can anyone tell me the name of the anesthetic gel to use
when inserting an intermittant catheter Thanks
What caths are you using? And is yours a special condition that requires numbing? I cathed 4-5 times a day for 15 months, and never needed such, so I'm curious...
K.Y or Reliamed. There may be others. Ask your urologist.
I've never used an anasthetic gel but heard that some use lidocaine. When I used a lubricant I used something called Surgilube. Currently I use a hydrophilic catheter which doesn't require any external lube. Are you new to self catherization? Except for the first couple of weeks there really shouldn't be any pain to speak of, so not sure why you would need an anasthetic gel. If you haven't tried a hydrophilic catheter, you might want to. They are very slippery so go in real easy without any sort of external lubricant. The one I use is Speedicath by Coloplast.
Jim
Gordon,
Lidocaine Hydrochloride Jelly USP.
If you are concerned with pain and lubrication you should get a catheter that is self lubricating - hydrophilic.
Tom
I ditto Jimjames thoughts and I also use Speedicaths. No problems in 18 months of daily use...
Another good hydrophillic catheter, the one I have used for past three years, is Magic3 by Rochester Medical.
I cath 4x day and have never needed any lubricant beyond the water-based slick coating on the catheters themselves. At the tail end of the visit where that was determined as the way to go, the urologist's nurse did one for me, and then I prepped another and tried it with her stan ding there, and I was only moderately concerned for a week or so until I got used to the process.
Now it's like the proverbial "riding a bicycle", and rarely is there any sensation other than a little pressure.
Good luck.
Haven't ever needed anaesthetic, but I think the nurse used some for indwelling catheter insertion
I've never known those to be hydrophilic, hence the need for lube, sometimes with anaesthetic. My son had one after a severe collapsed lung and emergency surgery for same.
Carry-on CMDR,
There is definitely a "learning curve" involved with self cath. The first time I tried it was in the urologists office - very painful and I was not able to complete the insertion.
I then sent for some samples of hydrophilic catheters. On my second attempt, I was able to complete the process, but it took quite a while. The next time was easier and faster.
However, I found the Foley catheter to be a much easier process and told my doctor to have the nurse put the Foley back in.
I have read on this forum that self cath gets easier with time. I am sure the urethral tissues get used to it.
I only had prostate swelling for 5 weeks, so am off any catheters now. I do not take for granted the ability to just go to any bathroom and pee. It's still not easy but at least I can go on my own.
Tom
Whatever you do, I'd suggest you stay the hell away from RUBBER caths! The team used one on me during a dr. visit in August, after I'd been cathing with the hydrophyllic (fancy word for self-lubing caths!) for a year. The rubber hurt and pulled, even with the lubricant, and I was sore for 2 weeks. A word to the wise... !
hi had turp 7 yr ago now its starting again was thinking of self cathing
Ditto again to Cartoonman and JimJames. Coloplast SpeediCaths are superb for those seeking a frictionless and painless emptying of the bladder, which presumably is the majority or the membership. I was impressed with these catheters the moment I tried one out, but I was greedy and had gotten 18 Fr samples which were too big for my stricture.
So, mostly inspired by Cartoonman's enthusiam, I talked my Uro into writing me a scrip for some SpeediCaths. Thank you Cartoonman and the others participating in this valuble Forum.
Thanks, Alan. And yes, hydrophillic is SO much better than otherwise. I had a crusty Serbian nurse named Laura (She said her name was "LOW-ra (Rhymns with OW-ra!) who attacked me with one of those rubber caths. She was so fiendish, that I had an instant past-life-recall event, and recognized her from a previous incarnation during the Spanish Inquisition.
She was nicer this time around, though not by much... :-P
Go with silicon, go with self-lubed, no breaking little water bags to wet the cath, etc. Coloplast. Speedicath. THey're long and straight, and there are numerous ways to slip them up your pant leg, down your boot, down your shirt, should you need to slip by the crowds to get to the loo... :-)
Recently when I had my catheter inserted at urgent care... Lidocaine was used.
I have self cath for 2 years an never used any numbing medication...
Hopefully I can help you out on this one. Most of the commonly available lubricants I looked at contained a 2% of lidocane plus bacteriostats. From experimentation I found I was possibly reacting badly to the latter. The reaction manifested itself as noticeable but bearable stinging about a half hour after application.
The lidocane I could do without as described in the following.
When one self-caths one becomes the operator and should ideally keep a clear head to deal with any emergency that may arise. Pain is your body's warning alarm; ideally nothing should be done to mute this safety device, or diminish its intensity.
A quick analogy: I get into my car and find that the wind shield is smudged. I will do what ever may be necessary to restore clear vision.
Much the same with self-cathing. I must respond to all sensations. Some will idicate progress in the right direction; some will do the opposite, pain being one of the most important of these. If cathing hurts, then stop!
So, a critical step is to keep the lidocane, or whatever the analgesic used, down to the minimum that you can tolerate, even though this may not be the only potential source of pain.
Wow; very smart.
I've never needed a pain deadener, but never considered the potential benefits of being able to react to a "snag".
Stinging, usually going in as well as coming out when it occurs (infrequent), is the worst I have encountered. There are times when I've had to push a bit more than usual, and it would be good to have biological feedback at that point.
If you regularly have any trouble passing a self catheter, you may prefer the tip called a tiemann tip (sometimes called coude tip), which is somewhat pointed and also bent to one side. The bend must be towards the body, imagine the route the catheter must take to realise why so - down then back, then up again and under in a u-shaped path. The pointed tip is much more able to work it's way past the obstruction of an enlarged prostate with no pain at all.
For Speedicaths (yes, another ++ vote), the model number is 28492 for the fr12 size I use.
I do have to offer a cautionary "OTOH" on the hooked cath that gbhall mentions. Early on in my cathing career, the distributor accidentally sent me a box of them, along with the regulars. They had talked of giving me different types to try... and I used them, and--- BLOODY HELL! Even using them the correct way, as gbh mentions, they hurt, and lots. When I complained, at next order time, she said, "Send em back." I said, "I can't, I used 'em." "well, then," said she, "No refund!" My insides still remember the pain those nasty little items caused. They ARE appropriate for "certain conditions," or so I am told. Apparently, I don't have any of those conditions. Regular, only, for this user! :-)