Self catheterization

KY can plug up the catheter...i was told never to use it.
I love Blazing Saddles.....a Classic......can't wait for the Broadway Show..I hear Mel Brooks is working on that one!!.........Pat

I pretty sure that's what it was, but I could be wrong. It's whatever the technician handed me. Why not KY?

Ever since Blazing Saddles campfire scenes have gotten a bad rap...

Ah the campfire scene........lovely picture. But please tell me you didn't use KY jelly.....maybe surgilube?....Not supposed to use KY jelly for caths.
And you know...some uros can painlessly use that flexible cystoscope and cause no discomfort......others not so. That should be on their resume...crappy with cystoscopes......thats probably not going to happen!!
Well i can't comment on neo-bladders for the women as i have a pouch and the stoma and pathway in have no nerve endings at all so you feel nothing when the cath goes in....however Mr. Bladder will tell you if you've hit a wall!............
For some reason i'm hungry for S'mores!..........Pat

I'll amplify on what Tim said.

(I wrote this paragraph wrong initially; it's now fixed). Nerve-sparing surgery only means you can still have an erection. That's it. You certainly don't lose any pleasure/pain sensation if you have non-nerve-sparing surgery. I guarantee that if I sat too close to the campfire and set my penis on fire I wouldn't just sniff the air and ask, "Is something burning?" And if you don't have nerve-sparing surgery you can't use your penis for a pin cushion.

One more time--it feels exactly the same as before. I just need the mighty AMS 700 to have an erection.

When I was at USC on February 21st for my six-month checkup, the nurse wanted me to self-catheterize so they could fill my bladder with some chemical and take an xray that told them if it was holding fluid properly--i.e. no backflow. I looked at that damn tube for five minutes before I put the KY jelly on and started to insert it. You know what? After the RC it went in much easier--no problem at all. I think losing that internal sphincter--or maybe the prostate--made the whole process much easier and close to painless.

In March, when I convinced Dr. Ginsberg to install the artificial sphincter, he said "I have to scope your bladder just to make sure everything is okay before the surgery." I almost told him to cancel the order--that I'd rather wet the bed than have another cystoscopy. But I gritted my teeth, pulled down my pants and..... and...... this time there was no pain at all--it was easy as could be. Now, granted, Dr. Ginsberg is a real pro at this, but it couldn't have been easier compared to the initial cystoscopy at my diagnosis.

So things definitely change for the better in that regard after the RC. I guess that's a plus.

that would be a correct assumption regarding the sensation; that it would be retained and you woul get some sort of discomfort with the cystos. I haven't had one since my surgery so I can't say if there's a difference. The nerve sparing is, to my understanding, to maintain the nerves that control erections. In other words if you didn't have the nerve sparing surgery you'll still get the sensation but without the ability to get an erection. Given your age I strongly advise going down the NS route. One thing's for sure; after your surgery the number of cystos you have to have should dramatically reduce. that's certainly been my experience so far.

Thanks Tim,
Am I correct in my thinking that if you have nerve sparing surgery you have the same sensation around your penis, can still have an erection, but still feel pain associated with cystos, etc.?
Whereas if you don't have nerve sparing surgery you lose all feeling down there ie. penile sensation, pain associated with cystos, etc.
Thanks again,
-Vin