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

My Bipolar TURP Experience 4/5/19 - updated 4/11/19

Posted , 6 users are following.

tom86211
tom86211

This will be my last update for a while. It's been 6 days since my operation.

My retention issues are improving, but I still feel that my prostate is swollen and restricting urine flow. Prior to last Friday I would wake up about every hour to try to clear my bladder. This process would take 10-20 minutes and sometimes longer. Now, this takes about 5-10 minutes and I am able to get back to sleep much faster, without having to get up again - so a definite improvement.

My urine rate of slow is slightly improved, but my prostate is swollen from the operation, so it's going to take time for this to improve. Also, when I pee it's very slightly painful. This is exactly what it felt like for a week after my PAE in 2017, so I am not concerned with this.

I am still waking up frequently at night, and I am hoping that I will be able to sleep in longer stretches as time moves on.

I did a very easy 10 minute workout yesterday - just couldn't stand sitting around doing nothing. It was harder than I was expecting. Prior to the operation I was working out (on my elliptical trainer) for an hour at a time three times per week. I understand that there is blood loss during surgery and so my iron and hemoglobin levels are likely down a bit. I had a similar period of lower iron levels last year after some abdominal bleeding, and I was able to get my energy levels back up with time and iron supplement pills.

From this point forward it's just a matter of time to allow the prostate swelling to go down and hopefully my rate of flow will increase, and my sleep will improve.

I want to thank all here who have encouraged me, both on the forum and in private messages. The reason for my detailed posts is to give others information to help them in their decision process as they explore the various BPH treatment procedures.

I am very pleased that I decided to move forward with this bipolar TURP.

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • alan86734
    alan86734 tom86211

    Posted

    Tom,

    Thanks for letting us know, but please don't feel bad about it. Whenever you want to come back, I'm sure we'll still be here. And, on behalf of all if I may, we thank you for all the posts you have made. Tom, we owe you much and can only wish you well in your new endeavors, where ever they may take you!

    Warm regards, alan86734.

    • tom86211
      tom86211 alan86734

      Posted

      Alan,

      I am not going off the forum, but will not be posting daily updates since there isn't much more to report at this point. Now, it's just a matter of waiting until my flow increases and sleep improves. On this forum there is a lot of information about alternative treatments such as REZUM and Urolift, but little on bipolar TURP.

      Tom

  • derek76
    derek76 tom86211

    Posted

    Do prostates swell after surgery ? I certainly felt no prostate pain or swelling after either of my two laser procedures just some stinging at the start of urination. Any swelling was confined to the urethra as it suffers trauma from the instruments used and swelling as it is spongy from blood and the flushing fluids used.

    • tom86211
      tom86211 derek76

      Posted

      Derek,

      It is my understanding that prostate swell after surgery. This is why catheters have to be used for a period of time. After radiation to my prostate in 2014 I had swelling for five weeks and went into total retention. Ended up in the ER, then wore Foleys until the swelling went down. I never felt pain in the prostate either, but the swelling IS a big issue.

      Tom

    • derek76
      derek76 tom86211

      Posted

      Most Laser surgery patients have their catheters out the next morning and a some do not have catheters at all. Some I know were out of hospital in the afternoon and back the next morning to check their flow and that had no retention. Perhaps GL as my Uro said is a very gentle procedure and possibly Holep as well compared to forms of TURP and Urolift that involves more manipulation to truss it up.

      I had expected to be out the next day but as I was not voiding completely they kept me for another night as I had a two hour train journey home and could not get back if I had a problem.

    • tom86211
      tom86211 derek76

      Posted

      Derek,

      GL was option I was considering and was offered by another urologist who works with my uro, but I was told they don't do many of them anymore because, as he said, they weren't that effective. HOLEP is very effective but not offered anywhere near me nor is it covered by my insurance.

      Tom

    • derek76
      derek76 tom86211

      Posted

      I feel that in America as with our NHS they offer the ones that are cheaper and quicker for them to do, TURP, Rezum and Urolift do not require the expensive equipment that GL and HoLep do, Many have not upgraded their GL equipment to the latest version of GreenLight XPS or GreenLight HPS. There are a lot of the earlier versions being sold on line second hand.

      I don't know how different the new versions are but the original GL's used a new laser rod that cost a thousand pounds for each procedure. The rods only lasted for an hour of lasering so some procedures needed two. My uro told me that my operation entailed 57 minutes of laser time.

      The Uro who did my later Thulium/Holmium laser procedure in 2013 said that I had ruined his back as it had taken just under three hours to do. He had evidently expected that as he had said that I could not have a spinal as it would be a long procedure.

  • TKM
    TKM tom86211

    Posted

    Tom,

    Thanks for your posts. They have been very informative. I hope you will continue to post perhaps weekly or monthly.

    Thomas

  • timothy81571
    timothy81571 tom86211

    Posted

    Tom - thanks for sharing. I was just reading "My Bipolar TURP experience" by Mark_in_Florida on this site. You may want to check it out.

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.