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Self catheter advice. I don't won't to end up in er again

Posted , 4 users are following.

david14494
david14494

Hi New here.

In short, Ive had very poor flow problems for 30 years, last year they stretched my urethra (small and restrictive including restrictive bladder entrance. operation made little difference.

tamsulin was midly effective but had continous headache so stop.

This year a pollip was found in bladder entrance so a biopsy was done 2 weeks ago under anesthetic no catheter was fitted.

3 hours after leaving hospital I was unable to urinate 25ml then 25 drops hrs later after 7 hrs the pain was unbearable and Kidneys became painful. wife thankfully took me to er. A catheter was fitted and 1020ml removed.

My Q is how easy is self Catheter to fit in case of emergency, what type is best. I have narrow urethra and bladder and further treatments inc kidney stones.

I just dont want to go through the pain and risk if they dont fit a Catheter next time.

just found this forum, has some good advice so thought I would ask. Though I dont know all the abbreviations used or what they mean!

Thanks in advance

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Allondon
    Allondon david14494

    Edited

    Hi David,

    You better have a session with a trained nurse.

    Self-cath is moderately easy when you are mentally prepared and do not have any physiological obstructions. Unfortunately, with any catheterisation UTIs are almost inevitable.

    Catheters come in different types and sizes. You may wish to start from FR10 and try several types. My preference was Coloplast SpeediCath Flex. The least convenient one was again theirs but without Flex in the name.

    If you only need it for emergency - you can be fine for a period of time until a radical treatment may be required.

    • david14494
      david14494 Allondon

      Posted

      Hi Thanks for your reply, Fr 10 is the size I take it, I have ordered a Speedicath flex and await its arrival (it was offered as a sample) so wont know what size it is. I will investigate the FR10 you suggest. regarding UTI what kind of typical symptons should I watch out for, Currently I wash the area several times daily esp first thing in mornings and Ive been woken up due to an uncomfortable involantary erection. Im also concerned as to what would happen to any ejectulate? where would it go if the catheter is in my bladder/urethra?

      4 weeks is not unusual I assume then for the same catheter to be in. (I have no idear apart from they said it would be out in 2 weeks.sry)

      thank you again for your reply and time. Appology if I sound uninformed.

    • Allondon
      Allondon david14494

      Posted

      1. UTI - depending on your age you may not feel the symptoms (the most common being burning sensation) or they may be very mild. However, if left untreated, if may spread upstream to your kidneys and become an emergency. Buy some express dipstick tests and check periodically.
      2. People are living weeks, months or even years with an indwelling catheter. It slowly ruins their bladder. Erection with a catheter may be very painful and therefore abortive. There is guidance of having sex with a catheter in for those who dare.
      3. You may wish to try several samples for self-catheterisation to work out which one suits you better in the long run. In my view those with a protective skin are more hygienic.
      4. You may try Cialis 5mg daily for the time being instead of tamsulosin.
      5. Baby wipes or intimal care wipes prove to be very useful.
      6. Have a prostate MRI to estimate size , shape and chances of a tumour.
    • david14494
      david14494 Allondon

      Posted

      Hi Allondon Thank you for the reply.

      Point 2 yes I the uncomfortable pain, Catheter you be removed week today so looking forward to how that goes. no burning sensations as such yet so, cleaning wise I must be doing something correct, seems the involantary erection in mornings reqs the most cleaning of the rubber.

      3 the new self admin catheters arrived today after a telephone conversation with the helpful gents in the company. speedicath fr10 supplied and he thinks that should be fine, so I will take it with me to the nurse for the training when I have the appointment.

      4 Cialis Thanks for the tip I will talk to the consultant.

      6 yes i have had the Mri and discussed options, I opted out of a biopsy of prostate, but had a polyp removed from bladder entrance a few weeks ago. Thanks again

  • TKM
    TKM david14494

    Posted

    David,

    Self catheterization is easy. The first few times you may have some bleeding until your urethra gets used to it. Because of the bleeding you may have a UTI in the beginning, for which you would probably need an antibiotic. After the first week bleeding and UTIs will be rare, for not more than once per year. UTI usually happens when I get careless about cleanliness, or I don't stay hydrated enough to keep the system cleaned out, usually when travelling.

    I first learned how to do it in a urologists office, and they gave me catheters to take home and a prescription for more, which they ordered through a distributer, and had them sent to my home. They started me with red rubber/latex catheters that are washable and re-usable. They are also the softest and most flexible, so least like to cause bleeding. They are also the least expensive since they are re-usable. Cure MC12 is a good re-usable one. Later I switched to single use hydrophilics like Coloplast Speedicath size 12.

    I hope this helps,

    Thomas

    • david14494
      david14494 TKM

      Posted

      Hi TKM, thanks for the reasuring answers. yes I now have a supply of the Speedicath fr10 so should be ok when it comes to it. So easy to forget to drink a lot and cleanliness. When I shower I detach the catheter from the bag and pull lightly on catheter and push down on penis to try and clean the then exposed extra lenght of catheter tube, useing the wife femfresh then rinsing. hope this is not a bad way.

      Thanks again for reading and responding

      David

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