Periodically, we all get the feeling that it’s time to urinate. It’s not ordinarily a painful sensation; just an awareness that the time to relieve oneself is approaching. This is a normal desire to pass urine without urgency.
Urgency occurs in gradations of severity of familiar sensations arising in the bladder. Sometimes the desire to void occurs in a transient manner, which disappears before it’s even possible to get to the toilet only to return sometime later as a normal desire to pass urine. A more severe case is when it is necessary to get to the toilet without any further procrastination to avoid wetting oneself.
There is no more annoying symptom of prostate enlargement than urgency, that unmistakable, intense signal direct from bladder to brain telling you to get to the toilet without delay because urine is about to come out with or without your permission. Trying to fight that feeling can be intensely painful and losing the battle means wetting yourself, often in public causing inconvenience and embarrassment.
All other symptoms of prostate enlargement, such as pushing to urinate, feeling of incomplete emptying, an intermittent urinary flow, frequent urination, a weak stream and even awakening from sleep to urinate are not nearly as troublesome as urgency. This is often the symptom that finally brings the patient to the doctor.
Most men are not even aware whether their urinary stream is slow or weak or even of how often they urinate but when they wet their pants at their own front door frantically struggling to get the key into the lock, they know it’s time to see the urologist.
After undergoing TherMatrx microwave treatment for prostate enlargement, relief of urgency is the one symptom most frequently mentioned by the patient. Even though relief of all the other symptoms may have been achieved in whole or in part by the use of microwave thermotherapy, the relief for which the patient is most grateful is the relief of urgency. This is a recurring theme I have heard from hundreds of men over the past eight years.
Patients have also expressed appreciation after undergoing TherMatrx microwave heat treatment of their prostate, for having been given a one-time 30-minute treatment that was not surgical and did not require or involve any cutting, bleeding, anesthesia or hospitalization.
Not having to wear an uncomfortable Foley catheter and leg bag is also greatly appreciated by the majority of patients, who frequently describe the experience as “The closest thing to having a prostate operation but without the operation.”
If you suffer with any of the symptoms of prostate enlargement, don’t wait until you find yourself uncontrollably wetting your pants or wearing diapers because you’re afraid you might wet yourself and don’t want to take a chance. Your body is sending you a signal; pay attention to that signal; it’s important.
Have a Question? Call Dr. Okun at 718-241-6767
