Hello there I am 59 years old, I have been diagnosed with bph for several. Years now , psa ok around 2.5 checked every year, symptoms getting worse, peeing several times during the night , also severe retention if leave it too long when need to go .do not leak! (Yet) and would appreciate feedback from others who have had the procedure ( good and bad) The alfuziin 10 mg tablets seem to make little difference, and wondering whether to go ahead or carry on.
I was diagnosed with BPH at age 52 and had TURP procedure 9 weeks ago (age 54). Symptoms included getting up at night and very poor flow. I expected the procedure to be a walk in the park, but it was more challenging than I thought. I was reminded by my surgeon that although there is no incision, it still should be considered major surgery.
I had to be re-catheterized 6 hours after the catheter was removed because of my inability to void. It was removed again 2 days later without any problems. I continued bleeding for 3 weeks and it was also quite uncomfortable having a pee. After the bleeding stopped, the urgency and frequency really kicked in and I would find myself running to the toilet every hour. The doctor put me on Vesicare to help with the frequency and bladder spasms. Now, 9 weeks after the procedure, I have excellent flow and no pain or discomfort. I still have the urgency and frequency, but it is gradually improving and now I can last as long as 3 hours during the day and get through the night completely.
For a few weeks I was regretting the decision to have the TURP, but now I'm glad I had it done. The surgeon has since told me that some people just take longer to recover than others and that the urgency and frequency will just continue to improve over time. My expectations were probably unrealistic from the start, as I expected to be fully functional within a couple of weeks. Now, 9 weeks later, I'm much happier.
Hello there , thanks for reply , (thinking I am all alone! )I get the gist of your message and take it on board. Just one question though, was the laser operation not an option for you , or offered as apparently less intrusive , or any reason why it could not be done ? Also you mention bladder spasms ? What do you mean by that? Many thanks for a reply. Graham
Hi Graham, happy to reply and no you're not alone. I was not given the option of laser. My surgeon didn't mention it and I didn't know it was an option until after the procedure when I was scanning some of the forums. To be honest, I probably would have just taken his recommendation anyway.
Bladder spasms are not uncommon after TURP. Basically it's like cramping and mostly it occurs when you're emptying your bladder (at the end of having a pee). They don't last long ... in my case only about 10-20 seconds each time I went to the loo (not painful, just briefly uncomfortable). The surgeon explained to me well before I had my procedure that the bladder will need time to rehabilitate after TURP. I didn't really appreciate what he meant until afterwards. Basically, the bladder has become accustomed over the years to pushing urine through an obstruction. After the obstruction has been cleared post TURP, the bladder still wants to try forcing urine out and needs time to adjust to the new and improved situation.
From all the forums I have been on, some men just seem to fly through the whole thing with little trouble afterwards ... others have a longer recovery period dealing with things like frequency, urgency and spasms ... my surgeon told me when I had my followup visit last week that I'm just one of those blokes who takes a bit longer. In fact, today has been my best day since the operation. The frequency and urgency are finally starting to subside and it's great to pee like an 18 year old again. I feel like I'm nearly back to normal. Best wishes, whatever way you decide to go. Shane.
Hello Graham,
I was in your position about 2 years ago and had the greenlight laser xps. As sdporter said, many people sail through the various turp procedures but some do not. In my case The laser results were mixed. It did improve my getting up at night or day time frequency by about 50%. I still get up 2 or 3 times every night and still go every couple of hours during the day. Previously it was getting up 5 to 6 times a night and going every 45 minutes to an hour. The only thing it did address satisfactorily was my retention and inability to urinate (mostly during the night). SInce that was the issue that bothered and worried me the most, I'd say the laser was a qualified success. ABout 18 months after the laser I had unexplained bleeding and went back into surgery. This time my urologist removed bladder stones and did a resection (widening) of the bladder neck and cauterized three bleeders on my prostate, urethra, and bladder neck. That was a couple of months ago and my results seem much better than I got from the laser, so possibly my bladder neck and stones may have more responsible for my symptoms than the enlarged prostate.
Hi. How is your sex life? Retrograde ejaculation seems to be a nuisance. I am 50 yrs old and just had the procedure 2 weeks ago.
I was lucky in not getting retro after the GL or after my recent bladder neck resection and removal of bladder stones. I would say it had no effect on my sex life at all.
Well, it's been five months since your post. I wonder how you have progressed. I'm approaching the point where a procedure of some sort will be necessary.
I am hoping to hear from BPH patients who have undergone treatment with the new Urolift procedure. It's much less invasive than TURP and recovery is in just days rather than months. needless to say I'm very interested but I would like to hear from Urolift patients.
Hi am 53 years old and just had my TURP last Thursday 1st May.After surgery I never really had any severe pain other than a little discomfort , which paracetamol and codeine sorted out .my catheter was removed on the Saturday morning and I found urinating very painful especially towards the end and for several minutes after.I too thought this is not so bad and really expected to be out soon after,but to my dismay I wasn't emptying my bladder and was retaining up to 750 ml of fluid even after a visit to the toilet .So 12 hours after my catheter was removed I had another inserted .I was allowed home on the Sunday with a tube and flapper valve fitted this is like a catheter only not free flow ,this is to try and reeducate the bladder .I am still passing some blood on urinating and is particularly uncomfortable when I push down on my bowel .Today I feel loads better got a visit planned to clinic in 2 weeks hopefully catheter removal .
HI Andy.......I'm sure others will pipe in too, especially SDPORTER who I've been communicating with and has been very helpful. I had my TURP on April 10th, exactly a month ago today. I had my catheter in for 4 days after the procedure, and after it was removed I was able to urinate with no problem except for some discomfort. I was in the hospital overnight. I continue to have painful bladder spasms towards the end of emptying along with some shooting sharp pains in the uretha. I am on percoset for pain and an anti-spasmatic to reduce the bladder spasms. I also developed a bacteria infection from the catheter most likely and was on a strong antibiotic for another week. I had blood in my urine for about 10 days but haven't seen anything since. What I'm reading is for many of us, it's going to take 8-12 weeks before you'll really turn the corner and notice some real improvement. Some poeple are back to normal quickly, and others it take a lot longer. Much of this depends on your surgeons skill and the size of the prostate (and how much was removed). By the way, I'm 58 and in good health generally. Lastly, I've been taking a laxitive (Natural fiber) and it helps alot with bowel movements.........
Hi Bart (and a lot of other BPH sufferers who will read this). I've bared my soul on BPH threads for the last three weeks or so, hoping to stimulate enough replies about the Urolift procedure to encourage me to go ahead with it. I've now heard from three patients who have had Urolift in the last month or so. All reports are very positive, BPH symptoms are mostly over in a week or so and they are very glad to be pioneering a new procedure that has great promise to replace TURP and Green Light Laser except in unusual circumstances. I have decided to go ahead with the procedure as soon as possible maybe this month, or June for sure. I've found a Dr who has performed Urolift about twelve times and that should be plenty of experience considering that it is a simple routine of just compressing and stitching the prostate lobes back out of the way via a newly developed little device inserted thru the urethra along with a scope to see the way. This provides a free flow of urine. All these devices in my urethra is not a pleasant thought but it is supposed to be over in 15 minutes, probably no catheter, little blood and you go home at the latest the next morning. Possibly the same day. I'm scheduled for the cystoscope exam tomorrow to determine if my prostate is small enough (less than 80 or 100?) grams and has only two lobes, as a third one (rare) would just fill in the urethra and block flow. Either of these conditions will eliminate Urolift as a possibility and I'm back to square one with TURP the only real option.
My concentration now, since I have decided to go ahead with Urolift, is to see how to pay for it. It is supposedly covered by Medicare but I haven't been able to find a Dr who accepts Medicare for the procedure. There's some question as to whether Medicare is covering the procedure yet but I have been assured that it is. May have to pay out of pocket then ask for reimbursement by Medicare later. I'm hoping for the best outcome and expecting that as well as my urologist is well-recognized as a leader in the field and a pioneer in Urolift.
By the way, I'm 75, in excellent health which I have pursued strenuously with proper diet, good habits, hard exercise in the gym, weight control etc. My heart rate, blood pressure, chlolesterol level, blood suger, body mass index, you name it are better than the average 40 year old American and that's sad but true. But I've had BPH for 35 years or so with increasing difficulty. and I'm getting to the point where meds don't solve the problem and I've had them all. It's time to take a more serious step. I've avoided TURP like the plague and I am wonderfully relieved to discover Urolift a month or so ago. I will report here as to whether I am a candidate as to be determined tomorrow. Then I'll report the results of the actual procedure when it has been performed. Hopefully, other Urolift patients will chime in. I hope and anticipate that my information here will be helpful to thousands (millions?) of BPH sufferers worldwide. 80% of American males will eventually have BPH. Fortunately, medical innovation in the US still leads the world. Maybe this will continue. I try to be optimistic
I will advise, thanks for all of your input. Growing to an age usually considered "old" is not for the weak of heart but it can be managed to some extent. I feel strongly that information disseminated on the intenet via forums like this can be a tremendous aid to all of us and i intend to do my part!
Ron, just for comparison, I thought I'd list the cost and out-of-pockets expenses for my recent turp surgery........I have decent Blue Cross/Blue Shield HMO insurance in the U.S.
Anesthesioloists (2 of them) Insurance Billed $2,000 My cost: $80
Surgeon Insurance Billed $2,500 My cost $40
Hospital (1 night) Insurance Billed $3,900 My cost $150
I would say that's pretty good private insurance. My wife and I pay about $500 per month total for our Medicare and supplement.and it normally covers every penny of standard costs. I recently had cataract surgery on both eyes and 100% covered, same with wife last year. I had a sinoplasty last year and 100% covered. Wife is currently undergoing varicose vein procedures and everything is covered until it becomes just cosmetics. I'm sure Medicare would cover 100% of TURP as well. And I am sure that Urolift will eventually be covered as well at 100%. The only quote I have received is a flat $2500 for the urolift procedure including anesthesiologists with no hospital stay necessary. That's what I will pay out of pocket and hope to get Medicare and my supp provider to reimburse me. The Doctor's office will pursue it for me. Your example tells me that I should be reimbursed completely and that's good to know. I'll find out tomorrow if I'm doing Urolift or TURP, one is $2500 and the other free. I'll gladly pay the $2500 even if I am not reimbursed.
I'm curious, had you not heard of the Urolift procedure? It has been approved by the FDA since last September but private insurance companies are just now getting on board and some Urologists are unaware of it.
It's funny, my urologist initially was talking about a "laser" procedure for me, but not sure exactly which one. His decision, I think, may have had to do with the size of my prostate, which was large, if I'm not mistaken. I like my urologist, and trust him as I've ben seeing him for 13+ years (he's in his 40's). I've done a lot of research but know little about the Urolift procedure. TURP remains to be the "gold" standard of prostate surgery, and the one all other are compared to. It's been shown to have the fewest long term effects down the road I believe. I know my surgeon used to do many of these each month (like 25+) until med's like Uroxatrol were developed. Now he does 1-2 a month. The two biggest problems I see with the Urolift is 1) surgeon hasn't done a lot of the procedures (12 is not a lot at all) and 2) since it's newer, you don't have a history of the long term issues with it.
True, TURP is the "gold Standard" and has been for some time. I've read that some Dr's use Green Light laser instead and the Doc on Fox News touted the laser as the best procedure. I think the method of both procedures have the same results they just use a different cutting tool to cut a path thru the prostate in order to allow urine flow. Both methods cauterize the cut-away area to minimize blood loss, enhance healing and keep a clear work area so the surgeon can do his job. The procedure is effective usually for at least ten years and in most cases complete recovery takes no more than 60-90 days and upon recovery the patient is very glad that he had the surgery done.
My problem with TURP or Laser is that very serious and permanent side-effects can and do sometimes occur and I won't go into them all here as that information is available everywhere but suffice it to say that permanent ED and other sexual effects are known possible side effects as well as dry ejaculation and continuation of the BPH symptoms as well, with continued use of medications that we intended to eliminate by having the procedure done.
There's no doubt that I will do the TURP if I have no choice. For 15 years or so my choice has been medications which are not without side effects of their own. I have fought a daily battle to maintain some sort of normal life while submitting to the abuses of the meds for about 15 years and I've come to the end of it.
Currently I am taking Jalyn nightly which is a combination of two BPH drugs that attack the symptoms differently. I also take two Motrin PM, a sleep aid, every night to make me sleep deeper and avoid the little urges to urinate that tell you to get up and get it done several times at night. With Jalyn and the sleep aid i typically get up only once and sleep like a baby.for 7-8 hours. All of this is not without trade-offs. Both portions of Jalyn work to destroy your libido and sexual ability. To counter that I take Cialis and give myself testosterone shots to try to maintain normalcy. Cialis for daily use has been discovered to help with BPH symptoms. I just cut my pills in half and take one daily. It does help.u
As for urolift, it has been proven to be effective for two years with the results as good at the end of an extensive two-year study as at the beginning. Certainly indicating that it will be beneficial for much more than two years. Time will tell. As far as experienced surgeons, I don't know of any that have done more than maybe 25. On the other hand, I have corresponded with patients who were the 2nd and 4th with their docs and the results are excellent. My long-term urologist offered to do it for me with no experience at all. I considered it seriously but decided that a surgeon must have some experience. I was probably wrong when you consider how many hundreds of times he has peered at a prostate thru a cystoscope performing TURP, a procedure that must require much more skill and knowledge than Urolift. I know that most of the skill in TURP is not in opening up a path for urine. That's the easy part. Where the skill lies is in doing this without destroying nerves and structures that one must have in operation to live a normal life.
As far as side-effects with urolift, mostly there aren't any. The nerves affecting erections, bladder and sphincter are not touched. There is no incidence of dry ejaculation at all. There will be minor pain and minimal bleeding, some swelling slowing the urine flow, all of which go away in an average of nine days.
At any rate I will know tomorrow if I'm a candidate for Urolift and if so, I will have it done as soon as I possibly can. I would like to get back to a normal life. Actually, I want to get back to a better life than almost a 76 year old has a right to expect.
Wow.....it's obvious you've done your homework. It does appear that the Urolift procedure has numerous benefits. Please let us know what you decide and keep us posted.
I did forget to mention 2 things: 1) My wife and I had intercourse a few days ago. We didn't mean for it to happen but we just got carried away. I got my normal erection and had a "dry" orgasm, which felt mostly normal. EXCEPT for the pain afterwards. It took 10-15 minutes for my prostate to calm down and the next few days I was more irratated then normal. I'm going to wait another month before attempting again (it happened 26 days after the surgery) and 2) I'm finding motrin/advil is much more effective in controlling my pain and discomfort than the Percosets. After a day or two taking 4 of them every 6 hours, I'm peeing without the pain and spasms (almost). Taking both would probably make your day happy!
This might be helpful for others who aren't getting the relief they hoped for.
Sounds like you are tracking right along on schedule. Meds have given me the dry orgasm for the last couple of years. You learn to live with it. I don't know for sure if I'll return to wet ones after urolift but I'm hoping. You know what they say, use it or lose it.
I've taken a lot of Motrin for sacroiliac pain and I'm usually able to take 16 or so daily for maybe three days then I get heartburn which tells me to slack off. By then the sacro attack is about over so all is well.
I take two regular motrin every night and two motrin pm at the same time. I'm pretty much dependent on the pm now and once I've licked the BPH problem I'll have to get non-addicted to the pm.
I'll predict that you will continue to improve as TURP patients usually do and a month or so from now you'll be a new man. Wishing the best for you. I'll reply after the scoping tomorrow.
Well, the news is not good, I'm not a candidate for urolift at all. My prostate is too large and I have the dreaded third lobe of the prostate as well. Either condition would eliminate urolift as an option. I have them both - wonderful. Turns out that the "rare" third lobe is just unusual not rare.
So, if I am to have a procedure of some sort it will have to be TURP or green light laser. Very depressing, indeed. I'm probably the most knowledgeable former urolift prospect in the country. A prostate with a third lobe or larger than 85-90 grams, depending on the surgeon will probably eliminate you as it did me. But have the ultrasound to determine size and a cystoscope procedure to look for a third lobe or possibly other problems that only a surgeon can tell. I had them both today, both were a bit painful but not too bad. If you qualify for urolift I say go for it. I would in a heartbeat if I could.
My problem is probably because I had prostate difficulty for at least 35 years and it has been growing all that time.
Well, now I'll do the same study with TURP and green light laser , I suppose, trying to decide if the danger is worth it.
Oh well, if anyone wants to know about urolift my posts contain a lot of valuable info and I will be glad to help. I know an excellent urolift urologist, the one I saw today, that I will recommend without qualification. I also know anothe urologist who has not done the urolift procedure but is an excellent urologist never the less. If I can help in some way let me know.
I'm going to get back on these forums looking for help in determining if there is anything I need to know about these more invasive procedures that I should know.
But as for now, I'm too depressed about this turnabout in expectations and planning that I'm not going to think about it for awhile. I'm just really down right now.
Hi Ron,
As I told my wife today, you never know whether something is good or bad until after the fact. Sometimes something that looks like a bad thing can turn out for the best and vice versa. I've been mired in this prostate drama for more than 3 years. Had several procedures and have read thousands of posts. Can say that I learned that not everyone who gets a procedure gets the outcome they hoped for, though most wind up better than when they started. Most procedures look good in the short term, few last for more than a few years. I can say that what I wound up with was an improvement over where I started which was very painful incidents of full retention, but after all that medical science could do for me, still have to urinate every 2 to 3 hours around the clock. When I read of peope whose only complaint is getting up twice a night I wish that was me.