Prostate Health

[astrochex]

I did not want to start a new topic about prostates, but the others were focused on cancer which is not my situation. I will turn 59 in 11 days. I’ve been in good health all my life. I’m not sedentary, don’t smoke, and don’t drink much. I have never checked into a hospital.

For about the past year, I experienced increased urgency and frequency in urination with not a lot of output with a lot of effort. It was an inconvenience at work and at home it prevented good sleep. I finally saw a urologist a couple months ago. Painful testing there (catheters and scopes) yielded a large prostate diagnosis. Larger than large I figured since the weight was off the scale of the fun little prostate models at the urologists office. A plan was made for a procedure to reduce prostate size with another urologist. This would not happen till at least December.

Monday this past week, things got much worse. I had to go every 10-15 min. It was ridiculous especially combined with the usual strain. I put up with this until the next day when I had additional abdominal pain. Thanks to my wife being home, she kicked my butt to go to an urgent care center. The doc there did not have access to scanning equipment so she recommended going to ER.

Thankfully, there was a close one and it did not take long to be seen. There, I was introduced to the joy of morphine and the anxiety of a full catheter. The technician was a magician as the catheter insertion was less painful than a blood test needle insertion. A catscan revealed that I had a kidney blockage, diagnosed as acute renal failure. My prostate was preventing the bladder from fully evacuating. I was checked in, with catheter and bag in tow.

I was put on an IV and attended to with blood draws and the usual vital checks. A doc provided updates on my condition. Having the blockage removed was bringing my kidney function to normal. A urologist came by to discuss treatment. He put me on uroflow and another med to help shrink the prostate. I checked out yesterday (two night stay) with full catheter and a small bag. I have a urologist appt next wednesday when he will remove the catheter and noninvasively measure prostate size. We will also plan future options like keeping on meds, TURP, blue laser.

I am extremely thankful to feel somewhat normal again. It is life changing for me to have not have my prior symptoms. I guess this can be considered a cautionary tale for anyone having difficulty urinating. Get it checked ASAP. My stubbornness almost created an irreversible problem.

[recycled sixtie]

I am happy that you are getting medical attention. I had a turp operation about six years ago to reduce the prostate size. I have not had any issues since although I tend to want to urinate about every hour during the day and about three times a night. I imagine you have had a biopsy of the prostate to check for cancer. Glad you caught the blockage early.

[masraum]

Wow! Glad that the end result was good rather than bad. Certainly something to remember as we age.

[hcoles]

I had similar issues for a long time. Finally I went to the urologist and he put me on two drugs. This was a huge relief and my life was good. A side effect was low blood pressure. I fainted one time and often felt light headed. The blood pressure issue was slowly getting worse. The doc recommended surgery. I assumed it would be TURP but found out they were going to use a new technology called Aquablation. It is new and I don't know what the success rate is, there are a number of purported advantages. There are a number of solutions out there that will allow you to get off the drugs. The full recovery for me was about 4 months (just now ending) but at this point all seems good. Best of luck.

[astrochex]

My psa levels are good so they don’t see cancer as an issue.

Whats a little frustrating for me is having little understanding of what caused this. Age is most commonly cited and maybe testosterone production, but surely there has to be more. If I was doing things that contributed to bph, I certainly do not want to continue those behaviors. I will definitely ask my urologist about that.

[hcoles]

Originally Posted by astrochex

My psa levels are good so they don’t see cancer as an issue.

Whats a little frustrating for me is having little understanding of what caused this. Age is most commonly cited and maybe testosterone production, but surely there has to be more. If I was doing things that contributed to bph, I certainly do not want to continue those behaviors. I will definitely ask my urologist about that.

There are probably a number of factors causing BPH. However, it is very common. This is the first item after googling.

BPH is a common problem that affects the quality of life in approximately one third of men older than 50 years. BPH is histologically evident in up to 90% of men by age 85 years.

[MikeSid]

Originally Posted by astrochex

...
Thanks to my wife being home, she kicked my butt to go to an urgent care center.
....

This is the take-away for me. One of my wife's primary roles is to keep me from being stupid. It's a full time job.

Sounds like yours knows you well and cares for you greatly. Consider yourself lucky on multiple counts today. Glad things worked out well for you.

[astrochex]

Originally Posted by MikeSid

This is the take-away for me. One of my wife's primary roles is to keep me from being stupid. It's a full time job.

Sounds like yours knows you well and cares for you greatly. Consider yourself lucky on multiple counts today. Glad things worked out well for you.

Thanks, Mike. She is definitely a keeper.

[astrochex]

My birthday present to myself turned out to be a turp procedure. Outpatient only, no overnight stay.

Hoping for a normal life after recovery.

[billybek]

Was it done or waiting on it?
Kind of a ticking time bomb inside every male.
I have to remember Mike's line for a wife's primary responsibility in a marriage! Made me lol.