SPENDING A PENNY

On some occasions a prostate that is only slightly enlarged will be found by your doctor or urologist, but it could also be slightly congested. Although there may be no sign of infection, in this case the bladder might contain a small amount of urine which cannot be drained through urination.

Now the bigger the prostate becomes the harder the muscles of the bladder need to work in order to force the urine through the ever narrowing urethra. In its turn this may not only result in the bladder becoming fatigued, but stop working altogether and cause a build up of urine in the bladder. This can lead to real discomfort.

When the patient experiences a burning feeling whilst urinating this can be a sign of urinary infection, especially if traces of blood can be seen in the urine and it has a bad odour.

The congested fluid can be expelled by the prostate being digitally massaged through the rectum, and this may be suggested by the doctor or urologist because, after this treatment the patient's life usually returns to normal and the feeling of heaviness he has experienced vanishes.

To relieve a congestion of this kind regular prostate massage may be suggested, but sometimes it can be relieved through any kind of regular sexual activity that involves ejaculation.

Incidentally, a man's sexual habits or lack of them, as stated in the previous chapter, can cause prostatitis, the symptoms of which will be given shortly. This is because during sexual arousal, the prostate fluid produced by the man is about four times mor than the normal amount, and this remains in the prostate when it is not released through ejaculation. Consequently the prostate is likely to be come congested if this happens regularly.

Although abstinence may cause a build up of prostatic fluid that may lead to congestion, a way that is almost certain to overwork the prostate and cause other problems is by having too much sex in a short period of time.

Just suppose that your new found girl friend has been just as sex starved as yourself, and within a week of taking her out you have nine or ten ejaculations, in a couple of days. You then discover that when you go to the toilet, which is more frequent than usual, a burning in the penis when urinating. You may have also noticed a slight pain after the last two or three ejaculations. If in addition to these discomforts, you have had pains in the lower part of your back and felt uncomfortable round the pelvic area, you have the symptoms of prostatitis. This by the way can affect men of all ages, and although it can be caused by an infectious agent which urologists know nothing about, it can and often is caused by an excess in sexual activity or none at all.

According to many urologists sexual activity that leads to ejaculation, as already stated, is the best way to empty the prostate of congestion.

In short, both the cause and the solution for prostatitis may be paradoxically, sexual intercourse.

Perhaps one of the most insidious and dangerous problems concerning the prostate, apart from prostatic cancer, is silent prostatism. On some occasions the prostate will enlarge, gradually closing the urethra, without any of the usual symptoms and the patient is either oblivious of anything being wrong, or doesn't realise that he could have a problem. He might even attribute it to simply getting old, when occasionally his plumbing department doesn't function properly.

If this condition escalates unchecked more and more urine, which cannot be expelled through urination, will be left in the bladder.

It should be noted at this stage that this condition is not quite the same as a congested prostate which was described earlier, nor can the excess of fluid be expelled by the same treatment. (A digital massage of the prostate through the rectum.) This condition is much more serious and the patient will not only feel irritable, weak and excessively tired, but may suddenly collapse and go into a coma.

When this happens the patient should be rushed to hospital as fast as possible so that the bladder can be drained.

This is done by means of a tube designed to drain fluids, especially urine, from the body and is called a catheter.

The reason for this is because when large amounts of urine, which cannot be expelled through urination are left in the bladder, it can result in a serious backflow pressure of urine on the kidneys. At the worst, a problem such as this can result in a quick death through kidney failure.

Once the bladder has been drained the patient will feel much better almost immediately. However, a thorough check for any permanent damage on the kidneys will then be made to establish if any further treatment may be necessary.

It ought to be mentioned at this stage that if you are not used to alcohol or being exposed to cold weather for long periods, there conditions can be responsible for a sudden attack of what is known as acute urine retention, which can happen to almost any man who already has some obstruction in his urethra. The sudden use of certain medicines for allergies such as hay fever or asthma and so on (these are known as antihistamines) can also be responsible for such an attack.

What happens in this case is similar to what has already been described. Let us suppose you are in your late forties or early fifties and lead a very busy life as an executive or special consultant. It is well worth remembering that B.P.H. symptoms are more likely to sneak up unnoticed on a man who is busy.

Because your job entails a great deal of driving you don't normally drink except perhaps the occasional half pint of beer or lager. One night, after spending an evening at a pub or party, and having consumed several brandies instead or your usual glass of beer, then having walked or staggered home in a sub zero temperature, you try to urinate but suddenly discover that you cannot. The pain becomes so excruciating that you wife calls an ambulance and you are whisked of to hospital to find out what is wrong. A catheter drains the urine from your bladder (this is known to have been as much as two pints with some patients with acute urine retention) and about an hour later you feel fine.

Quite a number of men who say that they would rather die than give up drinking when told they have B.H.P., usually change their minds after experiencing such an attack as the one just described.

In view of the aforementioned it should now go without saying that you pay a little more attention to your waterworks, and any change or intensification or B.P.H. symptoms should be reported to your doctor without delay.