Male Catheter Insertion with a Lubricated Catheter - Part 2

Note: Adopted from Roger Mason’s Teachings on Catheters: Some lubricated catheters require the addition of a tablespoon or 2 of water to actually lube them at the time you use them.

If you bought ones like that and they are dry when you open the package, then just add the water to the pack and wait a minute for it to do its job.

There are many advantages of using lubricated catheters for male catheter insertion. You wouldn't think of using a non-lubricated condom. So if you have a choice always go with lubrication. I explained above how to use a regular non-lubed one in case that is all you have available. But be prepared and buy lubricated catheters also.

Advantages:

1. Self contained unit lubricated and ready to go
2. Much quicker and easier to use
3. Not necessary to have anything else so easy to travel with and fast to use
4. Much easier insertion because it is so slippery.
5. It costs more but is it ever worth the extra!
6. You can buy them individually or a box to save.

A Coude Catheter: Made for Easy Male Catheter Insertion and Self Catheterization

A coude catheter is a special type of catheter for use by men especially if they have a prostate condition. Coude is the name for the tip of the catheter. The tip is slightly bent or curved (about 1/8 of an inch) to help it get through the prostate more easily as it slides up your pee tube — your urethra. It is ideal to use if you suffer from an enlarged prostate which makes catheter insertion more tricky because of the pressure on the pee tube — the urethra — caused by the enlarged size of the prostate.

The first choice some prefer is the SpeediCath Coudé Intermittent Catheters. They simply make catheter insertion as simple and pain free as possible. It is more expensive than others (about $3 to 4$), but the ease of application in an emergency is well worth it. Be extremely careful when buying catheters and ensure they are sterile; sterility has been built into the package design of these SpeediCath beauties (either Coudé or straight) are the ones to buy. The SpeediCaths are more than well worth the extra price for the hopefully rare occasions that you will have to use them. They take the trauma and worry away,

Inserting a SpeediCath at Home:

1. Gather all the above items, which you should have ready in a kit in a ziplock bag plus the towels and a plastic collection bottle for the urine. A liter or quart size is adequate.
2. Wash your hands, including your thumbs, really well then wash your penis with the glans pulled back.
3. Decide where to do the job. I really prefer lying down leaning up, which is different from the video. Why? Because unlike regular users who use catheters every day (perhaps because of a spinal cord injury), you are in trauma by now, having tried everything, and still you can’t release. You have an enlarged prostate problem. Lying down helps you relax and is less stressful than standing or even sitting (which is a good second choice). You do not have to be in the bathroom for this.
4. Lay a protective towel under you and another to the side where your bottle will be to place the external end of the coude catheter tube to collect the urine.
5. Place the items from the kit on the side towel.
6. Pull back the tab on the back of the catheter package to expose the sticky part. Attach the sticky part to the bedframe or side table within easy reach and pull down on the pull-tab enough to expose the catheter top without touching anything inside.
7. Take the bottle of alcohol, remove the cap and pour some onto the Kleenex or open the swipe pads. You can also use iodine wipes if you prefer. The goal now is to sterilize everything. Always remember that what you touch from now on must be wiped clean before using. And you must re-wipe your fingers if you touch something not yet sterile! Be very careful so as to avoid the risk of possible infection through careless use.
8. Sterilize your hands and then the top of your penis with the glans pulled down. Using the alcohol, wipe your hands again.
9. One hand (your dominant one) now takes the coude catheter out of the package by gently taking the top of the exposed catheter, pulling it out of the package and without touching the lower part guides the catheter tip into the opening at the tip of the penis while the other hand holds the glans down, tip opened and the penis vertical up from the body. It won’t be an erection at this point
10. If the catheter by accident touches anything, then wipe the spot with a clean Kleenex with alcohol on it or a pad. Then reinsert. Be hyper-careful at all times that what goes into the penis is sterile.
11. The coude catheter is stiff enough to hold its length as you insert it. Notice that on the external tip there is a line on the edge to show you which way the coude tip is bent. Have that mark facing you upwards... that is the correct angle for it to help pass through the prostate.
12. Once in at the top, steadily push it and it will glide its way through quite easily and with only minor discomfort.
13. Once inside, you start to push at a steady slow pace. PULL YOUR PENIS UP STRONGLY SO IT IS STICKING STRAIGHT UP at a right angle to your body. STRETCHING IT WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO FIND ITS WAY THROUGH AS IT GOES DEEPER! THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TECHNIQUE!
14. Remember to breathe deeply and relax! You are almost done! Continue to push it through.
15. After 8-10 inches you will be coming through the prostate to the entrance to the bladder, or may be at the entrance to the prostate.
16. The sphincter muscle now has to relax enough to let the catheter through. So if you feel any resistance, STOP pushing. Finesse is the key to success now and the smooth tip will be helping you out.
17. You basically want to knock on the door and give a bit of time for the sphincter to relax and open. Wait a good few seconds.
18. Push gently. Never force. If it seems blocked and won't pass through, here is the trick to that...

Pull back and out a little bit (an inch or 2 cm) and then start forward in again.

Ensure that the line is up as we mentioned above.

Twist the coude catheter with your fingers maybe a quarter of a turn or more and that will help find a way through. Keep twisting back and forth and very gently pushing until it slips through the last little bit. Most of the time it will go through without any problem.

But you now know what to do just in case. I was taught this technique by a great emergency room nurse who explained that “finesse is the trick.” Oh had I known that! I had been forcing it, and it didn’t work (causing blood to come out) and that was why I was there in the emergency room. Never force it! (By the way I was not using a touchless catheter like the SpeediCath then.)

FINESSE - GENTLE - TWIST. You will succeed easily with this trick (if you should need it). I didn’t need it after I discovered the SpeediCath coude catheter. They are just so good! If at any time even before this last bit you encounter resistance then pull back a bit and use the finesse turning trick to help the catheter through.

Here's what happens next:

1. Once you pop through into the bladder (and it will seem like a lot of the catheter has disappeared inside—leaving 3-6 inches outside), suddenly urine will squirt free from the external end. Just put your thumb against the end and place it in the bottle. Then push the coude catheter a little further so that it is well inside the bladder. (If you want, you can put your finger on the external tip before it enters the bladder, so as not to have the urine release into the air. Just place it in the bottle as you move it through the last bit.)
2. Keep the bottle as low as you can beside you so gravity works to void the bladder.
3. You should now be emptying and feeling such a wonderful sense of relief. Aaaah! Oh so good! At last relief!
4. Job well done! Keep holding the coude catheter in place so that it doesn’t slip out a bit.
5. Just lie there and feel the blessings of this little device that just saved your life!
6. The bottle will be receiving more and more of the urine, slowing down eventually to a trickle.
7. Relax and empty. Oh feels so good now!
8. After a few minutes or so—there is no rush—and no more urine flows, then slowly remove a bit of the catheter towards the neck of the bladder. That may release the last bit of urine near the neck of the bladder.
9. When done pull the catheter all the way out and discard beside you.
10. Rest a bit before clean up.
11. Sleep if you can.
12. There is no need to worry now, because the act of putting the coude catheter through seems to open the channel and keeps it open after it is out. Soon, you will have your first pee. It may burn a bit as the ammonia in the urine touches any part that may have been irritated by the catheter but this should be very minor as these are such good catheters. Any discomfort will soon pass as the day progresses.
13. If you do not know the cause, do your detective work and figure out what caused the prostate attack. Now is the time to personally test all that you recently ate.

It is really quite easy to use a coude catheter, even though I have gone into great length to describe what to do. You can use them anywhere you have to. I always travel with one or two and some alcohol wipes, especially if you travel by air.

Catheter Prostate Kit

Here is a list of items to create the minimal Prostate Kit. You really won’t need the optional items, but I list them in case you can’t find the coude catheter: SpeediCaths.

Minimum Prostate Kit:

• 1 SpeediCath catheter lubricated: SpeediCath Coudé Intermittent Catheters or Straight-Tip SpeediCath. Choose 12 gauge 14” (#28492 - 12 FR, 14" Length) catheter for men. Buy several so that you have back-ups for the car, home, work, travel bag, etc. 12 gauge is the thickness of the tube. If you can't get 12s then 14s are ok as well but not quite as thin. 10s are too thin.
• 6– 10 Alcohol Prep Pads. You can get 200 for a few bucks.
• Xylocaine (very optional): Xylocaine Ointment Tube or Lidocaine With SpeediCath, you really do not need these, but if you are worried, then get some.
• KY jelly (also very optional)
• A plastic ziplock bag to hold all the items together as your emergency prostate kit.

For home use:

• The same kit as described above, but you can substitute a bottle of alcohol with Kleenex tissues that you wet for sterilizing in place of the Alcohol Prep Pads.
• Include 2 towels.

Superb Catheter from Catheter Suppliers

Catheter suppliers have made a brilliant new male catheter that is so good they deserve an award!

I say this because it solves many problems of current designs:

1. too long for easy packing
2. not discrete
3. difficult to insert because you can't hold the tube anywhere
4. head not easy for pain-free insertion

Well the new SpeediCath Flex solves those problems and more.

Now you can have a catheter that is easy to carry around and solves all those problems

One Coloplast, the catheter supplier and manufacturer, makes this product innovation.

Brilliant design improvements! I mean BRILLIANT!

1. the package size is much smaller for easy transport instead of long and cumbersome and risky to bend
2. The package is discrete for confidence carrying or easily add to your pocket. No one will know what it is.
3. the catheter itself is completely improved and flexible to bend easily without compromise
4. the tip is rounder and slimmer for easier insertion
5. completely hygienic
6. it is easy to dispose of discretely since you can reattach the ends of the catheter and put back into the package
7. Best feature!: the whole catheter tube has a protective cellophane sleeve around the catheter so it is possible to touch the catheter where you want while inserting. As it is inserted the sleeve moves backwards so you can never touch the catheter itself! This gives you much more control than any other catheter and means you can use both hands which you were never able to do with other catheters.
8. Brilliant and wonderful! The Rolls Royce of catheters hands-down! Congrats to the design team for this much needed catheter.
9. Available in straight or coude (curved) tipped.