Daily Cialis instead of Flomax (Tamsulosin)

I was very squeemish the first time, in fact, I almost fainted in the doctor's office! Looking back, a lot of it was mental, although the body can take a couple of weeks to get used to the procedure where there might be some -- not sure if I'd call it pain -- but discomfort during the procedure. That said, whatever discomfort you may temporarily experience is no doubt going to be less than what most people here seem to be experiencing after one of the many surgical procedures available.

All I can say is that after a month or so, all the pain and discomfort went away and when I say the procedure now is about as traumatic as brushing my teeth, I am not exagerating.

So basically, once you get through the intial period, you end up with a painless five-minute skill that can completely empty your bladder any time you want.

As I mentioned before, at first I self catherized as preparation for a button turp. The idea was to use the self catherization as a means to deompress my flaccid (stretched) bladder. But the self catherization ended up working so well that I held off on the operation and now will wait till something better comes along. Right now, from what I've read both here and elsewhere, self catherization -- at least for me -- seems to afford me the best results with the least downside. That could change down the road if better procedures come along, or if I start having problems with the self cathing.

My advice to anyone in urinary distress who is not ready to pull the trigger for an operation, is to buckle up and try it. Any initial discomfort is well worth where you end up which basically is as a good a functional result (probably better) than you could expect from any operation with the caveat, of course, that you need some mechanical assist. I self-cath 2-4 times a day, depending on factors such as fluid intake, and usually sleep 6-8 hours at night without having to go to the bathroom.

As I menitoned in another post, I highly recommend that you insist on prophalactic antibiotics to get you through the first couple of weeks without a UTI. UTI's were my biggest problem the first four months and I put the blame solely on my medical team who not only didn't give me prophalatic antibiotics but didn't treat my first UTI until it developed into a serious one. After I swtiched doctors, got the UTI situation taken care of, things have been good. I think it's close to year now with no UTIs.

If anyone is interested in self cathing, let me know and I'll be glad to share tips and techniques which unfortunately you usually don't get from your urologist.

-- Jim

Thank You Jim;  A very Merry Christmas to You and Your Family.

A Merry Christmas to you as well!

Hi Jim, Interested in your tips for self cathing. Thanks

Lots of information and tips in this thread here:

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/self-catherization-an-alternative-to-turp-greenlight-holep--336874

Let me know if you have any more questions. 

Jim

Hi Jim

Thanks for a nice post, I had urine retention and now with a catheter for the past 20 days waiting for surgery for enlarge prostate, don't like operation, the urlologist suggested old TURP method, I looking at laser options such as green light or HOLEP, lost all urge to urinate after wearing the catheter for 5 days and then doing a cycoscopy, after that I had to put back the catheter because I did have any urge to urinate and my bladder was filling up, they proposed self-cath until operation but I was to scared to do it since it hurts like hell when they install my catheter each time, not sure if you give me any tips on self-cath, thanks, John

Some people are very sensitive in that area so self cathing can be painful for the first couple of weeks. This was the case with me.

However after a few weeks, and with practice, the procedure becomes virtually pain free and routine.

The right catheter can also help the process. The Bard red rubber catheters are nice and soft but I finally settled on the Coloplast Speedicath which has a built-in hydrophillic coating so you don't need extra lubricants.

So be patient, experiment with different catheters (the manufacturers love to send out free samples), and go very slow and gentle when inserting and removing.

The pain will go away with time, but for some people the first couple of weeks can be tough so try and hang in there. Good luck.

Jim

Jim, I know your post is a bit old but I'm very interested in getting some info from you. A few years ago I was diagnosed with BPH. Within the last few weeks my symptoms have taken a turn for the worse. I developed a respiratory illness. Around the same time it became increasingly difficult to urinate. My local urgent care put me on an antibiotic for my lungs and my urologist added 250mg Cipro twice daily for a week. The symptoms seemed to improve, then out of the blue the urinary retention, pain in the penis and vigorous straining to urinate came back with a vengeance. I was started back on Cipro 500mg twice daily for ten days then 250mg twice daily for eleven more days. At this point I'm six days into the 500mg and my symptoms are improving. My doctors are thinking I have a severe case of prostititus. They've mentioned self catherizing as a possible alternative. When you dealt with your UTI how long did it take for you to get it under control? Did you ever get to the point where expelling urine was nearly impossible? Does the self cathing eliminate any urgency you may have been dealing with? To this point Flomax is the only medication I've taken for the enlarged prostate issues. That may well change after a scheduled urodynamics test along with a trans rectal and kidney/prostate ultra sound. 

Sorry for the long drawn out response. Thank you in advance for your reply.

regards, Larry

Hi Larry,

Did they give you decongestants and/or antihistamines during your respiratory illness? Either can worsen BPH symptons and push someone compromised over the edge with symptons like you describe.

Antibiotics on the other hand are an anti-inflamatory. So even if no bacteria was present (UTI) then they can often help lesen the symptons of both BPH and/or prostatitis.

So, given your sympton history, something to think about. Always look at the medicine cabinet when something new happens.

At this point you're just past midway on your last round of antibiotics. When finished, you really should have some comprehensive testing if you haven't had it already. 

First, you have to get to a uro as urgent care physicians are not equipped nearly as well to diagnose and treat. You will want to have a DRE, urine culture, blood work, as well as a bladder scan in the office to check for retention. You probably should also be sent out to  have a bladder/kidney scan as well. Optional tests include cystoscopy and perhaps urodynamics depending on the other results. 

Depending on your symptons and what they find, be prepared for the urologist to suggest a procedure or operation. This is what they do. Certainly listen but understand that there is no rush for either and that the operation or procedure that your urologist may suggest is just one of many, with newer ones coming on board recently. So listen but personally I would not committ to anything at that point.

Again, depending on test results and symptons, self cathing (CIC) may be a good option for you. Lots of info about that in the self cath threads but feel free to post more questions there if you can't find something since the threads have gotten kind of bloated and hard to navigate. 

In answer to your questions, "yes" I got to the point where expelling urine was almost impossible several times. A UTI can cause that which begs the question did you have a urine culture done? I also got to that point from urinary retention and that is why I started to self cath.

Self cath basically empties the bladder completely anytime you want, so in most cases it will take care of retention, urgency, etc, as well as any operation or procedure would. 

Oh...just saw you're scheduled for a trans rectal and kidney/prostate ultra sound. That's good, they are on the right track. Are you with a urologist now? 

So let us know how things work out and again just ask about self cathing. A new cath btw just came on the market which would make a good starter cath. It's the Coloplast Flex Coude. I would start with either size FR14 or 12, whichever works easier. Many of us, including myself, use the Coloplast Speedicath Coude FR14, which is another good choice.

Jim

Jim, thanks for the prompt response to my question. I did take some over the counter antihistamine. I was also prescribed albuterol inhaler medication. They've taken two urine specimens, the first came back negative on culture, I'm waiting on the second results. The first flare-up was before I had used any medication at all, the second about two weeks later and was much worse I had been taking both an antihistamine and the albuterol. I was in excruciating pain the second time around with blockage and burning to the point where my stomach muscles were sore from straining.

If I understand the timing of the drugs correctly, they definitely could have caused the flare up. In the future, be careful what kinds of drugs you take in terms of bph and double check them for bph side effects.

Jim

About a year ago my urologist, suggested the turp, had a infrared procedure, then Urolift, he gave me a catheter, was on a cruise and had to use catheter for the 1st time on my own, what a relief, after that experience, I started self catheterization several times a day, now I'm able to travel without the anxiety of have to go all the time, just categorize 3 to 4 times a day, just before bed time, now I sleep 6hrs plus without having to get up during the night, self catheterization has change my life for the best.

Hi Fred,

Glad the self cathing worked out for you. It certainly can be a life changer, it was for me and many others here. Did the Urolift help at all?

 Do you have any natural voids, or is it just the self cathing?

Jim

Hi Jimjames,

I had brachytherapy and have suffered from chronic urine retention due to prostate swelling.  I have been on a cath for about 45 days - I will most likely need transition start to self cath in a week or 2 and I would appreciate any tips and techniques you have learned - can you private message me any ideas to help?  Thanks and God Bless!