Gordon

Age at interview: 96

Brief Outline:

Gordon was catheterised urethrally aged 89. For 3 years his catheter changes were painful. In 2011, he looked on the internet for information and came across a herbal remedy for an enlarged prostate containing Saw Palmetto. He has had no problems since.

Background:

Gordon is widowed and has an adult daughter. Ethnic background/nationality: White British.

More about me...

Gordon went into hospital for an emergency hernia operation. Shortly afterwards, he had a stroke. He was 89 at the time and catheterised, something which he said he readily accepted as he trusted the doctors. 

 

At first, Gordon’s catheter was changed every 6 weeks and he was told that he had an enlarged prostate. This made changing the catheter particularly painful. For 3 years he lived with the pain of catheter changes. In 2011, he decided to look on the internet for more information and came across a herbal remedy for an enlarged prostate containing Saw Palmetto. Gordon said, ‘I got some and, in no time at all, that worked and it reduced it. And the catheter goes in and out with no bother at all.’ Now he said his catheter changes can be done in 5 minutes and involve no pain at all. Before this, he dreaded having his catheter changed, often worrying about it a week ahead of time. 

 

Although Gordon was unsure whether he had a urethral or suprapubic catheter, a catheter that is inserted through the penis is a urethral catheter. Gordon said his catheter was made of latex and more flexible than his previous one. He said he found male district nurses better at changing his catheter than female ones. He felt he was given very little information from doctors or nurses about catheters and found out more for himself on the internet. His niece also gave him information about sleeves and straps to keep the leg bag in place. 

 

Gordon said he had a carer at first but, when his daughter retired, she became his main source of support. His daughter helps by doing any of the household chores that might need doing, including vacuuming, washing dishes and preparing meals. She comes in every day and also makes his bed and does his shopping when needed. Every Thursday, Gordon said a professional carer came in to give him a shower. 

 

At one point, Gordon had a lot of urinary tract infections and was prescribed antibiotics which he had to take daily for 2 or 3 years. His doctor recently stopped prescribing these as the sore that was causing problems was no longer there. Gordon thinks this is because his prostate is no longer enlarged. He said he has no pain at all now because of the catheter and only remembers he has one when the bag gets full. He changes his leg bag once a week and now has his catheter changed every twelve weeks.   

 

Gordon said that at one stage he was offered a suprapubic catheter. He declined, though, because he didn’t want another operation at his age. He manages very easily with a urethral catheter and doesn’t have to get up at night to urinate. 

 

 

Gordon’s catheter changes were very painful before he discovered saw palmetto. The catheter now ...

Apparently I’d got an enlarged prostate, which nobody seemed to be bothered about, only me. You can imagine, I don’t know whether you can imagine or whether you know about prostates. There’s two and they’re close together. And the pipe down to your bladder goes in between them. 

 

Well one of them got enlarged. And when they took the catheter out. It fell over onto the tube. So you can imagine putting the tube, the new tube back in, they had to shift the catheter over, which was a bit on the painful side. I had water in my eyes I’ll tell you, and that went on for about three years. And I was crippled with it, really was, I had some terrible times. 

 

You lived with the pain for three years did you? 

 

Yeah, and the doctors knew I’d got this doing [enlarged prostate], but they didn’t do anything at all about it. And one day, I have a computer, and one day I went on the computer and I put in ‘prostate’ actually. And I read all about it. And they said that, with an enlarged prostate, you can get a herb which reduces it. Well this is only about a year ago. And I got some and, in no time at all, that worked and it reduced it. And the catheter goes in and out with no bother at all. 

 

Gordon’s catheter changes were painful because of an enlarged prostate. He found out about a...

You lived with the pain for three years did you?

 

Yeah, and the doctors knew I’d got this enlarged prostate, but they didn’t do anything at all about it. And one day, I have a computer, and one day I went on the computer and I put in ‘prostate’ actually. And I read all about it and they said that, with an enlarged prostate, you can get a herb which reduces it. Well this is only about a year ago. And I got some and, in no time at all, that worked and it reduced it. And the catheter goes in and out with no bother at all.

 

So this was a herb?

 

Yes. I can recommend that to anybody. And that other one there, that’s a very good one. It has some of the saw palmetto in, but I don’t think I’ve, it wasn’t something that was for me anyway.

 

You found out about this on the internet did you?

 

I did yes, yeah.

 

Nobody else mentioned it?

 

No, and nobody seemed interested in it. But with doctors, herbs don’t come into it as far as they’re concerned. They’re not interested. But they work, they definitely work. I can’t begin to tell you how well they work.

Gordon’s daughter helps him by doing his shopping and sometimes his cooking and washing. He also...

Do you come in every day?

 

Daughter' Yeah.

 

What kind of help do you usually…?

 

Daughter' Well I’m able to, I make your bed don’t I?

 

Gordon' Yeah. Do my potatoes. Wash up.

 

Daughter' Do your potatoes. If he’s not well, I’ll probably do him a bit of tea or something like that, bring him some clean clothes.

 

Gordon' Does my washing and,

 

Daughter' Make you a cup of tea, don’t I? Do his shopping for him.

 

Gordon' Anything that wants doing, run around with the hoover, anything at all, you know.

 

Daughter' But he does have a cleaner though, don’t you, he has a cleaner once a fortnight.

 

Gordon' Once a fortnight for heavy cleaning. Yeah she comes,

 

And how about the garden?

 

Daughter' He has a gardener.

 

Gordon' I have a gardener. Yeah.

 

Daughter' And he has someone that comes in on a,

 

Gordon' On a Thursday

 

Daughter' Thursday,

 

Gordon' She gives me a shower.

 

Daughter' So we manage.