I had a Prostatic Arterial Embolization (PAE) procedure done at the University of Miami on June 2, 2015 by Dr. Shivank Bhatia. Prior to the procedure I had completely lost my urinary function and was wearing an in dwelling Foley Catheter. I had been told by a prominent Urologist at UM that I would never urinate on my own again, I needed to learn how to self catheterize and that if I chose to have the PAE procedure I should expect it would not be successful. My prostate was over 100 grams, I was not a candidate for the TURP and I should go home and have a nice weekend.
My attitude was I had nothing to lose. If the PAE did not work I was no worse off than if I did not try. Dr. Bhatia was an expert in this procedure so I took a shot. My resutls have been nothing short of miraculous. The procedure was done on 6/2/15. I never had one ounce of pain, either during or after the PAE. I continued to wear the Foley, but it was horrible. I went for my first follow-up 10 days after the PAE. I still could not pee on my own. Dr. Bhatia wanted me to continue wearing the Foley for another week, but I just could not. He was understanding of my discomfort and I was shown how to self catheterize and went home without the Foley, thank God!
I used the catheters approx. every 6 hours or 4 times per day. Each time I used them, I would try to urinate on my own. On June 25th at around midnight I attempted to pee on my own and 6 drops came out. It was a revelation. I then used the catheter and went to bed, arising at 6 am. This time when I went to use the catheter 12 drops came out. Each time I went to use the catheter things would improve. From a weak stream to ultimately a regular pee. I reduced using the catheter from 4 times per day to 3, then 2, then I was comfortable knowing I did not need them at all. On July 1, 2015 I stopped using catheters. I never have looked back.
Three months post procedure I had an MRI. My prostate had shrunk from 0ver 100 grams to 72 grams. My PSA had gone from 8.7 to 2.5. I no longer had any symptoms that would indicate prostate or urinary issues. I sleep through the night. I pee when I have to go, but can go 6-8 hours in between bathroom breaks. I have no discomfort, no pain, my sex life is outstanding and I am 66 years old! Dr. Bhatia has given me my life back.
My suggestion to anyone who is having symptoms: Explore ALL OF YOUR OPTIONS!! I am certain the PAE will become Standard of Care in the future. Try and understand what the potential side effects are of the "traditional" surgical procedures. They may be acceptable for some, but they were not acceptable for me. I take no drugs or medications. The PAE had no side effects. There was no possibility of becoming incontinent or impotent or having an orgasm without an external ejaculation. Find a facility that is doing clinical trials with the PAE and a Dr. who is experienced. Peeing through a straw for the rest of my life was a real possibility. Now I function like I was 40 years old, not 66 years old. I highly recommend Dr. Shivank Bhatia of the University of Miam. He learned this procedure from the man who invented it and he trained with him in South America to perfect it. You have very little, if anything to lose, and you have getting the rest of your life back to normal to gain. Happy to answer any questions or inquiries. Good Luck to all.
Very nice well written article and Iam very happy for you. I have had a PAE in the fall of 2014 and then a Urolift in June of 2015. Neither procedure worked for me. Only the good Lord knows why. I still get up atleast 3 times a night and sometimes even 4. Also still prone to Prostate infections probably from not completely emptying. Don't know whats next for me. Iam not on any meds. I assume you are not on any meds either. Just remember that "eventually" your prostate will start to grow again. It will not shrink more than about 20 to 25% and then will start to grow again unless you are on the nasty meds.
Wow that is nothing short of amazimg. Congratulations for taking.matters into your own hands and doing the research. I am a firm believer that now days you really do have to doctor yourself
You really can not just blindly trust a doc to do what's truly best for you.
I am looking forward to having.the procedure on Jan 25. Even tho I am nowhere nearly as bad as you were it will still be a relief.
Keep us updated on your progress, it really helps those of us still yet to have it done.
Congrats.I didn't get to the catheter stage but was slowly loosing my quality of life. Could never think of going to the movies since I would miss most of a film.Stay home and rent Netfliix so I could pause in order to complete a movie.Destroyed 3 BluRay players since pausing too often damages the player.Now I am getting to where I might get all the way through without pressing pause.My alternative was to do what is the current method of treatment which is medival compared to the PAE.
That is a really enlightening summary, and good news for the rest of us who have resisted verbal arm-twisting by our urologists to have a procedure which too often results in a depressing compromise of normal life.
I've successfully used sel-cath for the past three or so years, now up to 4x per day, and combined with a new regime of 5mg Cialis daily, have seen my retention drop from about 450 cc (with occasional peaks of 550 cc) to about 375 cc (with occasional peaks of 450 cc).
I will stick with CIC for now, but am looking forward to expansion of PAE as a possible standard, and am ready to go with that route if/when my CIC results plateau.
Thanks for your well-written contribution, and good luck for your future.
I had my PAE on the same date in Virginia, While I was nowhere near as bad off as you my urinary improvement has been awesome. I have slept through the night a few times now including last night. I slept for over 8 hrs straight. Now that is a miracle. Yes it will be the standard of care hopefully sooner than later.
Also I do not like urologist at all. I will never go to one again. I have been lied to, that is, not being referred for the PAE (he knew about PAE's and only wanted to do the TURP for a second time because his first attemp failed. I have been tortured (not kidding) twice, that is having the tissue samples sniped off my prostate without any anesthesia and both times it was medically unjustified. I have also been maimed (peronies syndrome which is a bent penis) he stuck his camera aparatus up my penis and applied no external anesthesia nor slippery stuff and was incredibly rough. It was a killer. I had it done again a year later by a different doctor and I hardly felt it. Is that enough reason not to ever see one again! They are just out for money period.
Congratulations and thanks for providing others with a well written update. I had my PAE on April 1st 2015 by Dr Isaacson at UNC Chapel Hill NC. Dr Isaacson is also outstanding. My results are similar to yours. My prostate has shrunk 40%, PSA went from 22 to 1.8. Most importantly I never think about peeing anymore. I rarely get up at night. If so it is only once and is usually when I have had an extreme amount of coffee, tea and other liquids, I also had to use self catheters before the PAE, but not as often as you. I have been given a new lease on life and want to share with as many others as possible. Hopefully the PAE will get FDA approved and become the gold standard in the future.
That sounds great, thanks for your update as well william79680. For how long did you have symptoms and how old are you if I may ask? I hope to have the PAE done as well in the next few weeks. I've been suffering for at least 3 years and if not for Cialis would have to use catheters for sure. I'm 60.
Thank you for your report Latour. I am so happy for you. Your report confirms my dislike of urologists. The three urologists I saw before deciding to have a PAE were rude, condescending and arrogant. They have become so because they have had the prostate franchise to themselves for far too long. It has been a gravy train for them. I now add ignorance and avarice to the list because of their refusal to consider and reccomend PAE. They are more worried about their wallets than the welfare of their patients.
Of the three urologists I saw, one wanted to do TURP, the other Holep and the third , a woman, wanted to do open surgery on me for BPH for Gods sake. All claimed that their procedure was the " gold standard" whatever that means.
Pride cometh before a fall.
Mike,
I am 69. I was experiencing BPH symptoms for 8-9 years before I had my PAE. The last year and a half were awful.
Caringbah, no truer words have ever been spoken! Logic says the greatest source of referrals for the Interventional Radiologist who is expert and performs the PAE should be Urologists. But Urologists are surgeons. They make their living doing surgery. A referral for a PAE costs them dearly. Why wouldn't a person consider a procedure which has none of the potential nasty side effects of surgery, has no pain associated with either the procedure or the healing process and can be done with minimal hospital time? There are many factors to consider, and the final say belongs to the patient. Most importantly, the patient MUST take responsibility for their own care. Read, explore, ask questions, don't simply accept a Doctors word as the gospel, make your feelings and concerns known and find out any and all alternatives. Get educated and take responsibility for our own bodies.
I hope your results are outstanding. Best of luck on this journey.
William, I could not agree more! So glad to hear my outcome has been replicated by others. My prostate went from 102 grams to 72 grams in 3 months. My PSA went from 8.7 to 2.5 in that same period. I will have another MRI next June after one year and will see where I end up, but I suspect the percentages will be similar to yours. I will fill in that information as it is received. Don't you love it when everyone else you are out to dinner with has to go to the bathroom and you don't?! Congratulations and best of luck.
Bill, so sorry to hear your tale of torture. And I thought the placement of a Foley catheter was torture! I am thrilled to read about your PAE results. I believe the Urology specialty will be changing rather dramatically over the coming years. For many of us with BPH, the PAE just makes better sense. As the public becomes more aware of the procedure and the logical manner in which it is designed to work, pressure will be brought to bear and the PAE will have to be considered Standard of Care. I suspect the Interventional Radiologists will be doing clinical trials for the treatment of prostate cancer in a very similar way. If they can choke off the blood supply to a tumor, I have to believe it will die on its own accord. Then you will really see things hit the fan. What, no chemo or radiation? No big pharmaceutical bills? Oh man, what blasphemy!!
We've been given our lives back on a silver platter. Let's make good use of this gift. Best of luck in the future.
Best of luck to you Joe. There is nothing to fear. Only good things can come from it. When you get your life back to normal just realize the gift you were given and pass it on. You will do great!
You are welcome. I hope it had value for you.
Latour, my results are outstanding. I had my PAE 7 months ago in Sydney Australia. 30% decrease in prostate size. I pee like a horse and only get up once a night (6 previously). Sexual performance much improved as well.
I totally agree with you on the necessity to do your own research and not just blindly take the doctors advice. In the end, each of us are responsible for our own health.
Sorry to hear of your travail Chuck. My prostate shrunk almost 35% in the first 90 days. I will be checking in after my next MRI in June and will let you know where my numbers are at. I am not on any medications for prostate or for anything else, for that matter.
The very best of luck to you. Do not give up as the options and expertise in this area are changing rapidly for the better. Keep fighting.
Thank you for the good news, all of you. I am a 31 year old male who has suffered symptoms of BPH since age 19. It has been tearing me down psychologically ever since. I hope to have this procedure done as soon as I can afford to.
Thanks buddy, I really cant wait to get it taken care. Thanks for the encouragement.