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Has anyone out there had a "Prostate Artery Embolization??

Posted , 210 users are following.

ChuckP
ChuckP

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.

8 likes, 2499 replies

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  • doug92253
    doug92253 ChuckP

    Posted

    Does anyone know, Dr. Justin McWilliams, who is performing the PAE procdure at UCLA Medical Center?
    • richp21
      richp21 doug92253

      Posted

      I believe he was mentioned earlier in the discussion. I read all 7 pages of the discussion a couple of weeks ago and took notes on the docs and facilties mentioned, and his name and UCLA are in my list. Just don't know which page.

  • greg35632
    greg35632 ChuckP

    Posted

    I had a PAE for an very enlarged 130cm prostate on Feb 22, 2016. So large it stopped the pee flow altogether. PAE done by Ari Isaacson, UNC Chapel Hill. Everything great now; pee flow strong, but I too, did have the slow ejaculation symptoms.  Dr. said this is common and over time (a few months) it should get back up to speed in terms of how much comes out, and that it will come out with more force and not the slow ooze.  Hasnt happenend much yet, a little better, but I am hopeful.  Still feels good, very little change there, but would be psychologically nicer if it got back to where it was...but  not a big deal, compared to everything else overall...

    by the way, I did go back for a 3 month check up on PSA level, and free PSA levels, (it was up to 7.6) and thankfully all is back to normal where it was, and as the doc expected; its 2.1 PSA now, so no cancer worries.  (hi PSA was due to inflammation, docs said. and is common. But good idea to check the PSA...

  • peter15520
    peter15520 ChuckP

    Posted

    Hi chuckp my name is Peter and I just had a PAE in Sydney on the 15th of this month so 4 days after the first 2 days were not so bad and I thought I was in for a relative quick recovery but  day 3 and 4  have got worse in terms of painful urination and urgency at night ....I am taking Endone pain killers and ibuprofen which are not really working.... I had some tests done when back home in Melbourne but no UTI.

    Did you have these symptoms and if so how long did they last ?

  • sergio72874
    sergio72874 ChuckP

    Posted

    Just had a PAE a few days ago at Kaiser in Oakland with Dr. Hastings. He is great, both personally and professionally. The hospital is quite new (built about 2 years ago) and well equipped, as far as I can tell. The machine (fluoroscope) that they use for PAE is the latest model from Filips emitting much less radiation than the earlier models. The entire procedure lasted 1.5 hours under local anesthesia and some sedation. Did not feel any pain. The procedure was a technical success: the prostatic arteries were embolized on both sides with 100 μm PVA particles. No post-op meds, except for a one-time shot of an antibiotic. As a precaution, I am taking Advil and some anti-inflammatory supplements (high-dose fish oil and turmeric). Overall, the IR Department there left a very positive impression.

    During my first night after PAE I felt some retention and cold sweat. The next day was great. To my surprise, I was able to go from early morning to about 3 pm without visiting a bathroom. But the next night was awful. I had to go to bathroom countless times, every 20 min or so. I also had some bloating, constipation, and some heaviness in the lower abdomen. On the third day those symptoms diminished. In terms of LUTS, they are back to what they were before the PAE. I am still cautiously optimistic that the technical success of the PAE will translate into a clinical success. However, I have some complicating factors: a big median lobe and a small bladder diverticulum.

    • Lawrence06345
      Lawrence06345 sergio72874

      Posted

      Hi Sergio,

      How are you progressing with your PAE result?  I believe its been maybe 2 weeks or so now, hasn't it?

      Many of us are interested in your particular experience because of your noted large median lobe. It's a common common structural issue for a number of us that are considering PAE. It would be great if you could share your answers to the following post-PAE questions......

      -When exactly did you have the PAE procedure?

      -How are you feeling?

      -Has all of the pain and discomfort subsided?

      -Any complications

      -Does it seem like the procedure's success is or is beginning to translate into significant LUTS improvements, or are they not any better than they were prior to your PAE at this point?

      Thanks for your help!

      Lawrence06345

    • sergio72874
      sergio72874 Lawrence06345

      Posted

      Hi Lawrence,

      I had my PAE on June 15. So far, I see some positive trend, but it's not stable, with lots of ups and downs. One day I feel great, with a good stream and can go for 4 hours without visiting a restroom. The other day is setback with frequent urination and poor emptying.  It would be interesting to know when people started seeing their improvement in LUTS (if any). Some people reported a turning point staring with day 3 after the procedure (which is probably due to a better smooth muscle tone – one of the mechanisms through which PAE works). My Doc says that even one month is too early to say if there is a clinical success, since it takes 2 to 6 month for a prostate to shrink.

      The lower back pain I experience after PAE has subsided, but I still have more frequent bloating than before PAE. It also seems like a piece of the femoral artery about 2-inch long right below the entry point has shrunk a bit (looks like a scar on the surface). Has anyone experienced that? My Doc ordered an ultrasound to check the blood flow and I’ll let you know the results.

    • stebrunner
      stebrunner sergio72874

      Posted

      Hi, Sergio,

      Thanks for sharing your experience. I had my PAE on June 23. My prostate was 90 cc with a large median lobe. Prior to December I had few LUTS symptoms, and urinated regularly--though with a weak stream. In December I had AUR, with 7 liters drained from my bladder. Several uros told me my bladder would not regain function due to the extreme stretching, and that I'd have to CIC for the rest of my life.

      My PAE proecedure was painless--done with Twilight sedation. For 8 hrs after the PAE I could urinate a weak stream. I was also doing CIC--my urethra was tender--but it was fairly easy. After the 8-hr window, my prostate got inflamed, which my doc said would happen. CIC became more difficult., and I had to have a Foley catheter placed for a week.

      I kept up with the Ibuprofen, which helped manage pain and swelling. The pain wasn't all that bad. For several days I felt lethargic.

      After they removed the Foley, I came down with a nasty UTI, which I'm now just getting over. That made CIC very painful for about 10 days. Right now CIC is hit and miss. Some caths are easy. The next one may be a bear. Before I CIC I try to void naturally, and have noticed that more and more I am peeing a weak stream or near stream, but it's not consistent. I think my bladder is trying to function.

      My doctor told me to expect most of the prostate shrinkage to take place in 1 to 4 months. I know some of the men on this site have experienced faster results, but I am thinking mine will take some time. I chose PAE to help make CIC easier--and to stop my prostate from growing. Now that I've been able to pee weak streams at times, I am hoping to regain more of my bladder function.

      For my procedure, they used my femoral artery, and I've had no problem with the entry point.

      Stebrunner

    • nealpros
      nealpros sergio72874

      Posted

      Some doctors use some prednisone after the PAE to keep inflammation caused by the PAE down. That has the side effect of temporarily making it much easier to urinate. If your doctor did that, that may explain why you are sometimes doing well. In fact, your prostate has had some of it's blood supply disrupted. It is irritated from that, and the catheter if one was used. That is why you are sometimes having difficulty urinating. It simply takes a while for some of the cells in your prostate to die from "poor" blood supply, and for your prostate to shrink. Have a little patience. It's going to take a while for your body to sort this out so you can see how successful the PAE will finally be.

      Neal

    • caringbah
      caringbah nealpros

      Posted

      Hi Neal. You have to be extremely careful with oral prednisone. I was due to to have my PAE and they gave me oral prednisone. Just two tablets. 

      Well it irritated my stomach so much that I had to postpone PAE for six months. I took two losec a day for 6 months and drank gaviscon like coke. 

      I even had to have a gastroscopy....results showed extremely inflamed stomach. I googled it and it showed that one of the sidee effects can be stomach ulcers even stomach perforation! 

      I had to postpone PAE for 6 months. Eventually solved problem by having Intravenous prednisone thereby bypassing stomach. This worked well. I am allergic to contrast dye hence the need for prednisone. Everyone's different. Most people handle prednisone ok but for others there can be serious even dangerous side effects.  

    • tom86211
      tom86211 sergio72874

      Posted

      Sergio,

      How are you doing now? How long did your post-operation symptoms last? Any recurrence issues?

      Thanks, Tom

  • lenny2cancun
    lenny2cancun ChuckP

    Posted

    Just had my PAE last week at Northwestern University Medical center with Dr Salem as part of the PAE study being done there.  The procedure went OK and was told it was a text book success and all went quite well.   Had a similar situation to yours Chuck.  The next day I flew back to colorado and was going to the bathroom every hour to hour and a half but the second day was peeing almost every 30 minutes and it was extrememly unconfortable - painful to be exact.  I went to my local Urologist and they did a few tests and confirmed I was not retaining.  Day by day things have improved and almost back to my pre PAE normal on the 6th day.  My Urologist and the staff  at NorthWestern Medical believe my reaction and painful peeing were a result of my having the Cystoscopy and Urodynamic tests which involve 2 separate catheters were done on the day prior to the PAE and than catheratized during the procedure leaving me with a lot of irritation.   In any case I am optimistic that once the irritation passes and the procedure takes affect my symptoms will reduce.  Will keep you posted when I see real improvement which hopefully will be in 3-6 months.    
    • Camster
      Camster lenny2cancun

      Posted

      You had this done under the clinical study I presume.  Saved you money.  Yep, probably irritation from all the caths.  Bagla and Pisco do not cath during PAE.  I honestly see no reason to do so unless you went in with a cath.  
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