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Hi guys,

This question is directed to those who use or have ever used (even if just once) a catheter for urinary issues.

I'm a 41-yr old guy and work from home cos I cant work in an office.

Reason is this: I'm r.r.m.s but I have chronic urinary hesitancy as well as retention. It takes me ages to start and before two hours I have to go again.

Till now I've tried several meds but they don't seem to work and my urologist talks about catheters but says the last option is surgical and then I'll lose my libido (I'm a 41 y/o single guy!). I'm trying not to think of catheters but I might have to consider it at some point in the near future.

What is it like to use a catheter if you administer it yourself, as in self-cathetize? Is it difficult to do/use and is there discomfort during the day?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

whiteflag,
I've been using a catheter for several years now. I can't fully empty my bladder on my own, so using a catheter gives me more freedom away from the john. I had botox injections a few months ago to further quiet the bladder, and I now self-cath 5 times daily, 4 times during the day and once at night.

It's inconvenient sometimes, especially at night when it takes longer than a quick trip to the bathroom (it usually takes me about 5-8 minutes total).

The trick is cleanliness, otherwise I risk picking up a urinary tract infection (UTI) which will need antibiotics to clear. I wash with several products to clean before hand, using hibiclens and povidone iodine swabs, and I take cranberry capsules and d-mannose several times a day to prevent an infection.

It doesn't hurt, it actually feels really good to take an unobstructed pee, but the feeling of inserting a catheter does take a little getting used to, no pain but the feeling is unusual.

I use and recommend single-use Foley Coudé tip catheters with hydrophilic coating. You open the catheter package and insert a little water to activate the coating. The catheter is then very easy to insert after the coating is activated.

My husband uses 5-6 a day. He was hesitant at first, but the other option, where a bag is external but attached to the bladder via a tube, was unpleasant to him. He also had Botox, and should have had that done again last month, but he didn't enjoy the experience!
He is also very careful, but gets more UTIs than he should.
He uses speedicath compact catheters from Coloplast. These are compact, as the name implies, and extend as you remove them from the packaging. They also have fluid within the container, so no need for water to be near by.
If this is the only reason you work from home, it's definitely worth doing!