Urinary Retention

[Koolau]

Thank you all for your candidness. Within the last year or so, I no longer can -feel- when my bladder is full, empty or otherwise. Went to urologist, who checked emptying by ultrasound-which was fine. PSA was fine. Prostae exam...memory is fuzzy but was fine perhaps 1 of 3 segments slightly enlarged. Definitely experiencing lower pressure streams and some difficulty getting going.

Told to come back in a year. I have had sciatica from time to time. just don't know what i should be considering as next step besides "wait a year". Its kind of annoying to have to make mental notes to go off and check during workday.

pwf

Honestly, I'd be looking for another doctor. Check around and see if anyone specializes in your issue. The sciatica suggests (to me) that there is nerve involvement. Surprised the urologist didn't pick up on that or explore further.

 

[Time2]

Just to answer number 1. I have BPH with a prostate of 60cc. No retention issues. Using Finasteride

I have been on Finasteride and Tamulosin for at least 4 years, after one year ( maybe a little more) the doc suggested I could stop the Tamulosin and only use when needed. Well it is needed everyday. If I don't take it, I'm up more than once and it is more difficult to urinate.
I'm not sure if the Finasteride is really shrinking my prostate, but my hairline probably is better for it!
I'm not happy about retrograde ejaculation, but it is what it is.

 

[Trooper]

As an update I saw my spine doctor on March 3rd and asked him whether my urinary retention could have been caused by the disk herniation. He looked at my MRI again and said that typically bladder nerve issues result from nerves in the center of the spinal column, and my herniation wasn’t near there. His opinion was that the two were unrelated. He also said that typically spinal nerve damage would result in incontinence, not retention

Saw my urologist the following week and the ultrasound revealed 400 cc of urine. Got trained for self-catheterization and started self-catheterization on March 14, twice per day. Initially I was terrified but have gotten somewhat used to it since. I do it before I go to bed and again mid-morning. Only twice have I gotten up to pee in the middle of the night, and only once per occasion - so I'm sleeping a lot better .

Today I met with a surgeon at Mayo to discuss surgical options. He said that although he wasn't 100% sure that the prostate size was causing my retention, the results from the urodynamics test indicated that my bladder still had strong enough contractions to suggest that prostate reduction surgery would be beneficial, and recommended that HoLEP would be best indicated for me. He recommended HoLEP based on prostate size, location, recovery time, and has done approximate 1,500 surgeries.

So, because I have read good things about HoLEP and felt good with the surgeon, I scheduled the surgery for May 1st. In the meantime I will continue to self-catheterize.

 

[Koolau]

^^^^^^

Thanks for the update. So glad you have gotten more feedback and feel good about making a decision. Best luck going forward.

 

[bmcgonig]

As an update I saw my spine doctor on March 3rd and asked him whether my urinary retention could have been caused by the disk herniation. He looked at my MRI again and said that typically bladder nerve issues result from nerves in the center of the spinal column, and my herniation wasn’t near there. His opinion was that the two were unrelated. He also said that typically spinal nerve damage would result in incontinence, not retention

Saw my urologist the following week and the ultrasound revealed 400 cc of urine. Got trained for self-catheterization and started self-catheterization on March 14, twice per day. Initially I was terrified but have gotten somewhat used to it since. I do it before I go to bed and again mid-morning. Only twice have I gotten up to pee in the middle of the night, and only once per occasion - so I'm sleeping a lot better .

Today I met with a surgeon at Mayo to discuss surgical options. He said that although he wasn't 100% sure that the prostate size was causing my retention, the results from the urodynamics test indicated that my bladder still had strong enough contractions to suggest that prostate reduction surgery would be beneficial, and recommended that HoLEP would be best indicated for me. He recommended HoLEP based on prostate size, location, recovery time, and has done approximate 1,500 surgeries.

So, because I have read good things about HoLEP and felt good with the surgeon, I scheduled the surgery for May 1st. In the meantime I will continue to self-catheterize.

Somehow, I thought that using a catheter like this would be very painful. What am I missing?

 

[Trooper]

Actually self-catherizing is much less traumatic than having someone else (say a nurse) insert it for you. This is mainly because, IMO, you're in full control of the speed and can stop and start whenever you want. Having only been doing this for less than 2 weeks I'm certainly no expert, but I'm more comfortable with it than I thought I would be. Still gald I only need to cath 2x/day - there are plenty of men who cath 6 or more times a day.

 

[frayne]

Trooper, thanks for the update. I'll be very interested to hear how the HOLEP procedure works out. For anyone who dreads the thought of self-cathing, it's no big deal, it's not painful and really not much of an inconvenience. The trick is to find the right catheter and develop your technique.

 

[nwsteve]

Actually self-catherizing is much less traumatic than having someone else (say a nurse) insert it for you. This is mainly because, IMO, you're in full control of the speed and can stop and start whenever you want. Having only been doing this for less than 2 weeks I'm certainly no expert, but I'm more comfortable with it than I thought I would be. Still gald I only need to cath 2x/day - there are plenty of men who cath 6 or more times a day.

Ditto--as horrific as the thought may be, way better than being stuck with a Foley bag. Amazed you only need 2/day--closer to 4 here. Urologist wants me to stay below 500ml but no big deal if it pops higher now & then

 

[Trooper]

The trick is to find the right catheter and develop your technique.

I only have experience with the supply of catheters I was given by my provider; however I would like to try the hydrophilic type. These do not require the extra step of lubrication and purportedly glide in easier, even without lubricant.

 

[frayne]

Trooper you can google catheter suppliers and check out different styles and most will send you free samples. Just sent you a PM.

 

[nwsteve]

I only have experience with the supply of catheters I was given by my provider; however I would like to try the hydrophilic type. These do not require the extra step of lubrication and purportedly glide in easier, even without lubricant.

Using Luja Coude from Coloplast. Was given a bag of samples by urologist when had start self-cathing. Ljua is fully hydrophilic and has the advantage of multiple openings in the tip helping insure complete voiding.

Male Catheters - Free Samples of Intermittent Catheters | Coloplast

Coloplast has a range of intermittent male catheters that are designed to be compact and discreet. The right catheter for you will depend on your needs and your lifestyle. Request free samples.

www.coloplast.us

For me the best of the six I tried.