1. Community
  2. Men's health
  3. Prostate Problems

More Urolift Implants or go for the Button Turp?

Posted , 7 users are following.

john41956
john41956

Done a lot of searching and haven't found a whole lot that's helping me make a decision, hoping you guys can help.  Got a urolift w/4 implants, worked gangbusters for 6 weeks, then over the next two weeks flow dropped back to just as bad as before the procedure.  Blood in urine for the 6 weeks, and then the less blood, the less I could pee.  Urologist is now pressing button turp pretty hard.  Prostate is actually relatively small I'm told, but other than that I haven't really gotten the information that other folks on the forum seem to be getting about specific weight, lobes, etc. Looking for any advice.  Thanks, all.

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • AZBill
    AZBill john41956

    Posted

    Still, if the Uro is pushing a new procedure, the nature of the failure must be known. Was it a UroLift issue or an organic issue with the prostate/bladder/urethra?? Hard to know that a new procedure will be effective if they've not determined what is wrong. Personally, I would be asking just that.  What went wrong and why would what you're proposing be effective?  Sorry to hear of this...please post followup info. Good luck. 

    • john41956
      john41956 AZBill

      Posted

      Hi, thanks for the reply.  All I got from the uro was "a certain percentage of them fail," and no real explanation of why this particular one did. I went to see a second uro and he just said "button turp," as well, though I'm supposed to see him in a few days for a systo (I'm currently wearing a foley catheter, as I got to where I couldn't go at all).  Right now, I'm just kind of spinning my wheels and thinking I'm going to try self-cathing until I get it figured out.

    • AZBill
      AZBill john41956

      Posted

      Wow... that's rough. I wonder if the implants will need to be removed. Well, thanks for sharing with all here. Knowing the things that can happen and how they are resolved is important. Best wishes.

  • william10248
    william10248 john41956

    Posted

    My Urolift failed also.  Had the Greenlight with great results.
    • john41956
      john41956 william10248

      Posted

      Hi, William.  Did your uro give you any reason for why the urolift failed?
  • glenn77
    glenn77 john41956

    Posted

    I apparently had a button procedure to address a stricture that developed after GreenLight Turp.  I say "apparently", as I looked at the surgical details in the Medicare statement, and it included an instrument made by Olympus that was a button plasma device.  It was effective in opening the stricture which remains fully open.

  • TKM
    TKM john41956

    Posted

    It sounds like something went wrong with the installation.  I would get another urologist to look at it maybe with a cystoscope, and get a second opinion.  There are some guys on this web site who have had Urolift that may be able to comment.  In particular Kenneth1955 had something go wrong with his initial urolift implant and had to have it corrected.

    https://patient.info/forums/profiles/kenneth1955-699256

    Thomas

    • john41956
      john41956 TKM

      Posted

      You could well be right, and thanks for the link to Kenneth.  I'm apparently having some lousy luck picking urologists, as the current guy seems really dismissive of anything except button turps. I've gotten a little panicked by the fact that I can't urinate at all at the moment (and, just to complicate things, I got a CT to look into the possibility of a embolization procedure and they found a large diverticulum, probably because I strained so hard to pee).  I've read lots of positive posts about self-cathing here and I'm seriously thinking about trying it and seeing if I can just step back from the spinning wheel of options and opinions a bit.

    • TKM
      TKM john41956

      Posted

      I have been self cathing myself for about 1.5 months.  You should get a Urologist to show you haw to do it and give you the lube and catheters.  In your case you would have to take it very slow in case the implants are loose or twisted.   If possible, I would have a Urologist look at it with a cystoscope first.  He should be able to see exactly what is happening. 

      The first week or two of self cathing can be difficult with some bleeding and possible UTIs. Take it slow at first and keep everything as clean as possible.

      Thomas

    • lee56659
      lee56659 john41956

      Posted

      I suspect most urologists are comfortable doing only 1 or 2 different procedures and those are the ones they recommend. Your guy must be most experienced and comfortable with button TURP. There are multiple posts here from guys who have had good luck with button TURP. Do a search to find them. Good luck.
  • cartoonman
    cartoonman john41956

    Posted

    Urolift is still fairly new, and even those who know don't always know why they fail in the longer run.  

    I had my Urolift done in December of 2015, by a doctor in Salt Lake City who had done trials for the FDA, to gain approval for the procedure.  I trusted that he knew as much as anyone.  

    I also had a small (38gm) prostate, and the doc did the procedure on the "hunch" (his word) that it would work.  As in your case, it worked great for 6 or 8 weeks, without the bleeding, and then back to what it had been.  I've been doing CIC (self-cathing) since then.  

    Also, I had 6 devices installed, and I think I read that it is possible to have up to eight.  Maybe some one else can correct or confirm that.

    My guy offered to install additional retainers, but was not confident that they would in fact help.  Your situation might be the same or different...

     

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.