I have had difficult urinating for years. I have posted about catheter horrors and about finally finding one that works, sort of.
I believe I have scar tissue at my bladder neck because that is where the cath encounters difficult in insertion. My urologist wanted to do another TURP, no way, it took me three years to get over the last one. I am concerned that eventually I may have difficulty with this catheter as well, I can just barely get it in and might not actually be passing the sphincter , just banging up against it?
I am very familiar with what it takes to insert a catheter. I have a lot of experience.
A friend recommended castor oil packs, what? Well another friend had also recommended maybe a year ago and I tried getting the oil right to the problem using a catheter. This did not work.
The "theory" is that the castor oil works its way through skin fat (and there is about 2 inches of it) and seeks organs and softens them or makes them happy or ? At this point I don't care if it is bogus and I am experiencing placebo effect because I slid a catheter in last night with ease I have not experienced in years. Previously the cath would bunch up when it hit the sphincter and would sort of go through after several in and out attempts. I need to see what happens next cath attempt.
I have done four hot packs for an hour each. I can concentrate my alternative efforts on something pretty much harmless and which actually seems to work. I do understand that the sphincter being a muscle is subject to stress related issues and that it is possible that the expectation of a cure (but i just did it and did not really expect any results.) allows the muscle to relax, a placebo effect. Still, I have done all sorts of relaxation methods in the past and nothing worked suggesting that it is a scaring issue. Of course there is no way to know.
If anyone has a similar problem I think there is little risk in trying the castor oil hot pack. I can't wait to cath again and see if it is still easy. If this works it will help me to avoid UTIs which had become a real problem for me partly due to incomplete voiding (according to my urologist) Also drinking cranberry juice to the point that I almost like it and will start on d-mannose added to my daily herb tea.
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spencoid2
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I have only done three or four "packs" and only had one positive insertion so far. Yes it is the last inch. That Angry Inch. In the past I tried injecting the castor oil with a catheter and probably a Tooby (sp?) syringe but it had no effect. I might not have actually gotten it to the right place, who knows but it did nothing. Or maybe my condition was worse and would have required extended treatment?
The pack is simple. Soak a folded flannel pad maybe 6 by 8 inches (what i used) and maybe four to six layers. Saturate it with Castor oil which takes time because it is so thick. Put the pad on your abdomen over the bladder, cover with plastic wrap, a towel and a heating pad on top. Do this for an hour if you can. I will keep it up for maybe a week. I will report tonight about how the catheterizing goes. come on mr placebo, don't let me down.
I was taking the pills, very convenient. However someone that I must have trusted at the moment said that pills are not as effective as unsweetened cran juice. Juat need a cup a day?
I have contacted virtually all of the "mail order" companies including manufacturers and it is absolutely amazing how little they know about their products and what a bitch it is to try different ones. Each company and each different type of cath requires a separate prescription. It took me months to try just a few of the promising catheters. I finally found one that works tolerably. Why do they make it so fucking difficult to try a few different catheters?
the problem for me is that the catheters just bunch up. it is a matter of stiffness, tip shape and diameter as well as any obstructions encountered that together determine if the catheter will pass the obstruction or just bunch up. smaller diameter are more likely to bunch up. I could never get a no 12 in. i switched to something that does work sort of but i never had the confidence that it actually passed the bladder sphincter. yesterday that catheter went right in like they used to. tonight i am going to try a cath that i have not been able to get in for over a year. if that goes in i have found a non surgical cure for my bladder neck contracture or whatever it is called. my uro wanted to do another TURP, god no. My former uro (great guy but moved) said absolutely no to a TURP after radiation. And then I had one on an emergency basis. It took over three years to heal and not completely. Bladder neck might have received the final blow from the TURP.
Anyone else have a TURP after radiation treatment?
no, did get cystoscopy a few times. Urologist said the first time it was such a mess he could not really see anything. next time saw a bunch of crap and sort of saw scar tissue at the neck.
what does the urethrogram show that might be useful.
just saw it is another xray, i have had enough of that and am only getting radiation when absolutely necessary. I think i have my peeing issue under control for now better than in years. I could get the large straight cath that in with a little difficulty not as easy as the tieman tip, but i haven't been able to get it in for probably a year.
They first inject a water-soluble contrast into the urethra and then make the X-ray picture. It is a good diagnosis, currently you are guessing what the reason for the stricture is. Your insurance will usually pay for the procedure.
don't want any more xrays than necessary saving that for more important scans. i can feel every detail of my urethra with a catheter. smooth sailing until the external sphincter then a bit of resistance and more smooth sailing until the bladder neck. as soon as i hit it urine starts to dribble through the cath, then max pressure to get through neck and major flow so i already know exactly where the restriction is and i doubt a scan would reveal anything more.
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