There are some signs of prostate cancer that you need to look for as you are caring for your health and working to prevent serious issues. Most men will show some symptom of prostate cancer before their doctor will give them an official diagnosis. Knowing what to look for can help you to determine if you need to contact your doctor and to have your prostate health examined.
Prostate Cancer Symptoms
If you have prostate cancer it is likely that you will have some issues with incontinence. Since the prostate is below the bladder it is responsible for helping the bladder to release urine using the urethra. When you have prostate problems, it is common for this gland to become swollen or enlarged making it painful for you to pass urine or you could end up having involuntarily urine loss. When the prostate is swollen and the urine has a harder time passing it will cause you to have urge incontinence (the sudden urge to urinate). Other individuals report that they feel the need to get up and urinate throughout the night several times or they are feeling that they need to urinate more frequently.
While the enlarged prostate is the leading indication that you may have prostate cancer there are some other symptoms that you need to be aware of like blood in the urine or semen, erectile dysfunction, bladder control problems, and pain in the lower back or hips.
What Will My Doctor Check For?
In order to know if you have prostate cancer your doctor will discuss the various symptoms that you have been struggling with. Then they will need to examine your prostate and will also do some urine tests and other laboratory tests. If you have had a loved one that had prostate cancer or prostate health problems you need to make sure you are getting checked out as you have a higher risk of getting prostate cancer. The prostate specific antigen (PSA) test is used to help the doctor determine if you have cancer of the prostate or not. This is a blood test that will look for a specific antigen and in some cases it will detect prostate health problems before you start having any of the common symptoms of prostate cancer.
Treatments to Consider
Depending upon your age, your doctor may not recommend that you jump into surgery or chemotherapy and instead opt for active surveillance. This is common for elderly males that likely will not be able to recover well from the surgery as their bodies are not healthy. When you are monitoring your condition you will check for any signs that the cancer is growing or changes in your prostate health. You may notice an increase in your incontinence episodes, which will require the help of some incontinence products like adult diapers to help you manage your condition. For many males with prostate cancer, it is a slowly growing form of cancer. So using active surveillance is the best route to avoid dealing with expensive surgery and other treatments that could end up shortening their lifespan.
Surgery is common for younger patients that are in good health. It is an invasive surgery that can take 6 weeks to 3 months before you recover from it. You will likely deal with incontinence after the surgery as you usually need to wear a catheter for a few weeks following the surgery. Wearing adult diapers can help to capture any urine that does leak from the body. There are other male incontinence products you can choose from that will make it easier for you to manage your problems with incontinence after the surgery.
Dianna Malkowski is a Board Certified Physician Assistant and Mayo Clinic trained nutritionist specializing in diabetes, cancer, wound healing, therapeutic diets and nutrition support. Also good at guiding right Incontinence products.
Visit the Care Giver Partnership for more info on Adult diapers.
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