ManorDrug.com How to Catheterize Yourself (Man)

What Is It? A catheter is a thin plastic or rubber tube which is put into your bladder to drain urine. The bladder is a hollow organ that holds urine. Normally urine travels from the bladder through a tube called the urethra (u-REE-thruh) to the urinary meatus (me-A-tuss). The meatus is the opening in your penis where urine leaves the body. With intermittent (in-ter-MIT-int) catheterization (kath-uh-ter-i-ZA-shun), the catheter is put inside your bladder when you need to urinate.

Why do you need it? You may need a catheter because you cannot pass urine by yourself. You may need it because of an infection or to get urine for lab tests. You may need catheterization if you have a disease or injury.

Checklist for catheterizing yourself:

__ 1. Gather all the items you will need.

Catheter.
Water-soluble lubricating jelly, such as K-Y Jelly™.
Bowl or container to collect urine.
Bowl of warm water, soap, washcloth, and hand towel.
Waterproof pad or bath towel.

__ 2. Wash your hands with warm water and soap.

__ 3. Get into position for inserting your catheter. Lie or sit down with your knees bent. Put a towel or waterproof pad under your penis. You may also stand in front of the toilet. Make sure the other end of the catheter is pointed into a container or down toward the toilet.

__ 4. Clean yourself. Wash your penis using soap, warm water, and a wash cloth. Pull back the foreskin and wash the glans and urinary meatus if you are not circumcised. The glans is the head of the penis. Rinse and dry your penis. Put the bowl close to you to collect the urine.

__ 5. Put lubricating jelly on the tip of the catheter.

__ 6. Insert the catheter.

With one hand, hold your penis at a 90-degree angle to (straight out from) your body. Slowly put the catheter into the meatus using your other hand.
Gently push the catheter about 3 to 4 inches into your penis until urine begins to come out. Once urine starts to flow, push the catheter up 1 inch more and hold it in place until the urine stops.

__ 7. Remove the catheter when you are finished. When urine no longer comes out of the catheter, pinch it closed with the hand that was holding your penis. Gently and slowly pull the catheter out. Keep the end of the catheter up to prevent dribbling of urine. Pull the foreskin down over the head of the penis if you are uncircumcised. This will prevent your penis from swelling.

__ 8. Clean your catheter. If your catheter is a single-use catheter, throw it away. If your catheter is reusable, clean it following your caregiver's instructions.

When should you catheterize yourself? Catheterize yourself at least 4 times each day and at bedtime.

How can you help prevent an infection?

Always wash your hands with soap and water before and after catheterizing yourself.

Clean all the catheters used in one day with soap and warm water.

Disinfect (dis-in-FEKT) the catheters in a pan of boiling water for 20 minutes. This kills germs that can cause infections.

Air-dry the catheters on a clean paper towel.

Store the dry catheters in a clean plastic bag.

Throw away torn, hardened, or cracked catheters.

Wear cotton boxers or underwear to allow airflow and drying in your genital area.

Drink 6 to 8 cups of healthy liquids each day. Follow your caregiver's advice if you must change the amount of liquid you drink. For most people, healthy liquids to drink are water, juices, and milk. Limit the amount of caffeine in your diet. Caffeine may make you urinate too much and lose too much body fluid. Caffeine may be found in coffee, tea, soda pop, and sports drinks and foods. Try to drink enough liquid each day, and not just when you feel thirsty.

How to deal with catheter problems:

No urine comes out of the cathter: Gently rotate the catheter in case it is blocked. Try gently pushing the catheter a little further up into the penis or pulling it back. Check also that the catheter opening is not blocked by lubricant or mucus.

Urine leakage between catheterizations: Urine leakage may happen if you have been drinking more liquids than usual, especially those containing caffeine or alcohol. It could also mean that you have a bladder infection. If you are having a problem with urine leakage, try catheterizing yourself more often. If you think you have an infection, call your caregiver.

Difficulty inserting or removing the catheter: If inserting your catheter is painful or uncomfortable, use more lubricant. It is common to meet some resistance when you are pushing the catheter past your prostate. The prostate is the gland inside your body that makes semen (SEE-men). Take a deep breath and try to relax before pushing the catheter in further. Breathe in, then as you slowly let your breath out, continue pushing in the catheter.

Blood on the catheter or in your urine: This may be caused if your meatus or urethra is too dry. Try using more lubricating jelly to prevent irritating your meatus and urethra. Make sure you drink enough liquids. Blood in the urine could also mean you have an infection.

Call your caregiver if:

You have signs of infection.

Your urine is thick, cloudy, or has mucus in it.
You have red specks in your urine or your urine looks pink or red.
Your urine has a strong smell.
You have pain or burning in your urethra, bladder, or abdomen.
You have shaking chills or your temperature is over ____ °F (____ °C).

It is too painful, difficult, or uncomfortable to insert your catheter far enough to start your urine flow.

You have questions or concerns about your illness or self-catheterization.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about catherizing yourself. You can then discuss choices with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what choices may be best for you. You always have the right to refuse and make your own decisions.

Copyright (c) 2007 Thomson MICROMEDEX. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes. The information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Additionally, the manufacture and distribution of herbal substances are not regulated in the United States, and no quality standards currently exist. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

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