How long for bladder to recover after BPH surgery?
Posted , 11 users are following.
I am 69 and have been managing my BPH for about 8 years with Doxazosin (2mg). Generally get up twice at night as long as I don't drink too much after dinner. Also suffer from bladder spasms somewhat mitigated with oxybutinen. I am at the point of considering a surgical remedy but my uro wants to do a regular TURP (he's 60 and says that's still the best treatment). I have read enough to know I don't want that and even my GP advised against it. I'll be looking for another uro for is not opposed to a more modern approach (the button TURP appears to be as good with a shorter recovery period).
Anyway, for those of you who have had BPH surgery, I'm curious how long before you bladder elasticity returned and you were able to go 3 hours or more between bathroom visits. I think part of my frequent urination issues (every 2 hrs or less during the day) is due to reduced bladder capacity (I rarely pee more than 5 or 6 ounces). There are also times when I don't feel like I've fully voided and have to go again in 30 minutes which is really annoying.
FWIW I am in northern Indiana so if anyone up this way has a urologist recommendation, I'm all ears. Thanks.
0 likes, 26 replies
mike588 lee56659
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hank1953 lee56659
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lee56659 hank1953
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I tried 4 mg a couple years ago and it didn't seem to make much difference. May be time to try again. My next appt is in June. I will ask him then. Thanks.
hank1953 lee56659
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I know some people taking 8mg, one even 16mg, without any problems. Sounds like you need it now. Why wait until June ? Hank
lee56659 hank1953
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I suppose I could just start taking 2 pills each night instead of 1. I wonder if there's any benefit to taking 2mg at 12 hour intervals instead of 4mg at bedtime.
hank1953 lee56659
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hank1953 lee56659
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lee56659 hank1953
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On Monday (4 days ago), I took two 2mg pills instead of one. By Wednesday (after two 4mg doses), I could definitely tell a difference. In the last couple months, I had noticed that by dinner time (about 19 hours after the previous 2mg dose) it started to feel like I wasn't fully voiding and I'd often have to pee 30-45 minutes after previous time. Maybe 3 days is not long enough but I haven't had that feeling since I upped the dose to 4mg. I've got enough 2mg pills to do this double dose from about 6 weeks. That should certainly be long enough to prove (or disprove) the effectiveness of 4mg vs 2mg. Then I can ask my doc for a 4mg prescription. In any case, big thanks to hank1953 for the suggestion.
hank1953 lee56659
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You are welcome, Lee. It's good that 4mg is helping. That means you problem is not bad at all. Unless you have too low pressure, I would even try 6mg for a week or so to see if it helps even more. Then you can ask your doctor for 8mg, and then break the pills to whatever dose you need. It's what I've been doing. Hank
lee56659 hank1953
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I think I'll just stay with 4mg for now. It hasn't reduced my frequency much but I no longer feel like I'm not emptying my bladder. I think my capacity has shrunk plus bladder spasms give me an urge even when it's not full. A definite improvement over the 2mg dose though.
Truthmatters lee56659
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Ask about the suitability of PAE. Quite a lot on here about it so bone up before you discuss it with a Uro. They are suspicious because radilogists do it; eating the Uro's lunch.
Waffalobill lee56659
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Depends also on how stretched your bladder is now. Even if it's not that much, the bladder gets used to not emptying itself all the way.
Bayliner lee56659
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Find a uro that will do a complete analysis ..For instance...Your need to know just what is going on by knowing what size the prostate is ...get this info by getting a Sonogram not DRE..and if possible an MRI of the affected area . Is this prostate 38 cc or 90 cc? Some men choose self cath and their are a lot of posts on this site about that. Uros probably would recommend the procedures that they do. For instance, a Uro will not recommend a PAE procedure because they don't do them.! I know its confusing but do NOT rush into this and do a bunch of research. You have FLA, green light, homium laser, urolift, simple open procedures..etc..Good Luck and God Speed.!
oldbuzzard lee56659
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There is no one answer to this - it depends on the condition of your bladder and how much of the problem is your prostate obstruction and how much is your bladder - and remember the first can cause the second. You should have a urodynamics workup and a scope to gauge the prostate obstruction - that will give you some idea. And don't consider ANY procedure until you have both done.
As for procedures - I would also avoid the button TURP or any surgery as a first treatment. Depending on the size and shape of your prostate, you'll almost surely be a candidate for Rezum and possibly for Urolift. If you want to investigate PAE or FLA, you'll have to be willing to travel. My guess is that there are a lot of good urologists in Metro Chicago - how far are you from Chicago. There is a fabulous one at the Cleveland Clinic if you're closer to say, Toledo than Chicago.
Find a urologist who does all of the major treatments who can make a recommendation based on what's best for you, not the one or two surgeries that they do. And at 69 while still functional, don't consider anything that involves full on anesthesia - the risks aren't worth the reward which would probably be marginal at best and much longer recovery.
mark02906 lee56659
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I am also 69. I was getting up about 2-3 times a night. Sometimes more. It was 10 years after my first BPH surgery (TUNA). I had the urolift last year. I told my doctor, though the stream is stronger, I notice that I have trouble holding it until I get to a bathroom. He told me that it was the bladder that needed to be retrained. It's been about 14 months and I am averaging 1 time a night. Some nights it's 4 times. Today it was 7 hours (unusual).
Though I tried Flomax (generic) for a year before the urolift, I stopped it immediately after the urolift. I don't take any medicine for the bladder. The urgency issue has gotten better. I keep Depends Guards handy if I take a long trip as insurance. But, I have never needed them after the first week following the surgery.
Each of us different. Some of these procedures will work for some men and not others. You have to find a urologist you are comfortable with and you have to read about all the alternatives. Good luck