I have been self cathing for almost 3 years now and I have been using Coloplast Speedicath hydrophilic catheters due to jimjames suggestions. At the beginning, I had so much bleeding that I almost gave up, especially with the coudes. Almost 3 years later, I still have occasional unexplained disturbing minor bleeding. At one point I thought that something is wrong with my anatomy and I am not meant for long-term CIC, until I tried some samples of catheters from Cure Medical. Cure catheters are definitely softer and more flexible so they are easier on the urethra and I have felt less irritation and haven't had any bleeding with more than 50 tries. I am going to switch to Cure from now on. Cure catheters also cost much less. Hope this helps.
Hank, which model Cure catheters are you using? Are they hydrophilic? I have used Cure catheters in the past, but my medical supply house quit carrying them. They are trying to reestablish a relationship with them. I used the pre lubricated Cure catheters that are not hydrophilic. That said, Coloplast does make a soft plastic non lubricated catheters. They are even softer than the Cure ones I tried. You do have to self lubricate them, which is not a problem for me.
I mainly use straight tip latex catheters. I find the straight tipped catheters the easiest to insert. Coude tipped catheters are supposed to be easier for men to insert, but I find it just the opposite. I also think there is less chance of injury with a soft, straight tip catheter.
I tried both non and hydrophilic Cure catheters and they are both equally soft. For the non hydrophilic, I just dipped it about 2 inches into a water based lube. Coloplast Speedicath coudes almost always bleed me so I was using straight. But with Cure, I've been using coudes with no problems. Haven't yet but I will try Cure straights soon. Cure also has some pocket catheters. Cure has the Ultra version which is prelubed with some gel. The gel kind of burns my urethra so I just wipe it of with a sheet of toilet paper, and dip it into the lube. Voila!
It was the pre lubed Ultras I was using. I didn't have any burning sensation, but the lube was thicker than what I regularly use. My test for softness or flex is to hold the catheter straight out, holding the funnel end and see how much the catheter deflects down. Latex are the softest, but the soft Coloplast was close. The Cure Ultra was not quite as soft as the soft Coloplast. Are the non lubricated Cure catheters softer than the Ultra?
I would say the non hydrophilic ones are a little softer than the Ultras. Is there a soft Coloplast ? The Coloplast Speedicath I've been using is quite stiff, therefore can cause bleeding easily, especially with the coudes, since we then have both stiff and pointy.
I appreciate the discussion on this gentlemen.
I've been doing cic for nearly 2 years now. I think in April sometime. I had settled on the coloplast fr12 hydrophillic straight tip. I used the 14 as it was a little easier to insert but the 12 also worked and I figured since it was smaller there would be less trauma. I had bleeding for about a week and then red taint for awhile after that. My GP's office gave me a rubber one that they had (it was all they had) and it must have been at least an 18. She also gave me a syringe that threaded on the end which was full of saline solution to flush out after I cathed. I didn't do that, because I didn't understand but I got a couple of; what looked like clots came out initially. Kind of scared me but the next time I did it was much less. I guess I must have used that rubber catheter more than once. I had prostatitis at the time and was taking A/B for it. I didn't know what I was doing and the doctor wasn't in so I was kind of winging it. Thank God I got through that. It was awful with the overflow incontinence. I tried some Cure ones. I got several samples from a couple of places. The Coloplast work well for me. I'm thinking of going back to the straight because the coude doesn't seem to really help much. I don't have much trouble getting it inserted even with straight tip.
Hi Hank - thanks for this info. We have been following almost identical paths over the past 3 years. I also had trouble initially with the Speedicaths coudes like you. I solved the problems in 2 ways: First I learned the anatomy of my urethra so instead of just holding the "dive bomb" position all the way from the start I would hold that position for the first third of the catheter and then rotate horizontal for the next third and then point straight down for the last third pushing the catheter gently upwards till it entered the bladder. Then I reversed the whole scenario pulling it out. The second thing that made a huge difference was to add some lube gel into the catheter sleeve and let it slide down and coat the catheter for a minute before I pulled it out. So I hung the catheter on the wall and then pulled down the tab about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way and then squeezed some gel into the top of the open part. I know these are hydrophilic pre-lubed catheters but I found that was not enough to get past my huge prostate so by adding this extra gel it really made a big difference. So now i am up to maybe 4000 self-caths with these catheters and have not had any problems for well over a year. Good luck. Howard
thanks for the info. im just getting started with CIC and CURE was recommended to me so will definitely use cure.
Thanks Howard for the tips. It's very tempting but I told myself never again to try a Speedicath coude. I bled enough from them. Especially now I found Cure catheters. They are definitely more forgiving.
I agree the Coloplast Speedicath hydrophilic catheters are stiff. I have some samples. I go slow inserting them. The non hydrophilic ones are called Self-Cath. They make two versions in each size. The product numbers beginning with "1" are the soft ones, and the product numbers starting with "4" are the regular ones. For example, FR16 straight tip soft are 116, and regular are 416.
I'm not up to 4,000 yet, but I've been doing CIC for a year and a half, and I have over 2,000 insertions. Only one time since I started did I have any blood on the catheter tip after removal. I also follow Howard's insertion routine - straight up to start, then straight out until I get to the prostate, and then down to go up through the prostate and into the bladder. The last position is not totally straight down - maybe closer to 45 degrees. Luckily, no UTIs since I started. I do use fairly large size catheters - 18FR in latex and 16FR in plastic.
Good to know. Thanks.
Go online and ask for samples of hydrophilic catheters. They're very quick and generous with samples. Perfect for starters. I wished I had tried them years ago, could have saved lots of blood.
I've also been using Coloplast Speedicath 12fr straight for a long time. Still had minor bleeding, maybe once every 5 insertions, not bad but still bothersome. Have not bled with Cure catheters.
Hi Howard, I will try your extra lube + inserttion technique on the boxes of Speedicath catheters I have left to see if there is any improvement. On the last third, do you point it straight down or at 45 degree angle as pluff indicated ?
I would go further on Hank's recommendation to obtain samples. There are multiple companies that offer multiple options - materials, tips, sizes, etc. I would seek out samples from all of them. Find what works best for you. That said, one advantage of Cure is they don't use some additives in their plastic that may cause cancer.
Hi Hank - on the last third the catheter and penis are pointing straight down into the toilet vertically and I am then pushing gently upwards on the funnel into the penis. I can feel when the catheter catches the bladder because the catheter then seems to pull itself upwards into the bladder. If you look at the shape of the urethra you will see that it is best to be vertical for the last third since that then follows the shape of the urethra at that point. Then just reverse the 3 steps exactly on withdrawl. Howard
P.M. Where did you see that some of the materials used in making catheters causes cancer? I was going to search for info but I couldn't think of any search terms for that. I'm not surprised though. There has got to be some special things used to make those catheters the way they do. I wonder sometimes how safe it is to put that fluid on the lining of the urethra four times a day. I've heard all the liquid is on the Coloplast one I use is saline solution. So what causes the slickness of them must be more in the actual plastic material they use. I do like the Coloplast hydrophilic because its a little stiffer than some, so I can use a smaller diameter.
I did my second CIC last night and it to say the least was uncomfortable. Used a 12 fr Cure Ultra pre lubed. The first time I used a 14 fr and it was so uncomfortable that I tried the 12 this time. Not a lot of difference with the 12. No bleeding but today I'm pretty sore and hate the thoughts of possibly having to do it again tonite or anytime soon. Does this get easier and less painful/uncofortable as time time goes by??? Please tell me yes! I am such a chicken that prior to both CIC's I took Xanax which gave me courage enough to get it done. LOL I could become a Xanax junky if I have to do this every day. So far I don't have to. The retention comes and goes though my bladder is never emptied just occasionally it is difficult to empty at all. I take generic Cialis which helps but not always. I am mainly learning CIC as a result of adivce from other forum members who suggested that I learn to CIC for when I have the BPH treamtment of choice, so I don't end up with multiple visits t the ER for retension. What a curse this is. I'm a very healthy individual otherwise.
Just go to the Cure website. They promote their products as being free from certain chemical compounds that CA claims can cause cancer. I mostly use non lubricated catheters that I have to self lube. I like the softer, more flexible catheters. I prefer certain lubes over others. Each of us is different and has different preferences, which is why I suggest trying different catheters until you find the one(s) you like.