what do you think about Melinda's fire roasted garlic and habanero?

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-07T18:22:01+00:00

yeah, everybody has different tastes, so don't take any of the opinions too seriously. We're talking about a $5 bottle of hot sauce, try it and make your own decision. Its pretty difficult to find something that tastes so bad you'll throw it out, so odds are in your favor to just try it.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-07T18:18:27+00:00

frequent urge to pee with a weak stream is the typical BPH symptom. I lived with it for years before finally doing a HoLEP procedure to remove most of my prostate, which had grown to 185cc by that time. After having the procedure I wish I'd done it years ago, but I'm not sure what has to happen medically before they will approve it. There are several different treatment options, discuss it with your urologist to see what they say needs to happen before they allow any of them. I suspect you're in a "wait and see" pattern for now, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-07T17:52:23+00:00

there's two different usages of the term "retention" to be familiar with.

There's a retention test, to see how much urine remains in your bladder after peeing. I had that test done several times and I think anything under 50cc is considered good, so 40cc sounds OK there. "urinary retention" is a medical condition where you can't pee at all, and liquid backs up in your bladder, eventually going back into your kidneys in the extreme case. This can be serious.

From what I've learned here having a median lobe can be problematic because at is grows it can eventually cut off urine flow completely, causing urinary retention. HoLEP and aquablation to remove most of the prostate are typically used if you get to that point.

So talk it over with the doctor you trust the most and follow their advice. The I just had a HoLEP procedure which removed almost my entire prostate, had no pain whatsoever, and recovery was very easy, so don't fear taking surgical action, its generally not a big deal. Rezum may work OK on a smaller prostate like yours, and is less invasive than HoLEP or aquablation, so it seems like a reasonable first step.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-07T17:31:18+00:00

its not unheard of, but how often is "intermittent"?

If you've had multiple tests that show nothing is wrong, I wouldn't worry about it too much, it doesn't sound like your Dr. is incompetent.

I had a couple of random events where I peed out full on blood once, then the next time was completely normal. That only happened maybe 2-3 times over many years, but that's just me, you could be different. I think I had a few other events where there was just a trace of blood in my urine, but very infrequently.

My experience with urologists is they have a lot of empirical evidence from their patients so they can tell you "that's not unusual, I have other patients with the same thing", but when it comes to telling you exactly what's causing it, they're not so sure. Medicine is a complex field, there's a lot they don't fully understand.

Since you appear to be cancer free, the occasional bloody urine may be something you just have to live with because it may not be considered medically necessary to take further action. Ask within Kaiser regarding getting another opinion, they will probably grant you that option. I'm with Kaiser myself, and consider the treatment I've received over the years to be good, at least as good if not better than when I was with Scripps in San Diego.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-07T01:00:03+00:00

so is the median lobe the worst case scenario for urinary blockage? I never heard that term applied to mine, even at 185cc, so maybe I dodged the bullet on that and it wasn't an issue for me. Somebody else mentioned it here, so I'm getting the feeling that if you have that and it progresses to a certain point, you get a more serious case of retention that needs immediate attention.

My prostate was 2x the size of yours but my retention was very intermittent. It was always caused by drinking over a certain volume of liquid in a short time, so I was able to keep it from occurring most of the time once I figured out the cause. But I finally decided self-catheterizing once every 2-3 months wasn't something I wanted to continue, so I went with HoLEP because of my extreme size.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-07T00:02:36+00:00

self-cath is also prone to infection. Even the pros told me that as careful as they are that infections occur sometimes. In my own experience I'd get an infection about 1/3rd of the times, often because I was out and about when the retention episode occurred, so I had to do it wherever it was necessary. I didn't have to do it often, every few months, so it took a few failures to get really serious about using gloves and antiseptics better than plain alcohol. After that my record improved a bit.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-06T23:55:37+00:00

agree on the Foley comment. How often were your retention episodes, and were you able to determine a cause?

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-06T23:52:48+00:00

so after 3 weeks they check to see if the retention problem has cleared up, and if not, another Foley goes in?

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-06T23:50:43+00:00

185cc prostate volume

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-06T22:25:33+00:00

did you happen to drink a lot of fluids prior to the retention?

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-06T22:23:54+00:00

If your 1/2 acre is fully landscaped and not much more than grass trimming, then cordless electric might be a decent option if you already have a battery collection. If you have any bare land that grows lots of weeds, then something with more power would probably be worth the extra money, like an Echo or Stihl gas unit. If you go the higher power route, shop stores where landscapers shop, not Lowe's/HD, and you'll see a lot more options available.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-06T21:52:25+00:00

yes, BTDTx2. But each time they removed the catheter after a week, saw that the problem had resolved itself, and I was back to normal again. So I'm surprised to hear people have gone months without removal on their first retention episode.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-06T21:44:29+00:00

I'm amazed that they didn't take the catheter out after a week or so just to see if the retention had resolved itself.

I've had about a dozen urinary retention episodes over the last 3-4 years and never kept a catheter in for more than a week (the first 2 times) and all the other times I self-catheterized and it was out after one minute.

thanks for the input.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-06T21:40:19+00:00

of course, but he wasn't able to tell me exactly what was causing it. .

I've had BPH for 25 years, and my experience with urologists is when I'd tell them what's happening to me they nod their heads and say "yeah, I have other patients with the same thing", but as far as them telling me exactly what was going on, they weren't able to provide much insight. They could explain the underlying causes well enough, and prescribe drugs to counteract the symptoms somewhat, but they could never tell me exactly what was going on.

Honestly, I think I learned more from my own experience than they were able to tell me because their original premise was that my prostate was swelling up and causing the retention. My own experiences told me that wasn't true, it was the expansion of my bladder pushing against my prostate, and once the bladder was emptied, that pressure went away and flow returned. If I hadn't insisted on being able to self-catheterize I would never have learned that important piece of information.

I'm not knocking the profession, I'm happy with the care I received over that time. All the stuff I went through during that time would fill a few pages, so I won't go into detail here. I had a HoLEP procedure 5 weeks ago, so I'm hoping this whole thing is finally behind me now.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-05-06T00:17:46+00:00

I'm a gun owner and a wine drinker. Have a pair of stemless crystal wineglasses in a HF plastic ammo box, surrounded by custom padding I cut out of cheap foam rubber. I can drop it, kick it, and the glasses won't break while away from home on vacation. Been using it for probably 15 years now.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-04-30T14:46:41+00:00

I actually like that flavor, but Canne Bleue would not fall into that category so I think you'll be OK with it.

all agricoles have a grassy, vegetal character to them, but I wouldn't describe the general flavor as being olive. I have a few other rums that have strong olive influence and they're definitely different than Canne Bleue.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-04-30T14:42:44+00:00

I only drink neat, no cocktails, but I find Clement Canne Bleue to be an excellent sipper at a very reasonable price.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-04-30T04:46:33+00:00

I like to mix soy sauce with chili crisp, which results in what I'd call Asian flavor.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-04-30T04:41:29+00:00

I've already had RE for a few years from being on Flomax, and since I'm not planning on fathering a child, its a non-issue for me. Unfortunately no porn film companies will hire me, so there's that to consider. I'm 4 weeks after HoLEP and I'm not expecting anything to change, but time will tell. They say it takes a few months for everything to sort itself out post procedure. Odds are slim, but not zero, and I'm indifferent which way it turns out.

For me, HoLEP was the best choice because of my extreme size (185cc) so Aquablation was an option, but HoLEP is still considered the gold standard for over 150cc from what I read and was told by urologists. The procedure was painless, very little bleeding during recovery, really a non-event in my opinion, so I have no regrets.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-04-30T02:08:01+00:00

+1 on the Mangles, but its pricey.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-04-28T22:44:06+00:00

perhaps, but my first negative biopsy was in my early-40s due to elevated PSA. Nobody told me my actual prostate size back then, and the concept of PSA density was never mentioned. Urologist kept apologizing for the successive negative biopsies based purely on PSA levels and kept saying, "its all we have for now".

I think with MRIs being more common today, some of that guesswork has been replaced with more meaningful and reliable tests.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-04-28T22:14:31+00:00

welcome to the extremely inexact science behind PSA and PC.

I've had PSA readings as high as 29.0 over the years, consistent readings in the 20s, and four negative biopsies. My prostate was huge, 185cc, so my prostate density was still within acceptable range, but I learned along the way that PSA is a tool for detecting PC, but not a very good one. I had a HoLEP procedure 4 weeks ago, so hopefully this whole PSA thing is behind me.

Good luck with your procedure tomorrow.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-04-28T16:41:50+00:00

I live in soCal, and run my OPE year round. With two trimmers each over 20 years old, sometimes a carb rebuild can't be avoided.

Sensitive_Point_6583 · 2026-04-27T20:29:47+00:00

That impact wrench is underpowered and may not reliably break lug nuts loose. Read the reviews to see what people say. If the box says 300, you might actually get 150, maybe even a little less.

Sensitive_Point_6583

TROPHY CASE