Posted , 9 users are following.
I wonder if anyone can give me a ball park cost of HoLEP in UK? I live in Hong Kong where the procedure is not available and would need to fly in and stay in hotels. I like what I've read about the surgeons in Cambridge and London. My prostate is 150 grams so an operation is really the only choice.
Thanks in advance for any input.
Pete
0 likes, 43 replies
We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.
derek76 peter45673
Posted
Have you checked on India? It is nearer for you and cheaper, India's Urology and Laparoscopy Hospital chain, RG Stone Urology and Laparoscopy Hospital have done over 10,000 prostate procedures.
ian57943 peter45673
Posted
Well, a month back it cost me £5.5k all in package at luton&Dunstable. I looked around and it is much the same elsewhere in the UK, London/Cambridge included. In and out in a day or so, no pain, some blood but not a lot and problem fixed!
peter45673 ian57943
Posted
Ian, thanks so much for your response. You guys are cheering me up no end. I found somewhere in Singapore that does the op but the price is £14000. Wow big difference.
Pete
BobbyT peter45673
Posted
Inexpensive and effective with very few downside risks. It is a temporary implant of a stent that gently creates three incisions that increases flow and reduced urgency. It take just 5 minutes to intall, you wear it for a week, and then it is removed. Not painful, and very little bleeding because it causes little trama inside the prostate. It worked very well for me.
Good luck.
peter45673 BobbyT
Posted
Bobby thanks for this info. My prostate is very big 150 grams. Bleeds if I drive too long and let's not even talk about riding a bike. Would you not think I'm a bit beyond a quick fix? If you know where in Hong Kong I can find out more about this I will look into it. Thanks so much for your response to my request.
Pete
rogcal peter45673
Posted
Just a little under £5k at Addenbrookes (current cost based on a HoLEP carried out 3 weeks ago) with Tev Aho. This also includes everything i.e. consultation fees, procedure plus an overnight stay at the "hotel" complex on the hospital site.
I would thoroughly recommend the procedure and barring any complications you should be on your way home after a couple of days, given that you have a long flight.
peter45673 rogcal
Posted
Thanks for this. Very encouraging and I appreciate your getting in touch. This is actually the doctor I'm interested in.
Pete
rogcal peter45673
Posted
Hi Pete. The info I passed to you was based on the details I recieved from another chap on this forum who had his HoLEP carried out privately by Tev at the begining of this month and thus far he has experienced no problems whatsoever i.e. catheter out within a few hours, no bloodin urine after a few days and no discomfort at all, pretty much the same as my experience of my HoLEP carried out by Tev as an NHS patient at the end of 2015. OK, the downside was a small insignificant prostate cancer was discovered but I'd suspected that I'd got PCa for almost a decade but by carefully monitoring my PSA over that period, no alarm bells rang and the insignificance of the tumour that was found proved the worth of the lifestyle changes and dietary changes I adopted a decade ago. As for Tev Aho, I call him the "Master" and a truly nicer chap you couldn't find anywhere else in the Urology profession. I have his email address if you would like it. Roger
peter45673 rogcal
Posted
Roger, yes please. I think I will follow up with Tev. I would appreciate it if you could send me his email. At 150 grams prostate size I think I have no other choice than the holep op. I'm a tad concerned I might have cancer too but I guess that goes with the territory. I'm 68 and have been through the PSA and biopsy ringer for years now.
Thanks for the the help
Pete
rogcal peter45673
Posted
kenneth1955 peter45673
Posted
If you think you have cancer FLA would be ideal for you they can get ride of the cancer and save you the trouble of side effects Ken There are other procedure that you can have don't let a doctor tell you other rise just because you have a large prostate. Less extreme for you to deal with Ken
paul29249 peter45673
Posted
Peter, I'm scheduled for HOLEP, what about the retro ejaculation, have you ever heard from anyone who has had it and how that goes?
paul29249 peter45673
Posted
Hi Peter,
I'm in Arizona and heard it was 24,,000 us dollars
two years ago, I am scheduled at Mayo Phoenix in July
I'm 62 and been on drugs 15 years, I will call tomorrow and check, Heard Mayo can tell you once you have scheduled, Had a failed Urolift so this is way too proceed, My insurance company will pay 80 % and I have to pay the rest ,I thought UK was less expensive then our system,
rogcal peter45673
Posted
Hi Peter.
I'm taking this opportunity to try and spell it out for those that don't know how a HoLEP affects a person (me) in so many ways and not just retrograde ejaculations.
OK, for starters yes, I now have retrograde ejaculations but with all the tamsulosin (Flomax) and Dutasteride I had been taking over the previous years it was nothing new to me and let's not forget that everyone is not so hung up on sex as some others may be. Erections are still as big and strong as before so no loss there for the partner then which is who we are trying to satisfy isn't it!
For those that are worried about any loss of libido, well all I can say is if you want to try any of the other BPH procedures that are less intrusive (some use the word barbaric) then go for it but after 10 years of (here comes the long list): severe retention, multiple bladder stones (three procedures in 8 years to remove the stones), almost continuous UTIs (infections), a bladder that was slowly being wrecked (one cystoscopy showed its surface as red raw due to one particularly nasty infection), severe nocturia (getting up several times a night to pee for many years) and finally all the pain, discomfort, disruption to normal life (not being able to go on even short journeys), etc, etc, etc.
Who wouldn't want to be rid of all that by way of a "barbaric" procedure. I did and don't regret it in the slightest. The only regret I have was that firstly, I didn't find out about the HoLEP procedure until 2013 and secondly I couldn't afford to go privately and it took another 2 years to get the job done under the NHS at the hospital of my choice. OK, I could have had the good old fashioned TURP but that is barbaric and in my particular NHS region that's all they would offer and that particular region didn't have a particular good record for successful outcomes.
So to summarise, if you want a realtively easy time of it following a prostatic surgical procedure to say goodbye to BPH and all the life wrecking issues that come with it, I strongly recommend the HoLEP procedure.
That's my take on it a good luck to you all whatever treatments you decide on and I hope this personal perspective on BPH and all that goes with the condition gives you food for thought, a slightly better understanding of how badly BPH can affect your life as you live with it for a long time and a realisation that there can be and is light at the end of the tunnel.
Best wishes.
Roger
paul29249 rogcal
Posted
Paul
peter45673 paul29249
Posted
This thread started out as helpful. I thought I had made the decision to go with Holep and had discovered the right price and the right doctor. Now I'm more unsure than ever.
My main problem is my prostate bleeds a lot. It can bleed after sex. It can bleed after riding a bike. I recently went on a road trip driving for 10 days and it started bleeding when I got home. I have had stones removed from my kidneys 3 times. I have what doctors call a stone road in my bladder. I get up to pee minimum of 4 times per night. I'm told my prostate is 150 grams. However, I don't feel any pain. I'm now interested in FLA but with all the other issues I don't know if I'm a good candidate for that.
Thank you all for replying.
Pete
paul29249 peter45673
Posted
Same here, It's a big decision,I never had the bleeding, just to sleep threw the night or go for a walk and not have to stop every 100 yard,pills , Pills, 💊 FLA probably won't be payed for by insurance, for years and unless you have 30000 pocket change laying around, I lost job at Honeywell at 62 with 9 months of insurance to go, so maybe I'm looking at it financial as well, plus I believe all things happen for a reason, Urolift failed for me , Holep is next choice, Funny thing is that my insurance change from Blur cross to Cigna which is in network for Mayo Phoenix so maybe someone is watching over me, I pray you will find peace in whatever you decide.
Paul
ross73654 peter45673
Posted
Peter,
I strongly urge you to get a 3T MRI of the prostate. These are the latest and most powerful MRI machines and reveal amazing detail of the prostate gland. I uploaded my pictures to my FLA Dr in Houston and he was very quickly able to determine if I was a candidate. Thankfully I was, and was able to have the procedure a mere 9 days later.
Dr K in Houston is a wonderful human being that genuinely cares about each and every patient. Take a look through the FLA threads right here on this forum and you will see patient after patient wax lyrical about the level of caring shown by this exceptional Dr. You will also see that everyone seems to be having remarkable results from this cutting edge procedure.
Holep I am sure has helped many men but you don't need to be "hung up on sex" to care about losing your ability to ejaculate normally or worse suffer from ED.
Here's the conclusion of a 2015 Holep study:
"CONCLUSIONS:
Although erectile function was not altered in the vast majority of patients after HoLEP, patients without preoperative ED displayed a relatively small, but still significant, negative effect on erections. The overwhelming majority of patients suffered from retrograde ejaculation after surgery."
I had the FLA procedure after going into AUR twice in a week. We are all suffering from BPH and I for one want relief from this disease as badly as anyone else, but I don't want to jeoipardize sexual function if I don't have to.
FLA is the most precise & trageted of the minimally invasive treatment options available right now and any read of the FLA threads on this forum will confirm that the results qappear to be spectacular. I am hoping my outcome is consistent with the other patients writing on this forum.
I wish you good luck and a wonderful ouutcome in whatever you choose.
Ross
derek76 rogcal
Posted
During the wait I did try the prescribed drugs but quickly gave up on them due to severe side effects. I never had cause to regret the wait.
When my prostate regrew over the years I had moved to S.E. England and was again offered a TURP with the words if I had had a TURP in 2004 it would not have grown again! Again a struggle to be referred to a surgeon who did a laser procedure.
derek76 peter45673
Posted
kenneth1955 rogcal
Posted
Roger some men don't do anything because they do not want retro. Some have had it and are very upset with the out come and give up sex all together because it does not feel the same. Me i had a urolift with no side effects. If I end up with cancer or by BPH or prostatitis get wrose I will never have them cut at my prostate. I will find another way or leave it alone and live with it. I will not let a procedure ruin my life At 61 I sex enjoy a very intence orgasm and a good amout of semen. I still have fun with the clean up and the after glow of the orgasm. I was on flomax and rabaflo Got off that quick. No ejaculation or feely It was like I did nothing at all. Every man have a right to what ever treatment he want but some men just give up on there bodybe cause of there pain. Life is to short for that. I will enjoy everything till the end. Have a great day andg ood health to all Ken
kenneth1955 peter45673
Posted
rogcal kenneth1955
Posted