IS IT GETTING BETTER OR WORSE?

Badboir:

Yep, when I lay flat to sleep is when I have the most difficulty emptying my bladder. Flow starts and then stops and starts and stops. Sometimes, when I go back to bed and lay there for a time, I can feel my bladder has not emptied completely so I have to get back up and try again. Usually, it start and stops two more times and then I can go back to bed. I can even get back to sleep, if I'm lucky. Fortunately, I have not had any burning since day one. The small clots and blood that comes out with the initial stream turns the urine brown. I can see this best if I urinate into a small measuring beaker. Before REZUM, I could typically only hold 100ml of urine before my bladder sent the signal to empty. On rare occasion, I wouldn't wake up until I had 150 to 200ml in the bladder. I haven't had one of those rare occasions since the procedure. Actually, now it holds more like 50 to 75ml before I get the signal and I am urinating more often. MRI reveals that there is some mild bladder wall thickening. I did have to go to the ER to be re-catheterized the day after the surgery and my bladder held 348ml. Wow, that was a first but it felt like I was going to burst. I think I've had a bladder the size of a pea ever since I was a kid. I'll probably always have to get up in the middle of the night to pee for that reason. I had the REZUM treatment because it reached a point that when I got up to go pee, it took five minutes to start the flow and even then, the stream was so weak that it only flowed for two seconds before it stopped. I knew it was only a matter of time before I would wake up during the night and not be able to urinate at all. The stream was getting weaker and weaker. At least now, it doesn't take five minutes to start the flow. The starting and stopping is a inconvenient though. It is rare that I can just empty the bladder in one single flow. I'm beginning to think I have a distended bladder but I would think that would have been diagnosed when I had the MRI prior to the REZUM procedure. Anyway, I'm only three weeks post op so I'll report back in another three weeks to let you know the outcome at the six week mark. Thanks for your input.

Vern

You're just starting to recover. Give it a few more weeks and my guess is that your stream will be much better. It's way too early to know if you have bladder issues that are impacting your stream, but even if yo do, things will probably be much more manageable within a month.

Bladder issues can take months to years to resolve (to the extent they're going to), but I think you are close to feeling much better.

I SERIOUSLY WISH that doctors were more honest about the recovery from Rezum. Lots of men freak out when they're recovering normally because they've been deliberately misled. A real shame.

Vernon,

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Just to second all the above of what oldbuzzard is saying. The normal recovery from Rezum involves both some blood and time but at 3 months you should be peeing OK again, unless you have bladder damage which may prevent complete emptying (like I did) which will take longer to recover.

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Steve

Thanks for your thoughts on the recovery time. I scheduled a Rezum today and plan to have the procedure in a month. The comments from the community are, at the very least being taken to form my reasonable expectations of time, issues and pain.

I have a few other wrinkles to deal with being my age: 76, prostate size 157gm and heart issues that mandate my need to take anti coagulation meds. The latter has me particularly worried based on what appears to be a regular experience with bleeding.

I truly appreciate and value all of the time and thought that is offered on this site for the sake of others.

oldbuzzard: I think you have hit the nail squarely on the head with your explanation. Thanks.

Vern

Oldbuzzard-

Four years ago I had 2 bladder stones which my urologist removed with a laser. He then put me on Flomax and told me that I may be on it the rest of my life. He feels that because of urine retention due to a median lobe I formed the stones. Last year I had a CT scan and a scope done and it showed no stones, but he said I still have some urine retention. I have no symptoms of BPH other that the retention he says I have (I can't recall the amount). I get up only once a night and I pee just fine as far as I can tell for a person who is 75 with BPH; really no problems. I am very aware of REZUM as I have read a lot about it on this sight. My questions are these-

1- Am I doing any damage to my urinary tract and bladder with the retention and I do nothing about it such as Rezum?

2- Is there a good chance that the Rezum procedure will be less effective if I wait until later to have it done?

Thanks very much-

Mike,

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How much retention do you have? What are your PVR values? What did your cystoscopy say about trabeculation?

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The big problem with bladder outlet obstruction from BPH is long-term bladder damage. One of the more comprehensive articles that I read was:

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The Detrusor Muscle: An Innocent Victim of Bladder Outlet Obstruction

Vincenzo Mirone*, Ciro Imbimbo, Nicola Longo, Ferdinando Fusco

Urologic Clinic, University Federico II of Naples, Naples, Italy

European Urology 51 (2007) 57–66

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The title says it all. Do a search for this article and read the abstract.

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I waited about 10 months before I had my Rezum, during which time, I researched the BPH procedures available and I self-cathed to rehab my bladder.

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Steve

straining from exercise or trying to poop

Steve:

Thanks for that input. Once again, I think my lack of patience is getting

to me. I just need to give it a full three months and see what happens.

Thanks for your input.

Vern