Catheters,Drugs and Operation times

Debs you are an angel.Thank you so much for your wonderful posting.It is strange as i sat here earlier thinking i cant be the first to go through all this and yet still feel so alone or feel like i am the only one that could not hand self catheterising.Do they know the reason behind your husbands problems Debs and is it improving for him?

You are totally right about a partner.I have been with her 2 years and was just about to start sorting a house together (taken a while as i have ME so lots of outside issues) and after losing 20 years to that just feel so low that yet again the rugs pulled from under me but she has sworn to stand by me no matter what.Your words are wonderful and comforting,i hope your hubby appreciates you!

Hi again John. The urology lot are not at all sure of my husbands problems, but every guess that they make is probably bound up in them making money - the more they guess the more procedures and tests that we pay for privately, the more they get paid and the longer we worry about what the heck is going on - or at least in the UK which is where we are - in keeping their clinics full - and so making money. John, it really sounds like to me that it is your fear that you are going to lose your girlfriend - because somehow you are seeing yourself as less of a man - whatever that means to men - coz I am damm sure that phraze was not invented by a woman! John, men seem to be obsessed by their willys, but for us women, they really are just not that important when it comes to feeling loved, and showing that you are loved. There are lots of ways to show love and affection and something as basic as holding hands can mean an awful lot to a couple. Me and my parter have not had sex (penatrive) in over 10 years - he has BPH and probably other issues, but I love him first and foremost as my best friend, and secondary as my lover. I would always choose to lose my lover to my best friend, coz a best friend is for life and not just for the age that we like to be sexual. John, go for your house, go for your lifes ambition, feel blessed that you are loved by your partner and trust in her to stand by you. She has told you that she wil stand by you - your doubts are yours not hers. John, willy/prostate problems are just hurdles to get over and not insurmountable  mountains that we can never climb! Get CIC ing and just see how empowered you feel. My husband who was so doom and gloom and who even threatened to me that he was going to end it all, is like a new man! We try to research all we can, and are patient to wait till we feel that the right path is there for us.

​Keep posting John. There is support out there, you are never alone!

Deb xxx

A video on youtube by Kevin Johnson was helpful to me.  Just go to youtube and search (self catherization kevin johnson) and it should pop up.

Deb, excellent advice!  I sound just like John, a few weeks ago.  I was depressed, full of anxiety and felt sorry for myself.  Wearing that bag, just made me feel depressed.  I had a turp done on July 12, 2016, and since then, can;t urinate on my own.  My uro, gave me two choices, I took the first choice which was to CIC.  This is day two of doing CIC, and it's the best.  At first, I felt squeemish, about inserting a tube in my penis, but now, only two days later, I am sort of getting used to it.  The best part is, because my bladder, is completely empty after doing CIC, I can go anywherre, and not have to look for a rest room every hour or so.  It free's me up!  In between CIC's, I try to urinate on my own, and I think it's getting a little better.  Most of the time, I only dribble, but there are times, when it seems to be getting more than a dribble.  Who knows, I may eventually be almost normal.  Right now, it's been around 7 hours, since I last did a CIC. It's 12:50 in the morning here in Hawaii, and so I'm trying to see if I can go on my own.  My uro, wants me to keep a record of the time,date and amount of urine {ml} I can collect each time I CIC.  He wants me to keep it at around 500 ml.  So John, if you are reading this post, stick with it. You will be fine...and 

Deb, you give excellent advice!

Dennis, I've been CICing for two years, pre- and post-Urolift surgery.  Many experiements with time/timing of cathing.  We all differ.  The natural signal-time-to-pee is about 300cc, and what we strive for.  I don't feel discomfort until I reach 600cc, and sometimes not until over that.  From YEARS of undiagnosed BPH, I have a permanently stretched-out bladder (When my prostate shut down peeing 2 years ago, I was drained of 2.5 LITERS of pee!  And the "old bag" ain't ever likely to shrink down.  But there's someone on this forum who speaks of cathing MORE (keeping the amounts to 300cc OR LESS (i.e., 5-7X per day), to let the litter bugger shrink up on its own.  My uro-surgeon doesn't approve of cathing that often, due to increased chance of UTIs (of which I've had four episodes in two years).  Your mileage may vary!  :-)

With all due respect, Glenn, and with great consideration to Deb and others, NO! NO! NO!  to this video!  Oh, my God!  This video is SO too much, including the SWABBING, where he seems intent on sterilizing HALF THE EARTH!!!  :-)  

In practice, and when done with care (and I DO mean, "with care" it is quite possible to wipe only the tip area (back to the "ridge," if circumsized).  It is also possible (and I feel HIGHLY preferable) to never have to touch the portions of the catheter that go inside the body.  (This is a big "DUH!" to this veteran...).  When done cleverly, there is NO need for those gloves!  Good God!  Let's try to stay as NORMAL as possible.

Soooooo...  By holding the shaft below the ridge, one's hand is clear of the catheter insertion area, and said hand need not be STERILIZED!  Now, if said shaft is held pointing UPWARDS, then the catheter, held by the "spout" end, can be lowered by the other hand and into the orifice.  Care MUST be taken, that if it swings to the left or right before settling into the correct opening, it does NOT contact other parts of the penis head or the other hand.  But using gravity is a very energy-efficient way to go!  When removing the cath, of course, the other hand may be engaged, as the cath will not be going back in.  

Also, please, regular rubbing alcohol is just fine; that gruesomely colored stuff looks like he's doing TRIAGE at hospital, for God's sake!  :-P   

So please, please, please, simplify your procedure and your life.  This ain't rocket science!  :-)

Also, and to note:  two of my UTIS experiences came from being too tired  to be doing cathing, and I forgot--- FORGOT!--- to clean before insertion.  Imagine being on honeymoon in France and looking up all the medical terms needed, before racing off to the doctor's office!  :-D

Hi cartoon man. I did watch this video in an attempt to try to find some guidence for my husband on You Tube. I totally agree with you! I decided not to show it to him because it seemed way over the top and I thought it might put him off altogether! It should indeed come with a warning!

​Take care you !

I agree. I use a small alchohal wipe to clean only the head of my penis, including the entrance. And then my fingers even though I only touch the catheter funnel. I've had no problems so far. Some medical and manufaturer sites reccommend just using plain soap and water for the hands and penis. And of course, if you drop the catheter, (I did that once), throw it away and use a new one.

Yes, John.  As a Cheapster, I use those wipes in my travels, but at home keep a bottle of alcohol from the druggist's.  And a piece of TP.  As for "soap and water," no, never have.  Neither water nor soap are guaranteed to be sterile, nor to kill germs...

Mea culpa... I agree with your comments.    I had access only to unlubricated catheters, so I had to deal with the extra step of of getting a pack of sterile lubricant open and applying it to the catheter.    I did learn that by taping the package with the catheter to the edge of the countertop in the bathroom, I could open the the top end with one hand and pull out the funnel end of the catheter and not have to touch any part of it with my other hand while applying the lubricant.

My wife, a retired nurse, was standing over my shoulder for the first couple of times, so I had her operating room experienced imposed on me a bit.  And, I actually  was a missile engineer/scientist at one time.  

:-)   You had my sympathy with the words, ..."unlubricated catheters..."!!!

I hope that was long ago!  SpeediCaths are the simplest to use, as they come with a hanging loop AND a sticky patch, for a variety of mounting/hanging options.  AND, they are reasy-to-insert, no muss, nu fuss.  The Magic-3 catheters are great, although I once popped the little water bag, only to find it was full of AIR!  Seriously.  And I didn't have a second one with me.  EPIC CATHETER FAILURE!   Ugh.  

And I was a missile site mapping artist at one time---but it was easy to "draw" conclusions about which caths to use!  :-D

I agree about the soap and water. I too will stick with the alcohol.

It was only about 6 months ago, but it seems much longer now.  The urology practice would no help me in any way to get the catheters, instruct me, etc. after I had an acute retention episode after my first TURP procedure.  I found a location medical supply place that agreed to sell me the supplies without a doctor's order after I told them my wife was an RN.  I'm pretty sure they didn't have spedicaths.  In any event, I purchased a supply of sterile packets, but I had to cut the edge with scissors before they would tear open, so i was a bit concerned about contamination though opening the packets, although I had wiped the scissors with alcohol before using them.   I even used sterile gloves, and all that seems so anal retentive in retrospect.  At least, I didn't use a surgical mask!

When I decided I needed to self cath in case of another attack of urine retention, I discovered Alegro Medical on line. They will sell without a prescription and they handle the speedicaths. And their price is decent too. 

Yesterday I heard from my urologist's nurse. He has approved a prescription for the speedicaths and they will be paid for by my health insurance company. And they will be delived to my door every three months by a company called Edgepark. I'm really happy about that.

Thank you john.  I'll keep that in mind if the need comes up again.  Currently, it's large quantities of incontinence supplies, and they are not covered by insurance.