Discouraged after months of following forum

You probably should undertake a prostate procedure of some kind after getting your prostate and bladder examined and determining the size of your organ. I took tamasilin for a long time and was having ejaculation issues so the doctor switched me to alfuzosin which corrected the problem. I've had two Urolifts. The first one clearing up the frequency issue for about 8 months. I then had another one which didn't work( in spite of the urethra being opened) as I was back to peeing all the time.

I had a urodynamic done and the doctor told me my bladder had shrunk and could be the problem but he really was not sure. So, I had another examination done and my prostate has increased in size and has constricted the urethra opening a bit. Anyway, I am going to try a PAE and also the doctor suggested a rezum which also is an alternative. You for sure want to stick with the non-evasive procedures as any others like the TURP, Greenlight will compromise your sex life!  But, with all any of these procedures, there are no absolutes, as what works on one person doesn't work on another.

Rezum worked well for me and enhanced my recuperative powers as a bonus. 

Joe,

     If your BPH symptoms (slow stream) are due to an enlarged prostate that restricts flow, then there are several options. Some of the options, as you no doubt have researched, have very high risks for sexual side effects. 

     If you are currently satisfied with your sex life, don't spend a lot of time worrying about what the future might hold. Yes, there are certain procedures that have a history of causing side effects. But it doesn't sound like you're there yet. And it may take years before you get to the point where you really, really want to do something. At some point in the future, you may need to make a decision about a procedure. Hopefully by then, there will be some really good information that will help you clearly make the best decision for your treatment. If you needed to do something now, I would suggest that Rezum would be the first choice. I say that because it has, for almost all patients, no sexual side effects and doesn't preclude you from having a different procedure later on. Some people on here suggest that there is a 5 - 10 percent possibility that you will get RE (retrograde ejaculation) with the Rezum procedure, but that is only conjecture, without any actual medical data that suggests that the percentage is that high.

     But before you do anything, you need to be evaluated by an experienced and compassionate urologist who will, with the proper testing, recommend the procedure that will work for your particular medical issue. With that being said, there are still many, many urologists out there who have been doing a particular procedure for BPH for many years, and will tell you that it is the 'gold standard' or some other description that makes it sound like a good thing. And if you hear the word 'TURP' from a urologist, go to someone else. 

     

Joe,

Clean intermittent catheterization, CIC,  can solve your BPH problem, get you off the drugs, and avoid surgery.  If your prostate is not drugged, your sex life will improve.

Some of the procedures may do the same. PAE and Urolift have no sexual side effects.  With Rezum, you take a small risk on retrograde ejacualtion, and with reduction of prostate tissue will have less ejeculate volume.

Thomas

PAE first.

Hi Joe, I had FLA with no known side affects, zero pain during FLA and no pain after, can now pee easily and get up 1-2 times/night only due to bladder damage from acting too late but much better than 8 times a night before FLA which had no retrogete ejac and no issues at all, FLA leave all the important bits alone and simply deadens unecessary tissue causing the flow restriction without harming the important bits its done with a tiny laser under live mri, I had it done by Dr K in Houston Texas he is amazingly talented and always happy to help I suggest you contact him and ask his advise, best regards Brian.

Thx for all the info guys.