Posted , 210 users are following.
I had one on September 10th, 2014 and would love to compare notes with anyone else that has had one. Thank You. ChuckP PS Some people just call it a "PAE" for short.
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Guest ChuckP
Posted
Just came back from the first follow up today 1/11/16.Already seeing major improvements,frequency,stream and not getting up every 1hr.More like most nights 2-3 hrs and several night 1 or 2 times and no back in 15 minutes or standing for 15 minutes hoping I was done!
Only going to get better!Better than the current treatment for this problem!
bill80656 Guest
Posted
I went so many years suffering.
Gotta love the PAE procedure.
bob120 Guest
Posted
Happy you are seeing immediate improvements. Do you know how large your prostate was in grams? Not sure what is considered a normal size.
Bob
caringbah Guest
Posted
Im 8 months now and things continue to improve...stronger flow, longer retention, only get up once a night now ...pre PAE was 6 times.
Guest bob120
Posted
My prostate is one of several serious health conditions,so I try to keep things in propective.At least the biopsy came back normal.Was concerned if it didn't.
I figure time is on your side with new medicne coming out faster that will improve our lives.
Guest caringbah
Posted
latour1961 ChuckP
Posted
Unfollow this discussion
[latour1961]★1latour1961
34 points
My Results After A PAE ProcedurePosted about 2 hours agoI had a Prostatic Arterial Embolization (PAE) procedure done at the University of Miami on June 2, 2015 by Dr. Shivank Bhatia. Prior to the procedure I had completely lost my urinary function and was wearing an in dwelling Foley Catheter. I had been told by a prominent Urologist at UM that I would never urinate on my own again, I needed to learn how to self catheterize and that if I chose to have the PAE procedure I should expect it would not be successful. My prostate was over 100 grams, I was not a candidate for the TURP and I should go home and have a nice weekend.
My attitude was I had nothing to lose. If the PAE did not work I was no worse off than if I did not try. Dr. Bhatia was an expert in this procedure so I took a shot. My resutls have been nothing short of miraculous. The procedure was done on 6/2/15. I never had one ounce of pain, either during or after the PAE. I continued to wear the Foley, but it was horrible. I went for my first follow-up 10 days after the PAE. I still could not pee on my own. Dr. Bhatia wanted me to continue wearing the Foley for another week, but I just could not. He was understanding of my discomfort and I was shown how to self catheterize and went home without the Foley, thank God!
I used the catheters approx. every 6 hours or 4 times per day. Each time I used them, I would try to urinate on my own. On June 25th at around midnight I attempted to pee on my own and 6 drops came out. It was a revelation. I then used the catheter and went to bed, arising at 6 am. This time when I went to use the catheter 12 drops came out. Each time I went to use the catheter things would improve. From a weak stream to ultimately a regular pee. I reduced using the catheter from 4 times per day to 3, then 2, then I was comfortable knowing I did not need them at all. On July 1, 2015 I stopped using catheters. I never have looked back.
Three months post procedure I had an MRI. My prostate had shrunk from 0ver 100 grams to 72 grams. My PSA had gone from 8.7 to 2.5. I no longer had any symptoms that would indicate prostate or urinary issues. I sleep through the night. I pee when I have to go, but can go 6-8 hours in between bathroom breaks. I have no discomfort, no pain, my sex life is outstanding and I am 66 years old! Dr. Bhatia has given me my life back.
My suggestion to anyone who is having symptoms: Explore ALL OF YOUR OPTIONS!! I am certain the PAE will become Standard of Care in the future. Try and understand what the potential side effects are of the "traditional" surgical procedures. They may be acceptable for some, but they were not acceptable for me. I take no drugs or medications. The PAE had no side effects. There was no possibility of becoming incontinent or impotent or having an orgasm without an external ejaculation. Find a facility that is doing clinical trials with the PAE and a Dr. who is experienced. Peeing through a straw for the rest of my life was a real possibility. Now I function like I was 40 years old, not 66 years old. I highly recommend Dr. Shivank Bhatia of the University of Miam. He learned this procedure from the man who invented it and he trained with him in South America to perfect it. You have very little, if anything to lose, and you have getting the rest of your life back to normal to gain. Happy to answer any questions or inquiries. Good Luck to all.
stebrunner latour1961
Posted
Thanks for your encouraging report. You've given me hope. My situation sounds similar to yours. In Dec. I had acute urinary retention, and they drained 7 liters out! I completely failed the urodynamics test, and 2 urologists told me I will never urinate on my own again. Seems my prostate went on a growth spurt this past year, causing the retention. It's large, but I don't know the exact size, and has a prominate median lobe that is pressing into my bladder. Have had a Foley cath in for over 2 months now while researching possible options. (I'm so thankful for this forum!) They took the Foley out 2 weeks ago and taught me to self cath, which lasted 4 days. Then I suddenly couldn't get the catheter past my large prostate. Ended up in ER and Foley reinserted. I figure I need to get the prostate out of the way so I can self cath and narrowed it down to HoLEP and PAE. Just met with the Mayo Clinic to see about HoLEP, and they said there is be a slight chance of urinating on my own if I do their procedure. Don't like the possible side effects with HoLEP. I'm going with PAE if I can. If it doesn't work, I can always fall back on the HoLEP. My question to you is about cathing after PAE. Was it difficult or painful?
arlington stebrunner
Posted
I had the PAE in September with limited success and very few side effects. I still have to self-cath and take alphablocker but i think it's definitely worth a shot. My prostate volume was in the 50s and i also have avery large median lobe pressing in to the bladder (just to the left of the bladder neck). My Dr. was Ari Isaacson at UNC Healthcare. He has done the second most in the country and i highly recommend him. I think they will get btter and better at the proccedure and i would consider trying it again down the road. Not much downside compared to other procedures. Good luck!
luo61644 arlington
Posted
ramakant16481 latour1961
Posted
Completely and violently agree with what you wrote about "nothing to lose". That exactly is what convinced me in spite of all my initial reservations. The only thing to watch out for is your kidney function level, so the IR has to be aware of you recent blood test showing eGFR/creatinine level. The Iodine contrast dye used during the procedure can affect renal function.
My symptoms have been under managed control with tamsulosin for about 2 months now, which helped my kidneys recover to the normal eGFR of 60+, which had dipped to 41 about 3 months ago due to back-pressure from the ballder as I couldn't empty sufficiently well. The urologist who did a cystoscopy 1.5 years ago, diagnosed my condition as OAB, with slightly enlarged prostate being of no consequence. He sent me off to a phsio for Pelvic floor exercises, which I did for nearly 1 year. The bladder training which I was taught by the physio helped to reduce the urination frequency as it involved holding till the bladder was full. But it may also have led to the kidneys being put under the back-pressure. The same urologis now advises TURP urgently. The GP prescribed Flowmaxtra which bought me some time to explore other options and my kdineys recovers in a span of about 2 months.
Thinking back, I reckon the uro screwed it up completely in my case. But there is a silver lining consequent to that. I discovered PAE and this forum with invaluable tremendous feedback from several of you about the PAE and its succesful outcome. I am due for this procedure on teh 29th March in Liverpool Hospital Sydney. Looking forward to it and will keep you all posted,
BTW my problem is similar to many here. A restricted baldder neck due to prostate enlargement. As per pre-op consult with the IR, they see that all the time and PAE should effective.
Cheers
Rama
arlington luo61644
Posted
bob120 stebrunner
Posted
Which ever procedure you get i'd strongly recommend you get a sonogram of your prostate and bladder so they can estimate the size of your median lobe and of your prostate. Without that information you will not know how well your procedure is working, and how fast your prostate is growing back. Are you sure about that 7 liters of urine retained in your bladder? That's almost two gallons. The last time I went to the ER in retention I hadn't urinated in almost 24 hours and they removed 1.4 liters.
stebrunner bob120
Posted
Yep, 7 liters. My primary care doctor told me I looked 9 mos pregnant and about to pop. She ordered a CT scan, and they immediately put me in hospital. Nearly trashed my kidneys. 4 urologists, including the 2 at the Mayo Clinic, have seen my CT scan and have been amazed. Weird thing is that I was still voiding pretty much as usual before this, only my urine stream was weaker. The uros believe that my retention came on gradually.
I am in the process of finding a new uro to remove bladder stones, which must be done before the PAE. Hope the new uro can be supportive of my decision to have a PAE. I'm going to pursue it regardless. Thanks for your suggestion of the sonogram. I'll ask the new uro to do that.
bob120 stebrunner
Posted
What has come as a surprise is how fast my prostate continued to grow.
I started with a 120g prostate 4 years ago, and had a 300g. prostate aafter 2 GL's 3 years later. After my turp almost a year ago, my prostate was down to 200g. I started taking dutasteride about 4 months ago, and will continue to get a sonogram every 6 months to see what is happening.
I also am considering PAE, but will wait to see how the dutasteride does. I've seen studies that show dutasteride gets results similar to PAE. With dutasteride, you need to keep taking it. The PAE helps many but not all. With my track record, I generally am one of those people who do not get the desired results easily, or on the first or second try. Good luck.