it seems that after a while you get a real feel for what's happening, and the biggest issue is blocking the system and pissing yourself (such things become so normal, that soon enough, it's for others to deal with, not you). I was once in a car with someone with a cathater and he said to the driver "we need to stop so I can piss, or I'm going to piss myself" (it was a women), to which the driver looked confused, and worried about his car. He just pulled over, the woman opened the door, and just emptied the pee out of the bag (it was on her hip), which sort of shocked the guy. I think people people do all sorts of strange shit to get through the day, and to live a normal life, and although stuff like this seems fucking grim and hard to accept, there are a lot of people who do far worse, but not the sorts of things anyone has to see (a broken body is much easier to deal with than a broken brain or life). I bet this is one of those things that seem like a big deal, but isn't once you start doing it (all that matters is you keep living your life).
Andy, Thanks for your words of encouragement! They mean a lot.
It's discouraging having a basic health function that I was able to take for granted all my life now become a threat to not only my outdoors inspirational activities but regular life. So it's super valuable to be reminded that adapting is do-able, and has been done by others with far more challanges than me. Thanks again,
Hi Andy,
I’m 81 and have a supra pubic catheter. Have climbed 100+ days a year since 1957 until this year.
Can I use a lightweight alpine paragliding harness to a)lead climb b) second climb.
Have looked at Neo and Jingliders lightweight products on line but cannot decide if they will give me the freedom to climb. Very sorry to bother you but climbing and the comradeship has been my life.
Many thanks,
Peter
Hi Peter,
You can only use a para harness for suspension, so no good for leading or seconding unless you're jumaring. A full body harness would probably be best when using a SP catheter, as some models leave the groin area clear. Hope that helps. andy
Hello Andy,
An indwelling urinary catheter is in my future. I'm trying to delay this because I don't know if the catheter would be safe in a fall even though it would be under the climbing harness. I really do not want to give up climbing. Can you suggest a solution?
Thanks!
Rick
Hi Rick,
I only have experience with climbers wearing paragliding-style harnesses, not actual sit harnesses, and they were never taking falls, but I think there will be ways to do this, but I guess it depends on lots of things, such as where the catheter comes out of your abdomen (I’m guessing that’s what an indwelling catheter is?), where the bladder is located. Some issues might be solved by using a full-body harness, which would remove the waistband inssue, but you’d not really want to be taking lead falls in this kind of harness. There is also the option of just letting your catheter run free, with no bag attached, which is smelly but an option, or feeding the drain into a pad (like a nappy), rather than a bag. In my limited experience (I suppose I lived with someone with a super pubic catheter doing all sorts of crazy things, but they were not walking), there are ways to overcome most issues, but it takes some work, but a pragmatic and practical solution tends to work best (like a wheelbarrow inner tube as a toilet, rather than a folding carbon fibre uber para toilet). Not sure if that helps, but I suppose it all just adds to the adventure!
Hi Andy,
Thanks so much for your reply!
An indwelling Foley style catheter comes out of the penis. A small inflatable balloon just inside the uinary bladder holds the catheter in place. The catheter is usually attached to a leg bag (typically calf mounted). However, at the leg bag tube connection point, near where the catheter emerges from the penis, a "dump" valve can be instaslled instead. My worry in either case is pulling on the catheter in a fall. The nature of a fall is unpredictable of course, but most falls I have taken I stay vertical with a "sit" catch. In these cases I think either a leg bag rig with a tube running along the upper thigh, or a valve rig with the valve padded and stowed along side the penis would perform fairly well. However, theory is one thing, and real world experience is another, especially in the climbing world.
Rick
I climbed with someone with this kind of catheter (sorry for getting them mixed up), and he seemed to make it work. I think it would be worth having some breakaway system that would stop the catheter being pulled out (maybe it has this?), although I expect the ball makes it pretty hard to pull out! I do know people who switched to a super pubic (right term?), found life a lot easier, even though it sounds pretty radical (the same is true of people who use stoma bags etc). Again, not speaking from first hand experience, but it seems that after a while you get a real feel for what's happening, and the biggest issue is blocking the system and pissing yourself (such things become so normal, that soon enough, it's for others to deal with, not you). I was once in a car with someone with a cathater and he said to the driver "we need to stop so I can piss, or I'm going to piss myself" (it was a women), to which the driver looked confused, and worried about his car. He just pulled over, the woman opened the door, and just emptied the pee out of the bag (it was on her hip), which sort of shocked the guy. I think people people do all sorts of strange shit to get through the day, and to live a normal life, and although stuff like this seems fucking grim and hard to accept, there are a lot of people who do far worse, but not the sorts of things anyone has to see (a broken body is much easier to deal with than a broken brain or life). I bet this is one of those things that seem like a big deal, but isn't once you start doing it (all that matters is you keep living your life).
Andy, Thanks for your words of encouragement! They mean a lot.
It's discouraging having a basic health function that I was able to take for granted all my life now become a threat to not only my outdoors inspirational activities but regular life. So it's super valuable to be reminded that adapting is do-able, and has been done by others with far more challanges than me. Thanks again,
Rick