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Another PAE Success Story!

Posted , 16 users are following.

Mfar
Mfar

I had a Prostatic Artery Embolization (PAE) procedure done by Dr. Shivank Bhatia at the University of Miami on July 21, 2016. I am amazed at how simple and painless the procedure was and how quickly I have seen results. Less than 7 days after the procedure, I am able to sleep through the night and have a strong stream , peeing is no longer on my mind 24/7. I highly recommend Dr. Bhatia, he is a true professional with awesome bedside manners, his office and hospital staffs were fantastic and caring. The procedure was done in the morning, and I walked out early afternoon. I have had more discomfort during root canal than I did with PAE.

I live in Dallas but couldn’t find anyone who performed the procedure in TX, so I choose to go to Miami as I have seen other good feedback on Dr. Bhatia on this forum and he has done more than 120 PAE procedures.

I am 57 years old and have had BPH problems for years. I used to wake up 2-3 times per night and as result hardly got a good night sleep even using Ambien or other sleeping aids. I took natural/herbal supplements to help but they only work so much. My urologist put me on Rapaflo, which helped with urination but as we all know the side effects of dry ejaculation was something I was not willing to deal with long term.

I looked at other options like Urolift or TURP but the thought of having a catheter going through my penis as well as complications/side effects scared the hell out of me.  Thank god for forums like this, as I did not know about PAE and as we all know, no urologist will mention PAE as an option, since PAE is done by Interventional radiologists.

If you are suffering from BPH, you should check PAE, it will change your life, it has mine!

2 likes, 105 replies

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  • umamimommy
    umamimommy Mfar

    Posted

    Congratulations and thank you for sharing! Curious if they went through your arm or groin?
    • Mfar
      Mfar umamimommy

      Posted

      They went through my wrist, I was awake but sedated, it was a cake walk.
  • Trustme
    Trustme Mfar

    Posted

    Mfar,

    Did insurance cover the cost?  If not, what was the cost to you?  Congrats on a successful procedure.

    • Mfar
      Mfar Trustme

      Posted

      Yes, my understanding is that it is covered by most insurances. I have BCBS with a $5,000 deductible. They didn't ask for any money upfront and I have not recived a bill yet. I wil keep you posted once I get the bill.

  • randy_85492
    randy_85492 Mfar

    Posted

    Sounds Great! And, Very Encouraging!...In the past 2 days, I've been referred to a Urologist that uses the "latest" and "least invasive procedures" which cause the "fewest complications" and "PAE" is one of the procedures he can perform and that he's been very successful with........I'll have a "series of tests" next Wednesday which should "pin point" the "best" treatment option for me......But, the urologist performed a digital prostate examination this passt Wednesday and I may have "prostate cancer" in addition to "bladder BHP"...We'll see.....

    • andrewcalgary
      andrewcalgary randy_85492

      Posted

      don't forget to ask who trained your urologist how to do PAE and how many has he done, since only interventional radiologist are trained in embolization, so far it would likely be the first uro I heard attempting to do it, please kindly report back what you learned from him on the above issues for benefit of all of us here, thanks

    • randy_85492
      randy_85492 andrewcalgary

      Posted

      Thanks for your "tip" and "warning"...Since he's a uro, a PAE would be unusual for a uro....

    • Mfar
      Mfar randy_85492

      Posted

      The best of luck to you Randy. If you decide to go the PAE route, find someone that is properly trained and has done a lot of them. I traveled from Dallas to Miami because Dr. Bhatia has done over a 120 PAE procedures and has great reviews on all major health related websites.
    • nealpros
      nealpros randy_85492

      Posted

      Be careful of this urologist. No urologist is qualified to do a PAE unless they are also an interventional radiologist.

      Neal

    • alan1951
      alan1951 Mfar

      Posted

      "Thank god for forums like this."  Amen, my brother.  YOUR post helped ME.  I'll investigate Dr Bhatia a little more, based on your recommendation alone.

  • Howard31850
    Howard31850 Mfar

    Posted

    Thanks for your post Mfar and good for you. I have my PAE coming up soon with Dr. Isaacson at UNC on Aug. 9 and will be travelling from Canada. I also learned about PAE from this forum which has to have the best band of brothers in history. I look forward to posting my own success story in a few weeks to help encourage fellow BPH sufferers as your story has helped me. Continued success to you. neil
    • alan1951
      alan1951 Howard31850

      Posted

      Neil3149, if you wouldn't mind, could you please share how your procedure is being paid for, and BELIEVE me, if the question is too personal, I understand.  Dr. Isaacson is about to follow up with me regarding a phone call I made to him.  Thanks in advance.

    • Howard31850
      Howard31850 alan1951

      Posted

      Hi Alan - sorry for the delay in responding. The cost was $6450.00 as an estimate. I had to pay cash as none of it is covered by Medicare or my United Health care Insurance Plan F. Also I had to pay $200.00 for the prescription drugs at the hospital there. I do recommend Dr. Isaacson as he does not add extra costs by requiring prior day MRI/CT scans. He says with his equipment he can identify all the arteries during the procedure and I can confirm that now first hand. Also he will go through your wrist rather than your femoral artery if ok which causes much less pain/discomfort and is safer with a faster recovery. I will start a new thread tonight about my experience but please write if you have questions. The procedure was painless - maybe too painless! Neil
    • nealpros
      nealpros Howard31850

      Posted

      Yes, I forgot to mention that the antibiotics that cost dollars from the hospital pharmacy, cost pennies in the pharmacy located in the hospital lobby! Get a prescription, and go down there to get your pills, otherwise it's a criminal rip off.

      Neal

    • Howard31850
      Howard31850 nealpros

      Posted

      Do you mean the little pharmacy next to registration? We tried there but they said it was just for hospital employees and sent us over to the larger pharmacy in the cancer hospital where we paid through the nose.
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