Cost of HOLEP operation in London or Cambridge?

Men's health
21

Hi Peter,

I'm in Arizona and heard it was 24,,000 us dollars

two years ago, I am scheduled at Mayo Phoenix in July

I'm 62 and been on drugs 15 years, I will call tomorrow and check, Heard Mayo can tell you once you have scheduled, Had a failed Urolift so this is way too proceed, My insurance company will pay 80 % and I have to pay the rest ,I thought UK was less expensive then our system,

22

Hi Ross

How are you, I looked up FLA, I sent in for info to a place in California, were did you get procedure done and what was the cost?

23

I had never heard of FLA until yesterday. From what I have read up to now it appears to be about cancer more than bph. But as I say this is completely new to me.

I would not travel to USA for the op. Too far. I'm from London originally.

Pete

24

That's what I got from what I was reading, about FLA and cancer, I was told by Mayo Phoenix doctor that 13% of HOLEP found cancer even if PSA were low, I'm not so worried about retro ejaculation the drugs gave me it already when I was on finasteroid pills

25

That right there is a lie  Holep is not 1%  I don't know who told you that but there wrong  I just read a article and it said that retro ejaculation is a given with that surgery  Read up on it on the internet.  If the doctor told you that he just want you to have the surgery.  After it done you can't do anything.  That was from a pill  I had that with flomax a rapaflo.  The first time it happen I stopped the pills and went back to normal.  I had no feeling and no ejaculation.  So it felt like I did nothing  I will not live the rest of my life with that.  What is your problem  Is the prostate blocking  Have a urolift it will open you up  Had mine done over 2 years ago and it's great  No side effects.  Look up FLA prostate procedure  it will give you all the information you are looking for.  Cancel the holep and get more information and give yourself some time.  You deserve that  Ken 

26

That is true but they found out the FLA was good for BPH to  Ken

27

For me, and I suppose for many, this has been a long match. My PSA has been around 20 for years, I have had 2 biopsies cancer not found, I'm full of stones and my prostate bleeds quite often. Prostate size is 150 grams. As for the op it's a case of between the devil and the deep blue. I wish you good luck with your op

Pete

28

Thanks Doctor Hong in Phoenix tried to do Urolift on me but I have a curve prostate and the rigid Urolift tube won't make the turn ,he's done hundreds and I was first one that failed, he did put one in but could not get into bladder to reload tool ,and it was too painful, he doesn't give pain meds for procedure.i was told if I had to be put under Anastasia may's as well get Green light, HOLEP is less avasive then green light

29

I know, about that long for me to Urolift didn't work for me but may work for you, I did it first because it helps a lot of people.

30

Peter, I'm scheduled for HOLEP, what about the retro ejaculation, have you ever heard from anyone who has had it and how that goes?

31

If he was able to get the one in just pull it out and reload that way.  I think if he tryed hard enough he could have gotten it in.  I am going to ask my urologist  Never heard of a curved prostate.  It tissue and should have been able to move out of the way I still would not let him cut my prostate.  What ever you do is what you have to deal with That is not for me  My prostate will state with me till the day I die no matter what  Have a great day  Ken 

32

Thanks Ken

He said if I was out, he could have done it,

they were pushing my balls down so hard, he had me move down on table and pushed down but by that time I was so tight didn't think to ask why they didn't give pain medicine, I didn't go back to him I decided to go to Mayo Phoenix, He a Harvard University guy ,1st time he was not able to do it. I had retro ejaculation from finasteroid pills and didn't really bother me much, just lost job at Honeywell and will only have insurance till September or pay 1200 a month so have to do something, the Ciales is 500 a month and flomax 50,stream, I'm 62 so will be 3 years till Medicare ???

33

You could still find a doctor to put you out and do it.  I would never let them do it with me awake.  Medicare paid for mine  I am on SSD and have it.  If you have it done and stop the pills your ejaculation wiill come back.  Please done let insurance dictake what kind of surgery you have please.  Don't give up on your body.  I will fight for it till the end.  I'm 61 and still have a very intence orgasm.  Orgasm with the pill is different for when you have your prostate cut away at.  Some men say they don't care but after it done.  They have a problem even having sex and the orgasm is not the same.  Some give up sex all together.  Please check into it again  Ken

34

Hi Peter.

I'm taking this opportunity to try and spell it out for those that don't know how a HoLEP affects a person (me) in so many ways and not just retrograde ejaculations.

OK, for starters yes, I now have retrograde ejaculations but with all the tamsulosin (Flomax) and Dutasteride I had been taking over the previous years it was nothing new to me and let's not forget that everyone is not so hung up on sex as some others may be.  Erections are still as big and strong as before so no loss there for the partner then which is who we are trying to satisfy isn't it!

For those that are worried about any loss of libido, well all I can say is if you want to try any of the other BPH procedures that are less intrusive (some use the word barbaric) then go for it but after 10 years of (here comes the long list): severe retention, multiple bladder stones (three procedures in 8 years to remove the stones), almost continuous UTIs (infections), a bladder that was slowly being wrecked (one cystoscopy showed its surface as red raw due to one particularly nasty infection), severe nocturia (getting up several times a night to pee for many years) and finally all the pain, discomfort, disruption to normal life (not being able to go on even short journeys), etc, etc, etc.

Who wouldn't want to be rid of all that by way of a "barbaric" procedure.  I did and don't regret it in the slightest. The only regret I have was that firstly, I didn't find out about the HoLEP procedure until 2013 and secondly I couldn't afford to go privately and it took another 2 years to get the job done under the NHS at the hospital of my choice.  OK, I could have had the good old fashioned TURP but that is barbaric and in my particular NHS region that's all they would offer and that particular region didn't have a particular good record for successful outcomes.

So to summarise, if you want a realtively easy time of it following a prostatic surgical procedure to say goodbye to BPH and all the life wrecking issues that come with it, I strongly recommend the HoLEP procedure.

That's my take on it a good luck to you all whatever treatments you decide on and I hope this personal perspective on BPH and all that goes with the condition gives you food for thought, a slightly better understanding of how badly BPH can affect your life as you live with it for a long time and a realisation that there can be and is light at the end of the tunnel.

Best wishes.

Roger

 

35

Good summary and I agree with your conclusions.

36

Thanks Roger, did not know what to do, was thinking about trying to live with Bph for a few more years

Paul

37

This thread started out as helpful. I thought I had made the decision to go with Holep and had discovered the right price and the right doctor. Now I'm more unsure than ever.

My main problem is my prostate bleeds a lot. It can bleed after sex. It can bleed after riding a bike. I recently went on a road trip driving for 10 days and it started bleeding when I got home. I have had stones removed from my kidneys 3 times. I have what doctors call a stone road in my bladder. I get up to pee minimum of 4 times per night. I'm told my prostate is 150 grams. However, I don't feel any pain. I'm now interested in FLA but with all the other issues I don't know if I'm a good candidate for that.

Thank you all for replying.

Pete

38

Same here, It's a big decision,I never had the bleeding, just to sleep threw the night or go for a walk and not have to stop every 100 yard,pills , Pills, 💊 FLA probably won't be payed for by insurance, for years and unless you have 30000 pocket change laying around, I lost job at Honeywell at 62 with 9 months of insurance to go, so maybe I'm looking at it financial as well, plus I believe all things happen for a reason, Urolift failed for me , Holep is next choice, Funny thing is that my insurance change from Blur cross to Cigna which is in network for Mayo Phoenix so maybe someone is watching over me, I pray you will find peace in whatever you decide.

Paul

39

Peter,

I strongly urge you to get a 3T MRI of the prostate. These are the latest and most powerful MRI machines and reveal amazing detail of the prostate gland. I uploaded my pictures to my FLA Dr in Houston and he was very quickly able to determine if I was a candidate. Thankfully I was, and was able to have the procedure a mere 9 days later.

Dr K in Houston is a wonderful human being that genuinely cares about each and every patient. Take a look through the FLA threads right here on this forum and you will see patient after patient wax lyrical about the level of caring shown by this exceptional Dr. You will also see that everyone seems to be having remarkable results from this cutting edge procedure.

Holep I am sure has helped many men but you don't need to be "hung up on sex" to care about losing your ability to ejaculate normally or worse suffer from ED.

Here's the conclusion of a 2015 Holep study:

"CONCLUSIONS:

Although erectile function was not altered in the vast majority of patients after HoLEP, patients without preoperative ED displayed a relatively small, but still significant, negative effect on erections. The overwhelming majority of patients suffered from retrograde ejaculation after surgery."

I had the FLA procedure after going into AUR twice in a week. We are all suffering from BPH and I for one want relief from this disease as badly as anyone else,  but I don't want to jeoipardize sexual function if I don't have to. 

FLA is the most precise & trageted of the minimally invasive treatment options available right now and any read of the FLA threads on this forum will confirm that the results qappear to be spectacular. I am hoping my outcome is consistent with the other patients writing on this forum.

I wish you good luck and a wonderful ouutcome in whatever you choose.

Ross

40

I refused a TURP that I was told that I needed as a matter of some urgency by an NHS Uro in 1995 when my prostate was 35grms. I took saw Palmetto in tincture form until a better procedure GL PVP reached our shores in 2003. I fought for a year to be referred from Edinburgh to Newcastle who were doing trials of the procedure by when my prostate was 75 grms and I had some urgency and a lot of retention and little sleep. 

During the wait I did try the prescribed drugs but quickly gave up on them due to severe side effects. I never had cause to regret the wait.

When my prostate regrew over the years I had moved to S.E. England and was again offered a TURP with the words if I had had a TURP in 2004 it would not have grown again!  Again a struggle to be referred to a surgeon who did a laser procedure.