Hi Christina, Many thanks for the prompt reply and details of the success you are having. Long may it continue and hopefully for ever.
If you do get to the stage of needing a catheter again it would be worth discussing having a trial with a uretheral Hydrogel-coated latex one before having to have an operation to fit a super-pubic. Certainly the difference for me between Hydrogel-coated and the original All-silicone catheter has been enormous. They are just so much softer and flexible, unlike the stiffer all-silicone type.
I think the consultant arranging for the catheter changes to be done with me “high” on Entenox gas also helps and certainly takes away my fear of the catheter changes, makes it easier for the staff, and seems to cause less trauma to the water pipe so that I am discomfort-free within a few hours of the change. Allowing 5-10 minutes for the Lidocaine gel to anaesthetise fully also seems important.
Delighted you don’t seem to need a catheter at all at present. Long may it continue!