I had bladder cancer, now in remission but the latest tests show that I have an enlarged prostate, that is putting pressure on the bladder, so I was going to the bathroom more often. To give you some idea: fluid intake avg 1.8ltrs per day, but passing an avg 2.6ltrs per day.
But now I have started a drug called vasicare 5mg to start then increasing overtime, to slow down the need to go to the bathroom.
My query is, that while I take this medication, does this treat the enlarged prostate ?
No, it only treats the need to go.
Interesting that like me you pass more than you drink. When I have had to keep a record for urologists they tell me my figures are wrong.
How big is your prostate? Although size does not matter as even a small one can put pressure on your bladder.
Avodart is one drug that reduces prostate size over time. Alpha blockers relax the muscles and reduce the need to go but each and every one has nasty side effects.
The standard treatment that urologists go for is TURP but laser surgeries such as PVP Green Light Laser, Thulium Laser and HoLep Laser are more or less day surgery and much less bloody.
I've had the first two:-) One in 2005 and the second in 2013 as prostates tend to grow back unless completely removed and that is an op to avoid.
Hi derek76
All that I was told is that it is quite large and that they have proof of my output from my stay in hospital.
When I see my GP next week I will ask him about this, as I have had bladder cancer and in remission and I don't want to go through it all again.
Mine was 35 grms when I first had symptoms in 1995 with slowing flow some retention but not really troublesome. I refused to have a TURP because of all the possble problems after it.
I took Tincture of Saw Palmetto, it did not stop it growing but helped with the flow.
I knew that Laser surgery was being tried out in America and waited for an approved version to reach our shores.
By the time I had PVP in 2005 my prostate was 75grms with much slower flow, some urgency and bladder not emptying completely. I had tried the recommended drugs but had to stop them due to side effects.
After about four years it started to grow again and by the time I had Thulium Laser surgery last year it 125 grms. As someone said on this Forum prostates grow like weeds.
Presumably they know how big it is from scans and cystoscopies you have had during your bladder treatment.
When I saw the scan image it did look fairly large but they can be deceiving. I am down for more tests but still waiting to hear.
Before starting vesicare, I was like a dribble, with a bladder three parts full 24/7
But going back to size, when they used the camera, they had to come back a fair bit to see the size.
But as I said, I am waiting on the hospital for the next appointment.
Which area are you in? Some parts of the country are 'Laser Free Zones' with urologists totally against the newer treatments.
There is also TUMP (Microvave) and cyro surgery for BPH.
Hi derek76
I am in the west midlands area, but at the time of treatment I was living in Wolverhampton. I will be happy with any treatment.
TUMT is a waste of time. I had it. Two months of recurperation and need a Green Light Laser 10 months later. Every review by patients said it didn't work but I went ahead anyway.
I have heard that from others. The Uro's at my local hospital are still offering it along with a newer version of TURP. They do not do laser surgery but I found that one of the renal surgeons does and asked for him.
for me Tumt has actually made things worse. my urologist does not do surgery and claimed 80% success. I'm 7 weeks in . I hold for 1 hour but need to go is 15 minutes
For the first 2 months after my TUMT, and again for the first nine weeks after my Greenlight laser, I was going 25 to 30 times a day. And I never tried to hold off going. I just went whenever I felt like I needed to. If I didn't, I would pee my pants. I used a beside urinal so I could go in the dark and get back to sleep.
After my (GL) PVP I had no urgency at all and was suprised at how seldom I needed to go during the day. However I was going about four times during the night and passing about 1.5 litres then.
Some one I know had his done at a London hospital in the early days of PVP on a Friday and was released overnight with a catheter in. He went back the following morning to have it removed and made his way to Kings X to catch a train to Inverness. He sat wondering when he would need to go and decided to try as train approached the Forth Bridge. A hesitant start and then a gusher and he let out a roar of delight at the thought of his reddish flow hitting the river below.
I've also had periods where I've gone more overnight than during the day. I wondered if my Circadian rhytms got thrown off. The bladder is supposed to concentrate urine at night to let us sleep. I've gotten up 3 to 4 times a night for years now so I use a 1 liter disposable urinal at night to let me go in the dark standing next to the bed, and get right back to sleep.
It sounds like your prostate grew an average of 10 grams a year or so in the 9 years between your GL and Thulium laser. I'm nearly 68 but if I live long enough I wouldn't be surprised to have to do the GL again, maybe more than once. The prostate is supposed to grow about 5% a year but I think people like us who had very large prostates may grow them quicker. Two years ago my prostate was supposedly 120G+ and my uro said he removed 70G leaving a 50G prostate.
I don't know how much was removed last year. When I asked the Uro he would only say, A lot!
At the follow up consult he suggested that I take Avodart to remove the need for another procedure in the future. Wary of it's side effects I asked, At 79 is that likely? I could see his mind doing calculations and he replied, Perhaps not!
Good news and bad news! LOL.
He said that I had given him a bad back as he had been crouched between my legs for over 3 hours. Not sure what he was doing all of that time as the lasing time was was just under an hour.
I had earlier asked for a spinal but he said that it would be too long a procedure for that.
Not sure as to what you are referring to derek76.
It was in reply to Bob120 and Good news and bad news.
Hi Derek,
I think during any turp all the parts of the prostate that are not vaporized are flushed into the bladder during the procedure. Maybe your urologist spent the extra time making sure he didn't leave any pieces of prostate tissue behind in the bladder. I've read of cases where a piece of tissue left behind in the bladder during a turp will block the flow post operative.
I was Laser not TURP but in each procedure they do flush the bladder out.
In the two weeks after my last one I was passing 'debris' Some pieces were quite big and blocking the catheter and I was squeezing the tube to force them out. In fact as soon as I got home it was starting to affect the flow and I phoned the hospital who asked me to come back to asess the situation.
Previously the liquid used during TURP could cause TURP Syndrome:
A rare but potentially serious risk associated with a transurethral resection of the prostate is known as TURP syndrome.
During the procedure, it is necessary to pump a fluid called glycine through the urethra to clear away blood and debris. In cases of TURP syndrome, the glycine becomes absorbed into the bloodstream, leading to a potentially dangerous build-up of fluid in the blood.
"Initial symptoms of TURP syndrome include:
feeling or being sick
disorientation
swelling of your abdomen
slow heartbeat (bradycardia)
Left untreated, additional and more serious symptoms can develop such as:
twitching
seizures (fits)
shortness of breath
blue skin (cyanosis)
heart pain
coma
If you start to experience the symptoms of TURP syndrome during your procedure, the surgeon will stop the surgery, remove the resectoscope and inject you with a diuretic, which is a type of medication used to remove fluid from the body.
Nowadays, the risk of TURP syndrome is estimated to be less than one in 100. It is likely to become even lower if a new method, known as bipolar TURP, is used, which does not involve pumping water into the urethra."