When Racing to the Bathroom Can Signal a Larger Problem

Corey Blassingame, 52, of Blandon, Penn., isn’t shy. When he finds something that he’s passionate about, the musician wants to tell the world. The importance of men’s health recently took Corey to the Pocono Raceway NASCAR event on behalf of sponsor Teleflex. There he shared his story about benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as enlarged prostate.

Corey’s personal BPH health issues began a decade ago when he started waking up in the night to go to the bathroom. Over time, the urge to go to the bathroom became more frequent and unpredictable. He found himself limiting his work because he had trouble making it through concerts that lasted 2-3 hours. Client meetings became nerve-racking. 

His wife encouraged Corey to seek out treatment options for his urinary symptoms. His diagnosis? BPH. BPH is a condition in which the prostate enlarges as men get older. BPH is a common condition that leads more than 14 million men in the U.S. to seek treatment every year.¹ Over 40% of men in their 50s and over 70% of men in their 60s have BPH.² 

While BPH is a benign condition and unrelated to prostate cancer, it can greatly affect a man’s quality of life.³ As the prostate enlarges, it can press on and even block the urethra, causing bothersome urinary symptoms including:

• Frequent need to urinate both day and night
• Weak or slow urinary stream
• A sense that you cannot completely empty your bladder
• Difficulty or delay in starting urination
• Urgent feeling of needing to urinate
• A urinary stream that stops and starts

Corey and his urologist discussed a variety of treatment options, which included medication and various surgical options. Like many men, he started on medication but didn’t feel like it worked well, and he didn’t like the side  effects. Yet he also didn’t want to have invasive surgery. After consulting with his physician, Corey ultimately decided to go with a minimally invasive treatment option called the UroLift^® System. 

“I suffered from BPH for nine years and within a few days, my symptoms were improving. I no longer made frequent trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and I was able to watch a movie in the theater all the way to the end,” Corey said. He also noted that date nights with his wife were back on now that they weren’t interrupted by bathroom trips.

Corey was pleased with his experience, which led him to join the UroLift^® Patient Ambassador program to share his BPH experience with men who might be experiencing similar symptoms.*

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to put their routine health screenings on the back burner: an estimated 40% of U.S. adults delayed or avoided medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic.⁴ To help raise awareness of the importance of getting checked for BPH, Teleflex, the makers of the UroLift^® System, sponsored a booth at the NASCAR race at the Pocono Raceway in July. 

Once unable to travel long distances, Corey jumped at the chance to share his BPH story with NASCAR fans as a UroLift^® Patient Ambassador. “Men shouldn’t be embarrassed to talk about this common problem,” Corey added. “I’m proof that there is help available and that it’s important to talk honestly and openly with your doctor.”