Even though most men dread the term “catheter,” these products aren’t as bad as they seem. Here are some reasons why you might need to use one.
As we age, the list of potential health issues we could encounter increases. While avoiding many of them through careful diet and exercise is possible, you can’t prevent everything. While most conditions have multiple methods to deal with them, not all are ideal.
One such treatment option many men try to avoid is using a catheter. For obvious reasons, they sound unpleasant to use, but they’re not as bad as they might seem. Knowing the reasons why you might need to use a catheter will help you better prepare for it if the need to use one ever arises. That’s why we’re here today to cover those reasons with you.
Urinary Incontinence
One of the most common reasons to use a catheter is to manage urinary incontinence. While this condition isn’t something all older adults have to deal with, it does become more common as you age.
Fortunately, there are many other products that you can use to deal with these symptoms, but intermittent catheters are still a popular choice. If you decide to use one, make sure you know the difference between male and female catheters before you buy yourself some. Getting ones meant for women won’t work as intended for you.
Urethra Obstructions
Even though catheters aren’t a necessity for incontinence, they might be the only answer for other problems that occur in the urinary tract. One such issue is urethra obstructions. While you can remove some blockages, others are more permanent and require a way to bypass them.
Some common examples are scar tissue in the urethra or obstructions caused by an enlarged prostate. Regardless of the reason, an indwelling catheter will be your best option for dealing with this issue.
The Aftermath of a Surgery
While not every surgery requires using a catheter afterward, some will. For men, this will primarily include any bowel- or reproductive-related surgeries. Since your procedure will occur in the same general area as your urinary tract, the normal passing of urine might get somewhat affected.
Medical professionals primarily recommend catheter usage as a precautionary measure in this case, so it won’t be permanent. It’s a good thing to keep in mind if you even need surgery in this area.
Bladder Treatments
Finally, the last main reason you might need to use a catheter is if you require bladder treatment for conditions like bladder cancer. During chemotherapy and other non-surgical procedures, your doctor might need to deliver medication directly to your bladder. To make this delivery as simple as possible, they will use a catheter to streamline the process.
Fortunately, you’ll likely only need to use catheters during these treatments, but chances are, you’ll need to use them more than once. If you’d like to avoid this option altogether, you can talk to your doctor about other methods. However, you’ll get used to using a catheter the more you use it, so this still might be the best approach.
