Why Female Paraplegic Chooses To Use Male Catheter

This article contains a video
Curated by
Whitney Bailey
Content via Pro Tips For Paras
Pro Tips For Paras
Curated by
Whitney Bailey

Tanelle Bolt, a paraplegic, shares videos on her YouTube channel (Pro Tips For Paras) demonstrating how she accomplishes independent living tasks to be a resource for other people who have spinal cord injuries.

In the video above, Tanelle demonstrates her cathing process using a male catheter. She also explains why she chooses to use a male catheter versus a female catheter.

Tanelle says one reason she chooses to use a male catheter is that the catheter is longer (16 inches) and she can stay in her chair while using it. If she uses a female catheter she has to transfer onto the toilet and there is more risk of getting her hands dirty because the catheter is much smaller. 

“This is why I learned how to (cath) this way, so I didn’t have to touch every public toilet seat on the travels that I’ve been on.”

Cathing In A Bathroom

Starting at 0:40 in the video, Tanelle demonstrates how she caths from her chair using a male catheter. She starts by scooting her bottom to the edge of her chair and then lifts one leg to where her foot is resting on the toilet seat. Next, Tanelle opens up both ends of the male catheter to use as a range extender. She is then able to cath from her wheelchair. When she is done using the catheter, Tanelle puts it back in the packaging and folds it up discreetly to put in the trash. 

Cathing On The Go

Tanelle spends the majority of her time traveling in her car. Starting at 3:37 in the video, Tanelle shares how she is able to cath in her car using a male catheter. 

Sitting in the driver seat of her car, Tanelle leans the seat back and scoots her bottom forward, putting herself in a comfortable position to cath. She uses the range extender method as mentioned above and empties her bladder into a bottle. Tanelle also shows how she can use the male catheter and empty her bladder on the ground from her driver seat without using the bottle.

Be sure to share this post with someone who is newly injured!

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