Posted , 40 users are following.
I have BPH and have avoided urologist recommendations to do a TURP. I have been intermittently self cathing on an as needed basis for almost 2 years. Prior to this I was urinating 24 times a day, with little actual volume per urination and retaining over a liter in my bladder. Are there negative long term effects to self cathing? Can one choose this option forever?
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bill1941 stephen73997
Posted
Hello Just found this forum and was reading a lot of the replies and found it interesting so I joined.About myself had some problems with pain while going to bathroom but being the macho man never when to a uro. The in Jan 2016 my problem got worst and it hurt when going.So I went to uro and he tried to get a light and camera up their but could not was blocked and he was amazed that I could pee at all.My uthera was blocked with scar tissue and he said it could have built up over the years from an accident like falling on cross bar of a bike when younger etc.Anyway I had to go and have my penis rotor routered (not fun} Also discovered the I had bph.After the surgery to open me up I had to CIC every night to keep me open.I could not phantom doing this so my wife did it to me.when fine until I had to go one a trip to see my kid up north ,I live in Florida. I was down to cathering 1x a week by now and I call some euro's up north to see if I could go and they would do it.They said sure ok, but when I got there no dice they would not cus I was not their patient ,so for I month I did not Cather but was going ok so did not worry.Got home and few weeks later had pain again, when to bro and he said scar tissue grew backs he tried to stretch my uthera and I never felt pain like that before I had tears .So I had to go back to CIC and did it myself.But my bladder was not fully voiding and he told me to do it more.He also had me set up to do the Turp but due to rapid heart beat they could not do it.But after reading some on Turps I decided to keep doing CIC.I use a cure16fr and I use a lube.I also use a wipe before and after and I use medical grade gloves to keep as clean as I can to keep uti down.I use an urinal jar so that I can measure what I do void and what is left cus I know I don't empty cus bladder is stretched. I usually void 6 to 12 0z then I empty 10 or more Oz. I do this 3 x times a day sometimes 4.But I find it a lot easier now then gettin any surgery.I am 77 yrs old medicare does pay for the cathers and lube I but gloves and wipes.Thanks for reading my story and feel free to ask anything
jimjames bill1941
Posted
Try and keep your total bladder volume (the sum of your catheterized void and natural void just preceding it) under 400ml (13 oz). If the sum is more, increase cath frequency.
Jim
bill1941 jimjames
Posted
Happyhacker stephen73997
Posted
Interested in your views. I self Cath once per 3/4 weeks as I am recovering from a TURP stricture forming. The idea is to stretch it and eventually it will fix open for good. Twice I have had UTI despite being careful. I use a size 16 and after the flow is much better. It takes two weeks for flow to start slowing again but always empties OK.
Does anyone have a reliable hygiene method? I wash my hands and clean the cath case with an anti wipe. Then I shower washing the whole area and clean soap off. The shower is running all the time but I face away to prevent it flowing over my front. Then I grab the cath and remove the case and insert it following instructions not to let it touch anything. I have had two UTIs in 18mths.
The Dr has given me antibiotics to take one at the same time (I forgot the last time so maybe that didn't help). Has anyone been given antibiotic to take like this?
Any advice appreciated.
TKM Happyhacker
Posted
Happyhacker,
First wash your hands. I use 2"x2" gauze pads to clean the area around the opening with Providone Iodine, which can be purchased in most drug stores, including Walmart. If you use pre-lubed catheters you don't have to touch the catheter, so your hands don't have to be perfectly clean. If I use re-useable catheters like Bard Gentlecath or Cure MC12 you may have to touch the catheter so you can wash your palms and finger tips with alchohol before starting. I wipe the re-usable cath first with an alcohol wipe. After using the re-useable catheter I wash it with anti bacterial soap then run soap and water down the center. As a final step I pour alcohol in the center and slosh it back and forth. I then either lay it on a paper towel or preferably hang it up to dry (See the images below). Afterwards I wash the iodine off the penis with a wet paper towel and use a paper towel to dry it.
david49636 stephen73997
Edited
I was shocked when I found out that I had urinary retention and was catheterized in a urologist office and days later after failing a trial by void that I would have to self-catheterize 3-6 times a day in order to avoid further kidney damage. I was able to do it but it was traumatic for me. I was told by my first urologist that a TURP would have a 30% chance of success in my case due to what he thought was an underactive bladder in addition to BPH. I cathed for nearly four months before seeing another uro who had TURPed a friend of mine who had identical issues. The 2nd uro thought my blockage was so significant that a TURP was "well worth doing." I had the surgery last week. It was what they call a bipolar TURP. It lasted one hour. I stayed in the hospital one night. Other than the in-dwelling catheter that was pulling against my urethra (which remained in for 3 days), I had no discomfort from the procedure. I was skeptical that it would work but on my followup visit I was able to void to my doctors satisfaction (a little over 100ml residual). My stream varied from weak to forceful but over the next days when I cathed post-urination my residual was always 100ml or less. I had ocassional blood in the urine but that seems to have cleared up. For now I'm catheter-free for the most part except for an occasional test to see if Im properly voiding. My recovery (basically not engaging in strenuous activity) is 2-3 weeks but frankly I feel fine after a week. Yes, this is long, but I see many posts stating preference for cathing over TURP surgery and I'm not sure why. The original poster asked how long can you self-cath for. I cathed for five months and found it physically and emotionally difficult, but you do what you do to survive. I admire the courage and resiliency of those who can manage it. I had a hard time and developed anxiety. My procedure and the aftermath provided some relief. Sorry for the length but I would like to be a resource for any of you who have questions about my experience. I feel fortunate and want to help in anyway I can. Thanks if you got this far!
Tuckmon stephen73997
Posted
i self cath 5 times a day. occasionally at night i have trouble getting the cath through the prostate and if i force it i sometimes get quite a bit of blood. do i change size of catheter or change the type, i'm using a curved tip catheter now.
george29339 stephen73997
Edited
I am interested in the possibility of a self-treatment to open up the urethra in the prostate with a balloon dilation. Ideally this will result in relief of BPH symptoms for more than a very short time. My goal is to determine a dilation which will not cause any damage, scaring or stricture. Maybe the answer will look like a % increase along with a rate of increase (for myself I am looking at starting with 14FR and ending up with 24FR in 4 or 5 hours). The methods I am considering are a dual balloon catheter or just a Foley. I would need to figure out how to insure that the balloon is safely past the outer sphincter.
I am not sure how to navigate this site so I am starting here. Maybe I will post a couple of times to see if I get a reply.
I have seen reports that balloon dilation for BPH is done on a regular basis in other countries like China. I also found results of 5 year follow-up of a trial treatment for BPH called Optilume. The treatment has been approved by the FDA for urethral strictures and consists of a balloon dilation with a follow up application of Paclitaxel (a chemo drug). The method of treatment includes a dilation and the drug is used to keep scar tissue and stricture from developing. I also read that there were better results with a smaller size balloon (but could not find the size) and more success for men who had lower PVR to begin with. I wonder if there is a risk of the one-time use of this chemo drug.
So I read here that Fred has been using a 30FR for CIC. So this is 10mm (3/8 inch diameter) I am not sure if this is done by using the large catheter along the entire length of the urethra or by inflating a Foley to 30FR in the prostate area. There are so many pages of discussion.
Here is what I have gleaned from reading, CIC Benefits:
Emptying of bladder
Reduced effort and trabeculation (thickening) of bladder walls
Risks:
False passage
Damage from the tip of the catheter to the wall of the bladder
Scarring and recurring stricture
UTI (upper tract infection)
Balloon Dilation risk:
Scarring and stricture
Damage to the outer sphincter and incontinence
Possibly very short term benefit