Benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH is a condition where the prostate gland gets enlarged. This is mostly common in men who are ageing. When the prostate gland gets enlarged, the flow of urine through the urethra gets blocked, and hence, several problems related to urination may occur. BPH occurs as a result of hormonal imbalance. If untreated, BPH can lead to severe bladder and urinary health conditions.
There are several symptoms and signs of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Here are 7 common symptoms:

1. A frequent need for urination: Men affected by BPH feel an increased need to urinate frequently. This gets enhanced during the night and is called nocturia. The patient may even need to urinate more than eight times a day. Due to the enlarged prostate gland, more pressure is put on the urethra, which leads to uncontrollable urination.
2. Urinating difficulties: The act of urination becomes difficult. Because of enhanced pressure on the urethra, the flow of urine to the penis from the bladder gets blocked. This makes a urine stream hard to start. The urine stream gets weak and interrupted, and more difficulty may be experienced during the end of urination.
3. Pain during urination and ejaculation: Due to pressure on the urinary tract and reproductive system, pain can accompany urination and ejaculation. Some patients tend to push urine out, which results in pain. The pain may also occur because of infection during BPH.
4. Blood in urine and an unusual color/smell: Urine may take a dark color and have an unusual smell due to urinary retention. Unpleasant urine smell signifies urinary tract infection. Blood in the urine may also result because of dilated veins present on the surface of the enlarged prostate.
5. Urinary retention: When a patient is unable to pass any urine, it is called urinary retention. Such a condition requires immediate treatment, and you need to consult a doctor immediately.
6. Urinary tract infections: Bacteria may start growing in the bladder when the bladder is not fully emptied of urine. This bacterial infection causes darkening of the urine, and emission of a foul odor.
7. Bladder stones: Bladder stones may develop because of the inability of the bladder to empty itself completely. This is a major symptom of BPH. Hard lumps of minerals or bladder stones are formed when the urine present in the bladder gets highly concentrated, which causes the crystallization of minerals. Bladder stones may cause infections, result in blood in urine, cause bladder irritation and may also block urine flow.

So you see that benign prostatic hyperplasia involves the enlargement of the prostate gland, and results in several problems related to urination and different symptoms. Hence, immediate treatment is advisable.

7 Symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

The spleen is a very important organ of the human body. A splenectomy is the process of removing the spleen from the human body. The spleen is a very small, fist-sized organ which is located under the rib cage, close to the stomach. The basic function of the spleen is removing the damaged or dead red blood cells. It also removes any kind of bacteria present in the bloodstream that can cause infections. When the spleen is removed, there are chances of infection that can be life-threatening if not treated. It is always better to prevent infections as soon as you see the symptoms.

Why do you need a Splenectomy?
There can be many reasons for the removal of the spleen from your body such as  

In case, the spleen is damaged due to an accident, injury or in the process of an abdomen surgery.
For treating some medical conditions such as lymphomas or leukemias.
Overactivity of your spleen.
In case any abnormalities found in the red blood cells of the body.
Collagen vascular diseases
In some rare cases, a person may be born without a spleen.
Sepsis:
The infection that is caused due to the removal of the spleen is called sepsis. This is a life-threatening condition where the bacteria that causes the infection keeps on spreading to the entire body and bloodstream. It is going to impact the normal functioning of the human body. Symptoms of sepsis include high fever, shivering, headache, confusion, drowsiness, severe pain in the abdominal area and increased heartbeat. But all this starts with a simple respiratory problem such as a respiratory tract infection.

Tips to prevent infections after a Splenectomy:
If you have had a splenectomy, then it is very important for you to take certain precautions such as:

You need to take certain vaccines such as HIB, pneumococcal or meningococcal and they will reduce the risk of getting an infection after the removal of the spleen.
You will have to take some additional doses of the above vaccines in order to maintain the effect on your body.
You need to take antibiotics on a daily basis to prevent a sepsis infection.
The first stage or symptoms start with chills or fever and hence you should make sure to maintain a set of antibiotics. Start taking them as soon as you see these symptoms.
If you are travelling to another country, then make sure you carry the antibiotics with you. If you notice any kind of symptoms, you need to take the medicine immediately.
You need to discuss the above-listed points with your doctor, especially if you require more information about how to prevent infection after the spleen is removed.

Tips To Prevent Infections After A Splenectomy!

Bladder cancer refers to a  cancer, which arises from the epithelial lining or the urothelium of the urinary bladder. In the most common form of bladder cancer, the normal histology of the urothelium is recapitulated. It is called transitional cell carcinoma. Bladder cancer is a serious form of cancer that leads to many deaths too.

Treatment:
There are several modes of treatment for bladder cancer. They are:

1. Bladder cancer surgery: Surgeries are common for treating bladder cancer. 

2. Transurethral resection of bladder tumor or TURBT: This mode is used for determining the presence of bladder cancer and to find out if it has invaded the bladder wall muscle layer. This treatment mode is generally used in the early stages of bladder cancer.

3. Cystectomy: A cystectomy is undertaken when bladder cancer is very invasive and parts of the bladder or the whole of it has to be removed. There are two types of cystectomy.

Partial cystectomy is used when the cancer invades the bladder muscle layer in a small area. It can be removed without the whole bladder being taken out.
A Radical cystectomy is undertaken in case the cancer affects a large area and is present in multiple areas of the bladder. This surgery removes the bladder entirely and all its nearby lymph nodes.
4. Intravesical therapy: In intravesical therapy, a liquid drug is put directly into the bladder via a catheter instead of injecting it or consuming it orally. The cells lining the bladder are affected without causing any harm to other body parts. This therapy is usually used after TURBT in non-invasive cases of bladder cancer to prevent recurrence.

5. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is an effective treatment for bladder cancer. Chemotherapy may be used in two ways:

Intravesical chemotherapy, where the chemo drug is put directly into the bladder and is applicable only for early treatment stages.
Systematic chemotherapy, which involves the injection of chemo drugs into the vein or muscle and can also be administered in the form of pills. The drug reaches all parts of the body via the bloodstream and affects all cancer cells.
6. Radiation therapy: This treatment procedure for bladder cancer involves the use of high energy radiation for killing cancer cells. It is used in early phases of treatment and is the primary remedy for people who cannot have a surgery. It is combined with chemotherapy to make the radiation effective. The most common type of radiation therapy for treating bladder cancer is called external-beam radiation therapy where radiation occurs from an outside source.

Bladder cancer is a severe form of cancer. Proper and ideal treatment is required among the several treatment methods available.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Bladder Cancer and How It Can Be Treated

Being overweight is becoming a common sight. However, opting for bariatric surgery is not the first option for everyone who is obese. Also to remember is that morbid obesity is not an isolated condition. It affects a person s overall physical and mental health in various ways, and therefore bariatric surgery becomes an option only as a last resort. 

Some defining criteria for this surgery would be:

A male who is at least 100 pounds overweight for his height or a female who is at least 80 pounds overweight for her height. This puts them at a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40.
If the BMI is in the range of 35 to 39 and if there are significant health issues like metabolic syndrome, then bariatric surgery can be done. For BMI less than 35, other conservative measures are usually tried before resorting to a surgical approach.
Most people with BMI in the range of 35 and above will have health issues like sleep apnoea, heart disease, lipid disorders, and metabolic syndrome.
Conservative measures to lose weight including diet changes and exercise have failed to produce any desired results.
The person, in addition to physical health, should also be emotionally strong to undergo the demands of bariatric surgery. There are changes involving almost all body systems including digestive, respiratory, cardiac, and musculoskeletal, and so the person needs to be prepared for a lifestyle change.
Strict lifestyle changes including diet and exercise are required, so the person needs to be counseled and convinced about these. A person who can see the long-term benefits will be willing to take the effort.
It is also essential that the person has a strong social support system. For immediate post-op care when skin flaps need to be managed, and for long-term emotional support to manage emotional issues, it works wonders if there is a strong social network. The results are usually better in such people.
A person s overall health would be screened to make sure the lab tests are well within acceptable limits before surgery. It would be unreasonable to get these numbers within limits, if they are way too beyond acceptable limits.
Not the least consideration, but bariatric surgery is an expensive affair. It requires not just surgical costs, but also post-op costs. The good thing, however, is that overall healthcare costs would come down, once the results are visible.
Identifying the right candidate for a bariatric surgery is very essential, as doing this extensive surgical approach on an unsuitable candidate would be a failure.

Bariatric Surgery - Who Is Eligible For The Same?

Raise a toast to great skin with vodka!

The Russians love their national drink, the vodka, as much as the french love their fine wines. And just like wine, vodka can be easily used in your daily beauty regime to add a much wanted healthy white glow to your skin.

Vodka is a great astringent or toner. Soak a cotton ball in a mix that is equal parts vodka and water and then lightly dab all over your skin. It will cleanse the skin and tighten pores.

You can add a dash of lemon juice to the mixture and freeze it. Rub these beauty cubes onto your face to bring down skin bloat as vodka and lemon juice together tighten pores and brighten the skin.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on consult.


Raise a Toast to Great Skin with Vodka!

Losing weight is a daunting task. This becomes all the more difficult for obese people. In many cases, the patient may be advised to undergo bariatric surgery. There are many types of bariatric surgery. Some surgeries address both the stomach and the small intestines while others address only the stomach. A gastric band surgery is one such procedure.

For this procedure, an adjustable band is placed around the upper half of the stomach. This creates a small pouch that can hold a limited amount of food. The band is connected through a plastic tube to a small device placed under the abdominal skin. Sterile fluid may be injected or removed from the band through this device. By injecting saline, the band is made tighter and by removing the liquid the band is loosened. This allows the band to be customized to improve weight loss.

The result of a gastric band surgery may vary from person to person. Band adjustment starts after the third week of surgery. Because the size of the stomach is reduced, the person will feel full faster and hence eat less. In most cases, a person can expect to lose 60 to 75 % of their excess body weight. This should not be confused with a person s total weight. The procedure can be reversed at a later date if need be.



Some people may develop side effects like nausea and vomiting after the procedure. But why this procedure has not gained acceptance compared to other bariatric procedures like gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy is because, the compliance with the band is not very good and complications like band erosion, band slippage, band migration are very high. Another dreaded complication following the band surgery in non-compliant patients who eat large quantities and overstretch the small gastric pouch above the band is severe GERD.

In severe cases, rarely, grains of undigested food is seen in the mouth on waking up in the morning. This could be life-threatening. Vitamin deficiencies are rare provided supplements are taken regularly during the weight loss period.  

Gradual band adjustment is required and regular follow up with the bariatric surgeon will yield good results. Over adjustment is not good at all and could lead to higher chances of complications like band erosion. However, proper dietary compliance can make the results of a band better. Ideally, a patient should get follow up checks every month after such a surgery.

All said and done, the percentage of excess weight loss in the gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy are far superior to the adjustable gastric banding. Even the compliance, and maintenance of weight loss over years is better in the other bariatric procedures compared to the band.

Gastric Band Surgery - Know How Competent Is It?

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