Happy Birthday to me! / The current state of things /

[gtrudeau88]

I turned 48 today. Oh joy!

I've come to accept my need for protection at night, every night. Last night was one of the rare nights where I chose to sleep without protection and I paid the price for it. I woke up before I leaked too much onto the bed but still... I'm wearing something every night from now on. To avoid too much cost, I may consider cloth but it's disposables for now. Daytime isn't an issue as long as I regularly take the Pygeum. I dribble quite a bit if I don't take it.

When I had my physical a couple months ago, the Dr. noted that the middle lobe of my prostate was enlarged and he suggested seeing a urologist. Even leaving aside my normal distrust of doctors, I'm hesitant to go. While I was in Europe in June I read about the PSA test of the prostate and found that it is only accurate 40% or so of the time. The test has a lot of both false-positives and false-negatives and I don't want to go through invasive testing if I don't need to. More accurate testing either requires ultrasound or a painful needle biopsy, both of which would cost me a lot out of pocket due to my deductibles. If I'm going to have either of these then I need to save $ to my HSA account so I can pay cash. Maybe by end of year.

Have a good day everybody.

G

[RetiredRN]

I know about an enlarged prostate. In November 2003 a routine exam found an enlarged prostate. In July 2005 I had a prostate biopsy, it was negative. Yes, it was uncomfortable, however finding out that it was negative for cancer was a great relief. If it was not negative then I would have made an informed decision as to what course of treatment I would do. Seven years later in July 2012 I had a TURP with another biopsy -- very large prostate and a negative biopsy. I still follow up with my urologist every six months. The fact that I am OK is worth the few minutes of discomfort.

In a TURP the prostate is not totally removed so may grow large again. This means that you will also need to see your urologist regularly.

Because of my large prostate I do have urgency incontinence, wearing an adult diaper has become normal for me and I think of them as just underwear.

I would recommend that you get see the urologist and find out your condition.

[Wetters]

Happy Birthday, G! Have a great day.

btw, the house-brand (Rite Aid, etc.) disposable underwear (pull-ups) might work well for you, if your volumes are light to moderate. They cost significantly less than the major brands/premium brands.

Wetters

[gtrudeau88]

Thank you. Regarding Rite-Aid etc, will they hold up well to a 2:00 a.m. flooding? Others here have cautioned against using pull up products at nite? is Rite-Aid, etc. any better than a Goodnite? I'm a skjinny guy and could fit a goodnite with ease (although the teen designs are undesirable!)

G

[JDinVirginia]

G,

Happy Birthday, youngster!

And do see your doctor - please.

--John

[Wetters]

G, I can't promise that they'll hold up to a "flooding", which can mean something different to different people. That's why I specified "light to moderate", and "might work". I have no experience with Goodnites. The weird thing about them, though, is that in response to a capacity question, K-C stated on their website that Goodnites can accommodate a wearer up to 125 lbs. IMO, that's an apples-to-oranges comparison, and it doesn't make sense to me. Also, I would guess that they are on the pricey side, and you indicated that you want to keep the cost down.

W.

[Patrick]

If cost is a concern, although the upfront expense is high, over time an inventory of washables and plastic pants can actually be cheaper than disposables.

[mlhjr]

G, Happy Birthday, I cant help you on the pulls, there capacity is way short of what I need.

[Inconinmiss]

Happy Birthday,

Do see your doctor. You're a little younger than average for prostate cancer. But if you have it, it's vitally important to catch it early while it's curable.

[justej]

Happy birthday!