As I have mentioned in posts elsewhere on this forum, I am considering treatment for my retention and severe nocturia issues and have to make a decision soon - up last night at 4 am with little sleep after - multiple trips to the bathroom. Just can't take this anymore. A bipolar TURP is one option that is available to me and covered by my insurance (Kaiser) and can be done at the local Kaiser hospital, two miles from my house. My other option is a second PAE, or Greenlight. Urolift wouldn't work due to median lobe. So, on this forum there are two schools of thought about the bipolar TURP. The first is that it's a dangerous and terrible thing to do, and the second is that it works with excellent results, and the post operation effects are minimal. The negative comments seem to be coming from men who have not had this done, and the positive comments are coming from men who have actually had the operation. Just wanted to point this out as I was reading more TURP comments this morning.... Tom
Beware of Green Light. As bad as TURP. I had it done. Suffered for 8 months after, then retention 3 years later for another 8 months caused by an auto accident, then recovered but not fully.
Good afternoon
It is up to you what ever you have, A bipolar Turp is a little better than a regular Turp you just have to be prepared for the side effects. They are the same. If you read anything on Turp you will fine 8 that will not have that surgery to 2 that will.
You can have anything you wants.
Why did they say that Urolift is not good for you there is a new procedures that is called Midlift for median lobe. Which is working well. But there also have been a lot of men that have been on here that have been in retention there doctors told them the same thing that they needed a Turp But they also told them there is a 50/50 chance of it not working and they would have to still do CIC. So what is the point.
Please do all your research before you decide what to do. Do a list pros and cons.
I hope all goes well for you what every you decide. Good Luck
Tom:
To me your writeup seems to be correct. You mentioned earlier that you can't afford FLA. Given the severity of your problem, it seems like bipolar/button TURP or HoLEP are the procedures most likely to provide the result you desire. For me incontinence is a big issue, but I don't see RE as that big of an issue, esp. if you are suffering as much as you are at night (but everyone has a different outlook on this).
I too am with Kaiser. As you progress with your decision, I would appreciate it if you could provide us with the name and location of your doctor and, of course, how you are progressing.
Best of luck.
I haven't seen a negative comment on Bipolar TURP from an actual patient here on this forum. Some people put up negative comments because they think of the old TURP, with serious bleeding and long recovery time. However, retro ejaculation risk still remains. If RE is not an issue, I would go for it.
Will that be the procedure that you will eventually go for ?
So, on this forum there are two schools of thought about the bipolar TURP. The first is that it's a dangerous and terrible thing to do, and the second is that it works with excellent results, and the post operation effects are minimal. The negative comments seem to be coming from men who have not had this done, and the positive comments are coming from men who have actually had the operation.
I agree with your observation and, in my opinion, any comments about a procedure from someone who has not had that procedure are worth what you paid for them.
I had a bipolar TURP 19 days ago and was cleared last week at my 2 week checkup to resume all normal activities in 2 days, i.e., 21 days after the procedure. I spent one night in the hospital and went home without a catheter. Voiding was somewhat difficult and uncomfortable for the first couple of days but by day 4, the urine was mostly clear and the discomfort was mostly gone. My stream is strong (not like a 30 year old but much better than before) and consistently so. No more dribbling if I wait too long (I think this was caused by the median lobe.)
At this point, daytime and nighttime frequency have not improved much. I'm drinking more water during the day and that may be part of the issue. I'm still getting up twice at night. The doctor said things will continue to improve and that it takes 3 months for everything to heal completely. I posted a pretty thorough discussion about 4 days after the procedure if you haven't seen it. It was called "My TURP, part 1."
One downside with Greenlight is that there is no tissue to examine. That may or may not be a concern depending on your PSA. It turned out to be important in my case.
If you want real data (as opposed to the anecdotes here), read clinical trial results on the various procedures. They are readily available on the internet.
Good luck, Tom. Feel free to message me if you want more details.
My list in preference order: Holep, bipolar TURP, Greenlight. Until I gather enough courage, because I am such a wimp, 😨 I self cath. Had I not found the solution for my occasional bleeding during self cathing recently, I would have committed to one of those already.
What caused the bleeding ? The Porter who wheeled me down the corridor to the operating theatre for my heart valve replacement said I was the calmest patient he had ever had. I didn't tell him that I'm not like that when going to the dentist but there I've had the worlds worst ones.
Solution for the bleeding: I changed catheters from the Coloplast Speedicath that Jimjames recommended to another brand. Speedicath brand is too stiff for me, and many others. Since then, I've tried many other brands and none of them causes bleeding. I have too much anxiety and I may not even survive just the waiting portion of the surgery. You sound like a cool guy.
I have too much anxiety and I may not even survive just the waiting portion of the surgery.
They give you something for that! :-)
I hear of pre meds but in four operations I never had one. It was straight into the theatre and mask over face. not even asked to count down from 10.
The only time I got worried was when having my first angiogram and put in little ante room outside the cath lab and abandoned for a good ten minutes. Self cathing is something I would not do. When I had retention prior to my GL I refused to do it.
Hey All
They always gave be something before I went into the operating room. I remember my arms being tied down legs being put up and I think I got to 98 and I was out
Even when I had my ablation done I knew everything that was going on. They had to shave my back and chest because they had to put stuff all over me and it would not stay on. I was in A-Fib that whole morning.
The only problem I had with premeds was when I had my gallbladder taking out. I think they gave me to much. The surgery was only a hour but I did wake up for 6 hours. They keep me over night.
Have a good night.....Ken
Ken,
Medlift is not available to me - not covered by my insurance and not available anywhere near me.
Tom
I had a PAE performed at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland by Dr. Hastings in the summer of 2017. It was partially successful - but due to median lobe structure didn't really help all that much. Now, things are worse. With Kaiser you are completely covered by any doctor in their system no matter where they are, so you just do research to find one who does what you want, and Kaiser has you covered. Total cost for my PAE was $250 - standard copay for the radiation.
Tom
Thanks. I had heard that there was a Kaiser doctor in Oakland performing PAE, but I wasn't able to determine who it was.
Sorry that it is not available to you.
There are doctor all over the states that have been trained to do it. It is going to take time to get all the center open but then have doctors trained I got the information from the company. One of the guys that I got the information for had it done 12 days ago and he is doing great. He had 3 clips put on one side 2 on the other and 2 in the median lobe.
It was approved a year ago by the FDA. There are 6 doctors in CA 5 in NY 2 in OR. and 4 in FL.
I hope all goes well for you......Ken
Dr. Hastings is the head of the IR department, and my wife and I really liked him. I was 100% satisfied with the job he did - thought he was really, really good. The only problem I had was that I am taller than 5'10" and so they had to go through the femoral artery, instead of the wrist. I went into the hospital at 7am, the PAE was over a few hours later, but by about 1pm I asked for a Foley Catheter because my bladder was getting really full lying in the hospital bed waiting for the puncture of the artery to heal - takes a while, and you have to be horizontal in the bed for hours. The nurse drained off 600cc of urine and I felt so much better!
I was serious considering going back for round two, but he is scheduling several months out and my situation is getting so bad I can't wait that long.
Ken,
I will attempt to see where the California doctors are located, but I am sure none are close to me. Actually, my sleep situation is getting to the point of crisis, so I need to move forward with something as soon as possible. I know you think this is not a good idea, but I just contacted my uro and asked if he has any surgery openings soon - I would go tomorrow morning if something opened up. Last night was really, really bad. I was up and down over and over again starting at 4am - no sleep after that. I am going to try to self cath - my last attempt was five years ago and didn't go well. I am concerned that the catheter may irritate the urethra lining making it nearly impossible to urinate at all. It's already close to impossible at night, which is why I have to go to the bathroom over and over and over again - just can't empty my bladder.
I do have some catheter samples that I got in 2014. I have been staring at them for days but haven't had the courage to use one, yet.
Tom