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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate BPH / April 2004self-catheterization
My urologist tells me that my bladder has been stretched so much it no longer can expel the urine by itself and that I will have to self-catheterize myself, probably for the rest of my life. Does anyone know of any alternatives to this prognosis? Does anyone know what the odds are that the bladder might regain some or all of its previous function? You should at least see another Uro. Ron > From: BopD@msn.com (Dave) > Organization: http://groups.google.com [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > odds are that the bladder might regain some or all of its previous > function? Just curious.....is there any downside to long term self catherterization other than the possibility of infection ? Thx Zork ------ >You should at least see another Uro. >Ron [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >> odds are that the bladder might regain some or all of its previous >> function? Have gone through prostate cancer.Am eight years clean with an undetectale PSA. I have now had 6 weeks of Chemo for blatter cancer with three more to go. Never heard of self-catheterization.You better get a second opinion fast. > My urologist tells me that my bladder has been stretched so much it no > longer can expel the urine by itself and that I will have to > self-catheterize myself, probably for the rest of my life. Does anyone > know of any alternatives to this prognosis? Does anyone know what the > odds are that the bladder might regain some or all of its previous > function? Depends on your age, health and how stretched you are. Acupuncture, herbs and exercise can help. Try self cathing for awhile and then have some urodynamic testing done. My bladder, which was stretched to about a liter, has regained its tone in about 4 months. Still can't pee but I'm hoping that can change. btw, the uro who did the urodynamics told me that some of her patients opted to self catheter for the rest of their lives rather than run the risk of surgery or put up with the side effects of drugs. Stuart You could get an indwelling cath in place and have it changed monthly but that has it's own set of problems. With self-cath you can still go some on your own but help your bladder with emptying that it cannot do all on it's own. Anna Thanks for that information. But my question is: are there any long time problems with self cath (other than infection potential) ? Zork ---------- >You could get an indwelling cath in place and have it changed monthly but that >has it's own set of problems. With self-cath you can still go some on your own >but help your bladder with emptying that it cannot do all on it's own. > >Anna To all- A question about self catheterziation I am 64. I had a PVP procedure last July. Prior to surgery I was retaining a liter of urine and was told that my bladder is significantly enlarged. After surgery I had immediate and great results with ZERO problems. About three months later my flow began to reduce. The Uro cleaned aout scar tissue twice and that did help. For a while. I am now MUCH better than before the surgery but am encountering frequent urgency, intermittently, and I am pretty sure I am retaining urine as I sometimes have some in the lower back area much like I had before the surgery. But less often. I began taking Avodart in January and that too seems to have made an incremental improvement. So life is better. The question I am seeking help with is about self catheterization. I want to do this 2-3 times per day to help the bladder. It is not a good idea to walk around with retained urine. I find lots of medical suppliers that sell a bewidering range of products. My questions are: 1. Why would one need to consider various sizes of catheter? 2. Are there re-useable devices? Are they safe to use? Does anybody have actual experience with re-useable catethers? 3. One -time use sounds good but seems like it will be expensive. Yes? I am hoping for some specifics from personal experience, not generalizations, such as Manufacturer(s), Model number, etc. Any advice/suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks Bob > Thanks for that information. But my question is: are there any long time > problems with self cath (other than infection potential) ? [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > > >Anna > To all- > A question about self catheterziation [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > > > > >Anna Hi Bob; Re your question #2. I have been using a re-usable catheter since Dec 11, 2003 at least once a day. It was supplied to me by the hospital where I had my RPP and 2 TURPs. It is a size 14FR x 16" Urethral Catheter manufactured by MED-RX of Oakville Ontario. I received instructions on how to clean it after each use and an additional cleaning procedure once per day. I use it primarily to maintain an open channel, but there have been brief periods when it was the only way I could empty my bladder. I haven't looked into single use catheters as I have been quite happy (if that's possible) with the re-usable. Hope this helps. Bruce Bruce, Thank you. Very helpful. I appreciate it. Do I understand that you have succeeded in avoiding infections? A follow-up if you know the answer. Did anybody explain why they chose size 14FR x 16"? 16' seems to be a common length. What does 14FR signify? Two turps?? Wow! I guess I had better be thankful and quit whining. Thanks again. > Hi Bob; > Re your question #2. I have been using a re-usable catheter since Dec [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Hope this helps. > Bruce >Bruce, >Thank you. Very helpful. I appreciate it. >Do I understand that you have succeeded in avoiding infections? A >follow-up if you know the answer. Did anybody explain why they chose >size 14FR x 16"? 16' seems to be a common length. What does 14FR >signify? 14Fr is the diameter. It is the most common size for self cath, as is 16" length. MUCH smaller than the garden hose they use in the ER. Z > Bruce, > Thank you. Very helpful. I appreciate it. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Two turps?? Wow! I guess I had better be thankful and quit whining. > Thanks again. Bob, Zork answered your question about the size of the catheter. As he says the diameter is really quite small compared to the catheter installed right after surgery. Yah, two TURPS -- the second two months after the first. The TURPS really are not that bad, the worst part for me was an inability to pass gas the after the surgery -- so the second time I was on my feet walking as soon as I could. Bruce > Bruce, > Thank you. Very helpful. I appreciate it. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Two turps?? Wow! I guess I had better be thankful and quit whining. > Thanks again. Bob, About infection -- I had one infection about 6 weeks after the first TURP. It was easily cleared up with medication. I make sure I have a large glass of cranberry juice everyday and keep th catheter clean. Bruce My uro says that Cranberry Juice does nothing for a Male for infection. Just seems to work on Female. Steve > > Bruce, > > Thank you. Very helpful. I appreciate it. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Bruce |
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