First Time Successful CIC?

In my experience, if after a natural void I still have the urge to urinate, I need to cath. This usually only happens at night. In that situation there is usually 300 - 500 ml remaining in my bladder. If I don't cath, I will have to pee again within 15 - 30 minutes. And the urge to pee is usually so strong that I end up straining, which has caused me to defecate on occasion. So self-cathing can solve several issues....

Norm

Just relax in those situations and try not to panic. Panicking and CIC generally won't mix and match.. Try these to help prevent UTI's (don't use to treat)..

At least 650 MG's of cranberry supplements a day (check Amazon), and Mesosilver TRUE colloidal silver. Most other wrongly labeled colloids are ionic silver - not very good and over use of them can turn you blue. - 1 to 2 tablespoons a day.

Note ; I'm not a Doctor and The FDA to date has nothing to say on these, but I have yet to get symptomatic UTI. I've probably had asymptomatic UTI's..

Cranberry supplements don't actually stop UTI's, but they help to prevent colonizations to STICK, which is what causes symptoms. This is likely why those with indwelling Foley's are prone to UTI's and some complex ones as biofilm likely sticks between urethra and catheter.

Of course, these are just my opinions! Wishing the best for you!

Thanks. To help prevent UTIs, I'm taking cranberry pills and pure cranberry juice. I'm also supplementing with D-Mannose and Kirkman Biofilm Defense. I've also increased Vitamin C intake.

In terms of self cathing in emergency situations, I've decided to self cath sooner rather than later. I don't want to get to the point where I can't sit still and I'm having painful bladder pushes every couple of minutes. I hate the idea of self cathing, but my latest episode taught me that I hate intense pain with the possibility of organ damage even more 😃

Hi Lvscott:

My first post has been flagged by the moderators, so I'll try again. To try and prevent UTIs in the future, I'm currently taking cranberry supplements, drinking pure cranberry juice, taking D-Mannose supplements, taking biofilm defense supplements and I've increased Vitamin C intake.

With regards to self cathing during emergency events, I've decided to do it sooner rather than later. I don't want to be at a point where the pain is so bad that I can't sit still. Although I hate the idea of sticking something up there, I hate excruciating pain and uncontrollable defecation even more 😃

Take care.

Thanks Alan - I did use the Magic 3 Hydro. No real pain. First attempt, no dice. 2nd attempt an hour later, exhaled, relaxed, went all the way in 😃 Mine are FR 14... as a precaution, I did buy a bunch of sterile gloves - likely don't need them. I basically did this for peace of mind, in case I get AUR, or if my flow gets worse. Learned from videos online. No nurse showed me. Rather self-explanatory, and a lot of it is mental.. No big deal!

Hi, David,

I got a lot of help from this group a few years back, so here I am happy and honored to do the same for you. Please do not be intimidated by the apparent complexity of the procedure. It is necessary for me to cover all the possibilities. It is unlikely that you will encounter all of these during the same session. And I must also make quite clear that I am not a doctor. However, I did attend a G8 private school in Argentina where there was no messing around with plastic mannequins.

Sitting down or standing up should work for you. I prefer standing but, just three weeks ago I was bed-ridden in hospital, and cathed by nurses and it worked just fine lying down even though I had asked to see the catheter disappearing into me. Nurse’s rules which must be obeyed!

Being freaked-out is perfectly normal (self-defense) but not good. The urethra connects your bladder with the outside world, but more than a mere tube it is a sensitive organ that in this mode will resist anything being inserted that doesn’t belong there. So they say “Relax” but forget to tell you exactly what they mean by the term.

When you attempt to urinate, that is the sort of relaxation you must attempt when you feel resistance at the outer sphincter and again at the bladder sphincter. However, unlike the outer sphincter which is under your voluntary control, the latter is more challenging because it is driven by your nervous system. When the tip of the catheter has entered the meatus by about ¼ inch with your penis horizontal or eve pointing upwards a little, grasp your penis from each side of the glans and apply a gentle longitudinal stretch along the axis of the penis. If you start to experience an arousal doing this, that is not a problem just so long as it does not develop beyond a partial erection, i.e. penis expanding but not becoming hard.

You must maintain a moderate but steady push for as much as 30 seconds to overcome this resistance and you will eventually feel the catheter tip pop in. If this does not happen, back off a little and let the sphincter rest for a minute or two. Above all else, be gentle!

When you have successfully entered the prostate you will feel a significantly different feedback sensation and you may see a small release of urine. If the latter occurs at the outside sphincter, don’t be fooled into thinking you are now in the bladder! Not too critical if you are using an intermittent catheter (straight or coude without a balloon), but an indwelling catheter with a retention balloon which, if inflated prematurely, could result in serious injury. I know because I’ve been there! You should be able to slide the catheter in another 1 7/8 to 2 00 inches and repeating the above procedure. This time around the urine stream should be stronger depending on the size of catheter you’re using together with the force your detrusor is exerting.

Withdrawal is started by moving the catheter outwards very slowly and perhaps rotating it ¼ turn. Once clear of the prostate the withdrawal can be accelerated.

Final step, clean up and wash hands just as assiduously as you did at the beginning of your session.

Eventually the procedure will become easier - less discomfort – as time goes by. I am not going to tell you how long it took me in my case because I am very atypical, but I will say this much. If I am distracted by something minutes after I have cleaned up find myself wondering if I’ve have cathed myself and have to go and check my catheter boxes to confirm where I am in the process.

On use of numbing agents in lubricant. As you gain experience try and wean yourself off Lidocaine ASAP. I now ask for and get neat lubricant with no numbing agent whatsoever for cathing and one cystoscopy. Thus, any warnings my urinary system issues will get to me “full force”, in a manner of speaking.

Urinating and defecating simultaneously. I have been out of action for the past 3 months trying to shake a C-diff infection. Most of that time I was in free defecation mode, poop whenever and however along with urination. I was in fear that this condition might persist forcing me to adopt fecal incontinent measures, but it seems to be clearing up now.

Doctor’s comment: “.....kind of mucous lining starts to happen after you do it for a while....” Well yes, he/she is partly correct but I think it is part of the seminal fluid produced by you prostate. One of the unexpected side benefits that I encountered was that my cathing with F-16 and Fr-18 catheters were stimulating enough to almost completely cure my erectile dysfunction.

I also managed to clear a stricture using the F-18 catheter, as reported in my preceding post in this same thread.

O.K. David, I won’t delay this any further. Good luck, alan86734.

Lidocaine is a numbing agent. It shouldn't be necessary to use it for self cathing. I also agree with Alan - lubricants vary. I don't have any reactions to any of the ingredients, but some make insertion easier than others.

Hello pluff_mud,

I use lidocaine everytime I cathe. I don't cathe everyday but it does hurt and burn when I cathe. My uro gave it to me and just said to not use it too much. After my urolift I cathed several times daily for a couple of months and I used lidocaine then all the time. It doesn't take much. Maybe 3 to 5 cc's into the urethra, wait a couple of minutes and then cathe mostly pain free. I use speed cath 14 coude tip.

Hope this helps.

valkmancarl

Do whatever works for you. I don't have any irritation or pain, and I use a large catheter - 18 FR.

Magic 3 is silicone.. Those Red Rubbers seem rather expensive for the coude tips. I have not tried the straight tip. Which tip do you use? How much do The Red Rubbers cost you?

I tried responding yesterday, but the web page crashed right before I finished my reply. I have not used silicone catheters, but I understand they are very flexible. Red rubber catheters are generally among the least expensive. Mine are covered by Medicare, but I have seen the straight tip ones for sale on some medical supply websites for less than $1.00. I do use a straight tip. It works best for me, but everyone's plumbing is different.

How do you handle the red rubbers? What I mean is that the hydros I've tried have a guide handle, so you don't touch the cath. I assume with the red rubbers you have to touch the cath? If you don't mind and it's not too much trouble, can you describe the technique you use for the red rubbers? Thanks!

I do touch them. It's clean intermittent catheterization, not sterile. I wash my hands before handling them with an antiseptic soap and use a baby wipe to clean my penis. I hold it as far from the tip as I can when applying lube and when inserting it. That said, there will be an area I touch that enters the urethra. So far, I have not had a UTI since I started CIC.

What lube do you use? I've found the Bard Hydros a bit harsh. I read GentleCath is much better, so ordered some samples of those.

I use Dyna Lube by Dynarex in foil packets.