First Urolift - please tell me it gets better
Posted , 6 users are following.
Had a urolift today. Did not consult any of the forums or read people's opinions, just did it at the result of my urologists'.My urine was not weakened to the point where it was dribble or stop or go but still a relatively week stream and when I had to go and could not I would dribble. Plus if drank much water, would have to go to the bathroom every hour, if that and at least two times during the night. So anyhow the blockage was not too great and they only inserted two staples. But in this first night, the pain of urinating is excruciating along with a lot of blood and the feel to go is constant.
Typically how long do these symptoms last? I hope not weeks!
1 like, 10 replies
Colin2021 geepondy
Edited
I had the urolift procedure done just over 3 weeks ago. My bleeding lasted about a day and a half. The burning lasted close to 2 weeks. And yes, it was very painful (especially right after finishing). The first night, I literally got up 20 times to pee! I still get up 2-3 times per night, but I've had a few nights of getting up only once.
I seem to be emptying my bladder completely, but my orgasms are weaker than before the procedure. I hope that improves as time goes on, but I'm not counting on it.
I hope your recovery is going well.
geepondy Colin2021
Posted
12 days in. Stinging / afterburn still present but getting better, maybe 1/3 original intensity. It's worse in the middle of the night as stream is much weaker after lying down then when up and walking around. If I take two ibuprofen just before retiring, this will lighten the night time urinary discomfort. I would say all the urinary symptoms I had, weak stream, frequency and need to go now are still not quite up to the level they were before procedure. My night time urinary habits are inconsistent as well. Some nights just twice and some four or five times but this is more on the weekend when I stay in bed much later. Tomorrow I will start exercising again, maybe the elliptical or light treadmill running. This makes me nervous. I feel physically able to do it but afraid any jarring of the prostate will cause those clips to pop! Doc says ok to start though. I'll have to get very comfortable doing this before I even consider getting on the bike. Thanks for sharing, hope both our recoveries continue to progress.
Colin2021 geepondy
Posted
I wish you an improving recovery as well. I've also been hesitant to do any intense exercise. I'm a former runner and casual cyclist. I haven't been bold enough to sit on a hard, skinny bike seat yet, because I have the same fear you mentioned. I've been doing some push-ups, pull-ups, bodyweight squats and walking. That's it so far.
One thing I've noticed recently is that I'm able to go much longer between bathroom visits. The first few days, it was at least once an hour. Now, I can go a few hours between visits. And even after drinking tea before bed last night, I only got up twice.
Thanks for your reply & best of luck to you!
cmdred geepondy
Edited
Well guys, thanks a lot. I think I'll wait on mine.
I have low flow, have for years, which Flowmax is helping. without the Flowmax it tapers down to a trickle that doesn't totally empty the bladder.
My real problem is frequency and urgency. I get up 4 times a night and generally have to pee every 2 hours or less.
Its embarrassing during meetings.
My dr. says Urolift will cure the flow and get me off the Flowmax, but its 50/50 that it will cure the frequency and urgency. He called those neural problems that have to do with the nerves which are at the bottom of the bladder (and top of the prostate) being compressed by the growing top of the prostate. Thing is, Urolift works on the sides of the prostate, not the top. So it could pull the top down due to the compression of the sides, but its not guaranteed.
I've been dealing with this for years and would really like to have it all fixed, but not if it might get worse, and especially if itaffects orgasm. So I guess I'll chill for a bit and try to live with it longer.
geepondy cmdred
Posted
That's interesting comments from your Uro. Mine said the blockage wasn't too bad and he wasn't sure the Urolift would fix it but worse case, I would be the same as before. He mentioned if it was still bad, we could explore bladder options I had/have the same habits as you. I plan my bathroom breaks very carefully around meetings and going out to lunch etc. I've learned that if there is a chance I will be in a situation without readily being able to go to the bathroom for more than an hour, I do not drink any coffee that morning.
15 days in and I'm very much still in recovery mode. I did actually go a good 5 hours or more last night without getting up to go to the bathroom but that might have had more to do with total exhaustion. I know my urine flow hasn't gotten any better yet since the procedure, especially after lying down.
cmdred geepondy
Edited
I hope you're doing better!
I'm still mulling it over. My flow even with Flomax is just adequate, still its slow. I get really jealous when guys in the bathroom step up to the urinal and it sounds like a firehose. I'm wondering if the Urolift would improve the flow like that. And a reduction in frequency would be the best; just not convinced that is a sure thing.
TasmanianDevil geepondy
Posted
The first few nights were hell for me. First day especially. The catheter was plugged with bloood clots and my bladder wouldn't empty through it. I was in excruciating pain and the pressure was so bad it was pushing urine around my catheter.
As luck would have it, my procedure was done on a Friday afternoon and my urologist gone for the weekend. I was in agony but thank god for the internet. I found the info while barely conscious from the pain on how to remove it. I have had a massive kidney stone 15x19mm and even that pain didn't prepare me for how much it hurt to remove the catheter.
Every thing swelled shut and had to find out how to manually catheter myself for a few days. I don't know how anyone does this on a regular basis. All I can say is is didn't do much for me and wasn't worth the pain of the cost.
Now about 2 years later, one of the clips (of 6 total) that were put in came loose. Guess where it went? Into my bladder somehow. That little clip became the bedrock so to speak to form a bladder stone. I found this out when I was having excruciating pain urinating and went to another Uro since I moved. I thought maybe a UTI but no, I wasn't that lucky. Excruciating pain almost every time I peed coupled with an uncontrollable urge. When I did get a notice to pee, I had at most 2-5 seconds to find a place to let the hose loose. Don't even want to count the number of times I didn't make it anywhere on time. Couple that with getting up 7-12 times every night, I was regretting the hell out of getting a Urolift.
You know it is something you really don't want to see when your Uro says, I really wish I could show you this while scoping inside of you. That was when I totally regretted getting Urolift. Just got done with surgery to remove the SOB a day ago. I had a great Urol this time and he got the stone and tried to remove part of the clip with the laser that was still attached to my prostate with the laser and had to partially resect it to do so.
This time I survived the catheter and drank even more than the gallon of water I did last time to flush it out. I kept track of my urine output in the giant bag (didn't bother with the leg one) for the catheter and in 24 hours I had 8 liters of urine output. I was taking no chances of any blood clots. This morning I took out the catheter and was able to pee on my own with a fair amount of pain and what looked like some tissue and clots still coming out.
At least the Urolift didn't impact sexual function. Next on my list is likely aquablation.
It will get better. Just hang in there.
geepondy TasmanianDevil
Posted
Oh that's a horrible story and I'm so sorry to hear! I've had a few surgeries in my life but nothing even remotely close to that experience. I truly hope things stabilize for you and you get true, lasting relief.
geepondy
Posted
Though I'd post an update as I appreciated everyone else that posted updates after their Urolift experience. I'm now roughly 5 weeks plus after the procedure. The pain when urinating lasted about two weeks and was mostly gone after that. One thing that helped and I recommend is to take ibuprofen just before retiring and then when you go in the middle of the night, the pain level will be cut back a bit. I only had blood in the urine for a couple of days and no clots that I could tell. Never any real pelvic pain to speak of except the urge to have a bowel movement after urinating for a week or two. But I had a very mild procedure compared to many with only two clips. As far as improvements thus far compared to before, I would say they are very modest thus far. The urine stream still varies in intensity but I would say overall is stronger, especially during the day and is strong enough in the middle of the night so it is at least continuous and I feel like I'm mostly emptying my bladder. I still have to go at least once during the night but maybe I can hold it in me a little bit longer. Still, especially when drinking caffeine, when I have to go, I need to be near a bathroom. A trick I have is to urinate first thing upon walking then take a shower and get ready for work and just before leaving, go once again. Then I might be able to go three or four hours without urinating which is the longest stretch of the day that I'm able to do so.
Exercise routine is back to pre-procedure levels. I haven't really ridden a bike but that's because it's winter here in the northeast. I've weight lifted and done some 5 plus mile runs though.
Sexual function is the same as before, no worse, no better really but nothing definitely got broken.
If I had to grade the urinary improvement level since the procedure I would say maybe 20%? I'm still glad I had the procedure. Hopefully perhaps the improvements may continue a bit more. I just have to face the fact that the days are gone forever of sleeping thru the night without urinating.
Parallax geepondy
Posted
My urologist said not to evaluate until after 6 full weeks and that, even after, there may continue to be improvement. I hope you get the results you want (or at least something closer to it). It's interesting to see how different our results are. So much luck involved.
I've written about my experience in a different thread. I'm at day 8 and, at this point, things are good. Had a crisis after a couple of days. Major blood clots and couldn't pee, which created a kind of terror. Lasted for several days in that, each time I went to urinate, I wasn't sure anything would come through. Only now am I feeling relatively confident again. Fortunately, the pain and urgency have subsided. Not 100% but I'm on the way. And the results look pretty good so far. For day 8 anyway.
On the sexual side, I'm not anticipating improvement from the Urolift itself but my urologist agreed I could get off Proscar a couple of months ago in anticipation of this procedure and I find my libido beginning to improve. He said it usually improves but can take six months. Keeping my fingers crossed on continued improvement, as I'm not back to where I was before Proscar. Had I known about that side effect, I'd not have agreed to take it.
Really hoping to get off Floxmax too. That medicine results in retrograde ejaculation about 75% of the time (for me). It's not a huge deal. Probably more of a psychological issue than anything else but my wife too prefers it when I actually ejactulate.