Male patients should urinate while sitting during chemotherapy

Hello everyone, I am a chemotherapy drug, and I am an important drug for many cancer patients to treat their diseases. However, many people do not know that after using me, the patient's body fluids and excrement contain "dangerous substances". Doctors often tell male patients: "During chemotherapy, try to urinate while sitting."

Urine after chemotherapy, what are the risks?

I have many brothers and sisters, such as cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, etc., which can effectively kill cancer cells. After we enter the human body, we are metabolized by the body and eventually enter the urine. We ourselves and our metabolites are toxic and can damage healthy cells. Studies have shown that within 48 hours of using us, drug residues will continue to exist in the urine. If not handled properly, it may cause a series of problems.

Pollution of the home environment: When men urinate while standing, urine tends to splash out, which may stain the toilet seat, floor, or even wet clothes, polluting the home environment.

Threat to family health: When family members are cleaning, if they accidentally touch me, they may be affected. Especially pregnant women, children and other people with weaker resistance are more vulnerable.

Producing toxic mist: When you urinate, urine hits the water surface and forms tiny droplets, which are similar to mist. We may be hiding in this mist, and if it is inhaled into the lungs, it also poses a health risk.

It should be noted that not only urine, but also the sweat, blood, vomit, feces, etc. of chemotherapy patients pose a threat to health.

Hidden dangers of standing urination in male chemotherapy patients

Chemotherapy drugs or medical conditions:

Using me may cause peripheral neuropathy, numbness of hands and feet, and decreased balance. Sitting position urination avoids imbalance and falls when standing, which is especially safer for elderly or mobility-impaired patients. I may also irritate the bladder or urethra, causing frequent urination, urgency, pain, or difficulty urinating. Sitting position urination can relax the pelvic floor muscles, reduce pain or resistance during urination, facilitate more complete bladder emptying, and reduce the risk of urinary retention.

What should I do if there is a chemotherapy patient at home?

Preparation before going to the toilet: Use a disposable waterproof toilet seat, and avoid cotton toilet seats, as cotton easily absorbs chemotherapy drugs. Place a piece of paper towel on the surface of the toilet water to effectively reduce the small mist produced by the impact of urine.

Note when flushing: Cover the toilet lid before flushing. If you flush with the lid open, the mist containing chemotherapy drugs may float 1 meter away. It is recommended to flush twice, the first time to flush away the urine, and the second time to completely flush away the residual urine.

What to do if it gets dirty accidentally: Once urine is splashed, immediately use diluted 84 disinfectant to soak the contaminated area for 10 minutes, then wipe it clean with clean water. During the cleaning process, be sure to wear an N95 mask and nitrile gloves, because ordinary latex gloves are easily penetrated by chemotherapy drugs.

Bathroom cleaning: Within 48 hours after chemotherapy, it is best for the patient to use a separate bathroom. Use disinfectant wipes to wipe frequently touched areas such as the toilet seat and flush button every day.

Be sure to avoid these misunderstandings!

Myth 1: "When chemotherapy is over, the body fluids are no longer toxic." Some chemotherapy drugs, such as ifosfamide, require 5-7 days for their metabolites to be completely excreted from the body. After chemotherapy, different drugs remain in different body fluids for different periods of time, so you should not take it lightly and be sure to follow the doctor's professional advice.

Myth 2: "It's not a big deal if it's just a little bit of contact." Even if the amount of contact is very small, if it lasts for a long time, there will still be health risks for sensitive groups such as those who are preparing to get pregnant and babies.

Myth 3: "Just keeping your hands clean is enough." In addition to hands, other parts of the skin may also come into contact with body fluids, and drug-containing aerosols may be inhaled into the respiratory tract, so both full-body protection and air protection are important.

Chemotherapy is not just a battle for the patient alone, the whole family needs to take precautions together. Although sitting to urinate is a trivial matter, it can greatly reduce the secondary "harm" of chemotherapy drugs to the patient and the family environment. If you have a friend who is undergoing chemotherapy, you might as well share this knowledge with him to give him an extra layer of safety on the road to fighting cancer!

Qian Rong, a nurse in the Urology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University/Text

Lei Chunxue, head nurse of the Department of Gastroenterology, Wenzhou People's Hospital/Cover graphic