Deludia

Difficult subject

Being constipated is a pain in the a_ uh, rear. But at least there are remedies for it assuming it’s just a matter of being too dry where moisture is required. Some kinds of constipation result from bowel or intestinal issues and need to be dealt with medically. But the majority of people can find relief through some reasonably common helpers.

Chemotherapy is very difficult on the gut, that is, the stomach, intestines and bowels. Chemo targets high cellular activity, the hallmark of cancer. Since these areas of the body manifest a lot of cellular activity in the course of normal functions, chemotherapy chemicals are attracted to it like a pair of magnetic Scotty Dogs. This often results in a reduction of moisture and other fluids which aid the passage of materials through the digestive system. Ergo, the output tends to be more firmly packed and dry, and difficult to pass. So what went in as a taco or a cupcake or something turns into the next best thing to concrete. Pain medications exacerbate the situation. That’s a fancy way of saying that it makes it worse. Opiates especially have a drying effect.

But we have tools to deal with this discomfort; all it takes is a little foreknowledge and planning. Taking a couple of doses of Sennocides laxative tablets and a Docusate stool softener ant the beginning and end of each day will go a long way towards keeping things regular. On days where extra pain medication is needed, accompanying the pain pill with a Senna tablet can save a lot of straining on the john.

But when the issue is urination, especially for men with enlarged prostates, the inability to ‘go’ can be painful and highly problematic. The stretching and irritation can permit infection to intervene, making the situation all the worse.

Of course, the answer is a catheter. But for some people, and I’m one of them, that can be highly problematic. Ham fisted medical technicians and even physicians can mishandle a catheter causing a tearing of the urethra. The resulting scar tissue then sits in wait for the next catheterization to hang up on the tube and causing even more damage. Ask me. I know all about it. I’ve been torn in there three times now, each time resulting in long lasting discomfort, bleeding, and infections. The last time a doctor wanted to put a catheter in me I told him he could, so long as I could hold his penis with a pair of pliers and squeeze hard as I could at the first sign of blood. He declined and so did I. I did finally get relief by sitting in my bathtub under a warm shower considering the volume of water that passed over Angel Falls each minute.

The problem is that when one experiences a urinary blockage and pressure builds up, one has to overcome that pressure in order to get things to flow. Then too, for a lot of men the harder they push, the more resistant things become. It’s a nasty condition.

There are drugs like Finasteride (Propecia) and Tamsulosin (FloMax) which can help. Finasteride encourages shrinking of enlarged prostates and Tamsulosin relaxes muscles in the urinary system. Both of these can be a real blessing to men suffering inability to urinate.

But unlike bowel issues, urinary issues don’t really have any direct weapon like a laxative. While it may sound like the script for a dark comedy, aside from a catheter forcing an opening to the bladder, all a guy can do is sit on the toilet and think wet thoughts while he tries to relax. The harder one tries, the less likely he is to succeed. Or, one can try the “big guns” as I described above. Aside from being a hilarious prank, the old hand in warm water trick actually works for more than getting a pal to wet his bed –only to have it video taped and uploaded to YouTube.

I don’t know how many times I’ve flushed a toilet and marveled at it wishing to myself that I could do that to myself. Any guy who’s suffered inability to urinate knows exactly what I mean. For all of the wonders of medical science, all they can come up with for this is a hose.

They do have a surgical procedure available. Using a laser (sometimes known as a Green Light Procedure) material is removed from the urethra, usually where it passes through the prostate. This augments the ability of fluids to pass through and out of the body. However, it has to be done with great care and in volume that matches the specific patient’s needs. If too little is removed then there is no gain and the problem persists. If too much is taken then the patient is incontinent for life. The problem here for people like me is that it requires a test to determine flow amounts so the proper volume of material is removed.

This is a urodynamics test and requires not just one, but two catheters to pull off. When I had my test, the PA performing the procedure ripped open my urethra and punctured the prostate.  The procedure had to be aborted and the resulting infections hospitalized me. It was an humiliating and painful experience I don’t wish to repeat. Plus that, it pretty much ended the ability to use an internal catheter on me. Should the need come up in the future I will have to be generally anesthetized.

Difficulty urinating is a serious matter. One should never experience it and just hope it goes away. The sooner it is addressed, the lower the overall impact. Putting it off can lead to infection, bladder and kidney issues, all of which are difficult to treat and always painful.