Posted on 06/29/2022 6:08:51 AM PDT by grundle
* A New York City urologist has seen more patients demanding a procedure that eases the need to pee.
* NYC's wealthiest are hoping to eliminate the need to go during the long drive to their summer homes.
* Some are getting "bladder Botox" to avoid conflict over "Hamptons bladder" in the car.
Traffic en route to the Hamptons has gotten so bad that it's sending some well-heeled New Yorkers streaming to the doctor for a medical procedure, so they won't have the urge to pee so often on the road.
Crawling through increasingly insufferable summer traffic to and from their second homes, some 100 miles away, has left many of the city's wealthiest — especially those on the older side — with increased bladder issues, as there's nowhere to stop along the remote highway during the multi-hour trip.
To combat "Hamptons bladder," New Yorkers who summer in the exclusive Long Island enclave are seeking a pair of specialized medical procedures: prostate artery embolization (PAE), which reduces the size of the prostate in men, and "bladder Botox," which decreases urinary frequency for women.
"A lot of people have problems with this issue. They come out to the Hamptons and have to stop four or five times on the way, but can't find a restroom," said Dr. David Shusterman, a New York City urologist who's been advertising the procedures with the tagline "Race to the Hamptons, not to the bathroom."
Shusterman said he's seen a 20 percent spike in patients seeking PAE procedures this spring. "I don't see them until around May. Then all of a sudden, May comes and they care more," he said. "When they're in a car with a bunch of people, they're embarrassed because they have to go to the bathroom every hour."
He said he's been performing roughly 10 PAE procedures a week for the past few months, along with bladder Botox once or twice a week.
Shusterman said patients have told him about clashes in the car with friends when they needed to get off the road and find a restroom, to no avail. "Thousands of people are probably fighting about this every week," he said.
The doctor himself can relate. "I can't tell you how many arguments I personally get into — I've lost three friends because I'm the driver and refuse to stop for them," said Shusterman. "There's just no place to stop."
Shusterman said about half of men between age 50 and 60 have an enlarged prostate, which causes more frequent and urgent trips to the bathroom.
The hourlong PAE procedure, performed alongside an interventional radiologist, stops blood from getting to the prostate, shrinking its size. The recovery is typically quick and relatively painless, Shusterman said, with patients going home the same day and a very low risk of sexual side effects or urinary incontinence.
While the procedure can be covered by Medicare and insurance, Shusterman said some patients without coverage will shell out the $20,000 price tag out of pocket.
Meanwhile, women fighting frequent urges on the road are turning to Shusterman for "bladder Botox," which is exactly what it sounds like. Shusterman sedates patients in a manner similar to an endoscopy, then inserts a small scope through the urethra and uses a special needle to inject the drug. The effects last for six months, so "you're covered for the entire summer," Shusterman said.
He said he's injected women of all ages, from their 20s through their 80s. The procedure is normally covered by insurance, but can cost a few thousand dollars if paid out of pocket.
One 60-year-old who got the PAE procedure this spring said he's been overjoyed to obviate the need to plan rest stops in advance of the hours-long trip to his Hamptons house, which has gotten worse in recent years. "With the pandemic, most of New York just moved out to their Hamptons house," he explained. "They relocated and it's caused a lot of traffic."
Before the procedure, "it could be four hours stuck in traffic and there are no rest stops. I had to pull off an exit and find a bathroom," the man said. After receiving PAE, "there's no dread now. I'm like a kid," he said.
While getting elective surgery just to avoid conflict on a road trip might sound over-the-top, PAE is relatively low-risk compared to the alternatives, said Dr. Art Rastinehad, an interventional urologist in NYC who performs the procedure.
Oral medications are usually the first course of action for an enlarged prostate, said Dr. Vikram Rajpurohit, an interventional radiologist at NYU who performs PAE procedures. But "they do have side effects which many patients would rather avoid," Rajpurohit said, including decreased libido and low blood pressure.
"Certainly I would not recommend PAE on a patient whose symptoms are not affecting their life significantly or to those who have not tried oral medications," Rastinehad said. "But when hearing about their interrupted drives to the Hamptons, I find that issue is usually only the tip of the iceberg."
For those who aren't at the point of seeking a medical procedure, Shusterman has some advice for preventing conflict during long car rides this summer: stay away from that Hamptons rosé.
"Alcohol is really bad — it has a direct irritation effect on the bladder," he said. "Drink plain water. Hydrate, but don't overhydrate. You don't want to be stuck on the road with nowhere to go."
They would probably spend less money if they pooled their wealth and bought some rest stops along the way. And perhaps avoid some undesirable post-surgery permanent damage.
Had to watch this clip. Very funny!
Might have kept Rudy out of trouble going to use the ShopRite facilities!
100 miles is two slow-driving hours in Florida. Maybe they shouldn’t drink a lot before they leave home. And start out when traffic is scarce. My father liked to leave before dawn when we went on our vacations. Granted, the destination wasn’t the Hamptons, but it was usually at least 6 hours away. He would’ve left at 3 am if he could’ve gotten the rest of us motivated that early. At best, I think we left between 4 and 5 am.
Depends
It’s not a long drive, but so many of these lemmings do it every weekend, all summer, that the Southern State Parkway becomes a parking lot for hours at a time. My boss used to fly (be flown) in a seaplane taking off in the East River at Turtle Bay.
They make pee bottle for men and women. It ain’t rocket purgery. ;)
Grampa
In the back seat.
#2
With most older people (I identify as such), the urge to pee is often accompanied by the “other” urge.
“That used to be an issue with me before I went to a urologist and started taking prostate medications”
I had the roto-rooter surgery down there and had to temporarily use a catheter and bag around ankle. Actually that’s an easy thing to do and no one knows your situation.
Not that I’ve been roto-rooted, I also can go for hours without needing to pee.
I don’t believe this story
It’s Long Island, there’s an exit every 1/2 mile, maybe two miles at most and everyone has gas stations, McDonalds, Mini-Malls etc.
If not, forget surgery when an empty Gatoraide Bottle will do
Porta Potties alongside the EV charging stations.
Foley catheter vending machines at toll booths...with insertion and removal instructions.
Diaper sales by the side of the road?
Wow. I think I would forego that trip.
Are there no bushes alongside the road?
Oh, the suffering!!! And the risk!!! The moment you edge onto the exit ramp, the strains of dueling banjos can be heard through the windows of the car, and gap toothed locals in overalls and hunting caps can be spotted in the nearest patch of scrub. If there's no safe way to get from one's upper west side brownstone to the getaway mansion in the Hamptons ... well, investing in a yacht might be an alternative, or just dispense with the Hamptons and fly private to Malibu or Paris for those getaway weekends.
I've never had an urgent need to pee on my way to a Hamptons mansion, but I've driven through West Virginia more times than I can count. I'm a tough enough traveler to handle that. It's not until you get into eastern Kentucky that you really have to worry. But maybe Long Island is worse.
How about your own RV to travel in.
Having her own toliet to use has been the go to thing for Barbara Streisand
Turbulence ÷ (aim point x diameter) 》Gatorade bottle.
Timber surveys from the air = required accessory.
Seriously, in a car with three other people?
They would have to be some close friends because even my family would give me the evil eye. Especially my family.
While it seems nasty, remember urine is sterile, and far cleaner than the surface of anyone’s body in the shower.
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