Prostate Problems - Effort and Time Required to Cure

Well, and then there are guys who feel as Gary does, and Gary, I'm sorry that's where you are.  Yeah, it's amazing, even in this obviously male-dominated country, THIS problem hasn't been dealt with more effectively!!!  

THAT SAID, this is why I have NOT succumbed to my home-town uro-doc's insistence that I should let him TURP me... there are many new procedures being advanced, tried, improved.  

Flomax and that other popular medicine did nothing for me, except made me feel fuzzy, dizzy and low-energy.  I gave 'em up in January, and feel better for it!  And yet, that's all they offer, pretty much.

As I sadi above, I remain, at 67, resolutely optimistic...

As I said above...  :-)

Hi cartoonman,

Admire your sense of humour. Why is self catheter done? Is that every time you want to pee, you have to slide the catheter in? I'd it the same kind of Foley catheter or different?

Last time, my catheter was replaced caused me enormous pain and bleeding and left me with infection in my testicles for which I was on cipro for 3 weeks. Still it's not 100% gone so urologist gave me 10 days of lanolin that I will start tomorrow. I'm scared using these antibiotics but do i have a choice?

Typo in above: urologist prescribed 10 days of lavoquin....

Hi NK!

I once had a Foley cath.  Which, since you asked, is why I self-cath to this day!  :-)   Yeah, that humor thing.  I put up with the permanent cath for one week, and said, "Enough!"  Was taught to self-cath by The Gentle Serbian Nurse at my uro-doc's office.  Her manner jogged my memory, and I recalled last seeing her during the Spanish Inquisition, and not in a good way...

I pee when I can, often like "normal," but I make sure to cath midday and before bed, thus assuring that my blown-out (over-stretched) bladder doesn't retain too much fluid, I don;t screw up my kidneys, and, at night, so I don't get up until the morning, I'm done sleeping .

Unlike most of my male and female friends, I sleep so well, and call it "The uopside of my unpleasant condition.  Also do it before trans-Atlantic flights, and that also works really well for me...

I use a SpeediCath (Google it; it;s the best I've found, and I use it exclusively), it's different from the Foley, and super easy to use, and not painful!

If you ever heal form that infection, I'd recommend self-cathing if you're in it for the long haul; wearing a cath or cath n bag really sucks; self-cathing much better.

Hi,

The advise is so simple. just quit tamsulosin and start alfuzosin (Xatral XL 10 mg which is also an alpha blocker made in France). You will retrieve your ejaculation back. I am not sure how soon. It depends

You may consult your urologist for the dose

Fouad

Hi John,

Could you give a breif background about the cause of your retention? Is it due to BPH bladder outlet obstructions like a median lobe or other things? Have you had any procedures performed in the past like Turp or PAE and are you on any drugs like Avodart? I just started CIC with your advice and jimjames but my uro keeps wanting to cut me up. My PAE seems to have failed so I am thinking I will follow your example and just do CIC which is easy and safe indefinitely and tell my uro to take a hike. Thanks Neil

Urologists take such a beating on this forum--- and unfortunately for them (and for US!) so many of them richly deserve it!  My December Urolift did not give me a permanent solution either, and while that doc and I sort out options and further choices, I pee when I can and cath twice a day, just to empty the bladder fully with regularity.  Works for me, and not nearly as bad as so many of the stories I've read, from guys who went under the knife...  :-P

 

Hi Neil.

My problem came right out of the blue. I had minor symptoms like slow stream which I never paid much attention to. One day after having a half dozen beers at the tavern I came home and when I felt the urge to go, only an ounce or so came out. And then 5 minutes later I needed to go again. At bedtime I was unable to go at all, not a drop. Of course I just waited; thinking whatever the problem was would soon go away. After an hour or so I was starting to feel in serious pain. I needed to go bad but couldn't. After another half hour of deciding maybe I needed to take the half hour drive to the emergency room, I was hurting. And of course one in the ER there was paperwork, long conversations, and hemming and hawing around. With me feeling ready to explode. Inserting the catheter was extremely painful because the nurse had no idea how to do it. It felt like a gravel impregnated garden hose going in there. There was blood involved.

i was sent home with the foley catheter in and spent 4 days with that. When I visited my own doctor I was put on tamsulosin and told the problem was most likely an enlarged prostate. An appointment was then made with a urologist for a couple weeks later. I had to pee before I was allowed to leave and managed without a problem.

When I got home I started reading on the internet. Everything I could. Somewhere in that reading I found out about self intermittent catherization. I decided that sounded like a good self defense measure, just in case it ever happened again. Lots more reading taught me how to do it, and I found a supplier and ordered 3 speedicaths with a coude tip which were recommended on one of the web sites I read. It was written by another guy who has lived with the same problem for years. I later found that the straight tip work just fine.

When I got the caths I decided to give one a try, just to make sure I could actually do it when and if the time came. I was amazed how it wasn't bad at all. I read more and got more tips on the technique. After a few more tries it became very easy and completely pain and blood free.

I discovered that what triggers my problem is drinking too much liquid at once. Including the time I had to fill up with water for an ultra sound to check for retention. 48 ounces of water and I was plugged up completely. So I failed the test.

At the doctors request I used the catheters to check for urine retention. I'd void normally and then insert a catheter to see how much was left in my bladder. There was none or just a few drops. So that was good.

I did have the ultrasound but wasn't told any results like prostate size or any of that as of yet. The urologist told me I could have the laser surgery if I wanted, or if I was happy with cathing myself from time to time, I didn't have to do anything. So that is my choice. I'm perfectly happy using the catheter when I need to.

I will visit the urologist again in December. But I'm not really having serious problems that I can't fix with a catheter 8 or so times per month. It doesn't sound like the side effects and possible problems I could end up with from surgery are worth it. At least for now. My doctor offered the laser surgery but isn't pushing it at all. He said I could end up with dribbles when I laugh or cough. Other guys on here have reported much more serious problems than that, so I'm not interested in rushing into anything at this time. Of course if things get worse, I might think about it.

I never had any problems in the past so I've had no procedures done. My PSA tests always came back fine and still do although the last one was a little higher than in the past, but not much.

Don't be rushed into something. The docs make their money with the various surgeries so it's difficult to know if you really should have it or if they are just after the money.

How often do you need to cath?

?John

Hi John - thanks for explaining your situation. I try to self-cath before bedtime so I can sleep through the night. I usually take out 300ml after peeing on my own. You helped me a lot with using the Speedicaths by alerting me to waiting at the door of the inner sphincter to open wneh I apply a little pressure-thanks.

Regarding your own situation I find it curious from a BPH point of view. If you cath between AUR episodes and show near-zero residual but then enter AUR if you drink too much or for no reason at all then that does not seem to me to be consisten with BPH. I think you should get further diagnostic tests performed of the bladder especially before undergoing any procedures. Perhaps you have bladder stones that get stuck at the bladder neck once in a while that cause the blockage. That would be a relatively easy to fix.

Or maybe you have a large median lobe that shifts around. Or maybe there is an intermittent  problem with the inner sphincter muscle coordinating with the bladder detrusor muscle to open up. I don't really know but you should get to the bottom of it with your uro because it might be easily fixed and not have anything to do with your prostate.

Just some amateur diagnosing on my part! Thanks again for all your help. Neil

Hi Neil, I have thought about my problem being something other than BPH. It seems that diagnoses was made on no more than an educated guess on the part of a GP doctor who was filling in for my regular doc. I'm hoping the ultrasound showed something to confirm or deny the guess. Just when I had it all figured out that overwhelming my bladder with liquid was the cause, I had a incident in the morning when I had no more to drink than a normal day the day before. So it can happen without the trigger. I plan to talk more with the GP doctor in October and with the urologist in December. Thanks for the tips. I'll jot them down and ask.

At night I seem to be able to empty my bladder completely on a normal day. I don't need to get up until between 6 and 8 the next morning. And at that time it's at about 200 to 250 ML. I can understand your 300 residual would cause you problems over night. I'm glad you've mastered the self cath.

John

Hi John - I was also thinking that acute bouts of prostatitis can cause the prostate to flare up and swell which could cause retention for a while. Have you been checked for that as well? Do you take anti-inflammatories when you get retention to see it helps? If they did help that could be a sign of BPH rather than a physical obstruction. In any event you really need to get to the bottom of it - it may be simple to resolve but you need a specialist who can diagnose it properly. An abdominal u/s and a cystoscopy would help as well as an MRI if possible of the whole region (urethra/prostate/bladder/kidneys). All the best and thanks for the help CIC-ing. What size cath do you use? Neil

I forgot to ask you if you take any drugs that could cause retention - like antihistamines or some of the over-active bladder medications? Neil

Hi Neil,

I use a 12 fr catheter. I've tried 14 and 16 which are both fine but I settled on the 12.

The antihistamine and other drugs question was asked right away and I don't take anything like that.

The guy on the prostate web site I found says he has found certain foods which trigger his attacks. I've been trying to do that but haven't found anything yet other than the high liquid intake. I even thought about the sitting on a hard bar stool but then twice I had the problem when there was no bar stool sitting involved.

John

Hi Neil,

 I had an asthma attack and in emergency room was pumped steroids and given prednisone and antihistamines and what not. I am sure that flared up my prostate ending up blocking urine completely 15 days after.

My family doctor does not think there is a corelation but your question reminded me of my feeling.

 

Hi NK,

That's funny because last summer I also had a bad asthma attack and was rushed to the local hospital. They gave me a strong corticosteroid inhaler mask for 20 minutes and then sent me home with 5 prednisone tablets (50mg each) to take over 5 days. After the second day my BPH completely cleared up to where I could pee like a teenager - it was like a miracle. I stopped the tablets after day 3 and kept the other two. I studied more about BPH after that and realized that even though my prostate was so big, I did not have an obstruction because the steroid cured me for a few days by taking down the inflammation of the prostate. I kept the other 2 tablets and when I went into acute retention I would take half a tablet and it again would eliminate my BPH symptoms for a few days. When the last tablet was used up that was when I thought I better learn to self-cath in case I go into AUR again. I had hoped the PAE would fix  me for good but after 5 weeks there is no change so I may just self cath as needed forever. I would guess the antihistamines messed you up. When I went to the emergency I told them I had BPH so they were careful not to give me them. Good luck with your upcoming procedure. Let us know how it goes. Neil