Cranberry tablets to reduce a large prostate?

Tamsulosin can also damage the eyes causing floppy iris syndrome making any cataract surgery more difficult.

My understanding is 1 dose of Flowmax (Tamsulosin ) is enough to casue the damage. I wish I knew that before I started taking it.

Have you had cataract surgery? The surgeon doing my second one commented 'Why do they give me all the difficult cases" I was happy with the outcome on each.

 No cataract surgery yet. As I understand it, as long as the surgeon knows its not a real big problem. 

Does he have retention or just frequency? Any other symptons? To put things into perspective you mght want to google "IPSS" score and take the five minute test then report back. It's a common misconception that urinary tract symptons are only due to prostate size. It's much more complicated and there are men with very large prostates and hardly any symptons and men with small prostates and significant symptons. Cranberry tablets have mixed reviews for preventing UTI's, and should have nothing to do with prostate size although probably couldn't hurt with prostatitis symptons if that is what he has. I haven't seen any studies that still suppport Saw Palmetto, etc, but won't due any harm.

Jim

Hi Jezzaman,

You may have misunderstood me.  I'm not saying they don't have possible benefits but rather only that, with respect to shrinking the prostate size, there is no evidence.  The message I was responding to was asking about shrinking the size of the prostate.

Respectfully,

Arlington

Doctors in Germany actually do believe that Saw Palmetto helps. Here they just shake their heads. During the 9 years I took it my prostate went from 35 to 75grms but it did seem to help with other aspects.

I didn't have very good luck with saw palmetto. I tried bee pollen extract and I think it helped but decided to take Flowmax instead.

Just an aside to your comment about Saw Palmetto and Stinging Nettle Root Extract.  I subscribe to a "Lab" that tests on behalf of their "Consumers."  Oddly enough, one of the highest recommended Saw Palmettos is from ... you guessed it ... Walmart.  As for the Stinging Nettle Root Extract, I don't believe they've tested it, but clearly WebMD says it "may be effective for symptoms of BPH."

Hi Bobby, what sort of time benefit do you think it offers? Years ago I had 2 x DVIU procedures and over the years the problem returned. This sort of looks like a temporary stent that shapes the urethra inside the prostate, then is removed after the 7 days or so. Looks interesting. I thought they may leave the cage in place, though, I suppose, the risk of infection gets worse over time.

Geoff

DVIU is used to eliminate strictures and is kmnown to not be very effective because scar tissue develops again.

The iTind is less of a stent and more of an incision device. It incises the urethra through ischemic action by compressing the tissue and where it touches the tissue it dies off naturally and sloughs off like a scab. There is little trauma to surrounding tissue so no heavy scar tissue develops. The incisions do not heal because urine flows through them several time a day.

So far they have been used for 5 years with no repeats, but the system should be repeatable if necessary. Since it is placed under visualization they can avoid damaging the seminal ducts and various nerves so little chance of any side effect damage to sexual function. Only downside is that it works about 85%-90% of the time and nobody knows the ultimate duration of effect.

The procedure takes 5 mintues and you stay for an hour or two because of the sedation and you have to urinate before you go home. No overnight stay. Nocatheter and bag.

The implant duration is not painful, but you know it is in you. You are a bit tender but minimal bleeding, mostly very small blood clots. Just a lot of urgency so you have to stay home.

The removal did not require sedation, just a valium which helps relax your muscles. It took about 1 minute to remove and was uncomfortable for about 15 seconds; a 2.5 on a scale of 1-10. Within an hour of removal I felt relief. No urgency. Complete voiding. About 3-4 hours between bathroom visits. Heaven.

If I had to do this every 4 years I would do it in a heaartbeat. Better than being on meds with loss of libido or ED or retrograde ejaculatiion.

All procedures are somewhat temporary because the prostate keeps growing. Only a prostatecomy would "cure" that.

If you are in the USA reach out to Medi-tate and see if you qualoify. They will screen you carefully. Hope this helps.

Thanks Bobby, very interesting. I looked at a few of their videos...all looks very efficient. My stricture returned many years ago that may need some repairs? Last week I had a Cystoscopy and will see the urologist in February to work out what action, if any, is required. I live in Australia and it seems this procedure is not here yet. We are not know as a pioneering nation when it come to medical devices and procedures.

Geoff

Hi Bobby,

When did you have the itind done?

Neal

I assume you were part of the study. Are you assuming based on sympton relief that you were not in the placebo arm or did they reveal it to you. If not, when is the reveal?

Jim

29 Nov 20165

Jim,

Yes I was part of the study in the USA.

Officially I do not know if I was in the sham arm or not but, actually, if you read the protocol of the study and do a little research it becomes pretty obvious if you are in the control arm or not.

That and the results are pretty dramatic.

Hi Bobby,

I may be wrong, but my understanding is that they do a rigid cystoscopy in the sham arm. That's somewhat invasive and therefore usually done under anathesia, therefore I don't see how it would be obvious just from the procedure itself if the patient is visually shielded both when the device is either really (or sham) introduced. And while it sounds like you got the real deal based on sympton relief, there may be some in the sham arm that are not sure, therefore wondering how long they have to wait to be told. 

Jim

Jim

No, the sham gets a Foley inserted and immediately withdrawn.

Also a Foley is used during removal for both sham and implant.

Everyone is sedated and there is a screen drape too. All was very comfortable and the only pain i experienced was buring during urination until the implant was removed.

I believe that it does become obvious that somehtiing is inside of you for 5-7 days. There is no sedation with the removal, just a Valium to relax your muscles, and a screen drape is also used. I beleive the follow last for 3 to 6 months. Then your records are available.

The results are so dramatic upon removal. If I had the sham I do not believe that I could be so much more improved. Hey maybe I was hypnotized!!!! *lol*

It sounds like you had an excellent response. It will be interesting to see how the study group did overall, and how effective iTind will be with populations that have less rigorous exclusion data. It seems that they have been using a chain saw for too long where perhaps a knife will do!

Jim

It has been in use for 5 years internationally and is approved in the EU, UK, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Hong Kong, etc. The response has been about 85%-90% effective without negative side effects. The failures are with men who have multiple problems and are older or where the implant shifted in which case it is just removed.

This solution is rather simple and elegant at the samer time. 

It is using the body's natural process of shedding old cells which is much less traumatic than other methods. The incisions do not really cut the cells so much as part them. Before joining this trial I read dozens of medical reports in various journals about the expected outcomes of TURP, TUNA, HoLEP, Urolift, etc. as well a ischemic process at the cell level. They all have a downside. WIth iTind the downside was that it might not work for an individual. Other than that you have the same risk of a UTI as any of the other methodss. I am not a doctor so I am not sure what the parameters of a perfect patient would be so you would have to be screened. Before joining i spoke with almost a dozen medical professionals including researchers, cardiologists, urologists as well as my primary care internist. They all agreed with my basic comclusions.

Also, patients in clinical trials get a very high standard of care. The sponsor picks the top doctors, usually in teaching hospitals. The docotrs do not accept devices that are sketchy. They pick patients very carefully. Everybody wants success so are super careful.

Bobby,

I was referring to the exclusion criteria in the U.S. trials. For example, if your PVR was greater than 250ml, if you had a median lobe or had prostatitis within the last 5 years -- then you were excluded. In fact, most men on this forum would be excluded by that criteria. I am very hopeful about iTind's non-invasive approach but would like to see some data on how effective it is with a more diverse group. 

Took a quick look and was unable to find much data, other than a few small studies, on iTind's prior use internationally. Could you post any references or links?

Jim

 

Hi Bobby ,

It looks like your computer messed you up.

Did you have it done 29 November 2016 or 15?

Thanks again ,

Neal

Not the computer. Just fat fingers.

2016, two months ago.

Bobby,

Thanks for the clarification.

Neal