Trips to the bathroom

[Oct18]

For about a year my only symptom of apc has been many trips to the bathroom, hourly during the day and a few times at night. Lately it’s becoming more often. (Urinating) I’m on zytiga prednisone and lupron. Any advice on this, or is this the norm dealing with apc?

[Tall_Allen]

Have you tried meds like alpha-blockers (e.g., Flomax) and bladder anti-spasmotics (e.g., Vesicare)? If so, you may want to discuss a TURP with your urologist. They can ream out your urethra with a scalpel, or they can use a laser (HoLep).

[Oct18 in reply to Tall_Allen]

I am pretty sure I was on Flomax when my GP thought I only had prostatitis. It’s worth trying again I cannot remember if it helped much. Thank you for the info I will ask my urologist about the TURP. I have never heard of it.

[Hidden in reply to Oct18]

I had TURP surgery many years prior to prostate cancer diagnosis. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. In talking about laser option vs conventional surgery it became apparent that my surgeon was more comfortable with and more experienced with just plain TURP, so that's what I opted for. Laser surgery, I am told, is often used for patients who have to be on blood thinners. TURP is otherwise known as roto-rooter surgery. Recovery is easy and near painless. Trans urethral resection of the prostate, TURP.

[Oct18 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much. I’ll ask my urologist about TURP option for me.

[Mkeman in reply to Tall_Allen]

Before you ask for a TURP look into the HOLEP procedure (Holium Laser Enucliation of the Prostate ). It is the preferred method at Mayo and other clinics. You can Google the procedure to find all you need to know. I cancelled a TURP after I learned about it. One night in the hospital and had the catheter removed in the morning. After emptying bladder twice I went home. No pain whatsoever and minor bleeding for about two weeks. Frequency and flow back to near normal in a few months. My urologist didn’t tell me about it because he didn’t do it. Learning curve is several months and practicing urologists won’t take off the time to learn it. New urology graduates are doing it.

[Mkeman in reply to Mkeman]

I should add that the HOLEP procedure preserves the tissue removed by the laser for

Lab testing. That was how I found out I had PC....Gleason 9 ...Advanced.

[Oct18 in reply to Mkeman]

Will do, thank you!

[j-o-h-n in reply to Tall_Allen]

scalpel? Rather get poked in the eye with a stick....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Saturday 04/13/2019 12:58 PM EDT

[Magnus1964]

Have you had radiation to the prostate? Talk to your Uro, you may need a transurethral resection.

[Oct18 in reply to Magnus1964]

I’m starting radiation to my prostate in about 6 weeks. Thank you for the info.

[Hidden in reply to Oct18]

Good luck on RT . I had 8 weeks and it with doubles adt knocked pc undetectable . Hope the same for you .. good luck

[Oct18 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, me too!

[AlanMeyer]

There are a number of possible causes for your symptom, some of which are cancer or cancer treatment related and some of which aren't. Here are some that I know about from my experience:

Inflammation in the prostate: This could be an effect of radiation treatment or of prostatitis - both of which assume you still have a prostate. If there is inflammation the prostate can swell, clamping the urethra closed and causing a backup of urine in the bladder. When the bladder gets full the pressure to urinate becomes strong but you only get out a little urine and a little relief before the reduction in pressure is enough to allow the urethra to clamp up again. Flomax (or the generic tamulosin) helped me quite a bit with this problem. A urologist or his nurse can perform a simple, non-invasive ultrasound test that may reveal a partially full bladder after urinating.

Urinary tract infection: This can irritate the urinary tract and cause it to act up. This can generally be detected by a urine test. If there is an infection, and especially if the urinalysis produces information about the cause, antibiotics might fix the problem.

"Overactive bladder": I don't know what causes this but some people have it as they get older. There are over the counter supplements that are said to be helpful. Search google for "overactive bladder" to find some of them. Some prescription drugs might work better but I always like to try non-prescription stuff first before asking for a prescription.

There can be other causes too I think, and drinking less can actually make some of them more problematic because the urine isn't carrying away waste products as efficiently as we want it to. That can cause crystals to form that can lead to kidney stones or to more prostatitis.

A good urologist might be very helpful in fixing this problem. A bad urologist might just say, "Ho hum, you've got cancer, there's nothing more to be done for you."

Best of luck.

Alan

[Oct18 in reply to AlanMeyer]

Thank you for all the good information. I still have my prostate. The explanation I got from my urologist locally before I started going to Duke was that my prostate was so inflamed from the cancer that it caused the frequent uruination. I go plenty when I do go to the bathroom and ultra sound shows empty bladder after I go. But after about an hour I go again. Just an inconvenience but would be nice if it got better.

[Hidden in reply to AlanMeyer]

Sage

[Rogersw]

TURPs operation was a game changer for me. Bit of discomfort for a couple of weeks but now I can douse a bonfire and sleep all night

[Oct18 in reply to Rogersw]

Good to know, sleeping through the night would be great!

[j-o-h-n in reply to Rogersw]

Now heaven tell me.... why would you ever want to douse a bonfire? A barn fire maybe but not a bonfire.

youtube.com/watch?v=e-IWRmp...(Not working as expected?)

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Wednesday 02/20/2019 10:53 AM EST

[Hidden in reply to j-o-h-n]

C r a z y !

[michael00]

I had laser surgery. Best thing for me. Got rid of tube and bag and i usually only gey up once at night. Also returned to good flow.

[Hidden in reply to michael00]

Lucky man .. good for you sir..

[Hidden]

My life is one big run to pee..Beats not peeing , been there done that . I’m on a 24 dash to pee.. to pee is better than not to pee. Do not limit drinking water thinking it will help . Dehydration is a killer , in my opinion.

[j-o-h-n]

So Mrs. Kaplan runs up to the hotel's concierge and exclaims,

"Come Quick! Mr. Levine is peeing in the pool".

The Concierge replies "Calm down Madam, lots of people pee in the pool".

Mrs. Kaplan says "I know, but not from the diving board".

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Wednesday 02/20/2019 12:52 PM EST

[monte1111]

Too pee or not to pee. Great one. A great many poets on this site. Too tell you the truth, the talk of reaming out your urethra with a scalpel, roto-rooter surgery and trans urethral resection have left me a little woozy. I certainly vote for trying a drug solution first. Or just quit drinking 18 beers a day. Enjoy.

[Oct18]

Though I don't drink, that's the analogy I gave the Dr. My symptoms remind me of my college days after several beers.

[RonnyBaby]

I see that many have stated their piece.

Sounds to me like you have an enlarged prostate - inflammation .....

I had a TURP after it became necessary when I couldn't pee anymore (total blockage).

I also had radiation. Some treatments (like ADT) are supposed to (given enough time)

SHRINK the prostate.

I think further investigation is in order.

Too many trips to the bathroom is NOT normal.

Do yourself a favor and speak OUT !

[Oct18 in reply to RonnyBaby]

TURP seems to be the most suggested. Thank you for the feedback.

[Pizzle123]

Hi there's something you can try. see my post to whatsinaname today. Cheers Glenn

[Pizzle123]

Hi again not sure if I posted correctly to whatsinaname. So heres the lowdown on what I use to combat frequent unination and uretha discomfort. ProstaLobium 1000. It's made here in Australia by a company called Herbal Supplies, web address is herbalsupplies.com.au I have advised the company that they may get enquires from overseas and they are happy to help us out. I had trouble joining their group due to the search engine I use so I just rang them. contact numbers are Ph 0882642453 Fax[phone]. Cost here in oz is about $42.00 for 60 tablets.

Cheers Glenn aka Pizzle123

[Oct18 in reply to Pizzle123]

Sounds like it’s worth checking out. Thank you!

[JimVanHorn]

I use a drug called Myrbetriq to help control urination. I have kidney disease so I use a low dose (25 mg) but does help me get to the bathroom and sleep better at night.

[Oct18]

Thank you. I’ll ask my Dr about that.

[Oct18]

Thanks to everyone for replying. I’m going to the urologist to get checked out. To those so knowledgeable on here, could it be a symptom of the cancer progressing? Last PSA check 2 months ago was .19