Doctor's Visits: What To Expect

I'm posting this article so my viewers will know what to expect upon a visit(s) to a urologist office. I briefly touched on this in an earlier article. The initial visit will include a number of tests & exams that could be performed.

The very first thing most office's will do is take a urine sample. This can be used to test for things like UTI(Urinary Tract Infection) & also a source of bacteria in the urine.

Urine samples can also be used to test for other problems as well. The problem with urine samples in checking for prostate related disorders(especially prostatitis) is that bacteria hides in the prostate.

As a matter of fact, 95% of urine samples will show no bacteria in the urine.Even though this is the case, nearly all urologist still treat the patient as having bacteria from the urine since it hides in the prostate.

Once giving a urine sample then probably the next exam will be something that I also briefly touched on & that's a Digital Rectal Exam(DRE). This is an exam that's standard in checking for prostate related diseases. This exam involves the doctor inserting his index finger or fingers into the rectum.

This allows him/her to physically examine the prostate. The exam only last for around 30-45 seconds at most. The doctor will be checking for abnormalities from the prostate. The abnormalities checked for might be enlargement,inflammation,swelling,lumps, & tumors. As for most men the biggest worry would be a tumor(possible cancer).

I can speak from experience that this exam isn't a comfortable one. This will be especially uncomfortable if you have a swollen or enlarged prostate. Actually, if you have any prostate related problem then it's gonna be pretty uncomfortable. I was nauseated for 20+ minutes after my first DRE. I broke out into a cold sweat & just felt really weird for a while.

Once this exam is performed then the doctor will normally tell you right away what's felt upon examination. This will help in determining his diagnosis & treatment option(s).

The next test probably done will be what's called a "Urethral Swab". This is a long cotton swab that's inserted into the penis to check for STD's(Sexually Transmitted Diseases). This too isn't comfortable but isn't nearly as bad as the DRE. This test will even be shorter than the DRE & usually last only 10 seconds. This test is done to rule out any STD's.

The next test that will probably be done is called the PSA(Prostate Specific Antigen). This is a blood test from the body to be sent off to a lab for examination. The #1 reason for this test it check for prostate cancer. The other advantages of this exam is that the blood work can be used to look for other problems as well.

This is called a CBC(Complete Blood Count). Things like red & white blood cells can be examined to determine the count. Red & white blood cell counts can show possible infections. Minerals & vitamin deficiencies can be looked at as well as other areas.

The PSA will give a number reading for possible diagnosis of prostate cancer. I say the word possible here & that's important. The higher the PSA reading the better chances of having cancer. Normal readings for this test is between 1.0-5.0 ng/ml. Older men(60+) could have a reading up to the 5.0 range or slightly higher & still not have cancer. This is typical in aging & shouldn't be considered alarming. The bottom line is that men over 60 can have a higher than normal reading & still be safe from cancer.

Anything higher than a reading of 1.0- 5.0 ng/ml is considered high but doesn't necessarily mean cancer is present. Further test(s) will need to be done to confirm cancer if readings are in the high range. My reading was at 0.9ng/ml which is well below the normal range. This gave me some relief when this reading was given to me.

Another test that may be performed is called a "Urine Flow Test". This test involves collecting urine at a midstream flow. This is an even better way of diagnosing prostatitis.

A couple other tests that may be done are called a "Premassage Urine Culture", & "Postmassage Urine Culture". The words pre & post tell that one is done before a prostate massage & the other is done after. Prostate massage is where the doctor performs a similar act as the DRE.

The index finger is inserted into the rectum but this time the prostate is massaged for maybe a couple minutes. This way possibly some bacteria is then loosened from the prostate & also fluid can be examined under a microscope.

Some urologist may not perform all these tests in this order or may leave certain test out. It all depends on the doctor. I just know these are the common examinations upon initial visits to a urologist office. It will take a few days to get the results of the PSA test back.

Conventional Treatment Options:

Diagnosis of BPH(Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, also known as an "enlarged prostate"):

This condition is usually treated with a class of drugs called alpha blockers. The most prescribed alpha blocker is called Proscar(also known as finasteride). Other alpha blockers include terazosin, doxazosin,& tamsulosin. All of these drugs are administered to help shrink the prostate.

Other forms of treatment are Microwave Therapy,
Ttransurethral Needle Ablation, Transurethral Surgery, Open Surgery,& Laser Surgery. These types of treatments are normally later options since they involve more serious implementation.

Diagnosis of Prostatitis(all forms):

This condition is almost always treated with antibiotics. Like I stated earlier bacteria can hide in the prostate so this class of medicine is given for prostatitis no matter the type of prostatitis. There is big concerns over this because why treat a condition with no bacteria relation with an antibiotic? This is a standard practice for most urologists in that antibiotics are given for any prostatitis diagnosis. I certainly went through this with 3 different courses of an antibiotic called Doxycycline.

There are are also alternative treatments for prostatitis that I'll be covering in more detail with an upcoming article. The conventional method of treatment is the route urologists are gonna pursue. These methods can be effective if taken in the right direction. However, there's so many instances to where this doesn't work that it leads to other options. This is why I'll cover those options in another article.

As you can see from this article diagnosing a prostate disease is certainly not an easy task. The doctor has numerous things to consider. There are numerous tests that can be done to check for many problems. Not all of these tests will turn out to be prostate related. Some may show a problem in another reproductive part of the body. Symptoms for all of these prostate disorders are so similar. It takes a good urologist & in my opinion an "experienced" one as well to determine the patients diagnosis.

Studies are currently being done now that hopefully will allow better treatment options for prostatitis. This also can be said with prostate cancer & the rest of prostate related illnesses. There is no good way to treat prostatitis except that antibiotics are nearly always the first action taken.

This concerns me in that this is the set way or "standard" of treatment. As with any prescription medication there are side effects. All a man with prostate problems needs is more symptoms from the side effects of medication. It's hard enough to deal with any prostate disorder(s) alone & then have added symptoms related directly to the medication as well.

Well, I hope I've given men that are facing their doctor's visits some helpful information. I'm sure you'll be nervous just like me when I was thinking the worst. I absolutely dreaded my first appointment. I didn't wanna hear bad news but I did wanna find out what in the world was wrong with me. I'm glad I took that initial step because this started my path to better health.

This was only a small part in the process but definitely the first step. I'll be covering some alternative treatments in the next article. I appreciate everyone viewing & feel free to post a comment or question to this article or any article of mine. I'll be posting my alternative treatments article very soon. Thanks for viewing my blog! Also, you can now check out my recently created You Tube video below: