My experience with greenlight, 3 weeks out
Posted , 10 users are following.
Basically, this post is about differences between what I was led to believe about recovery and my experience. I understand that others have had better or worse experiences, but this post was prompted by what my doctor told me today. Today, he told me that my experience is average and expected. But, in fact, it has been a lot worse than I was led to believe before and even just after the surgery.
On-line it said that some men don't need a catheter or have one for 24 hours. My doc uses it every time and for 48 hours min.
"Return to usual activities in 2 or 3 days". I have too much urgency, frequency, pain and intermittent fatigue after 3 weeks.
"Return to full strenuous activity after two weeks". Today is three weeks and my doctor is now talking 4 1/2 to 5 weeks.
Same for sex.
"mild burning at the end of urination at the tip of your penis". No. severe pain for two weeks throughout urination with an extra zing at the end. Is better in third week.
"bleeding" no kidding. today I peed a cup of brown, bloody urine. Doctor: "that's not much blood at all!".
"catheter doesn't hurt, but it's a nuisance". It hurt and it was very unpleasant.
No mention of fatigure. Today doctor said I may have fatigue for up to 3 months due to the general anesthesia.
"stream improves immediately" No. it took a week to improve at all. It is better now.
Doctor predicts it will all be good at 3 months. We'll see. He keeps underestimating the problems.
1 like, 13 replies
cartoonman r21958
Posted
So sorry to read of your experiences, r21958! The more stories I hear about urologists, the less respect I have for the "trade" in general! In fact, aside from my Urolift uro-doc in Salt Lake City, I haven't met one I'd like to have as a friend! They seemed detached, uninvolved, and worse, un- or ill-informed!!!! I get the feeling that we informed "civilians" have a leg up on many of these expensive professionals! :-P
Best of luck!
vaughn43529 cartoonman
Posted
Detached is a good word for them . Just another penis and prostate.
They don't spend any time with you and treat you like you are stupid. It may be nothing to them but it is a big deal to us. I find out more from the nurses. I have had a lot of nice nurses in the last 3 months since this problem started. Not one of them made me feel inbaressed and I had a lot of different ones stick a catheter in me and 2 that taught me how to self cath so I could go home after the first hospital stay when I had sepsis.
All were women which I prefer.
vaughn43529 r21958
Posted
I am exactly 3 weeks after Greenlight surgery. I had a catheter in 11 days before surgery due to problems with infections and 5 days post surgery. I was told up front not to plan on doing anything strenuous for 4 weeks. He removed catheter on day 5 and said see you in 2 months. I had good stream that same afternoon. Little blood and no pain at all. Now at 3 weeks I have a little burning at the end at the tip of penis. A little orange looking at the beginning. Still uncomfortable driving very far. I am sitting on pillow in my vehicle. Puts pressure on scrotum when setting. Hope will go away soon. Better erections and orgasm now. Before surgery the prostate was almost all the way shut off. Nothing was working. No retro ejaculation. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones. Don't care much about the urologists bed side manner but he must be good at the lazer. I am getting up 3 times at night to urinate, but hope that will improve. Back in August I was in hospital with Sepsis due to UTI and went home having to self cath for 6 weeks then I got a bladder infection and was back in hospital. Went home with indwelling cath for 10 days until the surgery.
Miss riding my Goldwing. Had a screwed up summer and fall, now the weather is cold. Have to wait till spring. Tried setting on it but is uncomfortable right now.
kenneth1955 vaughn43529
Posted
Vaughn I'm glad your doing well Happy to hear it. I think the reason you dont have retro you had a careing doctor He stayed away from the bladder neck and the ejaculatory duct. Which is a good thing. And I heard from a few men on here when they had a button plasma turp. The surgeon will do the same for the patient. My urologist has done that for some of his patient and they don't have retro. I'm also glad that there are some urologist that care about what there patients want. He has been doing alot because that is the main reason men don't have procedure done. Some men can handle the retro but some can't Take care and I hope all stays well for you...Ken
glenn77 vaughn43529
Posted
I hope you continue to have healing a things are good for you. I'm glad that someone has a decent life after GreenLight prostate treatment.
r21958 glenn77
Posted
I'm also glad to hear when people have a good experience. I have two friends who have been treated, one with greenlight (he reports about the symptoms I was told to expect) and another with an electric wire based procedure. His recovery was rougher, but now, more than a year out, he says his problem "is fixed".
Here's a quote from a urologist's website:
The GreenLight PVP Laser System uses a green light laser to vapourise the prostate. A thin fibre is inserted into the urethra through a cystoscope, which is an instrument that allows the doctor to examine the bladder and prostate. A wide-open channel is created in the prostate allowing urine to flow much better than before. There is minimal if any bleeding and patients can either go home the same or next day.
What is "minimal"? Is a stream of bright red blood "minimal"? How about a couple of days of watching dark red stuff go through the catheter?
My impression is that there's a lot of variability among greenlight patients. Also, that the doctors have a tendency to gloss over the more unpleasant part of the curve.
glenn77 r21958
Posted
For me, the GreenLight porcedure was and, nearly 8 months after, is an "off the charts" disaster. I admit that I had requested GreenLight rather than traditional TURP, based on the literature saying claiming that had a lower chance of bleeding and quicker recovery. So in the modern vernacular, "my bad" for requesting it. Anyone considering GreenLight should have an in-depth discussion with the surgeon about the risks, and how experienced the doctor is with the procedure.
zdzislaw r21958
Posted
In my opinion every surgeon underestimates the effects of his operations. I had GL too, coupled with TURP. The blood did clear up very quickly, the catheter was in place 24 hours, but now, 3 months later, I have overflow incontinence, frequent urges , some pain and the stream is so so. I had, however, no choice, because I was close to urine retention. Only I wish the urologists wouldn't paint such an optimistic image...I do know some people who did better than me after GL, but they are younger, too. I am 76.
paul96555 r21958
Posted
That sounds awfully like HoLEP, except for the fatigue which I didn't have, and a day of alarming clot-passing which you didn't mention. ?Although lacking fatigue, I did feel the need to move around more slowly, so as not to trigger more bleeding, up to week 7. Same thing suppose. My pee-pain (not quite "severe", but at the level you almost need to holler out; maybe 5 out of 10 ?) also lasted exactly 2 weeks, bleeding hadn't taken place up to then but same day pee-pain stopped, bleeding started for 1 week (large clots on final day of bleeding). Catheter - it's a big one and once they make you sit up and move around, it moving in and out at the meatus does cause tings of pain (mild; intermittent; 2 out of 10). I asked for and got lidocaine gell to help with that. The REAL pain was when she pulled the catheter out thro' the operation site - 3 seconds of considerable pain (7 out of 10), 60 seconds of after-pain (6 out of 10). Let us know later if sensation when ejaculating is impeded; I had no sensation at all the first time (7 weeks), it did improve and was more or less back to normal, good enough anyway (it's not quite the same), at 14 weeks....
kenneth1955 paul96555
Posted
I'm glad your doing better After the surgery it to late to change. What ever you have is what you have. Retro and I hope your orgasm get better. Dry orgasm sucks. A few men on here have had no change after surgeryThat is because of there doctor they listened to there concerns. One had a holep and the other had a button plasma turp. The doctor stayed away from the bladder neck and the ejaculatory duct I have talk to my urologist and he said it can be done you just have to be carefull. Guys with any procedure make sure too talk with your doctor and tell him your concerns Ken
nealpros r21958
Posted
Neal
kenneth1955 nealpros
Posted
r21958
Posted
I wasn't expecting to post again, but I have some much better news.
Now 7 1/2 weeks after the surgery.
The bleeding stopped almost two weeks ago. The only residual syptoms are some pain while urinating (much less than after the surgery) and some urgency. Seems like when I stand up after sitting awhile, I'll feel a burning along with some urgency. Yesterday, for the first time I was able to withstand it and it subsided for a while.
But, the good news is that last night I was up only once in more than 7 hours. My CPAP machine tracks it. Before, 4 times was a good night.
So, I'm now beginning to experience some of the benefit and I'm now expecting that I'm going to end up being happy with the surgery.
I just wish the surgeon had warned me about the possibility of the sort of recovery period I ended up having.