My symptoms developed over several years and they got to be so bad they could no longer be ignored.

I developed an increasing urgency to urinate. More and more, I felt like I *had to go* .... and it seemed like the 'warning time' got increasingly shorter.

The sense of never being completely *empty* after urination was uncomfortable and becoming an increasing part of my daily life. And the inability to even start to urinate, even when I knew that I had a full bladder, was totally frustrating. The worst of it all was the *8 month sleep depravation experiment* I had prior to my prostate (TURP) surgery. The feeling that I had to go to the bathroom woke me up every 90 minutes ... only to go to the toilet and 'dribble' .... never feeling completely empty.

These are the wonderful symptoms of the enlarging male prostate gland and the effect of that glands growth on the bladder.

After months of researching the internet and consulting with a specialist regarding which surgical procedure would be best for me, I decided to remedy my enlarged prostate problem with TURP surgery .... known as the 'Gold Standard' in the medical profession for this problem. The surgery went fine, but I was about to experience *5 Significant Side-Effects Prostate Surgery* for which I was totally unprepared. Remember, I researched this subject for almost a year on the internet and saw NONE of enlarged-prostate post surgery side-effects discussed anywhere!

I will share the first of these side effects in this article.

Side-Effect # 1 - *Severe Cramping*

An enlarged prostate is a very common condition for men over 50. Until I had TURP surgery for my enlarged prostate, I never thought much about my bladder. For me, it was a 'bag' inside my body that collected and stored urine until I was ready to relieve myself. (remember, I was a patient ... not a doctor, so I am writing this in plain English as a layman, not a medical professional.) After my TURP procedure, I quickly learned a great deal more about this part of my anatomy.

The bladder is a muscle ... not a bag. When you have an enlarged prostate, the prostate grows *gradually*, typically over a period of years. As the prostate tissue enlarges, it slowly squeezes the urethra (the tube connecting the bladder to your penis).
Like any pipe that gets squeezed and still has fluids pass through it ... it simply takes more *force* to move the fluid through that tube. This is the same physiology that creates high blood pressure. As the swelling prostate increases the pressure needed to empty the bladder, the bladder naturally *squeezes harder* to completely empty itself.

Since the bladder is a muscle ...... it gets *stronger* over time as it needs to continually increase the pressure it exerts to empty itself. Think of what happened to your muscles if you lifted weights when you were younger and you'll get the general idea.  Well, my bladder apparently got a lot stronger over the years.

The major types of treatments for an enlarged and swollen prostate basically:

1. *surgically remove* the tissue *inside* the urethra that is causing all of the problems related to your enlarged prostate.
This is what happens in any surgical procedure that involves *removing tissue* whether it is by a traditional TURP procedure or the more recently developed laser surgical methods ... or

2. *shrink* the enlarged prostate itself thus reducing the pressure on the urethra. This is the method that involves: (a) using microwave energy or heat radiation to *heat* an enlarged prostate and actually kill prostate cells ... thus reducing an enlarged prostate's size or (b) using a variety or natural herbs or prescription drugs to shrink the prostate and reduce or eliminate associated symptoms.

I will deal with surgical removal since that is method I decided to use. So, when the tissue is removed (from the prostate that squeezing the urethra) ... the *pressure* is also removed ... and with TURP surgery, that pressure is removed all at once!!!!

You are probably getting the idea where this is going.

After surgery, the bladder continues to *squeeeeeeeeze* as though the resistance was still there ...... even though it is not. That force of the bladder continued squeezing against a blockage that is no longer there causes painful cramping.

The human body is a remarkable creation and can adjust to new circumstances affecting it --- but that takes some time. In the same way that the enlarged prostate caused an increase of the force necessary to relieve yourself, the removal of the tissues causing an enlarged prostate will decrease the pressure necessary to empty your bladder.

In my case, the cramping gradually disappears as the bladder returns to a normal state .... this process took about 3 weeks for the cramping to become mild and 6 weeks to disappear completely.
If I had known to expect this cramping when my enlarged prostate was operated upon ... I would not have been so surprised when it happened.

Let me say that even with the cramping, ifI had to decide all over again, I would still have the TURP surgery for my enlarged prostate.

Visit http://www.enlarged-prostate-facts.com  to discover the remaining four (4) significant side effects and why men should not be afraid of this procedure.