Getting Priorities Straight…or at Least Straighter

After my ‘Radiation Cystitis’ blog I received several notes (two of them published at the end of that blog) from other guys who had the same thing. They were supportive of me and hoped for a cure to their own cystitis. I too hope they are cured, and then they can tell me how they did it. Life goes on and none of us with radiation cystitis are in imminent danger of disaster--but blood clots can cause blockages that need to be treated. Guys who are at risk should watch for blood and clots and if they appear, get in to see a doctor ASAP.

On a sad and humbling note--one that tends to put things in perspective for me--three good friends have had much more serious medical realities than me in these past few weeks. A cousin I grew up with and continued to visit regularly died after a very long struggle with breast cancer. Another close friend was surprised to find out she has Stage 4 melanoma. And another life-long friend had an event called Transient Global Amnesia. A big chunk of his memory is gone, but doctors think it will return over time. 

Growing old is an adventure and a never-ending series of challenges‑‑as it should be. Whatever I might be complaining about this week pales in comparison to what some of my friends, and probably your friends, are living with. Many conditions of old age are treatable, some are curable, and others can be managed with pain killers, blood thinners, and dietary changes. I even feel a little comfort when my doctor admits that, “There’s nothing medical science can do to help you, so suck it up!” He tends to use more medically correct language, but the message is the same. So I’m resolving to suck it up with a glass or two of good red wine. Life is pretty good--even when I’m grumbling about it.

axman

What Could Possible Go Wrong?

Or…What’s the matter with my bladder?

My February 21^st Blog talked about all the good results from spending part of our winters in the Arizona desert sun relaxing. All true. Still true. But shortly after that Blog the fickle finger of fate reared its ugly head (bad metaphor?).

Later in February, while still relaxing in Arizona, I had several bouts with what we (me and three different Urgent Care doctors) thought was a urinary tract infection (AKA UTI). High dose antibiotics (three different types) seemed to help for a few days or even a week but the blood and blood clots in my urine returned. I was getting worried.

Then one memorable night I had a total and painful urinary blockage. We took a long trip to the nearest Emergency Room our GPS could find and I had a large uncomfortable catheter inserted (which actually resulted in great relief). It stayed in for a week until I could see a local urologist. He removed the catheter (good to have it gone) and told me I did NOT have a UTI. His preliminary diagnosis was something I’d never heard of—Radiation Induced Bladder Cystitis. Nobody had ever told me that was a possible radiation side effect! Google it.

It turns out that men who have had Radiation Therapy as part of their prostate cancer treatment have a rather high risk (couldn’t find specific statistics) of “Radiation Cystitis.” What is it, you ask? I asked too. In a nutshell, if you had radiation therapy, whether or not you still have a prostate, the radiation might have damaged the inside of your bladder. And four or five or more years later (nine for me) small damaged blood vessels can break causing blood to accumulate, clots to form, and this can block the sphincter opening into your  urethra. You cannot urinate! Ouch!

And if it happens once it is likely to happen again and again. I had two more blockages shortly after the first one but none in the last month. Per doctor’s instructions I cut down on all the things that might irritate it, such as running, off road Jeeping, and hiking (all the things I like to do). Lifting, jumping, and riding long hours in a car can exacerbate bleeding, too.

Treatment and cure? Not likely

There are some treatments to help in really serious cases and you could always wear a catheter and urine gathering bag most of the time. There are single use catheters you can personally insert in an emergency (I have a few). I’m back home again and have seen my urologist, viewed the inside of my bleeding bladder in living color on a TV screen, and had a CT scan to rule out even worse things like cancerous tumors in my kidneys or bladder. Now I need to figure out what I can do and can’t do to minimize the risk of nasty clots while I get back to doing the things I like to do.

If you had radiation as part of your prostate cancer treatment you may be at risk. Talk with your doctor and look up the details online. Murphy’s Law seems to be alive and well! But as my blue prostate cancer wrist band says, “Never give in.”

axman