POST-VOID DRIBBLING

"No matter how much you shake and dance, the last two drops get on your pants."

For many years when I sit down, or twist my body in a certain direction after going to the loo, some urine dribbles out. When I talked to my general medical practitioner (GP) about this, he shafted his gloved finger up my rectum (ouch!) and confirmed my prostate was not enlarged and would not have impinged on my urethra.

When I had an X-ray examination for urinary stones, I spoke to the urologist about the leakage problem. He pretended he did not hear me or he was indeed hard of hearing.

I tried Kegel’s exercise to strengthen my pelvic floor muscles, dosed myself with pumpkin seed and Saw palmetto extracts and took lots of tomato for its lycopene as a precautionary measure. Still the plumbing problem persisted. So I resorted to stuffing my undie with toilet paper and continue to do so using up rolls and rolls of the tissue until I met up recently with my elder brother, Kay Teong, who is practising medicine in Perth,WA. Over cups of coffee at the LoQuay Café by the Canning River while tucking into the great Aussie breakfast of bacon, eggs and sausages, our conversation naturally shifted to talking about sausages that eventually led to my ‘dribbling’ confession.

Big Bro advised me to simply “milk” out the trapped urine.

OK-lah, he actually provided more details than that.

Post-void dribble, or after-dribble in Strine, occurs in men when the urethra (the tube which carries urine from the bladder to the penis) is not completely emptied and escapes out of the tip of the penis, a few minutes after voiding.

This is not to be confused with terminal dribbling when it is difficult to shut off the stream immediately after passing urine - usually a sign of prostatic obstruction.

Post-void dribble occurs when the muscles surrounding the urethra do not contract properly, which in turn prevents the bladder from fully emptying.

Here’s how you can “milk” out the trapped urine.

After you finish urinating, reach down below your scrotum and push softly with one or two fingers the path from your rectum to the scrotum to encourage the flow of urine along and down the urethra.

An additional tip is to make sure that you pull down your undie properly to fully expose your penis and scrotum when you pee. The elastic from your undie will apply some pressure behind the scrotum and help straighten the urethra.

Image downloaded from the website of The Prostate Cancer Charity, UK

Most men have mild post-void drips, hence the oft-quoted, "No matter how much you shake and dance, the last two drops get on your pants."

But frequent, excess leakage after urination is not normal and you should seek professional help.

This is where I was momentarily lost in thought about the other tell-tale signs, that I had been cautioned many times before, of serious plumbing problems that warrants professional intervention:

• difficulty initiating the flow of urine
• having to strain to empty your bladder
• a slow urine stream when emptying your bladder
• feeling the need to urgently empty your bladder
• burning, discomfort or pain when emptying your bladder
• blood-stained urine
• having to get up several times overnight to empty your bladder, and

Then, as if to test myself, I felt the urge to go to the gents. When I came back Big Bro asked if I had “milked” it. I had to confess I just could not do it while standing next to a giant of an Aussie at the public urinal.

Anyway I tried it in a less intimidating environment and, wow, it worked!

So, it’s goodbye stuffed undies. But a piece of tissue is still useful to tidy up after the job*.

* This reminds me about the purported comforts in the ladies restrooms where you can get not only Warm Water, Warm Air, Powder Puff for your you-know-what but also an ATR. Just what the hell is an ATR? CLICK HERE for details :)