Apologies if this is boring and long winded. Bit of a background, have a few health issues including Type two 2 diabetes where my sugars are a bit high at the moment, BP and cholesterol under control with meds and a handful of minor ailments. I also have a sensitive bladder of which I have had many investigations over the years. Recently it got worse with passing a very high volume of urine, around 4000ml per day but no issues actually going to the bathroom, no flow difference etc.
My sensitive bladder symptoms were always little but often, so normal output but going too many times. I put the recent extra volume down to the fact that my diabetes nurse placed me on dapagliflozin which secretes sugar from the kidneys through urine, thus making you go more. In my case it also makes me very thirsty so more input = more output. This has improved a tad in last few weeks where the nurse also has now put me on gliclazide and lowered the dapagliflozin dose. Now I am less thirsty, peeing less and not getting up as much in the night! I was referred to a urologist (again) in 2022 and had a phone call appt this week (2 years later!) and he places much of this down to my diabetes, although I have had this bladder issue for about 30 years. Anyway, we decided to speak again in August after my next diabetes test.
Amongst all this about two weeks ago I had a couple of days where my side was quite sensitive as my shirts brushed against it. Two nights later in the middle of the night I awoke with terrible stabbing pains in my side, in the gap between my hips and ribs, around near the kidneys. It was agony so called 111 in the morning and they booked a GP appt for the Monday. To start with he thought that I may have shingles, but no rash appeared at all, and none has showed up two weeks later. I was worried it was the diabetes drugs and kidneys, so he booked me for an ultrasound scan of my kidneys and bladder. Had a cancellation so had this quite quickly and they said at the scan all showed as normal.
Booked a Physio appt because I have some pain on heavy touch lower back on right side but not left. Physio couldn’t find anything obvious although I had a trapped nerve last year that was causing shooting pain in my left thigh. In the meantime, my GP had prescribed me some Buscopan and I had started sleeping on my back and the pain is a lot better, I can feel it from time to time, especially if I try and sleep on my right hand side but it’s a lot better than it was, hardly noticeable. All good I thought.
Received a call today from the surgery saying my scan had come back and stated “- due to urinary frequency and right flank pains - bulky prostate, post micturition bladder residual volume of 21 mls.” And due to this “bulky prostate” they want me to go in and have blood tests and a PSA test. I did have Prostatitis a few years back now when I had to sit on a rubber ring for a week but not had any issues since. Over the last year I have had three issues with brief blood on toilet paper, each several months apart but FIT test was always negative, blood tests always ok and digital examination found nothing wrong.
Last time back on 3d April I had a DRE and the comments were “ abdo soft, nontender, no masses, DRE NAD” which I assume means nothing abnormal discovered. Previous DRE in December again due to blood on paper it said “DRE - nad, no masses felt, smooth slightly large prostate with normal sulcus, no blood on finger”.
My previous PSA results have been –
28 Dec 2023 1.83
23 Mar 2022 1.77
25 Sep 2020 1.92
6 Aug 2019 2.25
14 Dec 2017 1.61
27 Jun 2017 1.90
9 Jun 2017 2.05
Blood tests are not marked as urgent but as I am going abroad for two weeks this weekend my mind is going to be in overdrive. Can slightly large to the GP be classed as bulky to the scanner?!
Sorry for the droning on.