Cath-dry dressing trial

I ordered some CathDry dressings at the start of the year with the plan to start going swimming again but my recent hospital stay meant that I never actually got round to using them. I’ve been packing stuff for my holiday and when I was sorting through all the medical stuff I need to take I came across them. The house we are staying in for the first week has its own pool and last year I had to sit on the side watching everyone else having fun in the water. So I decided to pack the CathDry dressings incase I decide I want to go in.

But because I’ve never actually used one before I thought it would be a good idea to have a trial run at home. So this morning I put one on and jumped in the shower. I was still hooked up to my feed so had to feed the giving set wire back out of the dressing so I wasn’t expecting it to be watertight… but it was! I was only in the shower for 10 minutes but when I got out my Hickman line was completely dry!

(Yes, I’m aware it looks like a condom for my line 🤣🤣)

One thing I like about these dressings is that they have a moisture detector. So if water gets past the adhesive the ring changes colour from white to red. This makes sure you know when you need to get out of the water before your line gets wet and potentially bugs get in.

I’m not sure if I will go in the pool or the sea while I’m away but the thing is that this year is the first year in 8 years that I actually have a choice. One of the worst things about this illness is that it takes away your choices and often dictates what your able to do (or not do). So to be given the choice back is empowering. I just want to say thank you to Kim at FEAR (Face Everything And Rise) because it was through her website that I learnt about CathDry dressings. Watching her use them gave me the encouragement to order some and hopefully I will get back into the water soon. If anyone is thinking about trying them you can get a free sample through the website and then they’re available on NHS prescription.

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