World Mental Health Day | 10 October
Living With a Catheter: The Part Nobody Talks About
The hardest part is rarely the catheter itself. Here is what helps.
Ask someone who uses a catheter what the hardest part is. It is almost never the catheter.
It is the planning before every outing. The mental map of accessible toilets. The worry about a leak at lunch, at work, at a family dinner. And the quiet decision to skip things, because staying home feels easier than the arithmetic.
That is not a small thing on the side. For most people, it is the main event. And it deserves just as much attention as the routine itself.
You are not the only one
More than 7.2 million Australians live with incontinence, and around 62% never seek help for it. Continence Health Australia is blunt about why: the stigma runs deep, people keep it private, and that silence leads to isolation and delayed help.
It is common
1 in 3 Australians over 15 experience incontinence.
It is not just physical
Anxiety about leaks shrinks social lives, one skipped invitation at a time.
It is treatable
Both sides of it. The bladder side and the feelings side.
What the research found
Studies of people learning to self-catheterise consistently report shame, embarrassment and anxiety early on. Those feelings do not stay quiet; they lead people to avoid the routine. One review found around 60% of people can catheterise independently when they leave hospital, but only about 30% are still doing it five years later.
Other research found the more anxious people felt, the smaller their social world became.
The bit worth knowing
A study followed people for a full year after starting catheterisation. Quality of life improved in almost every area. Two things did not budge: close relationships, and levels of anxiety.
The technique gets easier on its own. The feelings do not. They need their own kind of support.
Free support built for exactly this
Convatec's me+ programme was made for the emotional side of catheter use. It is free, it is online, and it works whether you started last week or years ago.
At the heart of it is a set of ten short video modules with a workbook, plus practical how-to guides, a personalised video guide and a community of people doing the same thing.
How to start
Take one module at a time, give each one about a week, and fill in the workbook as you go. Modules 4, 6 and 8 are the ones people wish they had found sooner. Socialising, intimacy and the way you talk to yourself rarely come up at a standard appointment.
Explore the Convatec me+ Programme
A free app that takes the guesswork out
Convatec's me+CathCompanion app lets you log what you drink, what you pass and any leaks, then share a summary in a couple of taps. It is free, discreet and private.
Here is why that matters. Uncertainty is what feeds the worry. Not knowing how long you have. Not knowing if that second coffee will cost you later. A few weeks of tracking turns a vague fear into a pattern you can actually plan around, and it makes appointments far more useful when you can show your GP or nurse real numbers instead of a rough guess.
Learn About the me+CathCompanion App
Where Night n Day fits in
We do not make catheters. What we make is the everyday comfort that sits around them, and for a lot of people that is where the worry actually lives.
Washable underwear for peace of mind
Plenty of catheter users wear light protection as insurance, not necessity. Our washable underwear looks and feels like normal underwear, with the absorbency built straight in. No crinkle, no bulk, no reminder. Australian made and designed to last hundreds of washes.
Shop Washable UnderwearWashable pads and inserts
Light to moderate absorbency inserts you can pair with your own underwear or ours. A simple, low-cost way to feel covered on the days you want extra reassurance.
Shop Pads and InsertsBed and mattress protection
Waterproof bed linen, mattress protectors and absorbent bed pads that look like normal bedding, not hospital gear. Poor sleep and low mood feed each other, so taking the overnight worry away is one of the biggest wins available.
Shop Bed ProtectionCustom made to fit
There is no such thing as too big, too small or an odd shape. If nothing off the shelf works around your equipment or your body, we will make it to measure. Australian made, right here.
Explore Custom Made
Who to talk to
1800 33 00 66. Free, confidential advice from Nurse Continence Specialists.
1300 22 4636. Counsellors by phone or online chat.
13 11 14. Twenty-four hour crisis support.
Sizing, fit and NDIS questions. We have heard it all before and nothing surprises us.
Feeling better is part of the treatment
The emotional side of catheter use is common, it is real, and it responds to support. You do not have to sort it out on your own.
Browse All Washables Explore Convatec me+This article is general information only and is not a substitute for personal medical advice. Always talk to your GP, urologist or nurse continence specialist before changing your catheter routine, fluid intake or continence products. If you are struggling, please reach out to your doctor or one of the services listed above.
Sources: Continence Health Australia; Convatec me+ support programme and me+CathCompanion app; Evolution of Quality of Life and Treatment Adherence after One Year of Intermittent Bladder Catheterisation (2023); Quality of Life and Anxiety Levels in Patients Using Clean Intermittent Catheterization (2025).
