Problems having a pee

[loppylugs1]

Have enlarged prostate, had it checked out and no cancer,but the flow is now getting obstructed. Am going over to India to have surgery primarily as excellent reports from there and cost too , have to wait until October when visa on arrival starts

There is medicine I can take to overcome the problem in short term,but does anybody know the name of the drug?

Thanks

[otherstuff1957]

Saw Palmetto.

[715]

Flomax, perhaps?.. There might and probably is a Thai equivalent.

India? Surgery? Have you ever been there? I had the opportunity to work there for four years and nothing I saw instilled any measure of confidence in hygiene, which would be high on my list of requirements for people that would have there fingers on my insides.. Will listen to arguments of the contrary.

Edited May 27, 2014 by 715

[loppylugs1]

Flomax, perhaps?.. There might and probably is a Thai equivalent.

India? Surgery? Have you ever been there? I had the opportunity to work there for four years and nothing I saw instilled any measure of confidence in hygiene, which would be high on my list of requirements for people that would have there fingers on my insides.. Will listen to arguments of the contrary.

Thanks for advice,I will try the Palmetto first.

India? what to say,yep been there many times for knee ops,investigations etc,everything from hearing aids,laser eye surgery so so good,not that Im into the last two yet,but comparing prices here and there I will be off there if and when.

India can be and is a dump,but hospital/medical care is second to none

[Sheryl]

There are several different types of medication which can be used for this, should have the advice of an experienced urologist.

Surgery for benign enlargement of prostate should not be considered unless management with medication alone failed.

I would urge you to see a urologist and try medical management first before going to India for surgery. Dr. Viroj at Bumrungrad and Dr. Thanoo at Samitivej are both recommended.

[loppylugs1]

There are several different types of medication which can be used for this, should have the advice of an experienced urologist.

Surgery for benign enlargement of prostate should not be considered unless management with medication alone failed.

I would urge you to see a urologist and try medical management first before going to India for surgery. Dr. Viroj at Bumrungrad and Dr. Thanoo at Samitivej are both recommended.

Thanks Sheryl,

My prostate is not big it is huge,had it "weighed " by ultrasound,felt by a finger up the ass,and a camera shoved up too (that hurt),in India,not much cost either

There is a new procedure I looked at a few weeks ago being introduced,something about a "lift" was going to see if that is a procedure that they have perfected there .

Thanks for advice Sheryl ,getting old is a swine,the body likened to a machine ,things going wrong. I will try drugs first,but will be going to India if surgery required

[otherstuff1957]

I started taking a moderate dose of Saw Palmetto daily about two years ago. It works like a charm! I only have to get up to pee in the middle of the night when I have been up late drinking beer.

[kvic]

As Sheryl has said there are several medications available which I unfortunately know from experience. Saw palmetto is natural and has been claimed to keep the prostate from growing, but don't know if it will help with the pee problem if you already have it. Have been taking it myself as a supplement, but also taking medicine for bph that relaxes the muscles around the bladder neck. Was told by the Dr. that there is also medicine that can reduce the size of the prostate over time if the other doesn't work.

Don't post much, but maybe my experience can offer some beneficial info. I was originally diagnosed with bph while back in the states for a few months last year. Was also having trouble going to the bathroom, and went to see the Dr. Diagnosed with prostate infection, and put on 9 weeks of antibiotics. That really sucked, and after the 9 weeks was still having issues. Family Dr. didn't notice much enlargement, so put me on 3 more weeks antibiotics, and prescribed Flomax (tamsulosin) which worked at first, but after a couple of weeks didn't seem to be as effective, and it made me feel horrible. Waited a couple of weeks after the antibiotics were finished just to see if that made a difference, but still no improvement. Was sent to a urologist who did a thorough investigation including a scope, and he concluded also enlarged prostate, and prescribed Rapaflo (silodosin) which was just before coming back to Thailand. Did not feel bad at all while taking silodosin, but did have retrograde ejaculation. Once back, realized silodosin is not available here, but tamsulosin and alfuzosin are. Didn't want to go back on tamsulosin, so checked with the Dr. back in the states if alfuzosin would be ok, and he said it would be similar and ok to change. Doesn't make me feel like the tamsulosin did, and no retrograde, but at times can feel fatigued while trying to exercise. Also should add that for me, none of the medicines resulted in what I would consider normal flow, and with alfuzosin some days are better than others, but overall definitely an improvement.

So whatever you are prescribed, know that there are alternatives if the first doesn't work, or the side effects are harsh.

[AyG]

Thanks for advice,I will try the Palmetto first.

You'll be wasting your time. Saw Palmetto has been shown in clinical trials to be no more effective than a placebo. It'll do absolutely nothing for you.

From The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA):

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1104439

And for a layman's version of the same study:

http://www.webmd.com/men/prostate-enlargement-bph/news/20110927/does-saw-palmetto-treat-enlarged_prostate

[giddyup]

The urologist at Bangkok/Pattaya has put me on Harnal 0.4mg (tamsulosin) for my enlarged prostate and difficulty with flow and frequency of urination, especially at night. I have taken it for 10 days so far and have not noticed any improvement yet. The retrograde ejaculation occurred pretty quickly though, within a few days.

[umbanda]

Surgery??? Only if is ABSOLUTELY necessary. Look for CAZOSIN in any pharmacy, similar to FLOMAX..and buy KWAO KRUA (Buterba Superba or Red Pueraria Mirifica capsules in an herbal store. In BK and Chiang Mai look for the Asoke store...or buy online with a local Thai distributor...or send me a message for info. Take care.

[giddyup]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Surgery??? Only if is ABSOLUTELY necessary. Look for CAZOSIN in any pharmacy, similar to FLOMAX..and buy KWAO KRUA (Buterba Superba or Red Pueraria Mirifica capsules in an herbal store. In BK and Chiang Mai look for the Asoke store...or buy online with a local Thai distributor...or send me a message for info. Take care.

Is Cazosin any cheaper than Harnal 0.4mg? I paid 1500 baht for 30 tablets of Harnal. I can't find any medical evidence that supports Kwao Krua in reducing or relaxing prostate.

Edited May 27, 2014 by giddyup

[loppylugs1]

I know the UKs Daily Mail is banned at the moment in Thailand,but I have it on Kindle.

Opened the paper today and there it was "UROLIFT" new surgical procedure,seems a good alternative to past surgical procedures,just

learn a bit more about it before commiting.

[tkramer]

Hygine in India is purely coincidental...and yes I have lived there.

[giddyup]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I know the UKs Daily Mail is banned at the moment in Thailand,but I have it on Kindle.

Opened the paper today and there it was "UROLIFT" new surgical procedure,seems a good alternative to past surgical procedures,just

learn a bit more about it before commiting.

You might want to have a look at "prostatic artery embolization" as a new treatment.

[jellydog]

Saw Palmetto.

Any reputable urologist will tell you this is rubbish.

[femi fan]

Thanks for advice,I will try the Palmetto first.

You'll be wasting your time. Saw Palmetto has been shown in clinical trials to be no more effective than a placebo. It'll do absolutely nothing for you.

From The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA):

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1104439

And for a layman's version of the same study:

http://www.webmd.com/men/prostate-enlargement-bph/news/20110927/does-saw-palmetto-treat-enlarged_prostate

Don't listen to such certainty. It's impossible to be correct like that.

Everyone is different, drugs have side effects for some, not for others. Herbs work for some, not for others. But herbs very rarely have side effects like pharmaceutical drugs do.

If you've been to india, and may well go to india, have you not come across ayurveda? I feel certain if you see a good ayurvedic doctor over there he will fix you up without drugs and without side effects.

My personal understanding is that you can fix prostate problems through a nutritional and/or herb approach.

The AMA have some serious black marks against their name when one starts investigating their practices.

[femi fan]

From my main ayurveda book:

"The best general Ayurvedic herb for prostate enlargement is gokshura, particularly when combined with ashwaganda. Shilajit is useful. The western herb saw palmetto is effecive, particularly for Vata types."

Vata is one of the three main constitution types in people.

The book goes on to say that treatment includes a standard anti-Vata diet with 'more oily and nutritive foods'. It says other good herbs are bala, kapicacchu, guggul, and marshmallow.

Aside from Ayurveda, one of my american books has quite a few suggestions for diet which i can type out if you want. My experience tells me however that people want pills and surgery, not herbal and nutritional help! It does say eat an ounce of pumpkin seeds daily to help all prostate problems, due to the high levels of zine in these seeds. I should add from my own understanding that these seeds should be roasted.

[femi fan]

I started taking a moderate dose of Saw Palmetto daily about two years ago. It works like a charm! I only have to get up to pee in the middle of the night when I have been up late drinking beer.

So, here we have a person who has gained a lot from taking saw palmetto, and yet AyG says you'll be wasting your time because that's what the AMA say!! Perhaps otherstuff was dreaming?!

AMA have a lot to protect when it comes to choosing drug means for 'fixing' health problems. They consistently deny the anecdotal evidence of so many people who choose to go drug-free in curing their health disorders.

I think, Op, since you know india, i'm sure you could get some herbs sent over to you to take while biding your time before going over there to get this surgery done. Plenty of time to see if they work for you. Saw palmetto i guess you'd have to get sent over from europe or US.

Here in chiang mai we can buy many indian herbs, including ashwaganda, and i think guggul too.

Another option would be to go to chinatown in bangkok, assuming you live there, and see what they've got by way of herbs.

[femi fan]

Saw Palmetto.

Any reputable urologist will tell you this is rubbish.

Of course they would. Herbs would put them out of their jobs.

[AyG]

AMA have a lot to protect when it comes to choosing drug means for 'fixing' health problems. They consistently deny the anecdotal evidence of so many people who choose to go drug-free in curing their health disorders.

Anecdotal evidence is just that: anecdotal - and worthless.

In this case scientists have tried to prove whether or not Saw Palmetto works and they concluded that it doesn't. No better than a sugar pill. (See previous links.)

It's nothing to do with having "a lot to protect". It's to do with providing sick people with the best possible, proven treatment - not some quack remedy that some random person on the Internet thinks helped them some time in the past.

[Sheryl]

Don't listen to such certainty. It's impossible to be correct like that.

Everyone is different, drugs have side effects for some, not for others. Herbs work for some, not for others. But herbs very rarely have side effects like pharmaceutical drugs do.

If you've been to india, and may well go to india, have you not come across ayurveda? I feel certain if you see a good ayurvedic doctor over there he will fix you up without drugs and without side effects.

My personal understanding is that you can fix prostate problems through a nutritional and/or herb approach.

The AMA have some serious black marks against their name when one starts investigating their practices.

Actually, through scientific research it is quite possible to be certain of the efficacy of drugs as long as they have been subject to rigorous trials.

Herbs most definitely can and do have side effects just like anything else. Indeed, many are poisonous. Others are used in modern, mainstream medicine, though not in raw plant form because it is impossible to standardize dosages with that. The digitalis family drugs, for example -- highly potent and very dangerous if used incorrectly, but very helpful for certain heart conditions.

An herb is simply a plant that dies completely at the end of the growing cycle with nothing left behind.

It is a great mistake to assume that "herbal" means "harmless". it does not. Taken internally they are drugs like any other. And they can also have significant and potentially dangerous interactions with other drugs.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

You do understand that prostate surgery will most likely leave you impotent.

[femi fan]

AMA have a lot to protect when it comes to choosing drug means for 'fixing' health problems. They consistently deny the anecdotal evidence of so many people who choose to go drug-free in curing their health disorders.

Anecdotal evidence is just that: anecdotal - and worthless.

In this case scientists have tried to prove whether or not Saw Palmetto works and they concluded that it doesn't. No better than a sugar pill. (See previous links.)

It's nothing to do with having "a lot to protect". It's to do with providing sick people with the best possible, proven treatment - not some quack remedy that some random person on the Internet thinks helped them some time in the past.

How can the experiences of a person be so easily thrown into the bin?? Why do you deny what people experience? This is supreme arrogance that you know better than they do, even though they actually experienced it. You are trashing them. Anecdotal evidence is the preserve of ordinary human beings, and is our means of informing ourselves as an alternative voice to scientists who can only operate within fixed rules of engagement. And funding.

This is relevant to this thread too. You can't have people coming along and saying things like this without challenging them.

As if science were fixed and never subject to change through the ages. Unreal! And you're calling herbs 'quack' remedies? Shame on you.

[femi fan]

Don't listen to such certainty. It's impossible to be correct like that.

Everyone is different, drugs have side effects for some, not for others. Herbs work for some, not for others. But herbs very rarely have side effects like pharmaceutical drugs do.

If you've been to india, and may well go to india, have you not come across ayurveda? I feel certain if you see a good ayurvedic doctor over there he will fix you up without drugs and without side effects.

My personal understanding is that you can fix prostate problems through a nutritional and/or herb approach.

The AMA have some serious black marks against their name when one starts investigating their practices.

Actually, through scientific research it is quite possible to be certain of the efficacy of drugs as long as they have been subject to rigorous trials.

Herbs most definitely can and do have side effects just like anything else. Indeed, many are poisonous. Others are used in modern, mainstream medicine, though not in raw plant form because it is impossible to standardize dosages with that. The digitalis family drugs, for example -- highly potent and very dangerous if used incorrectly, but very helpful for certain heart conditions.

An herb is simply a plant that dies completely at the end of the growing cycle with nothing left behind.

It is a great mistake to assume that "herbal" means "harmless". it does not. Taken internally they are drugs like any other. And they can also have significant and potentially dangerous interactions with other drugs.

Sheryl, you're not actually addressing what i said. There is nothing in my post to suggest i've said anything you're putting in your post here. Could you specifically refute anything i said in that post of mine you replied to?

[femi fan]

As it happens, there is much literature, scientific investigation, and anecdotal 'evidence' that prostate problems, especially enlargement rather than cancer, can be addressed and turned around using a herbal approach. One only needs to turn to countries like Germany to see how useful and understood herbs are in treating health problems.

Ayurveda itself is an approach to medicine that is both preventative and curative, and has, by most accounts, about 6000 years of experience behind it. Allopathic medicine, in the main, has nothing to do with preventing or curing medical problems. It is mainly focused on fixing symptoms. And of course, if the symptom came along once, then it can come back if the root cause has not been addressed. Ayurveda does not go for symptoms, it goes for root causes, and then helps people prevent it happening again.

Ayurveda is particularly relevant to this thread since the OP is planning on going to india to get help.

[GlaswegianTam]

I too have to urinate about 4 times during the night and have been rather stupid not having it diagnosed since it started off about 4 years ago. I now realise I must get something done about it and happy this OP has asked these questions knowing I must get something done asap.

[ravip]

Here is some interesting reading about this problem.

But, IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE.

this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

The article on the Dailymail >>> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2470412/Alternative-treatment-shrinks-enlarged-prostate-using-second-blast-steam.html

Edited May 28, 2014 by ravip

[ravip]

Duplicate post - please delete.

Edited May 28, 2014 by ravip

[femi fan]

you're clearly not in thailand! That's been taken from our view...

ah, i just clicked on your first link, apologies!

Edited May 28, 2014 by femi fan