Sept
13th 2005
Us
-Too! Brampton General Meeting
Dr. Stanley Flax
spoke on
"Male Urinary Incontinence"
Our seasons opening was off to a great start with an excellent
presentation on
'Male Urinary Incontinence' by Dr. Stanley Flax. The talk was matched by
an
equally impressive turnout - as the picture below testifies the TMC hall
was
packed to near capacity with a crowd of over 80 members, wives and guests!
Dr. Flax
captured our members attention by his graphical pictures and explanations
put across with gentle humor. In a nut shell, his talk detailed many of
the causes and
remedial measures ranging from conservative to surgical to counteract
incontinence
following various main stream treatments for prostate cancer.
Dr. Flax covered numerous surgically correctable problems and offered
information
and advise related to incontinence following Radical Prostatectomy,
Brachytherapy,
Radiation etc.
Amongst the conservative treatments he discussed the positive benefits of
life style
interventions such as reduction in body weight, reducing alcohol and
caffeine intake,
quitting smoking and also the benefits of behavioral therapy such as
bladder training
and pelvic floor muscle training. For mild incontinence he discussed the
use of a variety
of Drugs and the application of Peri-Urethral Injections and how they
worked.
He expanded on the workings of Urethral slings for mild to moderate cases.
The last part of his talk dealt with the treatment of moderate to severe
urinary incontinence
by the use of surgically implanted devices such as an Artificial Urinary
Sphincter.
Numerous study data was included at various stages of the talk showing the
results and
success rates for the presented treatments.
Dr. Flax
summarized his talk with this hopeful message: 'While Incontinence posed a
major Quality
of Life issue there was appropriate level of help and treatment available
depending on whether
it was mild, moderate or severe. Conservative and Surgical procedures were
effective and safe
and complications relatively uncommon'
The talk
connected well with the audience as evident by the significant member
participation in the Questions and Answer session. Members openly shared
their
experiences and concerns as they received advise from Dr. Flax.
Some of our newest members are young and fit men in their mid forties.
Amongst other
advise, in response to certain queries, Dr. Flax cautioned, that while
being younger and
fitter meant quicker and easier recovery the difficulty for such patients
lay in
becoming 'overactive' too soon after surgery. 'Kegels' were recommended
before the
surgery but were to be avoided immediately after while the catheter was in
place.
While gradually regaining activity it was essential to allow adequate rest
for
sound healing to reduce any risks of developing leaks.
The entire session showed 'support-group-therapy' at its best!
Audio
CDs are expected at the Brampton Library shelves by late October
05.
Announcements were also made at this event regarding the
upcoming Free PSA clinic
being held at the 'Shoppers World' in Brampton on
Saturday the 17th Sept.
Thanks to all members and a
special note of thanks to
Dr. Stanley Flax for a very informative evening.
AUDIO & SLIDES DOWNLOADS
AUDIO:
'Male Urinary Incontinence'
SLIDES:
'Male
Urinary Incomntinence'