My Prostate Artery Embolization with Dr. Bagla, Jan 2017

Hey Buddy  If a PAE is what you want keep trying to get ahold of Dr. Bagla.  Tell the other doctor No Thank You  Good luck  Ken

J.D.,

You're in good hands with Dr. Bagla. I believe he's done more of these proceudures than anyone else in the US. And he's a nice guy to boot. Ditto for his staff. 

I had very little pain or discomfort during or after the procedure. Before the procedure, Dr. Bagla  told me, "You're going to hate me for three days afterwards," but I didn't even dislike him a little! The small amount of discomfort I felt was easily handled with the pain and anti-inflammation meds. 

This is still a relatively new procedure and data on rates of success are unclear. Dr Bagla reports a success rate of 90%; others report considerably lower rates--60% to 70%. But on one thing everybody seems to agree: the risk of negative side effect is very low. So there is really no reason not to have this procedure. 

Best of luck. 

Don

 

Good.  Keep in touch.  Let us know whats going on..  Just keep trying.  You will get through  Ken

If you proceed with a PAE with Dr B and are not local, I'm happy to give you lodging and restaurant recommendations for the area. I had my PAE with Dr B 4 months ago.

Rich

richp21....!   That is unbelievably gracious!  I used to live in Woodbridge and know the area.  One year ago this month I bought a place out here in WV; so, I am now around 90 miles away.

However....  my understanding is that this is an In & Out procedure - lasting a few hours at most - barring any complications.  Applied for an appointment online at 3:30 AM (don't sleep well) and following up by phone today.

Not sure of all the logistics; but, I just may take you up on the offer - THANKS!

I wouldn't plan on driving a vehicle that day (or possibly for a few days after) due to after effects of the twilight anesthetic. I was at the Institute for around 4 hours altogether, I think, though the procedure itself was about an hour. If you have someone that will be accompanying you, you might be able to do the travelling the same day. I live at a distance and was very happy to be able to stay put for 3 or 4 days in Woodbridge before going home.

Oh yeah...  The twilight anesthtic - forgot about that!  Three years ago I had that stuff for a colonoscopy and understand.  Depends upon "When".  I have couple of good friends who may be able to drive me.

REALLY appreciate your input!

Happy to answer any other questions. The forum has been a great support for me and so many men!

Spoke with Dr. B earlier today.  I have an appt. 08/29 for the PAE.  Hope I can last that long...

Should I start getting nervous now or wait until the night before...<g>....

J.D.  

I was in your position a year ago.   I wish you the very best of luck.  

You should find the procedure to be a non-event.  Dr. Baglas staff is very competent and careful.  Before they start, they will get to know you and relax you with conversation and meds.  By the time they start you'll feel like you're dozing on a flight, letting the crew do all the work.

By the end of the day you should feel about the same as if you had 2 root canals, a little medicated, recovering from a mentally stressful event.  

You shouldn't be driving for a day or 2 just because of the anesthetic, your reflexes will be slower, you will be less alert.  But you'll be fine riding in a car for a couple of hours.

I stayed in Arlington for a few days for sightseeing and each day was able to do more. 

One suggestion I can make, if you haven't already done so, you should thoroughly check all the threads on this forum for men commenting on their PAE results in the last year.  

A year ago, the comments about PAE and Dr. Bagla were extremely positive.  Recently they are much less so.  The comments about FLA and Dr. K have been much more positive.  

Again, best of luck.  

If there is any info I can help you with, feel free to pm me.

Jeff

Rich,

As I recall from your posts of several weeks ago, your PAE experience with Dr. Bagla was moderately positive. I think you said improvement was in the 20% range. Is that still the case? 

I ask because my condition over the past few weeks has taken a surprising turn for the better. A few weeks ago, I reported mixed results on this forum--some very good days followed by days (and nights) of moderate to severe LUTS (in my case, incomplete voiding, frequency, and nocturia). Then about three weeks ago, my symptoms started to improve, except at night when I continued to be bothered by nocturia (up 3-5 times a night). Then a new development: Over the past three days, the nocturia has mostly vanished. It has surprised me--in a good way!--because I assumed that by month 3, there would be no improvement.

Not sure what to make of this. Of course, I'm hoping that this is the new normal for me, but know that BPH symptoms can be erratic and unpredictable. 

I'm planning to go in and talk to Dr. Bagal sometime this month, but in the meantime, I wonder if you have heard of anyone else having this kind of a delayed positive response to BPH?

I hope you're doing well.

Don

Don 

Thanks Jeff.  Altho' not sure that your analogy re: root canals makes me feel better...<g>...

Do I need to fast before going in?

J.D. 

My experience with root canals is that I only feel a nick when I am injected with the anesthetic, same as the PAE if my memory is correct.   Otherwise just some mental pain, nothing physical.

I did have to fast.  They have some preparation instructions that they'll give you just before your appt date.  You should ask for these instructions in advance.

At the PAE they also told me that I had to buy some medications.  Because I didn't know about it in advance and I had to go directly from the procedure to a pharmacy to buy the meds.  Getting there and buying the meds and going back to my hotel took up my first hour after leaving the clinic.  I would much preferred to take a nap or get something to eat, so do ask ahead of time.

I can make another suggestion, over the last year the men on this forum have started to identity who is a good candidate for which procedure.  A year ago we didn't disuss prostate size, urodynamics or other indicators.  Dr. Bagla said I was a good candidate so I went ahead with the PAE.  Theres alot of information about this on this forum now.  Or chat with Jimjames about it.

I documented my experience on this thread:  "My PAE Experience Today"  Posted 10 months ago

Best of luck.

Jeff

Good luck buddy.  I wish you the best  Ken

Good info about fasting & meds - Thanks.  In my phone conversation with Dr. B, he asked about my prostate "size" and I have no idea.  Looked thru all my past reports and all I could find (from 2010)  were the dimensions:  6.0 X 5.4 X 6.2 cm  -- Probably bigger now; so, not sure if that makes me a "good" candidate for PAE.  Doesn't matter!  I *need* to do something b/c I'm not sure I could endure another AUR episode.  I'm not good about keeping a journal; but, since the last AUR 5 days ago, I have noted how often I need to pee.  Yesterday it was 14 times!  20 - 30 minute intervals - longest just over an hour.   Bothersome; yet so much better than no being able to NV at all!  I have tried one time to self-cath.  VERY painful and unsuccessful.  I am reading about self-cath here and just HAVE to suck it up and try again.

Ken - Thank you!  And, thanks to everyone here for the support.  I live alone and am somewhat remote / rural.  Great neighbor; but, he's not around all the time.  The nearest E.R. is an hour away and (unbelieveably) the 911 response time here is 3 - 4 hours b/c of funding.

So...  The comments, compassion, and support here is truly wonderful and helpful!

Jeff - I'm new here and not a Luddite.  However, I cannot figure out how to find your thread "My PAE Experience Today".....?

Thanks!

Hi Don,

    Happy to hear of the unexpected improvements. What is the timing of the different stages that happened? Dr B told me that after 3 months I shouldn't expect any more improvements. So far that seems to be the case with me. I'm almost 4 1/2 months out, and I would say that the overall improvements have been only marginal.

    I haven't heard of anyone else having a delayed positive response.

Rich

j.d.,

The office will give you complete pre and post procedure instructions. Yes to fasting: Nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before the procedure.

J.D.    The software on this forum really sucks, beside not being able to go back and edit postings, I just searched for my thread using "Search thousands of discussions" and I couldn't find it either.

I was able to find it by using the 'search patient' box using my forum name:  jjjj57989.  Then looking under my "discussions"

Here's a link:

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/my-pae-experience-today-538258

With the details of your living situtaion, I would suggest staying in

Woodbrdige at the very least overnight or even better a couple of days, just in case you need some medical attention. Low probablility, but you might not want to wait 4 or 5 hrs to get to an ER when you could be minutes away.

If you decide to do that, I'll send you info on a wonderful Marriott in Woodbridge: we had a kitchen and a spare bedroom... a small apartment, and cost was reasonable.

Rich - Yes, the software here sucks - ...hehehe!  I just read thru that link = good stuff!  Interesting that there are a handful of meds afterwards.  Hope I can get those scripts filled in advance.

I lived in Woodbridge a few years ago near Dr. B's office and know the area quite well.  Since I lived there I had no experience with the hotels/motels.  There is a "Homeless Village" under I-95 nearby where I used to take meals.  They should remember me and maybe put me up for the night...<g>...

Via email this morning, a VERY good friend has offered to drive!  But, I cannot put them thru a whole day and driving about 200 miles!

My thinking was that I wanted to be close to Dr. Bagla for the first 24 hours.   Plus I was able to just relax that day and travel the next day.

JD   JJ is telling you what is best.  Stay in the area where the Dr is so you have him and his office just in case.  You can drive home the next day.  Try to relax that night.  Good luck  Ken 

Actually is was jjjj who made the comment about the software. I have a different take on that issue, but no need to go into it here. Just want to keep that record straight.

You shouldn't have any trouble getting those scrips filled in advance. I live in a rural area also and was able to get them. If you think you might have trouble, ask Dr B's office now for a list of what you'll need to get.

Have you decided on your travelling arrangements yet?

Hi Rich,

For the first two months after the procedure the results were mixed, with more good days than bad, but almost always with nocturia (I was up 3-6 times a night). Good days outnumbered bad days around 3 or 4 to 1. I quit Finasteride a week or two after the procedure, but continued with Cialis, and my condition seemed similar to what I had experienced pre-PAE on good days on both meds. Since my main goal was to get off the meds--particularly Fi--NASTY-ride--I felt I'd achieved a qualified success. Things took a slight turn for the worse around month 2, beginning on the morning after I took a 1/2 dose of Cialis. Have no idea if the LUTS was triggered by the half dose, but I didn't wait to find out--I went immediately back on a full dose, and have stayed on it ever since. 

Things continued pretty much that way--mostly good days, with occasional outbreaks of LUTS, and nightly nocturia--until around July 27, nearly 3 months after the procedure, when I began having longer stretches of good days. Nocturia continued at night, however. I should add that nine days before things got better, I began a 10-day course of Bactrim for a mild case of UTI. I assumed that the improvement in symptoms was due to the Bactrim, and that once it wore off, symptoms would eventually return.

So far that hasn't happened. I've continued to be mosty symptom free during the day, and starting four days ago, virtually symptom free at night too. I suppose it's possible that this is all a result of the antibiotocs, but I'm hoping that the PAE finally kicked in. Time will tell.

That's my story so far. What's next for you? My uro--one of the best in the DC region--says that he and his collegaues at GW will soon be offering Urolift and are looking into Rezum. 

Don

I've recently switched from tamsulosin to daily cialis, and need a week or so more to see if that will be a workable solution for me. Preliminary results look promising. A complicating factor is that it is allergy season here in the northeast US, and I'm not sure if my congestion is due to allergies or the cilais.

If the cialis works, I will stay with it for the forseeable future, but continue to stay informed about procedures as they develop. I'm also going to pow wow with my uro doc about the many diagnostic procedures that I've never had that can determine how much my LUTS might be also due to other factors (bladder issues) besides an enlarged prostate.

I did get a PSA report and U/S of the prostate last week, and those both confirmed only a very marginal improvement from the PAE.

What dosage of Cialis are you taking? I'm assuming you take it every day, is that correct?

Rich

Sorry about my sour comments re: the software here.  HOWEVER!  This is my THIRD attempt to type a reply here this morning!  I have emailed Dr. B about advance 'scripts.  No, have not made traveling nor hotel arrangements.  $150 - $200 per night is kinda steep for me - still working on that.  OTOH, I am an experienced backpacker and can set up almost anywhere...<g>...  Yes, I understand the reasoning for staying close to his office.

Oh... how old are you? I did plenty of back packing and winging it on lodging during my 20's and 30's, but no way I would be doing that now, especially after having a procedure. I think you were kinda joking, but sometimes hard to tell with digital communication.

I know PAE is comparatively speaking a less invasive procedure, but it is an still assault on the body for sure (along with the anesthesa). Gosh, sounding like an old man here .... (for the record, I just passed 70).

Rich

Don - Appreciate your "story".  AND!  Everyone else who posts their experience.  My uro doc (whom I dislike) put me on that Fi--NASTY-ride crap and I stopped after about 4 weeks.  BTW, I love your use of "Fi--NASTY-ride"...<g>...  Uro doc never mentioned Cialis.  BPH for years, high PSA at 25.  Biopsies, Bine Scan, MRI show no cancer.  4 AUR episodes in 3.5 years forcing me to the E.R each time.  One self-cath attempt was painful and unsuccessful; need to figure that out.

Last AUR episode was 10 days ago and my "recovery" from that has been slow.  Last 10 hours my NV count is 11...<sigh>...  No real pain thankfully.  I am going for the PAE primarily to reduce the chance of another AUR; all other benefits WELCOMED,,,<g>...

Feel pretty good this morning and I am going to use the riding mower.  See how that goes.

Again:  Thanks to all!

What is NV count?

Thanks.

Stupidly replying to mysefl - Sorry.  Seems to be no "refresh" function; so, I need to sign off and then back in to see new comments.

NV - Natural Void; i.e., peeing without a cath.  Something I learned on the forums here.  Alond with PVR = Post Void Residual (volume).  "GL" was a mystery; but, that's the "Green Light" procedure..

Rich - I just passed 80 last February.  To quote Warren Zevon: "I'm in pretty good shape for the shape I am in.."  BTW, he died from prostate cancer which I think is "Pc2"...?

PAE is an "assault on the body"...?!?!?!   You're scaring me...<g>...

Backpacking:  I've had to slow down b/c my knees don't like the downhills.  I've not slept on the ground for over 15 years!  Hammocker!  Only way to go for comfort and saving pack weight.  I've been out there in my hammock in severe storms and once at MINUS 22F.

Sorry to highjack the thread everyone.

Rich - Any hints on how to "PM" (Private Message)..?  Hate to be "off topic"; but, cannot find that function.

Thanks. And what does a count of 11 mean for the NV?

There is a little envelope next to each person's "name". Just click on that.

Hey Buddy  I hope your doing better.  At the top by the name is a little envelope just press that and you can send a PM at any time.  Take it easy  Ken 

Hi Ken

I hope you got my message , because I spent about 45 minutes writing to you on my phone and then lost it. I was explaining about John and myself spending over 3 years researching out all the top minimally invasive prostate procedures for BPH. We both took the same path and ended up the same place. We met on this site. FLA for BPH with Dr K, patient one and patient 2. We were both going for PAE with Dr Bagla.

I hope that you got my post. I was a sentence or two from finishing it.

Let's start by you asking me some questions. I hope everything is going good for you.

Mike