New member first post. I have been reading lots of posts and am discouraged that many treatments appear to be short term or have serious side effects. I believe at 61 that I would rather just go for broke at get a SRP. The problem is, as with all procedures, you need to find an expert that has lots of experience. I do have a few connections and obtained a list of surgeons that have billed the CPT code for SRP last year and am going to focus on the group of docs that have higher volume. I am willing to go anywhere in the country for the procedure. Locally the high volume surgeons are only doing SRP on patients that already have prostate cancer and not on patients with BPH.
Hello:
I had a SRP this past August and it was very successful. Private message me and I would be glad to share my experience and any other information you would like.
I am also 61 years old and my prostate was MRI measured at 265g.
Dave
SRP? simple radical protectomy? Anyway, have you looked into HOPLEP? Seems like the solution you're looking for
Hey Buddy
First of all welcome to the forum.
Any procedure you have is not a fix all. That is also going for the SRP that you have decided to have. I have looked it up before. There is a list of side effect a whole page long.
Every man goes into a procedure thinking this will be the one to take care of everything. And it don't. That is because the prostate keeps growing. Every man should pick whatever you feel is right for them but that does not all ways happen. Even if you get a good doctor which is a good idea. You body will determine the outcome.
Most doctor tell you that you should start out with a less evasive procedure first and if you need something else in 5 or 6 year you can have it done ago or have something else.
I for one pick the Urolift when I was 58. That was 4 years ago. Still wide open. I did not want any problem with sex or my ejaculation even if doctors do not say it is a function. If I need to have a couple of my clips put in so be it and this way I will get another 5 year to enjoy my life.
You can have what ever you want but prepare yourself for the worst.
Good luck and make sure you get all the information you can. Even talk to the other patients that the doctor has done this procedure to.Ken
Not sure why you're thinking of such an extreme option . KEN's logic is correct. I opted for a PAE. Urolift seems like a good low side effect way to go also. Although i dont like the idea of clips inside the penis but it seems to work in most cases.
Holep is way more favorable in every aspect compared to SRP. Do some more research.
I beg to differ. SRP is not an extreme option. It is one option among many. We get too caught up on non-invasive versus invasive. We lose focus on short-term versus long-term. We would rather treat the symptom versus fix the problem. We would prefer beads, metal bands, meds, etc., over removal of the very mass that is the root of all our problems. It seems we are in favor of squeezing and shrinking instead of removal. I report with first-hand experience from the dark side of invasive and extreme options. It is not as bad as you think.
Respectfully, Dave
Hi Hank - Please explain why.
Dave
OMG! I can’t imagine doing a SRP and dealing with all the negative side effects when there is no cancer and there are so many other options available.
Even when I was diagnosed with cancer, I looked for a better solution than an SRP. Can’t imagine going through a year or more of impotence, plus incontinence issues and when (or if you do get it back) the erections are never as good as it was before. Plus they don’t tell you that your penis is likely going to be shorter than it was before!
Too many men with stories of regret. Wishing they had done something else. There is no magic bullet and there is no one right solution.
If you have looked at all your options and know all the potential side effects and that’s what you want to do, I support you hundred percent. However, I’m not convinced that you think a SRP it right for you or why else would you have posted. SRP seems extreme when there are other better alternatives.
I hope and pray you are 100% sure you want a SRP because unlike other less invasive procedures...you will only get one shot at this.
Dave, I know you had a successful SRP and naturally you wanted to help and suggested it to others. However, I had to agree to others that you were fortunate and/or had a darn good surgeon. Others may not be so fortunate. Just go online and search for Holep vs SRP. You might change your mind.
Simple Robotic Prostatectomy.
Hi Hank:
The gentleman above stated he would go anywhere in this country for the right procedure (and I assume right doctor/facility). You are right, my uro oncology surgeon is a rock star and works for one of the top 2% cancer facilities in the country. He did an excellent job with me and delivered on all his promises (gave me a garden hose and maintained my love stick). Yes, I am not only an evangelist for the Simple Robotic Prostatectomy, I am also an evangelist for not being afraid of invasive options. I can only share my experience with this so-called taboo procedure. We do not have to be afraid of invasive surgery just because the industry wants us to try meds and non-invasive stuff first, and all the side effects that come along with it. Cut to the chase and remove the mass that holds us hostage in the BPH world and then take no more meds for BPH, or worry about doing something over again in 5-years. I am one and done.
Dave
Dear New Member:
Please clarify if you are asking about "radical" removal of the prostate, or "simple" removal of the prostate.
If radical, disregard all my responses. My procedure did not radically remove my prostate. Through the accuracy of robotics, my prostate was shelled out of its lobes like you would shell out an avocado.
Dave
I am shopping for a Simple. I have contacted you before, I just updated my member name. I believe that finding a surgeon that is competent and has lots of patients that will attest to his competency is the way to go. I remember when the robotic option became available, that our local hospital bought one and then had a series of "FREE Prostate screenings" so that the local urologists could get some patients to learn the procedure. I have been around the medical field my whole working life and believe that for this or any other surgery you have to find someone that is competent and who does this surgery often. I have pursued many posts on this board where members just followed the recommendation of the local urologist. I once worked in a lab and saw the lab specimens from TURP procedures, not knowing the extreme side effects of the procedure. Thank you for the warnings, but DaveCanPee can't be the only member that has had a successful Simple. For that matter, are there any members that have had a poor outcome ?
Hello All
When you do a look up on SRP procedure you come up with 3 procedures.
Simple Retropubic Prostotectomy and Salvage Radical Prostotectomy and a Simple Radical Prostotectomy . I think one is done for BPH and the other are for cancer. Look does not say if he has cancer just was looking for something to get BPH over and done with.
I think he has to do more research to make sure what he want is going to fix all with not adding to his problem.
Best to all Ken
Hey DAVE,
Sounds like you had the best outcome anyone could hope for and I’m very happy for you. If “looking for” decides to go forward, I truly hope he goes to your Uro, at least that’s what I would suggest. Would you mind (for educational purposes) please tell us what side effects you went through both temp and permanent.
Did you experience ED at all and if so, how long. Did you use a pump or injections (or pills) to help get it back? I only ask because these are issues on a RP and some times other procedures. Did you (or do) you have any incontinence. Did you or do you need to do kegel exercises? Also, are the erections as strong as prior to your procedure. I’m guessing if you have an orgasm it is dry. I’ve heard there can be bowel control issues with RP but I don’t know if that is a potential problem with SP.
Thanks
Good to here from you again. I just spoke with my Dr. yesterday and shared with him that I am on this forum trying to share my experiences. He thought that was great and said he would be glad to talk with anyone.
This BPH forum is mostly everyone in the meds and non-invasive areas. I have yet to meet anyone that has done what I had done. Maybe one day, or when we start not being afraid of an invasive fix to our problem.
Dave
Hi Ken:
I noticed we get confused with the acronyms and names of the procedures. When talking with my Dr. yesterday, I used SRP. He normally does not use the acronym and just spells it out as Simple Robotic Prostatectomy. That works for me.
Dave
Hank, I just did the search that you recommended. What I found was a long list of men that had issues with incontinence following their Holep procedures. I asked the question on this thread to get feedback from men that have had a Simple Robotic Prostatectomy for comparison. I read a study years ago, before robotic surgery became the gold standard and the instances of reported incontinence was severly under-reported by surgeons who performed open radical prostatectomies and even the first thousands that had robotic surgery. Why ? Because many patients were too embarrassed to tell the doctor that they had to wear depends all the time. When the same study was completed by the nurses, the instance on lingering incontinence went up 50%. I think that is the value of these message boards, to get a patients perspective of the results of the various treatments. I am not here to pick on people for their choices, I am just looking for good feedback. I have spoken with Davecanpee's urologists nurse and also several offices where the surgeon has a high volume performing Simple Robotic Prostatectomy procedures. Many of them have comments from satisfied men with few side effects. I am still in the discovery phase but looking with eyes wide open.
You already made up your mind so good luck with your SRP.