Has anyone used a liquid in stead of a gel lube for catheterization ? I am currently using a prelubed hydrophilic catheter Coloplast Speedicath 12fr, but the catheters sometimes are very dry. I have tried gel like Surgilube but found it messy mainly because the gel did not want to go inside the uretha. I thought maybe there is a liquid that I can kind of squirt it in, before inserting the catheter. I found some liquid lube advertisement but they seem to be for the sex market. Hank
I have thought about trying it, but have yet to do so. I don't know if they would coat the catheter as well as the gel. All lubes are essentially multi-purpose. However, I would check the ingredients first. I am surprised you need extra lube for hydrophilic catheters. I usually us unlubricated catheters, but when I use the hydrophilic ones, they seem to be very slick.
Most of them are slick. However, some of them are not. Maybe it has to do with quality control. Hank
I buy the cheapest ordinary personal lube in plastic bottles from my local chemist (drug store) and dilute it 50/50 with clean water (in my case straight from the tap, but in some areas it would be important to sterilise the water by boiling and cooling. I open the screw top and dip the tip of the recently unwrapped dry catheter an inch (2cm) or so into the fluid in the bottle. I turn the tip upwards to allow the lube to run away from the holes in the tip and insert. This always seems to be sufficient to provide easy painless travel up through the urethra. After emptying my bladder, I screw back the bottle lid asap to avoid too many air-borne bacteria from entering the bottle ready for the next time.
Hi Hank,
In almost 4 years of cathing (SpeediCath fr14s), I've had only 4 come out of the wrapper completely dry, and two of those were because the wrapper had been damaged. Mine are manufactured in Hungary. If it happened more frequently, I would contact the intermediary (In my case it's Comfort Medical.), and ask for a refund! With the proper amount of liquid in the package, they ought to just slide right in!
Thanks cartoon. Not very many of them are completely dry, yet many not having enough fluid in them. I can tell the difference between the ones that would be dripping vs the ones that seem to be wet but without the dripping. I bought them all last year due to insurance reasons. Maybe they are drying out on me. Hank
Thanks Pepasan. What you are doing is exactly what I am looking for. Can you let me know the ingredients of the lube you are using, or a brand name even better, so I can be sure to get the same or the equivalent ? Hank
Pepasan, are the catheters you are using hydrophilic ? Hank
The Catheters I'm prescribed are dry and not Hydrophilic. The instructions say they must be used with separate lubrication. I buy Boots Silky Lubricant (I'm in the UK). Currently £3.49 for 75 ml. They have a press top with a tube inside to dispense the lube, so actually I decant the contents into a clean screw-top plastic bottle to mix it with water.
It's great that they are not hydrophilic. It means they are cheaper than the ones I've been using. Thanks again. Hank
Ah, good question! The packages have a use date on them; have a look!
Hi Hank
I use the same catheter as you except one size larger (14fr) and coude tip. Before I open the package I turn it back and forth about 10 times like a baton because the saline solution can settle over time so that way I can wet the whole catheter.
I've been adding a gel lube to this catheter for 2 years now as I need the extra lubrication. I use Surgilube but others have worked ok too.
My technique is as follows: I hang the catheter on the end of the bathroom counter top at waist level. I then very slowly pull down the sleeve half way being careful not to touch the exposed catheter. I then place a paper towel under the catheter on the floor to catch any lube. I then slowly squeeze a generous amount of lube into the open sleeve and let it settle for a minute. Then I slowly pull out the catheter twisting it as I go to make sure the lube coats the catheter well. This way I find the catheter goes in much more smoothly and does not burn. Some gel accumulates at the tip of the penis but that helps coat the remaining catheter as it goes in. After pulling out the catheter I wipe the penis with a small gauze pad.
I've tried this with regular catheters that are not in saline solution and it does not work as well. The gel is 99% water and when it contacts the saline solution it melts and provides an extra layer of lubrication right inside the catheter package. Don't worry about spilling extra gel from the sleeve onto the paper towel. It is unavoidable but well worth the ability to CIC without the burning pain I used to get.
Howard
Thanks Howard for sharing. I am sure your method will work. However, it's more complicated than I'd like. I think I will try Pepasan method first. It's much simpler. Hank
I found 2 dates on a box: 2017-08-04 and 2019-08-04. I assume the first date is the manufacturing date, and the second one is expiration date. Maybe why they are drying on me. I am trying to go up to size 14 and I need the extra lube so I hopefully will not experience the soreness that usually occurred when I use size 14. Hank
I've used bout 2600 of these catheters over the past 2 years and never came across a dry one. Are you shaking the catheter back and forth a lot before opening in case the liquid has settled? And yes those dates are as you describe.
Yes, I shake them well before use and it makes no difference. Perhaps you are lucky or by the way you soak them with lube jell before use, I don't see how you can tell whether or not they are dry. I am going to try Pepasan method and report results. Hank
Hi Hank - When I swing the catheter package back and forth before opening I can hear the liquid sloshing around. I've never had a case where I didn't hear that sound. If you wish I could send you a photo of my setup. It really is easy. Anyway good luck with Pepsan.
Howard, I will try to listen to the sloshing sound next time. Thanks for the tips. Hank
Hank, I tried mixing the hydrophilic with Surgilube but I was following you guys. May main concern was that if these two products were incompatible, mixing them might set off an internal exothermic penile conflagration! very painful, I'm sure, And how would one go about explaining such a misadventure to one's urologist?
II tried getting information from Coloplast themselves, and from my own Urologist, but all to no avail.
So I went ahead with the experiment and, I'm happy to say, my fears were completely unfounded.
The experiment worked perfectly and I was able to extend the time the catheter remained inserted by 30 minutes with no tendency to stick to the urethra walls.
Warm regards, alan86734.
Alan, I too tried Surgilube with Coloplast Speedicath with no problems other than messiness. Why would you want to keep the catheter inside you for 30 minutes, BTW ? Hank