My Appointment

Yes that is what he thinks is the problem.  Just got back from getting the pills.  He wants me to take 3 a day.  I don't know if I should or not.  There are a lot of side effects.  I guess I should do what he tell me and see how it goes. I can all ways cut down later. Just took my first one.  I will try morning afternoon and before I go to bed.  I am not on any other pill from him.   When I had my Urolift  I was taking off everything.  My bladder is good but the steam is small.  He is hoping this will give me more power and a bigger steam.  Only time will tell  Tahnk you  Ken 

Yes I know and I am not looking to have any surgery.  I will fellow what he wants me to do.  I don't want to have any done that is going to mess up the rest.  Take care all and thank you for your kind words and comments   Ken

Hank,

Are we talking about "external sphincter muscle tightness" or simply an impingement on the urethra by the prostate? Same general region, but two different things as I understand it.

Jim

Jim, I don't know exactly, but my guess would be tightness caused by prostate enlargement. It would be difficult to separate them without much testing, which I do not wish to risk now. Hank

That would be my guess as well, but if that's the case, it's not really a tight sphincter but an impingement due to baseline bph or added to by flares of prostatitis. That said, relaxation techniques could possibly help whatever the cause.

Jim

I used the term "external sphincter muscle tightness" because it was what Ken started with, eventhough I always mean "prostate caused external sphincter muscle tightness". Hank

So here is a question: If Ken's experiment with Flexeril succeeds at letting him CIC easier would you say his problem was then caused by tight external sphincter/pelvic floor muscles rather than an impingement due to BPH or prostatitis flare up? 

Don't want to split hairs (or in this case urethra's but the reason I lean toward prostatic "impingement" is because the sphincter muscle may not really be tight at all, just pushed upon. This opposed to true sphincter muscle tightness which can be a nerve issue.

Like many men, I think I was always a "pusher" when it came to voiding. Push it out as fast as I can, zip up the fly, and on my way. That worked for awhile and then it didn't. Flash forward to when I started CIC, I changed my attention while voiding to relaxing rather than pushing. I still do today, most of the time, although I think a "push" here and there is good to fire up the detrussors.

So one technique is a simple as changing focus from pushing to relaxation. Slowing down the process and taking your time. Not being goal oriented to "finish" but rather to be one with the process and let it develop. The Zen void

You can also try relaxation exercises when not voiding. The ones I learned were very simple body scanning exercises taught by Sivananda Yoga. You basically visualize a part of the body, then talk to it (internally) and tell it to "relax". You can scan your whole body this way, but for our purposes more emphasis on the prostate area. And then there's stuff like Daily Cialis, the med technique

Jim

Jim

I tried the body scanning before but did not get anywhere. My body was too smart to be fooled by me. Maybe I need to be more patient, or starting consuming sardines. 😀 Hank

I'm not that familiar with Flexeril, nor does it seem to be prescribed as much for bph as the Flomaxes of the world. That said, as a muscle relaxant, in theory it could relax an inflamed prostate and/or a tight external sphincter/pelvic floor muscles. So, I guess the answer to your question is that his problem could be either, or both. But as I mentioned earlier to Hank, I think more likely than a tight external sphincter is simply an impinged urethra caused by an enlarged/inflamed prostate. And Ken has had a lot of trauma from his hospital experience, so wouldn't be surprised if it is inflamed. Doesn't mean he can't have a tight ext sphincter, but why all of a sudden?

Jim

I threw the body scanning in there, but I think the biggest help was doing the pointed (no pun intended) relaxations during the void process. BTW I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my cholesterol didn't rise when I went off a very low fat diet and changed to a moderate fat diet with most fats from fish such as salmon and sardines (plus some nuts).

Jim

Hi Hank - Usually my catheter gets through the urethra ok but when it stops at the start of the urethra I visualize the external sphincter like the iris of a camera that is shut with the catheter pushed up against it. Then I visualize the iris opening slowly and the catheter starting to slip through it. It usually works especially as I say in a whisper to "relax .. relax.. open..open".

I also visualize the pelvic floor muscles surrounding a drain hole (pretty close!) and then I see them also moving away from the hole opening up and repeat the same commands to the pelvic floor muscles.

It really does help. Also Jim once said to remember the feeling of the catheter slipping through the external sphincter. As you know that is quite a nice feeling. So that helps too. I am not a big meditator but if I can focus for a minute on those things it really helps. Take care. Howard

I said that because that is what my urologist told me that was the problem.  He also said that my prostate was wide open.  But if you think about it everything in that area is all tied together.  It's a pain to grow old. Good health to all.  Ken  PS  Just found out today have to take to more pills.  I have Celiac Disease  That is why I lost so much weight.  Only took 2 years to find out the problem.  Down to 175 from 325.  I am so happy I know what that problem is.  Now I can work on the other.  Just keep going and do what you have to do  Love you all  Ken

I meant to say NOT "when it stops at the start of the urethra " BUT "when it stops at the start of the PROSTATE" Sorry.

Thanks Howard for your relaxing lesson. I don't have problem with CIC unless I am constipated, and I am no longer so. I was looking for ways to start the natural void flow in less time, but the hesitation is only few seconds so maybe it can't get better. Hank

I already know that. New study indicated that what we eat, as far as fats and animal cholesterol foods, don't affect our cholesterol level very much. I think they now say the carbs are the culprits. Hank

I will not be doing the gluten free diet.  I can't eat a lot of stuff.  I have be following the diet that my urologist gave me.  And my gastro doctor wants me to eat every 2 hour.  Ken

I think you would have to read that/those studies very carefully. What they deem "low fat" is nowhere near the under 10% of total fat calorie diet that Pritikin, Ornish and Esselystyn promote. And again on a personal note, I have confirmed the same by logging my diet against my lipid profile tests. What surprised me this time was that the added fat didn't have the same effect that it previously had. I can only guess but one possibility is that my added fats were all of the Omega 3 variety, ie salmon, walntuts and, yes, SARDINES. It's also possible this test was an anomoly and other factors may be at play or perhaps I didn't wait long enough to retest after I started adding fats. So many variables which is why even study data is often suspect.

Jim

As a footnote, I will add that the "best" diet, is so far from a science that it's laughable. You will find "knowledgeable" and credentialed proponents of every form of diet from Paleo to Vegan. High protein to low protein. Fasting to grazing. High carb to low carb. And so the list goes on. For that reason, the bottom line for me is what are my numbers (lipid profile and blood pressure) and how do I feel and because of my age, probably in that order.

Jim

I agree. As long as you feel great, it does not matter what diet. Look at Trump. His normal dinner is 5 Big Mac's and 2 Diet Coke's. No exercise. Healthy enough to call himself a genius. 😀 Hank

Actually, I put the numbers before how I feel, because at my age bad numbers can kill. Trump must have good genetics or he's a heart attack waiting to happen. But like his doc said, never smoking and drinking probably didn't hurt plus all that money must be worth a few healthy endorphins!

Jim

I remember when I lived in Northern California in the early 80s that the "Fruitarian Diet" was all the rage. These people believed that even the Vegan diet was destroying "living" plants so they would stand around their fruit trees and wait for the ripe fruit to fall to the ground and then they would eat it! No kidding - I actually visited their communes and saw all these "Biafrin" looking stick figures waiting for the fruit to drop ( before they did). They of course swore it was the best and most natural diet that would lead to a disease-free long life. I suspect they are all lying under those fruit trees today! Howard