Posted , 12 users are following.
Hello All,
I began Clean Intermittent Catheterization (CIC) a month ago for my Urinary Retention and would be interested in any who have tried acupuncture for this condition.
I welcome any and all feedback, thank you.
Patrick
2 likes, 50 replies
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alan86734 patrick45945
Posted
Yes, Patrick, I did, particularly if the site in the ankle was stimulated. I would get a bladder sensation very similar to what I feel when my catheter is in there. However, it proved to be an expensive alternative, and I went back to my C.I.C. as soon as possible; more comfortable and enjoyable. BTW I cath myself three times a day.
Best of luck to you. Alan86734.
patrick45945 alan86734
Posted
Hey Alan, thanks for your reply. So the acupuncture was not successful at all and you were not able to urinate after getting the sensations?
And yes, I realize most acupuncture and alternative treatments are not covered and are out of pocket, making it a bit of a gamble. I tried chiropractic and acupuncture treatment for my tinnitus, both out of pocket and both ineffective.
Best to you,
Patrick
TKM patrick45945
Posted
Patrick,
I tried Accupuncture about 10 years ago. It did not help my urinary problems. I tried it because of a friend who claimed it helped him. He was also taking a special tea brewed by the practitioner in Alaska, so maybe that was what helped. I think the effect lasted a year or two for him.
Now that were on the topic of CIC, I found that when I insert a catheter, and it runs up against the sphincter at the end, if I spread my knees 18 inches (45 cm) apart and bend at the knees, and bend almost 90 degrees at the waist, the catheter goes past the sphincter very easy.
Thomas
patrick45945 TKM
Posted
Hey Thomas,
Thanks for your response. May I ask if the acupuncture was for urinary retention?
And thanks for the tip on CICing. I usually spread my legs a bit, relax the buttocks with bald-headed Pete looking up at me for Jim's patented "nose dive" technique. After getting by the resistance of the prostate, I find Jim's technique of pointing Pete to the wall effective in getting in.
Best to you going forward!
Patrick
Kissimmee patrick45945
Posted
I did search for all possible options because I have hemophilia A and could not go through traditional surgeries due to high risk of bleeding even long time after surgery , what I found the least risky was FLA , focal laser prostate ablation , and even my Hematologist agreed , I had FLA done last October 22 and after a 3-4 weeks of Foley indwelling and intermittent self catheter I began to void better and better , has been 6 weeks and I still doing self catheter once at night to make sure bladder is empty and I am very close to stop the self catheter as I am getting only small amount of urine with it , by the way I also had a 1.3 cm nodule of cancer that was also ablated .
I had FLA done in Houston , TX with Dr Karamanian and I was in the hotel the same afternoon and flew back home at 48 hours after making sure everything was alright .
uncklefester Kissimmee
Posted
Why was the catheter in so long?
patrick45945 Kissimmee
Posted
Kissimmee, thanks for your response and happy to hear the FLA did you well. Curious if your problem was due to a distended bladder or BPH. I failed a urodynamic test due to my bladder condition rendering me unable to void, so my uro is rhinking until my bladder is improved by CIC, surgical procedures would be chancy with a success rate of 20-30%., so I will continue CIC with the hope my bladder will improve.
Patrick
Kissimmee patrick45945
Posted
I had a Gleason 6 ( 3+3 ) 1.3 cm cancer nodule that was indolent but what was hurting me was the huge BPH , both were resolved with the FLA , Dr can check on the MRI the bladder walls condition as well , in my case he told me bladder walls were a little thickened but he was optimistic I would be voiding well after the procedure !
Kissimmee patrick45945
Posted
I was having very bad urinary retention before the procedure and I self catheterizing at least three times a day , many times more than three , after FLA prostate gets inflamed and Dr advises it needs three weeks to be in the same state you were before the procedure and then starts the improvement , it took 4 weeks for me due to my condition was really bad before the procedure , now at 6 weeks I'm voiding much more than I had been voiding in the last four years and very good stream and very fast , it used to take me a long time to void a very small amount of urine , now I can void a large amount with a very good stream in few seconds , I'm very happy with the results and very grateful with Dr Karamanian that has been in contact with me through email, test messages and calls to his cell phone !
andrewcalgary Kissimmee
Posted
I had the same excellent results, I am now 3 months post FLA with Dr.K, my flow rate is 16.6ml/sec, which is excellent for someone of may age, highly recommend Dr.K and Donnie and their team
Kissimmee andrewcalgary
Posted
Dr K and Donnie gave me much confidence by phone and after meeting them even more , I had the procedure done without any stress even though I am very nervous , I am going to the Urologist next week , he was very skeptic about the FLA , I know he will be surprised with the results , last time I saw him was at third week after FLA and by that time I could not void even a drop and he ordered a urine culture that came back negative , was your urine flow test ordered by a Urologist ?
andrewcalgary Kissimmee
Posted
The urine flow test was my initiative, I had a lousy uro who never ordered any tests, I had 3 MRI, 2 MRI guided biopsies, and finally FLA, all on my own, paid by myself in USA, as far as that urine flow test I was interested in actual my own results against various research/statistical test results for men of my age, some say their flow is great, what that means?, everyone has it's own perception what's good, you can easily measure your flow rates yourself, all you need is a watch and some measuring cup
BTW, after my FLA I had the Foley for 11 days, started self catheterization, got UTI, couldn't pee, end up in ER, kept the Foley for two weeks, as per Dr.K recommendation, as soon as I removed the Foley, after two weeks, my flow was great, at 5 weeks post FLA my flow rate was 13.6ml/sec, now at 3 months is 16.6ml/sec
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andrewcalgary Kissimmee
Posted
The urine test was my initiative, I had a lousy uro who never ordered any tests, I had 3 MRI, 2 MRI guided biopsies, and finally FLA, all on my own, paid by myself in USA, as far as that urine test flow I was interested in actual comparison with various research/statistical test results for men of my age, some say my flow is great, what this means, everyone has it's own perception what good,
you can easily measure your flow rates yourself, all you need is a watch and some measuring cup, my previous response is moderated because I included a ref to a link with typical flow rates for men at different ages,
BTW, after my FLA I had the Foley for 11 days, started self-catheterization, got UTI, couldn't pee, end up in ER, kept the Foley for two weeks, as per Dr.K recommendation, as soon as I removed the Foley, after two weeks, my flow was great, it was 13.6ml/sec at 5 weeks, now at 3 months is 16.6ml/sec
Kissimmee andrewcalgary
Posted
I'm glad to know , your history is pretty much like mine , I also went to ER and then hospitalized for three days with a UTI , although the rough recovery at the beginning I still think it was my best option and also think I got the best Dr / team and the best results possible with no side effects at all , sexual function is normal , I'm voiding as I hadn't done in the past 10 years , no incontinence , no retrograde ejaculation , all of these together with some surgeries of at least some of them with other different procedures . I think all of out of the pocket money I spent was worthy .
andrewcalgary Kissimmee
Posted
Unfortunately I got RE, but I am not complaining, I had that before when I was on Flomax, before I switched to Alfuzosin, I don't think this is such a big deal, for this FLA I had extensive ablation, 10 for BPH and 5 for PCa, for a total of 15, with such extensive ablation things can happen, but I am very happy with overall results and great job Dr.K did
Kissimmee andrewcalgary
Posted
I'm not sure how may I got but Dr K told me he had ablated 35-40 % of the prostate