Early days but happy with TURP results so far....

Hi Ken, my surgeon didnt offer me any option except TURP but I put my faith in his judgement and wanted rid of the inconvenience of peeing every other hour of the day and night. I am still getting the odd urge but nothing compared to how it was before and I can go a good few hours without even thinking about where the nearest toilet is. Even on short journeys before the op I would occasionally be desperate to get there for fear of an accidental leakage. The other day I drove over 60 miles to my brother,s house and then back home without having to use his toilet or even thinking about it. This to me is a huge difference in quality of life. Everyone is entitled to choose the option which they regard as best for them and I made my choice which (so far) seems to have worked for me.Reading through some posts here and as some have said, there doesnt seem to be too many who have posted success storys about TURP. I just wanted to relate my experience and possibly alleviate some mens fears about what lies ahead if they are facing this route. Hope you are keeping well,  Alan.

Alan  Thank you for getting back to me.  All that matters is that your happy.  But I would have checked into something else first before I gave into having that done.  I know it early but how are your side effects.  You may be one of the lucky ones ( 5% ) that it does not cause retro or any other problems.  I know I have read that some urologist have been doing a Button Plasma Turp which they stay away from the bladder neck and the ejaculatory duct. They have had good results and no side effects.  Good luck to you.  Ken  

Hi Ken, I had already been experiencing retro due to the tablets I had been taking to shrink the prostate so if I,d stayed on them this would have been an ongoing issue. I dont know if this will be the case in the future but frankly I,m not overworried by it as I dont regard it as being life changing and although not quite as pleasurable as before, there was still a "climatical" feel to it. Time will tell if there are other complications, I dont feel ready yet to resume all normal sexual activities. Perhaps there will be a price to pay for the comfort of normal bladder control. 5 % is rather short odds ! Thanks again ken.    Alan.

Yes they say 5% get lucky.  I wish you the best and enjoy all you can.  Don't rush.  Heal first....Ken

Hi Mark, in Ireland 5 pints wouldnt be considered over excessive although normally I would drink a bit less than that! it was a bank holiday weekend so being off work we pushed the boat out. And no, I certainly wouldnt have drank that much if I,d known what was coming later that night. This was my first time and hopefully my last going into retention. Before this I could drink a few pints and it had the totally opposite effect whereby I would have to visit the loo several times in the pub and then again during the night. So you see the irony of retention pushing me to sort out the opposite problem of over activity. Regarding the erections and climax I,m still cautious and would prefer to wait another few weeks before passing comment on that as I dont want to agitate anything prematurely. I have experienced RE presumably due to the pills I had been taking pre op so that wont come as any surprise to me. kind regards, Alan

Hi zdzislaw and thanks for your comments. I would agree with you on the age difference and of course fitness level at the time of procedure. My next door neighbour who is in his mid 70,s also had the same op about 4 years ago and he took it in his stride. Being apprehensive pre op I was asking him about it and he had nothing but good things to say. I think part of this was his way of stopping me from getting too anxious. Having spoken to him the other day to compare notes as it were, he said he didnt remember having much problems with the bladder spasms which I found to be the worst part, different strokes I suppose. Incidentally he had the same surgeon perform his operation as I had so obviously plenty of experience there. I hope you stay well, Alan.

Thanks, Alan! All the best!

Hi cartoonman and thanks for your reply. Glad to hear your Dad had such a successful procedure. Before this op I hadnt been in hospital for about 30 years and that was for a hernia. This was pre keyhole surgery and I was in for about 10 or 12 days. I was only about 30 then and took it in my stride. Being a lot older now I didnt enjoy my stay but in fairness it was more being very uncomfortable than what could be regarded as real pain. Once the catheter was removed I started to feel a lot better. Thanks again,  Alan.

Hi Syd and thanks for your post. Wow, you did well getting out after 24 hours compared to my 6 days! I was on a drip for 5 days with 2 big 3000ml bags flowing into me for irrigation and a bag on tthe other side collecting the residue. Very awkward when trying to make my way to the shower and nearly toppling over on me on more than one occasion. Thankfully that didnt happen and I,m sure it would have been painful if it had tugged on the tubing. I reckon a large part must have been taken away because from what I,ve read most lads are off the drip within a couple of days. I did ask the surgeon when he was with me after the op but he was fairly vague and just said it was straightforward. I,ll ask him again at my next appointment. 

You must be pretty fit to back cycling football etc. I have a mountain bike which I occasionally take out but I,m really only a fairweather cyclist and my average cycle is about 10 or 12 miles. I have no intention of resuming cycling till next spring. I would be afraid of risking agitating the prostate as its close enough to the rear end and I,ve read its not advisable for a good while anyway. Glad to hear you too are happy with the outcome, long may it last .  Cheers Syd.  Alan.

Alan With the problem you had and having to stay in the hospital for 6 days you day with the blood lose and pain    Would you still have a turp know ing what you know now.  Just like to know  Ken

Yes Ken, I cant say what the future holds but if its as good as it is now its a definite yes.  6 days that seemed longer at the time is a short while in the grand scheme of things but I consider it worthwhile. Its the no pain no gain scenario and the comfort of being able to go places now without the worry of being caught out is so different to what I,ve been used to this past several years. Of course other people have had different eperiences but I can only speak for my own. Regards,  Alan.

 

Alan the main thing is to get well and if your happy with the procedure you pick they that is good.  Take care and good luck  Ken

Hi Alan, yep, take your time before any activity, especially any lifting! i asked my surgeon about cycling ( i was a buuding cycling  pro back in the days, but became a pro squash player for 25 yrs!! instead..safer i thought?)   He said 6-8 weeks, and so it was.....My main gripe with all this was apart from the N H blurb..my Uro gace me no real info.....recovery time.etc etc???? i am 68 now,  66 at time of op , yes i am fit and that helped!! but, more info would have helped, i did lots of research!! i find that cycling has no real effect on the prostate( obviously really good shorts and helpful saddle shape help!!) after any op care must be taken, but cycling does not target the prostate......Prostitius (?) is a different matter all together, and should not be conused with BPH.......and cycling will effect that awful malady!! I live most of the year in Southern Portugal, in the mountain`s  behind the Algarve (Monchique) so its all up and down, i must say i took a longer time to get back on the MTB as its quite severe terrain here, but all is well, and on that note i do on ave 100-200 mikles per week, with no effects at all maybe 30miles on mtb!!,,,for a while after the recovery period 24 hrs in hospital, cath out, home, 3 weeks just walking...then gentle cycling.....gentle jogging........12 weeks all more seriously... i did experience what i described as almost a phantom irratation in my urinary regions for 8-9 months. only occasionaly and not debilitating, but irratating...now gone (good),so we are all different in our recoveries!! hopefully this will help somebody somewhere...onwards and upwards!   Syd

You certainly lead a varied life between the cycling, tennis and music! I play a little acoustic guitar mostly for my own amusement but my son plays well and is lead singer in a band. Only works bits of other jobs, the music is his life. As I write this he,s doing a solo gig in a hotel. 

I drive a truck for a healthcare company and deliver solutions to hospitals and houses around the country (Ireland). It was a strange feeling looking at the 3,000 ml bags of irrigation fluids being pumped into me after the op.We deliver them in boxes by the pallet load and I,ll never look at them in the same light again! I always wondered why they need so many but I reckon they used maybe 20 or more in a few days on me. Still, they seem to have done the trick, now 4 weeks down the road and apart from a small amount of what seemed like a little sludge I have had no other incidents. I,ve read about a scab breaking away after a few weeks post op

 so maybe this was a little debris in the urine.    

Take care,

Alan

interesting when you end up using the items you usually deliver!!!   yep,been a musician ( bass, double bass, cello, mandolin) since i was 8/9, mother music teacher!!! oh dear, and yes the Piano!! forced!!... strill there you go, still became a pro spotsman in spite of!!...as for debris in the urine..yes after 2-4 weeks some more bits, but no real problems!! SO ALL SHOULD BE WELL....keep smiling,regards Syd