Prostate problems

I have, this is a very expensive private hospital in cork city. I have a feeling my PSA is still high, and he knows if I find out I will pull out of Self catheterzation and go straight to the next step. I'm finding this so degrading.

Hi Ken,

I agree with Anthony 2858's comments above. The problem in urology is often that the doctor does too much, not too little, often resulting in unecessary drugs with sexual side effects or even worse an overly agressive surgical approach. Self cathing fufills the Hippocratic Oath, "Above all, do no harm", while emptying your bladder completely and protecting your kidneys. When you stop self cathing, no harm will be done by the process as opposed to other approaches. 

As to not getting test results, here in the United States patient's have certain legislative rights and therefore doctors and hospitals have procedures in place for patients to get their records on a timely basis. Don't know what the regulations are where you live, but I agree with others that say you should not put up with being in the dark. Call and ask to speak to the doctor directly and hopefully it's just an administrative thing. That said, I would not jump to any conclusions regarding why you haven't gotten your PSA results. It's natural to consture things in your mind but it's probably just an administrative thing.

As to the self cathing, I sympathize what you are going through. The first time I self cathed I almost passed out in the doctor's office. I went home totally depressed and the first couple of weeks were dread and anxiety mixed with a bad urinary tract infection. The good news is that it does get much easier and fairly quickly. Today, I find self cathing as easy and painless as brushing my teeth and it only takes around a minute of my time. We are here to help you with any issues you may be having in that regard.

Jim

 

>> I have a feeling my PSA is still high, and he knows if I find out I will pull out of Self catheterzation and go straight to the next step.?

? - the next steps for high PSA, potentially an MRI scan and then a biopsy, are not at all related to treatment for BPH (or just inflamed tissue due to prostatitis as in this case ?).  Self catheterisation can continue, it's nothing to do with biopsy, except that biopsy can cause swelling and so increase the need for self catheterisation - a need which you already have ... having a high PSA is no reason to abandon self catheterisation whilst you wait for the antibiotics to hopefully work (and then the high PSA would fall if it's due to prostatitis, like it so often is, particularly at age 42). 

Not sure I'm following you completely, but if what you are saying that the self cathing and your PSA have nothing to do with each other, then I agree. Two different issues. Self cathing is generally prescribed for retention caused by BPH. You can have a high PSA without having retention, or a low PSA and retention, or any other combination of the two.

I still think you are stressing yourself needlessly by speculating without having the facts.

You really want to know what tests have been given and what are the results, and the names of the tests they want to perform in the future. Personally, if they won't give you the results on the phone, I would tell the office that I want to see the doctor to review my prior results before I have any more tests. 

Jim

Thanks Jim, I not going to say I'm depressed, but it's having a massive effect on me.

Ken, we were all "newbies" in this arena once.  The great value in self-cathing, as long as you do it carefully, that it becomes a simple and safe way to buy time, during which you can and should learn all you can, about where you can go from here.  TURP is pushed for many reasons, and many of us here think poorly of the procedure, also for many reasons.  Far better for you to learn ALL of the options you have, and then make your decision form an informed position...

Hi Paul,

I mistakenly took your post as coming from "Ken Mode" so my answer may have seemed a bit off or confusing. But again, I agree that self catherization and PSA/biopsy results are two separate issues, and hopefully I never gave the impression that they weren't. But until Ken gets some more information from his doctor I think we're all really just guessing at what is going on. Unfortunately, it's all too common for docs to keep us in the dark with a patronistic attitude. It really then falls on our shoulders to ask, if not demand, complete information and participation in our own medical decisions, feathers be ruffled or not.

jim

 

I'm very worried about getting infection, more so at work

Going to company doc tomorrow, agree I'm stressed out completely

How do you get around this at work, with the washing at all that.

Ken, there is less mystery to self-cathing than you realize.  THere is a streamlined way to cath, where it is not even necessary to wash the hands!  Although it's not a bad idea to wash your hands, if you want to be careful.  I use an alcohol patch (one-time use) on the tip, never, ever touch the barrel of the catheter(the part that goes inside) , and hold the penis UP, so I can simply lower the catheter into the proper orifice.  No touch, no infection!

Washing both hands and area. Is 16 that much of s jump?

I go for staying as close to "normal" as possible.  Using the alcohol wipes on the tip, and keeping my hands away from anything that goes inside me works.  That said, I have had my share of UTIs (urinary tract infections), but mostly from breaking protocol (e.g., being distracted by fatigue and such).  But it's not magic!  I can pee and be back at it in five minutes or less.

There is a guy on You Tube who swabs his whole mid-section, it seems, with some awful hospital wash stuff--- not necessary!  

I think I would be stressed out too - so would most men.  It must be harder to accept even as a temporary expedient, at age 42, than it would be at an older age.  It would make me feel old. 

That's it, I look around at older men and feel that my body is closing down around me.

Ken  This makes no sence even you company can't get a answer.  There is something wrong with this picture.  You have a right to know what it is before you have anymore test.  Where did you have the test done.  Call them and see if you can get the results.  Now don't feel bad.  All men after 40 have some type of problem in that area.  Just relax if you can.  But get the results or get a new doctor that will give you the answer.  I had a PSA done a few month's ago.  Had it don on wednesday and knew what it was on thursday.  Good luck  Ken here to

Ken, 

First of all, your self cathing may only be temporary, so again don't let you imagination and anxiety run ahead of reality. That said, I wish someone taught me how to self cath in my 40's. It would have saved me literally tens of thousands trips to the bathroom at night night to mention holding it in until I was able to find a toilet. And btw, if you haven't read my whole story, after a couple years of self cathing I was basically able to stop as the self cathing actually rehabilitated my bladder to a significant extent.

Jim

Company doc could not believe it either

So did you have trouble moving up sizes, I'm going from 14 to 16, but 16 won't even go in

Ken,

I never moved up in size, I moved down in size from FR14 to FR12. Never tried a 16. If it were me, I would ask the doctor WHY he wants you to move up. As I mentioned before, my guess is that he found some sort of stricture (narrowing) of your urethra during the cystoscopy and he wants to use the catheters to widen the urethra. But this is just a guess. You really have a right to know what is going on with your condition and why he is doing this or that. But whatever you do, do not force a catheter in. Call the doc and tell him the 16 won't go in and ask him for all your test results and what is going on.

Jim

Thanks Jim, will head out to him tomorrow

You might want to tell him that the "Greek chorus"  (remember, from Classical Lit. classes?) of CIC Veterans on the site agree that FR14 is damn' big enough!  :-D

Got a few more 14s so all ok