Practical advice
Advice from the urologist
Short, specific answers to the questions patients ask most often – before, during and after the consultation.
Advice by topic
10 symptoms that mean you should see a urologist
Ten complaints that should not be put off – from blood in the urine to a lump in the testicle – with clear guidance on which are urgent, which can wait a few days and which can be planned calmly.
Read more Check-ups and preventionHow to prepare for a urology appointment
What to bring, how to describe your symptoms, why your bladder needs to be full for the ultrasound and what actually happens in Dr Penev's consulting room.
Read more Check-ups and preventionPreventive urology check-up after 40: what it involves and how often
When prostate and kidney screening starts, what the check-up with Dr Penev involves, how often to repeat it and which symptoms should not be put off.
Read more Stones and kidneysAfter kidney stone surgery: the JJ stent and what to expect
What a JJ stent is, which symptoms are expected after ureteroscopy or stone breaking, how to recover faster, and when stent removal and a follow-up check are essential.
Read more Stones and kidneysDiet and fluids with kidney stones
Practical rules on fluids, salt, meat, calcium and oxalates depending on the type of stone, why beer is not a treatment and why analysing the stone is decisive.
Read more Stones and kidneysRenal colic: what to do and what not to do
Step by step: what relieves renal colic at home, which mistakes make it worse and which warning signs mean you should seek emergency help without waiting.
Read more Prostate and urinationLiving with a urinary catheter: practical tips
How to look after your urinary catheter and drainage bag, what to drink, how to sleep and move about, and which signs mean an infection or a blockage and need a doctor.
Read more Prostate and urinationNight-time urination: practical tips for better sleep
What you can change yourself – evening fluids, caffeine and alcohol, salt, raising your legs in the afternoon, a bladder diary – and when night-time urination is a sign of a prostate, heart or diabetes problem.
Read more Prostate and urinationProstate myths and facts
Nine of the most widespread misconceptions about the prostate – from 'an enlarged prostate is cancer' to 'surgery puts an end to your sex life' – and what medicine actually says about each of them.
Read more InfectionsHow to prevent urinary tract infections
Measures against recurrent cystitis, honestly ranked by the evidence – from fluids and everyday habits to the preventive treatment plans prescribed by a urologist.
Read more Men's healthErections as a barometer of your health
Erection problems are often the first visible sign of damage to the blood vessels. What they mean, what the urologist checks and why the conversation is worth having.
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