Hey there, viewers. It’s time to get into a subject nobody wants to tackle,
prostate cancer. Did you know that 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their
lifetime? The United States alone projects over 260,000 new cases this year alone.
Luckily, there are signs. Let’s talk about some of them today…
Does it burn when you pee? Are you losing control of your bladder?
Wait, is there blood in your urine? We’re talking all that AND more…
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You have blood in your urine.
When you go to the bathroom, do you ever get paranoid that you’re going to find blood in
the toilet? It’s a thought that’s gotta cross your mind every now and then, especially as
you get older. With prostate cancer, blood in your urine is one of the most common symptoms.
It doesn’t just catch you off guard, it makes your heart skip a beat.
Before going further, I think I first need to clear up exactly what a prostate
is. Located just in front of the rectum, the prostate is a small,
walnut-sized gland between the bladder and male genitalia. The urethra runs through
the center of the prostate, letting the urine flow through the bladder.
With prostate cancer, the bladder becomes enlarged. So large that it actually presses
up against the urethra. This causes bladder irritation and leads to bleeding. If you notice
blood in your urine, try not to panic. It’s easy to jump to conclusions in situations like this.
In some cases, blood in the urine could point to an infection in the bladder or kidney.
But, this doesn’t mean you should hesitate to see a doctor. You need to get to one ASAP.
If it is in fact prostate cancer, the blood could mean your cancer is at a more advanced stage.
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Leaky pee when you laugh or cough.
This description might sound humorous, but it’s anything but. Also known as urinary incontinence,
leaky pee can happen when there is stress placed on the bladder. While this is usually common with
people who’ve had prostate surgery, it can still be a symptom of prostate cancer pre-diagnosis.
All a person needs to do is laugh or cough for this to happen. Physical activity will
also cause leaky pee. You’ll be lifting a heavy box and randomly start urinating.
This can be both embarrassing and frustrating, but if you have no history of prostate cancer,
you need to be concerned. An enlarged prostate could be doing serious damage to your bladder.
You have to urinate sitting down.
If you’re experiencing extreme pain in your prostate region, it’s going to be hard to pee
standing up. The pain in your pelvis has become so overwhelming, standing is a task. As a result,
you’re going to feel like you have no choice but to sit on the toilet and do your business.
Unfortunately, this only eases the pain for a short amount of time.
As soon as you stand back up, the pain will continue. It’s best to talk to a doctor ASAP.
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Your bathroom trips have doubled.
Are you finding yourself rushing to the bathroom out of nowhere? We all have those moments, but
if you’re urinating more frequently than usual, you may need to get your prostate checked out.
Now frequent urination can be brought on by a lot of things. Before you jump to prostate cancer,
make sure you rule out the possibility of drinking a little too much fluid. Things like water and
caffeine are diuretics that can have your bladder draining out like a faucet. It’s normal to pee six
to eight times a day, so if you’re going more than that, you should probably cut back on the fluids.
If it is actually prostate cancer, you need to get it checked out as soon as you can.
Your prostate is putting massive pressure on your bladder, which is pushing the fluid out
quicker than it should. It’s the same reason you leak pee at random moments.
If you’re noticing that your urination rate has increased, pay attention to the time it’s
happening. For most people, the urgent trips to the bathroom will happen more and more at night.
If this is the case for you, we would recommend you go for a prostate rectal exam.
This way, you can find out if your prostate has become enlarged.
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There’s pain in your rectum.
Prostate cancer can cause rectal pain. Mind you, it’s more common after you’ve had surgery.
If you’re experiencing endless pain in your rectal area, it could be a sign of undiagnosed prostate
cancer. This is again due to your enlarged prostate pressing against your bladder and rectum.
Now rectal pain can be constant, but it gets really bad when you sit down.
Think about it, you have an enlarged prostate pressing up on the rectum on one end,
and now a seat cushion pressing up on the other.
Before you jump to prostate cancer, just keep in mind that rectal pain is caused by a few other
factors. You also need to consider hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids can cause unbearable pain on your
rectum. On top of that, things like inflammation, infection and trauma can also be behind this pain.
The odds of it being rectal cancer is actually kind of slim. At the same time,
if the pain doesn’t let up, you might want to see a specialist who can diagnose you.
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You’re having a hard time stopping your pee.
Let’s just say when you have prostate cancer, peeing is going to be a lot
harder than it used to be. Aside from all the extra trips to the toilet,
as well as blood in the urine, you may have difficulty stopping yourself from urinating.
Have you ever been mid-pee and had trouble stopping? Most of us can do it automatically,
but when you have prostate issues, you don’t have as much control.
While this is another side effect of prostate surgery,
it can very well happen before you even get diagnosed with cancer. Prostate cancer,
as well as its treatment, can damage all the nerves and muscles that help control our urine.
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You’re not peeing as much.
While prostate cancer can increase the amount of times you urinate,
it can actually work the opposite way as well.
Prostate problems can also stop you from peeing. This is known as urinary obstruction.
If you are able to pee, it will come out in small dribbles.
In the case that you’re actually unable to go at all, it’s a medical emergency.
Keep in mind that the state of your urethra is key in urinating.
If your prostate is pressing against the urethra, it’s going to cause blockage,
making it harder to pass urine. As a result, your pee may only be released in small amounts.
This could be one of the reason’s your bathroom visits double over the course of the day.
Your bladder is patiently trying to get all of that clogged up urine out of your system.
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There’s pain in your lower back, hips, pelvis or thighs.
Not all symptoms deal with urine and the rectum. Prostate cancer comes with extreme pain in the
bones. This pain is the most common in the pelvis area, lower back and upper thighs.
This happens when things get really bad.
If the pain is in the lower back, it could mean that the cancer has spread. This is known as
metastatic prostate cancer. When the cancer has metastasized and gone elsewhere in your body,
the survival rates generally drop. This is why it’s important to get treatment ASAP.
A study from 2013 showed that men with lower back pain had a higher
rate of prostate cancer than men without it.
If you’re experiencing this type of tension in the lower back, you’ll probably also have it in your
pelvic area. Have you ever heard of CPPS? This is short for a condition known as Chronic Pelvic Pain
Syndrome. Around 95% of men with inflammation in the prostate region experience CPPS.
These men usually suffer from this condition for up to three months.
It’s said that even after treatment, you may still experience symptoms.
On top of the lower back and pelvic region, you will also experience upper thigh discomfort.
This usually comes from deep within the bones and muscle tissues.
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There’s a smell of urine coming from your underwear.
If you have prostate cancer, don’t be surprised if you notice a really gross odor coming from
your underwear. It’s pee! It will usually come late at night after you undress yourself for bed.
If it’s particularly strong, you may even get a whiff during the day.
This odor is due to the urine leaks we were talking about earlier.
If this is happening to you, don’t panic. This is a pretty common symptom.
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You have a high PSA count.
You probably don’t know this, but all men have small levels of a specific antigen in their blood.
These are known as Prostate Specific Antigens, or PSA.
While a small level of these PSA is common, a large amount could point towards prostate cancer.
This is why it’s important to get a checkup if you’re concerned about your prostate health.
You see, there are two types of PSA, free and regular. Generally,
guys with high amounts of free PSA don't have prostate cancer.
It’s the regular ones you have to watch. Regular PSA’s are produced by malignant cancer cells.
When you go in for an exam, your doctor will give you a screening for PSA and figure out
what’s going on. This is done through a blood test. If you’re a man of 50,
PSA screenings are usually part of routine checkups.
Cancer is one of the scariest things a person can go through. It’s something
most of us worry about a lot. Let’s keep the conversation going with a couple
more cancer related videos, shall we? Here’s what you need to know…
Check out 12 Cancer Causing Foods You Should Not Eat.
Or how about 12 Signs Of Cancer Mostly Ignored By Women?
Go ahead, click one. Or better yet, watch both, and learn more about how to prevent cancer. Have
you or anyone you know ever experienced prostate cancer? Let us know in the comments below…