The Urolift procedure; patient views and questions

Men's health
1

Would it be possible to keep this thread purely about Urolift and a means of sharing experiences from those who have undergone the process and invite debate from those considering it.

The Urolift process plus pros and cons are accurately described at many a website. Other very long threads discuss in detail BPH and other treatments such as TURPS, laser tend to overshadow people looking for advice on Urolift.

So for me, tired of getting up in the night. Tired of the medication and its side effects, tiredness and ED. Quality of life getting me down. I am 60 and reckon to be pretty fit and active.

I underwent this treatment (as an alternative to TURPS) 2 weeks ago at one of the 5 or 6 clinics/hospitals that appear to offer this treatment in the UK. It really was as simple as described on the web.

I had a 30 minute consultation with the consultant whereby he explained the procedure.

The treatment was booked for 10 am., it took about 15 minutes. I had it done under a local anaesthetic. To be frank if you are used to having your prostate and other bits probed there is no pain. It is just the thought of it you have to come to terms with. After the treatment you have to drink a lot of water to flush your system but I was allowed to drive home by dinner time.

First warning here. I did have to stop probably every 15 minutes with a sudden need to urinate. Fortunately I took a urine bottle from the clinic !

I could write for ages but will see what response I get to this post. I know on the day I was there, 4 other blokes were having the procedure and I sensed there was a regular flow of patients.

I’m now going through the period whereby I’m asking myself is there any improvement? It’s only 2 weeks in. I’m not sure is the answer at the moment. We are all different and recovery and improvement I am told does take time anything from 2/3 weeks to 2/3 months maybe longer. Your system needs time to readjust, I understand that, I don’t know how much time but I’m due for a follow up next week. I'm remaining positive.Would welcome comments from others.

2

Hi Charles, I'm getting the Urolift procedure next week and I, and others, would appreciate if you could describe, say, how long before you were able to do everything you did before, how soon could you go back to exercising, etc. Were you in pain the first week? Any info along this line would be helpful to a lot of us.

3

Hi Charles, above all considerations, avoid the BPH meds like the plague. They are eventually just medical castration. Urolift is a stop gap measure, a means to stay off the meds and it should help you for years but most prostates continue to grow and eventually you'll probably need some sort of prostate tissue removal.

My advice to anyone offered the first prescription for Flomax or any of the other meds is to find a Holep surgeon and take care of the problem once and for all. I may be a bit premature as I had the procedure just five days a go but so far it has been excellent. I wish i had done it at least five years ago.   Good luck! 

4

Good evening Albin. It really is as the websites say a minimally invasive procedure. You walk out of the treatment room, cup of tea, drink a lot of water, and when all OK with regard passing water in my case get in the car and find my way home.

You are tired through the stress of thinking about it more than anything. You feel a bit battered and bruised "down there" obviously. I had a local anaesthetic, some may join this thread hopefully with views from those who had a general, the consultant said most do. There is a little sharp pain when you urinate but that only lasts a few days.

There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t go back to work the following day or get out on the golf course, swim, jog etc. The only thing I would say is I had this sudden need to urinate from time to time and I was careful to ensure whatever I did for a few days was mindful of that fact. It wasn’t a problem really but worth bearing in mind. I took it easy that weekend just because I was tired and your are conscious that somebody has been poking about inside you but was back to normal on the Monday.

5

Thank you Charles for that info. I think a lot of people will benefit from what you said and I probably will post my first week results so we can add to the knowledge base.

6

I am exactly 2 weeks post Urolift, put 2 clips in  - was every 15 min at first just like you, still going 3x per night and hourly during the day, was painful at first but getting better - still not an improvment from pre-op but as they told you too, doc says 2-3 weeks before noticeable improvement, at first hurt to sit in a car for long stretches but could jog and exercise OK.  as Charles said, for the first 7-10 days would get immediate and urgent need to go every 15-30 min, will keep you posted

 

7

Hi; Iam here in the USA.  Do you happen to know if anyone in the US does this procedure?  Its sounds very interesting and I hope you will keep this discussion going so we all can learn by it.  I agree the meds are terrible.  Iam on Tamsulosin and Avodart and they absolutely kill your sex life.  Iam only 64 and too young to give that up.  Iam also getting up on average 4 times a night which is very frustrating. 

8

Just Google Urolift and your State and something should come up. The Mayo Clinics do it. Or just Google the company Urolift dot com who can advise you.

9

Chuck, there is another alternative, a better one. My prostate was 114mg, too large for urolift and my prostate had a third lobe besides. No Urolift for me on both counts. So I sought another solution, found HOlep,(Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate),  studied it extensively and found a surgeon to do it last week at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, October 31st. Today, a week later I have experienced no pain, with no pain medication, very little blood, and I am, one week later, living my life very normally daily.  I'm not supposed to lift anything heavy for a while but I do so without problems. My third lobe was pushed up into my bladder and when cored out it left my bladder neck stretched out to the point that I was incontinent totally last week. I have had to wear Depend Real Fit underwear since leaving the hospital but it's getting much better every day. In another week, maybe two, I'll be able to hold my urine normally. But you know what, I don't really care. I'm off any medications of any kind, I'm going to get my sex life back by taking testosterone shots and Cialis. Already I'm seeing an improvement in that area with no pills at all. If I have to wear the undies for the rest of my life changing twice a day, what the heck?  The long term prognosis is that my prostate will not grow anymore forever. A one-stop shop.  The HOlep procedure is done in the Mayo clinics and a few Universtity teaching hospitals around the country. The reason so few do it is because TURP , Green Light Laser a a few other butchery methods are so much easier for the surgeon to perform. HOlep requires a very steep learning curve for the surgeon and not many want to train at the side of an accomplished HOlep surgeon. They would rather just roto-rooter your prostate and if you are in intense pain for months and have more procedures in the future as your prostate grows then that's just too bad, they can't be bothered to learn a procedure that is truly minimally-invasive. Urolift is a stop-gap measure and if it works for you to keep you off the castrating meds for a few years, then great. Just keep in mind that HOlep can be done on a prostate of any size and configuration and it is at least a very long-term solution. Be aware that the Mayo Clinics do not accept Medicare Advantage plans althought some of the Universities may, I don't know.

I'll be glad to offer more of my experience if you are interested. Good luck. 

 

10

Did anyone who had the Urolift procedure drive themselves to and back from the hospital? I would like to do this, if possible. Thanks.

11

Ron;  THANK YOU very much for your reply and the very good info.  May I ask who your Doctor was at the Mayo???   Please let me know after you completely heal up how the sex life goes???  My biggest "fear" at age 64 is losing that and that would be devastating emotionally to me.  I truly appreciate hearing from you. 

12

Dr Humphreys at the Phoenix Mayo was my surgeon.  He trained under Dr Lingaman at Indiana University Hospital. Dr Lingaman brought the procedure to the US during the 90's and most Drs employing the technique in the US trained with him. There are HOlep surgeons in Boston, Indianapolis, Nashville,  at the Mayo Clinics in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona, and I am sure there are others although I could find none in Texas.

I expected the procedure to be superior to TURP, TUVP, Green Light Laser, open prostatectomy (horror) and a host of other techniques but I had no idea how painless it would be. The whole Mayo Clinic experience was one of utmost care and concern. I met two anesthesiologists and one of his Urologist understudies in extensive private interviews. They and the numerous nursing staff all just exude professionalism, caring and competence. I knew that the Mayo Clinics are rated as the best in the US but the whole experience exceeded my expectations.  Somehow the Drs have found a way to clean out the interior (enucleation) of a prostate of any size and configuration, leaving mostly just the outer capsule and a painless result. How in the world they can do this is beyond me but I'll take it. The only pain I experienced was really just discomfort during urination and that was gone by the 7th day, yesterday. I believe that my experience has been less painful than what I hear about urolift for many patients and the HOlep result for most patients is permanent, not a stop-gap. I'm sure that there is variation among patients but my prostae was very large with a third lobe protruding into the bladder and I am 76 years old.

As far as your sex life goes the sooner you get off the meds the better. If your sex life is ok before Holep it will be better afterwards, I think you can count on that. I'm 76 but losing my sex life is a large fear for me too and after twelve years or so on the meds I have some work to do in that regard but I'm already seeing some indications that it will be ok before long. There will be dry ejaculation as a result of Holep and any other routine that removes prostate tissue. Only urolift avoids this result but urolift  won't last forever. The meds caused that for me years ago but I really don't mind.

i know my experience may not be replicated with many other patients but I went into this with the idea of giving myself the absolutely best chance available for a successful result.  I am certain that I accomplished that and I thank God for the Mayo Clinic, Drs Humphrey and Lingaman and the information available on the internet.

I will continue to advise my experience as it develops and best wishes to you!

Ron.       

13

If you choose to have a local anasthetic then there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't drive to and from the hospital/clinic bar be mindful that you may well experience a sudden need to urinate, so be prepared ! I drove and am glad I did.

14

Thanks for that info. They told me that I should have someone drive me to the hospital but they didn't give me any logical reason for doing that. I don't want to have someone drive me home when I might have to pee in a bottle.

15

Ron;  THANK YOU very much for the speedy reply.  May God Bless You everyday .    Lets keep in touch.  ChuckP

16

You bet, pardner! Ron

17

Hello Albin,

Although it is a male thing to want to be independant and self-sufficient,  as well as to hide,  any perceivable shortcomings about ourselves;  I would nevertheless counsel you to accept a lift to and from hospital rather than drive yourself.

Why ?   Well,  despite being residually independant and like

-minded to yourself about driving,  back in March I had to have a mini-TURP and BNI so that I could go on to have 42 sessions of EBRT for T2b,  P.C.  

Next day I was discharged early p.m.  My Partner and a male friend from Church were adamant to drive me and carry my bag respectively.  Just as well !   Because although voiding satisfactorily I had been  encouraged to continue drinking plenty and because I had started ambulating,  and with no warning at all,  my bladder let go before I'd even left the hospital.

I was padded up but,  even so,  I soaked an entire trouser leg.  At that early stage,  I had no sensation of ' going '  and no power to stop it.  My companions found the towels and plastic bags I had for swimming gear in the trunk and I made it home without further incident.  

Just to let you know that psychologically,  when something is unavoidable like that,  you don't actually feel embarrassed.  There is a dignity in the Human psyche that through compassion,  both shown and received,  transcends these conditions whether they be temporary or permanent.  

I have gone on to develop a metastasis in the urethra and this causes all manner of flow issues and difficult situations.  I have sanitized capped bottles placed discreetly and strategically in both my home and car.  If I have to use one,  I absent myself and do with as much privacy as I can find.    

And,  whilst observing all hygienic requirements,  normal life goes on with dignity,  without embarrassment and without mishap.

If I had been on my own my situation would quite obviously, have been far more difficult.

So why not have a ride ?   By then,  you will have earned it.

 

18

Good morning Dudley

I think the reason I wanted to post this discussion is to focus very much on Urolift (and experiences of)…………which is classified by the British Association of Urologists as a minimally invasive procedure i.e. no cutting, removing etc. The consultant was quite clear that if I was to have a general anaesthetic then clearly you are advised not to drive for 24 hours under some insurance policies 48 but under a local it really was no different from going to a dentist really. If I was tired after the procedure, it was stress and nothing else. Whatever Albin does do I would always advise follow the professional advice because we are all different and one has to hope they know best.

19

I thought I would report on my progress after 3 weeks and hope others do the same. There are 5 or 6 clinics offering Urolift with a steady throughput I believe. I’m aware that improvements can take between 2/3 weeks and some months. The initial problems I reported above of sudden urination and slight pain when urinating disappeared within a few days of the Urolift and were insignificant really.

3 weeks on I still get up in the night to urinate, no real change. My urine stream/ flow rate may be a touch improved, it’s difficult to say. I still go to the loo during the day more times than one should I think. So a 3 week report would say no change really, as yet. I’m remaining positive but there is so little information available as to what is reasonable to expect or hope for.

Not really sure on the logic here either. BPH is an enlarged prostate which basically causes a blockage. That blockage has been freed up so I kind of expect more to be happening. I’ll post again in 3 weeks by which time I will have had a follow up with the urologist.

20

Prior to the Urolift, you mentioned taking meds and getting up at night, etc. How about retention? Did you have a retention problem, and did they measure your postvoid residual urine volume (PVR) via ultrasound or catherization prior to urolift? If you had a retention problem, has it improved since the urolift?