Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/219270
2B Daily News – Friday, November 29, 2013 FEATURES Enlarged prostate doesn't always cause symptoms bladder, and damDEAR DOCage to the nerves TOR K: I have leading to the BPH. Can you bladder from variexplain how an ous conditions enlarged prostate (including diacauses troublebetes). some urinary Before making symptoms? a diagnosis of DEAR READER: Around the Dr. K BPH, the doctor should do a rectal time of a man's by Anthony L. 25th birthday, his Komaroff, M.D. examination of a patient's prostate. prostate gland begins to grow. This nat- In addition, the doctor ural enlargement is called usually orders a test of benign prostatic hyperpla- chemicals and cells in the sia (BPH). It is the most urine (a urinalysis), kidcommon cause of prostate ney function tests (BUN enlargement. If a man and creatinine) and a PSA lives long enough, he will test (to look for signs of almost certainly experi- prostate cancer). As the prostate enlarges, ence some degree of BPH. Most men with BPH it starts to press against the never develop any symp- urethra and the bladder. It's toms, but for those who like a foot stepping on a do, BPH can make life garden hose or fingers miserable. Interestingly, pinching a soda straw. (I've the size of the prostate put an illustration of this on does not always predict my website, AskDocsymptoms. Some men torK.com.) This gradually with large glands never obstructs the flow of urine, have symptoms, while forcing the bladder to work others with small glands harder to push urine through the urethra. do. But straining to urinate, The most common unavoidable, symptoms of BPH involve although changes or problems with only makes matters worse. urination. You may feel as This extra work makes the though you have to urinate bladder wall thicker, immediately, yet have to reducing the amount of strain to do so. You may urine the bladder can hold. have a weak urinary And it causes the bladder stream or one that stops to contract even when it and starts. You may drib- contains only small ble after urinating or feel amounts of urine, leading as if you're not emptying to more frequent urinayour bladder completely. tion. Eventually, the bladAnd you may feel the der becomes so thick that need to urinate frequently, it loses its elasticity and causing many awakenings can no longer empty itself. If your symptoms are during the night. The symptoms of BPH starting to interfere with typically start slowly and your lifestyle, see your fitfully and creep up on doctor. These days, there you over time. If you have are several medications never had the slightest for BPH. If one doesn't do suggestion of these symp- the trick, your doctor can toms, and suddenly for the prescribe another. And last day or two you have surgical treatments, if had these symptoms, it's needed, are more effective probably not BPH. You and have fewer side may have a urinary infec- effects than ever before. tion, particularly if it Dr. Komaroff is a burns when you urinate. physician and professor Other conditions Harvard Medical besides a urinary infection at To send can sometimes cause sim- School. go to ilar symptoms to BPH. questions, or That includes cancer of AskDoctorK.com, the bladder and of the write: Ask Doctor K, 10 prostate gland. It also Shattuck St., Second includes stones in the Floor, Boston, MA 02115. Retired teachers to meet The December meeting of the California Retired Teachers Association, Mt. Lassen, Div. 9 will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 9 at the Tehama County Department of Education, 1135 Lincoln St. in Red Bluff, in the Oak Room. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. with the meeting starting at 11 a.m. The annual Christmas program will be the Christmas choir from Red Bluff Union High School, under the direction of Diane Hassey. The choir will be dressed in Victorian attire. Los Gordos Taqueria will provide a tostada bar for lunch at $13, which adds to the celebration. Please bring an unwrapped toy for children. For more information, call Tom Moisey at 527-6138. Friend is bragging, but at my expense know that you remember Dear Annie: I'm 16 things a little differently, and have been best while holding your head friends with ''Cindi'' up and not letting it get to since second grade. Last you. But mostly, we hope weekend, my parents you realize how very forattended a party and tunate the two of you are allowed Cindi to stay to have escaped this robovernight. Two people bery unharmed. broke into the house to Annie's Dear Annie: A fairly rob it. new friend and I just They tied up and returned from lunch, after gagged Cindi and then forced me to take them by Kathy Mitchell which I realized that a from room to room and Marcy Sugar rather frequent problem has happened yet again. putting things in a sack. Before leaving, they tied and I've read your column for years gagged me, too, leaving both of and know that people write to get us face down on the floor. Over help dealing with family and the next few hours, we struggled friends. This time, the problem is and then tried to talk and even me! When I'm with others, I chatstarted giggling, but mostly, we just waited for my parents to ter. I tell overly detailed stories. I even strike up conversations with come home and call the police. Naturally, we've been the people around me in lines and ''stars'' at school since then, but I with store clerks. It's like I must discovered that Cindi is telling become their friend for the duraher own version of what hap- tion. Sometimes before meeting pened. She says I was weepy and with people, I tell myself that I panicky. This really upsets me. I will make an effort to control my don't want Cindi to portray me as chatter, but when I am having a weakling to our friends. We fun, I forget. I really admire people who spent five hours on the floor together, but except for a few draw out conversation from othsobs, I thought we handled it ers by asking pertinent questions, well. So how do I handle Cindi? and I, too, want to be a person who asks and listens. Do you — Bound, Gagged and Furious Dear Bound: Cindi does this have any clues for reining myself because she wants to make her- in? — Chatty Cathy Dear Chatty: The fact that self look good. The fact that she does it at your expense is damag- you notice your chatter and wish ing the friendship, and you to stop is a good sign, although should say so and ask her to stop. you may be a little hard on yourYou also can let your friends self. Try counting to 10 when Mailbox someone starts speaking. Listen to what they are saying. Imagine that it is a fascinating subject, and try to formulate a question or comment that allows them to expand on the topic. You don't have to do it every time, but even once or twice during a conversation will help you slow down and focus on the other person. Dear Annie: The letter from ''New York'' described dumpster diving for food. My husband is an experienced ''dumpster diver,'' although he doesn't look for edible items. We live in a small college town. Annie, you would not believe what students throw into dumpsters when they go home for the summer or move into their own apartments. My husband has found brand-new appliances, clothes, and unopened cake mixes, cereal, spices and canned meats. It's astonishing. We have found microwave ovens, computers, video games, patio furniture, linens — you name it. When we were both out of work, this was a lifesaver to us. We are in a better financial situation now, but I remember those days fondly. — Mel in Michigan Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Ounce of prevention cheaper than pound of cure If the terms Snowden, NSA and "top secret information" ring a bell, it's possible that you follow the national news and understand the issues of privacy -- both national and personal. I can't do much about the monitoring efforts. But if someone actually makes a move to steal my identity to do me harm? I can do something about that. And I would much rather choose prevention than face the daunting task of repair. How can I prevent someone grabbing my Social Security number, using it to open a creditcard account and running that baby to the moon -- before I know what's happening? How can I prevent someone from financing a car in my name, using my identity -- then crashing it and causing all kinds of damage and personal liability for me, before I can even figure out what on earth happened? I can't. I wish I could, but don't have the resources, network or ability to track and monitor my personal identifying information to stop someone from stealing it. No individual does. That would be logistically impossible. Let me tell you about Max, one of my staffers. Back when Max was 17, he got a tax refund from the IRS. What made that shocking is that Max didn't have a job and hadn't filed a tax return. He was an unemployed minor. An innocent teen. His dad and accountant were able to figure out that someone had stolen and using children's Social SecuMax's Social Security num- rity numbers; the way these thugs ber, and used it to get a can so easily hack into bank job. Of course, they report- accounts and clean them out ed this to the IRS and before anyone is the wiser. I hope that your Social Social Security Security number and Administration your kids' too, have not and returned the been stolen. Sadly, I don't check. But that waseven have that assurance n't the end of it. Over for myself. But I can the coming decade, promise you that I don't hundreds of people worry about it because I have used Max's identihave had LifeLock Ultity to gain employment. mate protection for nearCrazy, isn't it? And the ly ten years. I love the SS Admin cannot and service and find it to be will not do a thing Mary one of my most reasonabout this. able forms of insurance. Not long ago, Max LifeLock Ultimate is got a call from Lifenot a free service. There Lock, the company he is an annual premium for uses to monitor his this protection. And I identity. Seems that find it to be money well one of the hundreds of spent. people using his SS Whether you opt for LifeLock number attempted to open a credit-card account. Wham! Life- or some other identity theft proLock's Identity Guard and Trust- tection, make sure you're getting ed ID flew into action. Max preventive service, not simply a picked up the phone only to learn company that reports back to you that LifeLock was on the other once the deed is done. Use this end and that the bank that was link to get a nice discount that about to issue that credit card! LifeLock is offering to our EC The LifeLock customer rep family. explained the situation and then Mary Hunt is the founder of stayed on the line for nearly 20 minutes while Max spoke with www.DebtProofLiving.com and the bank, detailing and giving the author of 23 books, including her information they needed to stop 2012 release, "7 Money Rules for the theft and also nail the perpe- Life." You can email her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, trator. I could go on and on about the or write to Everyday Cheapskate, horrors of identity theft -- the P.O. Box 2099, Cypress, CA way that thieves are now stealing 90630. Hunt Everyday Cheapskate Paskenta: Nomlaqa Boda The Tehama County Arts Council presents a special screening of the documentary Paskenta: Nomlaqa Boda on Monday, Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Red Bluff High School Performing Arts Center. Paskenta: Nomlaqa Boda is a story of identity, struggle and resilience as the Nomlaki face down the U.S. Congress to successfully reclaim their history, restore their sovereignty, and revitalize the culture of a displaced tribe, building a powerful vision for the future. This film of local significance is presented as part of the Tehama Big Read, a program of the National Endowment of the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. Admission is free. CARE TO COMMENT? At redbluffdailynews.com, scroll to the end of any story, click the link and type away.