Hi ebas,
My dad has a long term catheter and the District Nurse comes in every three months unless as already stated there is a problem such as a blockage which fortunately doesn't happen too often, in dads case maybe 2-3 times in the last 2 years. As you are now aware a change of Day Bag is done every 7 days as is the Night Bag. My dads carers do that usually on a set day of the week in his case a Monday morning. Having some small pedal bin bags or small bags of some type is helpful to dispose of the bags that are being taken off. A small cheap plastic jug is a must to drain the bag during the day unless OH is happy to put his leg up over the toilet bowl but is probably tricky unless he is pretty stable on his feet/balance. Dads Day Bag is emptied four times a day which is enough for him it may depend on how much OH drinks..
Attaching the Night Bag is relatively simple urine is usually taken out of the Day Bag first then close the valve back again in order to attach the Night Bag to the Day Bag failure to do this can result in drips of remaining urine on the floor, having a bit of tissue whenever handling the valves helps. I believe carers leave a small amount in the Day Bag as drainage into Night Bag is checked to see all is working correctly. Don't forget to switch the valve back TO THE OPEN POSITION at night on the Day Bag or else the Day Bag will become overfull as it won't be able to drain into the Night Bag again this has happened to dad but it has been the odd carers that have made this error or very possible dad has fiddled with the valve we are never quite sure but it doesn't often happen now. Carers put the night bag in a small round washing up bowl which we supplied and just put it by the side/slightly under the bed there are stands available but to be honest we felt the bag was best laid in a bowl as any issues such as leakage because valve was accidentally left open on the bottom of the Night Bag has meant that any urine will be in the bowl rather than carpet. We haven't had too many issues but the bowl has definitely saved us on a few occasions.
In the morning before detaching the Night Bag close the valve on the Day Bag, sometimes a little manual persuasion is needed first to gently squeeze some urine from the Day Bag into the Night Bag just to ensure the Day Bag is fully empty. Dads morning carers empty and rinse through the Night Bag with plain water and leave it in the bowl ready to attach again, as you may be doing this yourself at least initially make sure the valve on the bottom of the Night Bag is closed after emptying to avoid leaking/emptying into the bowl when next used..
Dads bags are ordered online via a website by my sister that the Pharmacy/GP directed us to as I'm sure there came a time when the pharmacy said they could no longer order for us but maybe it depends on the area you live or the system your own GP prefers. When you order the bags there will also be a need to check for ordering of numbing gel and new tubing that the District Nurse inserts into the patient as they don't appear to arrive with the extras needed, G straps are also good as will help hold the tubing on the leg in a more comfortable position and can also be obtained under the NHS via the same time as everything else is ordered. All of dads catheter requirements are delivered to his home and all are free including delivery.
I have to say its a bit of a nightmare when dad has his District Nurse in he hates the changeover as it is pretty uncomfortable for him, he is due for a change in three days. District Nurse will give us a date for his next appointment but cannot ever give us a time so either sister or I will make sure we are at his home until they have been. My dad could not cope with emptying his bag during the day so he does have carers 4 times a day now as he lives on his own he is 86 yrs and has Mixed Dementia, they also wash/dress him heat up a microwave meal and visit to offer a tea/cake in the afternoon plus a bedtime call to help him to bed. Both my sister and I visit him so he has a reasonable amount of care whilst still living at home. I would say that having a catheter can leave them open to getting more Urinary Tract Infections dad has had several now so any sudden change of behavior or aggression could be down to an infection. Unfortunately my dad has been doubly incontinent for quite a long time so carers have his pads to deal with too, his temperament is starting to get worse so we are not sure how much longer he will be able to be cared for at home. I do hope you get the help you need the catheter on a day to day basis does gets easier and its not as complicated as it might initially appear to be but perhaps OH will be more acceptable of a carer dealing with it my dad doesn't like it but will on the whole co-operate.