BPH

[oletrble]

Looking for some helpful tips on self cathader. To scared for surgery, some mornings just cant piss. 48yrs old. Anybody out there useing there own cathader?

[mrcoyote]

Yes, many people use a catheter to prevent the inability to urinate. But the big question here is, have you been to your urologist and what did he recommend for you? If you have BPH to the degree that some mornings you cannot urinate at all, then your doctor needs to know that and could perhaps prescribe some medicine that would help you with that. You're still young at 48. There may be no need for surgery or catheters at this point unless your doc told you that was the next step. Right? Remember, what you don't want to do is allow your urine to back up in your bladder for too long. This begins a process that can result in a nasty bladder infection and if not attended to right away, can lead to a kidney infection which you don't want at all. So, tell me what your urologist said. You DO have a urologist, don't you?

[oletrble]

Yes, my uroligist suggested this and gave me the cathaders along with some gel that numbs. Sometimes I do not use the cathader for a few weeks, then somtimes a few days in a row. Almost always in the morning.I have had a microwave surgery (did not work) my prostate is too large, I was told this before however i did not want to try the more invasive surgeries. I do take flomax, sometimes it helps, sometimes not. I tried avodart 1 month, could not handle side effects, and the fact the most i could hope for was up to a 30% reduction after 6 months or so.I have not seen any post on peole using there own cathaders, I was starting to wonder how long I could keep this up?

[mrcoyote]

OK. Got it. You are right. Some of these drugs for BPH have side effects, which some people can tolerate and get used to, and some cannot deal with them. I had some with the years of Flomax I took, but the doctor did not want to do the surgery to open up the path through the prostate (TURP) because he thought I should go with the medications as long as I could and delay the surgery until it was absolutely necessary. I can now see why he thought that. There are side effects to the TURP, and one should not be afraid of it, but rather realize that it works, but it comes with a price. I had great luck with Flomax for over ten years. But then, one day, it was over. Just like that. I got a NASTY bladder infection and spent the night curled up on the floor until I called 911 the pain was so intense. After meeting with my doc, he said it was time to do the TURP and I really had no other options medically. It takes Avodart up to 6 months of constant use to work, as he told me. But I was way beyond that then. They gave me a few of the catheters to take home and some of the "gel". I never used them before my surgery, but the nurses at the office who showed me how to do it if I needed to, told me that some guys use them for life. So, don't worry about that. It's more important to keep your bladder empty if you can and flushed out with lots of liquids. I know the temptation NOT to drink, but don't fall into that trap. Don't invite an infection and don't be afraid to drink water, liquids, cranberry juice (changes the Ph) or whatever. You don't want to go through a kidney infection EVER.

One other thing. I was afraid of the surgery too, at first. But then I realized that I couldn't go on living like that, looking for a bathroom everywhere I went and the urgency was bad. It was ruining my life.
You may want to consider a laser turp as I had. It's not bad and yes, there's a little bleeding for a few days, but after a week, the catheter comes out and wow....you wouldn't believe the feeling. Like a kid again. So, if the time comes, talk to your doctor about it. But, you must be SURE that he is Board Certified and has done a million of these laser TURPs. Not just the conventional ones known as "Roto-Rooter", but the same operation using a laser. A bit less bleeding and quicker recovery time. It's an
outpatient surgery...put you to sleep and wake you up and you get dressed and go home to rest. That's it. You have a catheter for about a week to let it heal. So, that's something to put in the back of your mind. The technology is there. I wish you good luck and hope something I said makes you feel like there is hope, because there certainly is.

[oletrble]

Yhank you for the hope. It is affecting my quality of life now, my thought are still to hold out as long as possible. So far everything they have done has taken longer to heal on me than they useally say. I like the part about BOARD CERTIFIED,as i live in a small town maybe i should start looking for trhe bigger city doctor. Thank you.