Benighted Prostate Enlargement

With age come complications. And for males one of the most common age-related afflictions is a condition known as Benign Prostate Enlargement. This is a slowly-emerging, insidious and unsettling development that eventually results in a true diminishing of quality of life. That little walnut-size organ located hard by the bladder slowly begins to take on a nasty purpose, that of removing the comfort of a good night's sleep, of casual decision-making, of the ease of love-making.

From a gradual unease and awareness to a final realization of the presence of an ongoing condition, somewhat debilitating, inimical to spontaneity, bringer of pain, the quality of life begins to shrink away. A steady but pronounced decline in the enjoyment of everyday life. The progress is marked by a continual need to urinate, erupting suddenly without warning, and eventually also with incontinence.

Frequent bathroom trips throughout the sleeping hours, which translates to interrupted sleep patterns, and a notable sleep deprivation syndrome. Apart from the self-perceived humiliation of incontinence. The need to strain to effect a gradual result, pushing the enlarged prostate aside from the urinary tract to allow urine to flow. Flow? rather dribble. And the bladder left undrained all the same.

The necessity to think beforehand. Take steps to attempt to drain the bladder as much as possible before departing the house. Precautionary steps; making certain one's vehicle is equipped with a receptacle for an emergency deposit; which can happen at any time, without advance warning. And love-making? Well, good luck, and stick with it.

As the prostate continues to grow, there is concomitant discomfort and pain, too. Your urologist remarks on the growing size of that muscle. Need some help? Well, yes! Two options: medication, or surgery. Think about it. Here's a prescription, give it a try. It's an old, now-disused, but seemingly effective blood pressure medication. But you read the pharmaceutical-derived information that lists a host of miserable side effects and decline.

Surgery doesn't sound too wonderful. There are no guarantees. Incontinence may become permanent, sexual function may be destroyed. The operation necessitates an overnight hospital stay. And a full six-month recovery period, during which time heavy physical actions are not recommended. Not very appealing for a still-dynamic, driven personality. How about Saw Palmetto? Lots of research, evidently and it's given a go-ahead.

Patience, patience. But when, after almost a year of use, there is no relief, what exactly is the point? And then to discover, once it's no longer used, that it actually had the effect of adding to discomfort, its symptoms abated once no longer used. Resignation. Life, in most other respects, remains appealing and rewarding; just another stumbling-block to perfection the constant vigilance, pain, worry for the future.

Then an insert in a Consumers Report magazine flutters out of the pages. Notice of a new medical-related Consumers Report, and one of the little tidbits is a brief item about BPE. A commonly-used muscle-tone exercise called Kegel exercise seems to offer relief to men with prostate enlargement, just as it does to women who suffer from urinary problems. Nothing to lose, but give it up to six weeks before you may begin to see some amelioration.

Two days into the exercise regimen a dramatic change occurs. Flow has increased; no dribbling. Pain subsides; little discomfort. Intervals between bladder emptying increase substantially. Urgent and surprise need to urinate abate, as does incontinence. Sexual performance is greatly enhanced. Why has no one mentioned the potential of this therapy before? Why, most particularly, has no doctor given any hint of this method and its potential efficacy?

Is this just a pleasant dream, one that may dissipate in time? Is it just too soon to tell for certain yet, despite the astounding change? Some strange coincidence? Yet, if what is now occurring is the best, after a mere week of Kegel exercise that can be anticipated, we'll take it, and gratefully.