Understanding Your Father’s BPH
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is a feature of getting old for many men. A third of all men experience noticeable symptoms by the time they are 60. At 80, half of the male cohort will have symptoms of discomfort and inconvenience.
BPH, also known as “enlarged prostate gland,” happens when the prostate keeps growing and squeezes the tube that transports urine out of the body. Health care experts still do not know why, but the prostate gland continues to grow throughout a man’s life. This is a normal function of aging.
Home Care Services Scotch Plains NJ – Understanding Your Father’s BPH
It’s more serious than it might seem.
What does BPH look like to family members? The most common symptom is frequent urination. In fact, BPH is largely responsible for dad having to take a pee break at awkward times. In the middle of a golf game, during Thanksgiving dinner, or halfway through a movie, just to give a few examples.
Worse symptoms include difficulty urinating, blocked urination or even blood in the urine. At its worst, BPH can be implicated in a urinary tract infection, damage to the bladder, and even kidney damage. BPH should not, however, be confused with prostate cancer. The two are separate conditions, and BPH does not lead to cancer.
BPH is generally benign, especially in its early stages. But it can lead to worse things. So it’s important for all men over 65 to be screened for BPH and get appropriate care. In general, men with BPH will need to see a doctor and repeat tests twice a year.
How you can help.
Family members can help by being patient and understanding. Making dad the butt of jokes doesn’t improve his quality of life. While BPH can be annoying, it is real, it is not his fault, and there is no cure, only treatments.
Many doctors prescribe medications for BPH. However, many men do not get the results they want from medications, or they resent the side effects which can include loss of sex drive.
Hiring home care services may help your father deal with this condition. Dad may feel a lot more comfortable discussing his symptoms with a home care services professional than with a son or daughter. A hired home care services worker is more like a friend than a doctor and more like an employee than a family member.
A home care services professional can also observe if your father has quit taking his prescribed medication, as many men do. According to one study, more than one quarter of men prescribed with BPH medication stop taking it.
If that happens, you, your father, and their doctor may want to discuss the minimally invasive surgeries that can correct BPH. A new procedure, called UroLift, offers promising results in an out-patient procedure that is performed without cutting. One benefit of this surgery is that it does not cause erectile dysfunction.
In conclusion, BPH is a common but treatable condition. Make sure your father has someone he can talk to about his symptoms if he is embarrassed to talk to family members or friends. Know that there are many treatment options, and your father does not have to settle for one that gives him poor results.
Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia/symptoms-causes/syc-20370087
https://www.urologyhealth.org/healthy-living/care-blog/2018/innovations-in-treatment-of-bph
https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/new-data-suggest-men-may-want-non-drug-alternatives-for-treatment-of-enlarged-prostate-symptoms/
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional Home Care Services in Scotch Plains NJ, please talk to the caring staff at Generations Home Health Care today. Providing Home Care in Somerset, Essex, Union, Morris and Hunterdon Counties. Call us today at (908) 290-0691 or (973) 241-4534.
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