Wealthy New Yorkers Get Bladder Surgery And Special Botox So They Can't Go To The Toilet On Their Way To The Hamptons

Traffic jams on the way to the Hamptons have become so dense that some wealthy New Yorkers are rushing to the doctor for help. They go for a medical procedure to avoid the frequent desire to pee on the road, reports Yahoo News.

Unbearable summer traffic jams on the way to and from their second homes have led to the fact that many of the richest people in the city have worsened bladder problems. The reason was that there was no place to stop on a remote highway during a many-hour trip.

To combat the "Hampton Bladder", wealthy New Yorkers are willing to undergo a specialized medical procedure. Prostate artery embolization (PAE) reduces the size of the prostate in men. And bladder botox reduces the frequency of urination in women.

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“Many people have problems with this issue. On the way to the Hamptons, they have to stop four or five times on the way, but they can't find a toilet,” said Dr. David Shusterman. This urologist from New York advertises these procedures under the slogan "Rush to the Hamptons, not to the toilet."

Shusterman said there was a 20% spike in the number of patients seeking PAE procedures this spring. “I won't see them until about May. Then May comes and they start to come more actively,” he said. When they are driving in a car with a bunch of people, it is embarrassing for them to look for a toilet every hour.

He said that he has been doing about 10 PAE treatments a week for the past few months. A bladder botox once or twice a week.

Shusterman said patients told him about fights with friends in the car. People need to go to the toilet, but the driver will not be able to find a place where he would be there. “Thousands of people are probably suffering every week because of this,” he said.

Shusterman said that about half of men in their 50s and 60s have an enlarged prostate. And this causes more frequent trips to the toilet.

The hour-long PAE procedure stops blood from entering the prostate, reducing its size. Recovery is usually quick and relatively painless, Shusterman said. Patients return home the same day and the risk of sexual side effects or urinary incontinence is very low.

While the procedure may be covered by Medicare and insurance, Shusterman said some patients without insurance are shelling out $20.000 out of pocket.

Meanwhile, women struggling with frequent urges on the road turn to Schusterman for bladder botox. Shusterman puts patients to sleep in a manner similar to endoscopy. Then he inserts a small sight through the urethra and uses a special needle to inject the drug. “The effect lasts for six months, so you're covered for the entire summer,” Shusterman said.

He said he gave injections to women of all ages, from 20 to 80 years old. The procedure is usually covered by insurance, but can cost several thousand dollars if paid out of pocket.

One 60-year-old man who underwent PAE this spring said he was overjoyed. He's happy to be rid of the need to schedule stops before the long drive to his home in the Hamptons. “Due to the pandemic, much of New York City has moved into homes in the Hamptons,” he explained. “They moved and that caused a lot of traffic.”

While elective surgery just to avoid travel problems may seem like overkill, PAE has a relatively low risk compared to alternatives.

According to Dr. Vikram Rajpurohit, an interventional radiologist at New York University, oral medications are usually the first treatment for an enlarged prostate. But they have side effects that many patients would rather avoid. This is both a decrease in libido and low blood pressure.

“Of course, I would not recommend PAE to patients whose symptoms do not significantly affect their lives. Or those who have not tried oral medications,” Rastinehad said.

Schusterman also has advice for long car rides this summer. Gotta stay away from Hampton rosé.

“Alcohol is really bad. It has a direct irritant effect on the bladder,” he said. - Drink plain water. You don't want to be stuck on the road with nowhere to go to the toilet.”