Another successful HoLEP procedure in Cambridge UK on Wednesday
Posted , 10 users are following.
I would just like to add another success story to that of Ifr33 at the beginning of this month (HoLEP Big Success two weeks on…). I had my HoLEP procedure carried out two days ago by Mr Tev Aho in Cambridge. After 15 years with a rising PSA (5.5 creeping up to 23) and three biopsies (all clear), a new doctor finally diagnosed BPH and put me on Tamsulosin last November but by then, I was also suffering from bladder spasms and life was getting miserable with an IPSS score of 28/35.
Looking at Patient.Info I was able to compare the many experiences shared and decided on HoLEP. It was also clear that experience in doing the procedure was a key facture for success and as it was not offered locally on the NHS and my not wishing to put up with my quality of life anymore I decided to go privately.
The Cambridge Urology Partnership seemed to have the most experience and Mr Aho in particular has carried out many hundreds of these operations over the past few years. I was one of three he performed on Wednesday, to be followed by another eight patients on Saturday!
I was in the Spire hospital Cambridge Lee for just over 24 hours, coming out (and walking back to the nearby hotel) Thursday afternoon with no pain whatsoever (excluding the removal of the catheter that morning!). It took a bit of time for my bladder to get going again but that seems ok now. Today we spent over three hours on trains from Cambridge, across London on the tube and down to the South Coast where we live with no pain, no spasms, and no urge for the toilet the whole way. I have antibiotics and anti inflammation tablets to be taken and optional pain relief which I now won’t bother with as I don’t seem to need it.
Everyone’s case is different but I can thoroughly recommend the HoLEP approach and Mr Aho and his team in particular.
3 likes, 65 replies
kenneth1955 roger100c
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roger100c kenneth1955
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It was this website (Patient.info) where all sorts of different procedures were being discussed by patients and not doctors, that gave me the information I needed to make my own mind up as to what had to happen next. After that, a series of searches via google came up with the Cambridge Urology Group and their HoLEP approach. I do agree with you that everyone has to come to their own decision as to what to do next and I did watchful waiting for 15 years including dietary restrictions before I took the plunge. I am now very happy with the outcome and am looking forward to getting my freedom (from toilets) back again. I'm glad your urolift has worked out well and hope it stays that way. Good health... Roger
derek76 roger100c
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You chose the best of the Laser procedures and there is a very good chance that you will not have retro and all the rest will take you back to a normal life.. I was quite happy with my two laser procedures (PVP and Holmium) but my prostate soon regrew between procedures and possibly is again.
Better to have the tissue taken away than put in a straight jacket.To me Urolift is like sweeping the problem under the carpet but only time will tell.
kenneth1955 roger100c
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kenneth1955 derek76
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derek76 kenneth1955
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Arguements are frowned on by the Moderator so I must restrain myself in the things I say about your continual negative postings on urologists and every laser or surgical procedure.
kenneth1955 derek76
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derek76 kenneth1955
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I had to wait for it to slowly cross the Atlantic and be derided by the Gold Standard Brigade and fight to be referred to an NHS hospital in another part of the country who were doing it. They eventually dropped TURP completely for PVP and its later version. Now they have dropped that on a split decision in favour of HoLep.
kenneth1955 derek76
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derek76 kenneth1955
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Actually I trust surgeons a lot more than doctors who dispense pills they do not understand the consequences of.
With the NHS you need to be well informed to get the best treatment available. I had an appointment with a neurologist the other week. He asked for my symptoms and when I had finished he asked if I was a retired doctor. I said No and he said that I had presented them so preciely with all the correct terms that he had assumed that I must be.
kenneth1955 derek76
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nealpros roger100c
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Good luck,
Neal
derek76 nealpros
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Impotence was associated with total prostatectomy and the older versions of TURP but seldom with the new procedures. Many people needing prostate surgery are probably already on the verge of impotency as an early symptom of heart disease or diabetes.
roger100c nealpros
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4 days after the operation I am off the pain killers (never had any pain post op), peeing ok (if a little gingerly!), Continence is not a problem but I still have some pink spots and will wear a pad until they dissappear. I feel perfectly fine and can't believe I had a general and operation last Wednesday.
I feel I have regained a freedom (from toilets) and it is wonderful to be able to drink what I want, when I want and not have to worry where the nearest toilet is. The only thing I am having to get used to is not having my bladder constantly remind me it is full. I now have to really think about whether a pee might be a good idea - but I feel that is more psychological than anything else.
I don't beleive I am quite ready to test out the last two items on your list yet but I will let you know when I have.
Roger
derek76 roger100c
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I woke with an erection on day two but waited till about day ten.
nealpros derek76
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I know that these side effects happen sometimes, and I am interested in Roger's experience. It is my understanding that the retrograde ejaculation is very common. Also, it is my understanding that leakage is common, at least for some time, and that it is frequently necessary to wear a catheter for an extended period. The two could, of course, be related.
As to impotence, that is not a problem for me, as I have a penile implant - the best thing I have ever had done. I know that this forum is about prostate problems, but I would be happy to discuss penile implants, if someone wants to contact me. That said, it will be instructive to all to read Roger's experiences in this area too, when he is ready.
Neal
nealpros roger100c
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Neal
derek76 nealpros
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nealpros derek76
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derek76 nealpros
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No retro after PVP in 2005. In 2013 I had Holmium Laser not HoLep.
Ejaculate had been much reduced by Tamsulosin (it also affected my eyes) and stopped after the procedure.
UK urologists now tend to offer Avodart after surgery to prevent regrowth. I turned that down as it has the same side effects as Finasteride.
nealpros derek76
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Thanks again ,
Neal
roger100c derek76
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At the pre-op meeting with Mr Aho, he indicated that it was at least 75% certain there would be retro because of the difference in pressure between going forward into the urethra and going backwards into the now empty prostate and bladder.
He also said that it would be unlikely ('though not impossible) that I would need a catheter to leave the hospital. In reality It took about 7 hours after removing the initial catheter before my bladder sputtered into life. They insisted I had three pees, measuring the bladder residual each time to ensure that I was not going into retention before they would release me.
It turned out that I had had bladder stones as well (a shingle beach of them according to Mr Aho) all little cubes about 3mm on a side. He took out 50 plus and I had to pee out the last 11! Through a very sore urethra - no fun.
At day 6 I am now peeing with a good stream, still getting used to not having to worry about where the toilet is.
Am now down to taking just the antibiotic, having finished the anti-inflamation last evening.
derek76 nealpros
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I would assume that PAE must stop regrowth.
If my NHS link can pass the Moderator it is the best write up I have read so far on the very limited use of the procedure. There is no point of Mr Average getting interested at the present time a availabilty is so restricted and probably remain so for years to come.
http://www.uhs.nhs.uk/OurServices/Radiology-scansandimaging/PatientInformation/Prostatearteryembolisation.aspx
derek76 roger100c
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When PVP arrived in the UK around 2004 I contacted the makers Rep to find out where it was being done. I was living in Scotland at the time and the nearest hospital doing it was over the border In Newcastle. The NHS urologist was very reluctant to send me there due to the cost of it and the fact that he could not see past TURP.
He then told me that a hospital in Dundee, Scotland was doing it but when speaking to the urologist there he was doing Holmium laser and it seemed a very rough and ready method compared to the precision of PVP. At the same time several hospitals were doing the Gyrus Laser procedure. The only one doing it in Scotland had a twelve month waiting list.
Eventually in June 2005 I had the PVP. When my prostate regrew and now living in England I again ran into urologists at my local hospital who only did TURP. One day I saw a Locum who said that a kidney surgeon at the hospital had been doing Thulium Laser prostate surgery for years but his urology colleagues kept quiet about it!
I saw him and he agreed to do it. I watched him do a Thulium laser procedure for German urologists on YouTube. I had the procedure and was happy enough with it apart from as with PVP that my flow was not as great as expected and that I got an infection when the catheter was left in for too long.
Still not happy with my variable flow I went back for tests this year with no reason found for it. When I said Thulium Laser to the urology nurse she said that I had Holmium laser. So, who knows what happens when you are asleep. I think that mine was a pre HoLep version of Holmium.
The hospital where I had my PVP in 2005 now only do HoLep.
nealpros derek76
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Thanks for the update and the link. It took a month or two for my breasts to return to "normal". The link was very interesting. I'm glad that the moderators used some common sense and let the link pass. It is very useful.
Neal
derek76 nealpros
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nealpros derek76
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Neal
derek76 nealpros
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Anti-androgens used to treat prostate enlargement, prostate cancer and some other conditions. Examples include flutamide, finasteride (Proscar, Propecia) and spironolactone (Aldactone).
Anabolic steroids and androgens.
AIDS medications. Gynecomastia can develop in HIV-positive men who are receiving a treatment regimen called highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Efavirenz (Sustiva) is more commonly associated with gynecomastia than are other HIV medications.
Anti-anxiety medications, such as diazepam (Valium).
Tricyclic antidepressants.
Antibiotics.
Ulcer medications, such as cimetidine (Tagamet).
Cancer treatment (chemotherapy).
Heart medications, such as digoxin (Lanoxin) and calcium channel blockers.
nealpros derek76
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Neal
roger100c nealpros
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Never had any pain and gave up the pain killers after three days (CoCodemol gave me constipation).
Finished the anti inflamation after four
On my last day of antibiotics today
No spasms whatsoever (I decide when I want to pee and this is really big news for me!)
Back to normal activities except no heavy lifting
The slight bleeding had settled down (spots on pads) but now the lack of Tamsulosine is kicking in and I am waking up with involuntary erections which are way stronger than whilst on Tamsulosine. They seem to be either squeezing a reddish discharge out of the reproductive system, or are streching the urethra causing a slight bleeding.
The erections are not at all painful but peeing afterwards feels a bit delicate. Once the streem has started there is no pain at all and no further red discharge.
So to respond to your question so far: No urinary leaking, no impotence but not ready for the RE test yet!
Roger
derek76 roger100c
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derek76 nealpros
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Everyhing we need to know is out there.The other week at a neurology appointment the consultant asked me if I was a retired doctor as I presented my symptons so well and with all the technical terms and asked him the right questions.
I check on everything that I am given. I have in the past found prescribing errors that were causing me problems by thinning my blood too much. Actually this week I was given a prescription for a modified release capsule that works over twelve hours to take once a day instead of the sustained release version that works over twenty four hours.
nealpros roger100c
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Thank you so much for supplying this information. I am gaining respect for the HoLEP.
Neal
nealpros derek76
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I am allergic to Sulpha drugs. I now read ALL prescriber information on all meds after an idiot doctor gave me a sulpha derivative even though my allergy was clearly indicated on the records in his hand. I spent 3 days throwing up, in hospital, on an IV. You have to be your own advocate, or they'll kill you.
kenneth1955 nealpros
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nealpros kenneth1955
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Neal
derek76 nealpros
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I had been in AF for the third time after two previous cardioversions failed and a seven day ECG monitor also diagnosed tachy bradycardia with 3 second pauses in my heart rate. I was phoned by someone from cardiology at the end of May and told that I needed a dual chamber pacemaker as a matter of some urgency.
I then had a pre assessment appointment with a nurse and later a young doctor who each said dual chamber pacemaker. I’m not sure if the consent form I signed said that as well.
Come the day the pacemaker was being fitted. The doctor doing the procedure was a different consultant from the one I had been told would probably be doing it. I asked if I was getting an MRI compatible one as I had told them that I need a future MRI scan for a back problem. He said that he did not know but would check and went over to where the equipment was set out and returned with the good news that it would be.
The procedure seemed to go OK and in the evening a technician came to set up the pacemaker, explain it, give me a card to carry at all times and give me an appointment for the pacemaker clinic in eight weeks. I looked at my card to find that I had been fitted with a single chamber model. He of course did not know why I not been given a dual chamber model. He said since being fitted I had 13 pauses in my heart rate that had caused the pacemaker to kick in. I developed a pneumothorax and did not get home for a couple of days as my chest had to be drained.
The consultant who had been supposed to fit my pacemaker came round with his team on ward rounds the next morning. After discussing my pneumothorax problem I asked why I not been fitted with the expected dual chamber pacemaker. That was a conversation killer as he had had obviously not know about it. The rest of his group stood open mouthed shuffling their feet with nothing to say. He could only say that it must have been a decision made after the pre assessment.
When he came round again the next morning I pointed out that my heart rate was now around 30% higher that it had been in recent weeks with a resting rate of 100 bpm. He asked if my AF was usually a problem to me. I said that the only times in the past that I had been aware of it was when initially noticing the heart rate increase when suddenly going in to AF or sometimes if laying on my left side. The consultant said that he would leave it for six months before seeing me and by that time would know if the single chamber pacemaker was doing its job.
When I spoke to my GP this week he was surprised as he had expected I would get a dual chamber one.
You don't happen to be a lawyer??
kenneth1955 derek76
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derek76 kenneth1955
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derek76 kenneth1955
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kenneth1955 derek76
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derek76 kenneth1955
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Are you going to record your meeting with your urologist for us??
The patient before me had a pre assessment for a hip replacement and was found to have a heart rate in the 20's without feeling unwell.
kenneth1955 derek76
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nealpros derek76
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Neal
derek76 nealpros
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Here they have been trying to kill me for years:-)
When I was diagnosed with aortic stenosis in March 2011 at a major London hospital it was deemed more convenient for me to be treated locally rather than travel back and forward to London and I had plenty of time as it would take about two years for it to kill me. Appointments between tests were 8, 17 and 10 weeks before being referred to another hospital for surgery that I was told would happen in 8/10 weeks. After a month I checked with the other hospital and they had no record of me.
I was then told that the one referring me was a bit behind with his paperwork. Well he would be as he had gone on a months holiday.
Eventually an appointment with the surgeon but then a supposed twelve week wait for surgery stretched out to just over five months..
It was the surgery that initially put me into AF as happens to about a third of heart surgery patients.
nealpros derek76
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derek76 nealpros
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Did you notice in one of my posts that the urologists at my local hospital are so against anything but TURP that that they did not tell me that one of their colleagues a renal surgeon was also doing Holmium laser surgery. I found that out when seeing a Locum who was not part of their secret society. They had also told me that my prostate had regrown after PVP but would not have done so if I had a TURP.
kenneth1955 derek76
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derek76 kenneth1955
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I quoted it to the urologist I was seeing who was unaware of the articles and he asked me for copies of them.
I kept them for years until I had my PVP and now regret disposing of them although a lot of modifications to TURP including not using Glycine.
The Wiki article on TURP syndrome is quite frightening.
roger100c derek76
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according to my research prior to my HoLEP, the "new Turps" is called TURPiS or TURP in Saline (rather than Glycine), and uses two electrodes rather than one as was the case with TURP. This avoids TURP Syndrome as it avoids the Glycine which sounds quite nasty!
Looking at Addenbrookes NHS Hospital website they have a very good series of leaflets on various urological procedures which can be downloaded. I found the one on HoLEP to be very informative and have included the link here. http://www.cuh.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/PIN1658_Holmium_laser_enucleation_of_the_prostate_%28HoLEP%29_V6.pdf ; (I hope).
Roger
derek76 roger100c
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I remember the GP I had in 1994 who with a shudder said "TURP, no way, too Bloody" He really impressed me on my first visit to him when I went with lower back pain and he said that it might be coming from my prostate and promtply did a DRE and told me that I had an enlarged prostate.
Actually I was not surprised as about twelve years before I had a cystoscopy done by the well named Miss Waterfall who said then that my prostate was slightly enlarged and that I should keep an eye on it. I always wndered how to do that:-)
PVP destroys all the postate tissue but Holmium laser only vapourises some of it leaving tissue that can be checked for cancer cells. Does HoLep do the same?
He was left with 36 grams after my procedure that he said would take the lab weeks to check.
roger100c derek76
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There has certainly been no blood as far as I can tell, other than immediately after the operation. I have also been pain free since the operation day. I have a slight pinkish discharge sometimes (especialy if I have been sitting for too long) but the urine stream is perfectly clear. The auto-erections I have had the last couple of nights seem to sqeeze more of this pinkish fluid out.
Also, I now sleep all night without going to the toilet! This was never a major problem for me as I was only going twice a night before the operation but it is another change that has taken place.
roger100c nealpros
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14 days after the HoLEP operation I thought I would give a little update following that 4 days after the op.
I've been free of any medication for 7 days now after finishing the last antibiotic. No painkillers for the past 11 days. I feel in total control of my bladder, going when I want (so different from before when it was ruling me! Still a few spots of pink on pads so won't stop those until they are completely clear but the situation seems to be progressing quite nicely. No leaks (or if there are any they are too small to matter). Auto erections at about 3am in the morning seem to be the current thing - much stronger thean whilst on Tamsulosine (so impotence doesn't seem to be a problem). You were interested in hearing about ejactualtion but not sure I'm ready for that yet. Will report back in another fortnight.
I would recommend the procedure to anybody.
Kind regards
Roger
roger100c nealpros
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Here we are 4 weeks post the HoLEP operation and just thought I would give an update. Bladder control is just perfect - I can go for hours without peeing, and none of the spasms I was having before. Stream is really strong and I don't wet my shoes anymore! Regarding leakages, I don't have to wear pads or anything so that end works perfectly. Erections OK, but RE seems to be a fact of life. I have to say that I would rather be in my current state of perfect bladder control and RE than not have RE but also have to stay close to a toilet all day, every day!
Next update after the review with Mr Aho October 21st.
This was certainly the best investment I have ever made (paying privately to get the best operation, done where and when I wanted).
Roger
nealpros roger100c
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Neal
martin2401 roger100c
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I am starting the process for Holep, a few initial questions:
1. Which hospital in the UK did you use, how was the experience
2. I am in Canada, was there a waiting period after the initial consultation with Dr. Aho, and the post-surgery consultation
3. Was it general or spinal anesthetic
Would very appreciate the feedback, thanks
roger100c martin2401
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Hi Martin,
It's now 14 months after the operation and the peeing end is still wonderful. No getting up at night, and can drink anything anytime without spasm. The only minor issue has been a small stricture or scarring in the urethra meaning it takes me longer to pee than it should (because of reduced flow). This is being addressed via a small operation.
Onto your queries.
1 - I used the Spire Cambridge, simply because that is where Mr Aho was, when I needed the operation, great (private) hospital, very attentive nurses and good food.
2 - I had a couple of weeks between the pre-op consultation and the op but this could be adjusted by working with Mr Aho's private secretary who arranges his diary (to make your pre-op the day before the real op). The Post op consultation was supposed to be three months afterwards but because I was feeling fine and Mr Aho was off somewhere else, it didn't end up getting done for seven months (and I could have had it done by anybody locally if I had wanted to). The post-up check was just a flow-rate check, where my stricture was discovered.
3 - It was a general anesthetic. I came into hospital at 7.30 in the morning ((Marriot hotel is within walking distance), Op was started around 8.45, I was in the recovery suite by 10.00 and back in the ward for lunch. The catheter was taken out at 6AM the following morning and I was told I could go back to the hotel as soon as I had peed three times (to check my bladder was working). This took till around 2pm when I was free to leave (with a couple of codeine painkillers). I can't say I was in any real pain, I had no leakage to speak of, and little if any bleeding. I traveled back to the South Coast the day after (150 miles by train including across London on the tube). By the end of the following week, I was pain-free, leak free and blood in the urine free so a complete success!
I hope that this helps
Roger
martin2401 roger100c
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Thank you kindly, for your very prompt and informative reply. I have seen mentioned here, that in some instances, a partial urethrotemy is done to accomodate the instruments, what exactly is this, what was your experience, and is this related in any way to the stricture you mentioned.
Also, did you need to have any tests done at the Impington hospital prior to the surgery ?
Appreciate getting your perspective.
paul29249 derek76
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Are you still doing OK today?
Paul scheduled for HOLEP next week
paul29249 kenneth1955
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What is meant by bacteria in urine after urolif lm on sulfur antibiotics
kenneth1955 paul29249
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