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Mar
10
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Using a catheter may be a somewhat uncomfortable experience at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty simple. If you have trouble urinating for a physical reason or because you struggle with paruresis, you should learn what it feels like to use a catheter.
Using a catheter is decidedly easier for men that it is for women, though anyone can do it after a bit of time and practice. If you are a woman, you should have another woman teach you to use a catheter; preferable a woman who has used a catheter before herself, since she’ll be able to give you more specific tips. Also, be sure that whoever teaches you to use a catheter teaches you to insert the tool standing up; some people will attempt to teach you to do it while lying down, but this is really inconvenient, especially if you’re in a public bathroom.
Once you insert your catheter, be sure that you go slowly. You’ll know that you’ve gotten to your bladder when it begins to empty. As soon as your bladder begins to empty itself, though, stop moving it in, since this can cause damage to your bladder or cause the catheter to turn itself into a knot, impossible to remove.
You’ll need to leave the catheter in your bladder until it stops emptying, and then you’ll need to take it out slowly but immediately. When you take out the catheter, you might feel like you have to go to the restroom again, but ignore this feeling. You may also feel a mild burning sensation, which shouldn’t last very long, either.
Once your catheterization is done, you should take care of the catheter as the directions say to do. If it’s reusable, you should wash it, but if it’s disposable, you’ll just need to get rid of it.