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My Results After A PAE Procedure

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latour1961
latour1961

I had a Prostatic Arterial Embolization (PAE) procedure done at the University of Miami on June 2, 2015 by Dr. Shivank Bhatia. Prior to the procedure I had completely lost my urinary function and was wearing an in dwelling Foley Catheter. I had been told by a prominent Urologist at UM that I would never urinate on my own again, I needed to learn how to self catheterize and that if I chose to have the PAE procedure I should expect it would not be successful. My prostate was over 100 grams, I was not a candidate for the TURP and I should go home and have a nice weekend.

My attitude was I had nothing to lose. If the PAE did not work I was no worse off than if I did not try. Dr. Bhatia was an expert in this procedure so I took a shot. My resutls have been nothing short of miraculous. The procedure was done on 6/2/15. I never had one ounce of pain, either during or after the PAE. I continued to wear the Foley, but it was horrible. I went for my first follow-up 10 days after the PAE. I still could not pee on my own. Dr. Bhatia wanted me to continue wearing the Foley for another week, but I just could not. He was understanding of my discomfort and I was shown how to self catheterize and went home without the Foley, thank God!

I used the catheters approx. every 6 hours or 4 times per day. Each time I used them, I would try to urinate on my own. On June 25th at around midnight I attempted to pee on my own and 6 drops came out. It was a revelation. I then used the catheter and went to bed, arising at 6 am. This time when I went to use the catheter 12 drops came out. Each time I went to use the catheter things would improve. From a weak stream to ultimately a regular pee. I reduced using the catheter from 4 times per day to 3, then 2, then I was comfortable knowing I did not need them at all. On July 1, 2015 I stopped using catheters. I never have looked back. 

Three months post procedure I had an MRI. My prostate had shrunk from 0ver 100 grams to 72 grams. My PSA had gone from 8.7 to 2.5. I no longer had any symptoms that would indicate prostate or urinary issues. I sleep through the night. I pee when I have to go, but can go 6-8 hours in between bathroom breaks. I have no discomfort, no pain, my sex life is outstanding and I am 66 years old! Dr. Bhatia has given me my life back.

My suggestion to anyone who is having symptoms: Explore ALL OF YOUR OPTIONS!! I am certain the PAE will become Standard of Care in the future. Try and understand what the potential side effects are of the "traditional" surgical procedures. They may be acceptable for some, but they were not acceptable for me. I take no drugs or medications. The PAE had no side effects. There was no possibility of becoming incontinent or impotent or having an orgasm without an external  ejaculation. Find a facility that is doing clinical trials with the PAE and a Dr. who is experienced. Peeing through a straw for the rest of my life was a real possibility. Now I function like I was 40 years old, not 66 years old. I highly recommend Dr. Shivank Bhatia of the University of Miam. He learned this procedure from the man who invented it and he trained with him in South America to perfect it. You have very little, if anything to lose, and you have getting the rest of your life back to normal to gain. Happy to answer any questions or inquiries. Good Luck to all.

8 likes, 75 replies

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  • AndreUflackerMD
    AndreUflackerMD latour1961

    Posted

    Dear latour1961,

    Thank you for posting your experience with PAE in this forum. 

    As an Interventional Radiologist in the US, we are very hopeful that this procedure will provide a good alternative to the existing therapies. 

    I wanted to thank you also for encouraging the readers to participate in clinical trials. We went through a very long and complex process with the FDA to begin a trial for PAE at the University of Virginia. Our trial was finally accepted by the FDA last fall and we have just started enrolling. We believe that at this stage, patients should be treated with maximum scrutiny in a controlled setting that only a multidisciplinary trial (in partnership with Urology) can provide. 

    Best of luck to you and everyone else here. Please feel free to ask questions.

    Regards,

    Andre Uflacker, MD

    • Carry-on_CMDR
      Carry-on_CMDR AndreUflackerMD

      Posted

      For fellow BPH sufferers, just Google "PAE clinical trials" and you will see many options to read about various PAE trials over the past few years.  In Clinical Trial # NCT01789840 you can see the names of over ten institutions which have either started, or withdrawn from, clinical trials for this procedure.  Don't count upon your urologist - no matter how talented - letting you know about this procedure done by a different medical specialty group.
    • caringbah
      caringbah AndreUflackerMD

      Posted

      Thank you Andre for commenting here. 

      I have had a very successful PAE and in gratitude and in the hope of trying to spare others the horrors of TURP and Holep I have become a PAE evangelist. 

      I'm in agreement with Latour. I consider PAE to be a medical breakthrough in the treatment of BPH. Most medical breakthroughs get a good run in the popular press. You interventional radiologists should hire a PR consultant to get PAE in the news. 

      Most guys I know have never heard of PAE. 

    • bill80656
      bill80656 AndreUflackerMD

      Posted

      Dear Doctor,

        Please as Caringbah says in this blog. Get the word out there about PAE. Those of us suffering everyday with BPH need to know about the PAE as a wonderful new alternative.

      I have had the TURP and now the PAE. All that I can say is that the TURP is medieval torture compared to the PAE.

      At some point it should just not be third party or medicare reimbursable.

      Thanks for your work.

    • mike588
      mike588 AndreUflackerMD

      Posted

      Thanks for informing about studies, I looked up clinincal trials mentioned by Carry-on CMDR and there are exclsions, I was wondering if tri-lobar obstruction is one of those exclusions.
    • AndreUflackerMD
      AndreUflackerMD mike588

      Posted

      mike588,

      Trilobar obstruction is absolutely NOT an exclusion for treatment. In fact, there is some evidence suggesting that PAE may be very helpful in very large prostates and we suspect that it may even help bridge to other therapies that require prostate sizes <80cc-100cc.

      if you are interested in pae and wish to learn more, you can check out the clinical trials. there are several out there. the other trials near us are at unc and georgetown. some include invasive testing with cystoscopy and proctoscopy during the trial. the fda did not require us to get these tests.

      regards, and good luck!

      andre uflacker, md

      emis moderator comment: i have removed the links and contact details. we cannot allow repeated posting of the same link(s) or contact details in the forums. if users want these details please use the private message service or refer users to the comment linked in second link below.

      http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages

      https://patient.info/forums/discuss/pae-for-bph-478028?page=0#1881298 if="" you="" are="" interested="" in="" pae="" and="" wish="" to="" learn="" more,="" you="" can="" check="" out="" the="" clinical="" trials.="" there="" are="" several="" out="" there.="" the="" other="" trials="" near="" us="" are="" at="" unc="" and="" georgetown.="" some="" include="" invasive="" testing="" with="" cystoscopy="" and="" proctoscopy="" during="" the="" trial.="" the="" fda="" did="" not="" require="" us="" to="" get="" these="" tests.="" regards,="" and="" good="" luck!="" andre="" uflacker,="" md="" emis="" moderator="" comment:="" i="" have="" removed="" the="" links="" and="" contact="" details.="" we="" cannot="" allow="" repeated="" posting="" of="" the="" same="" link(s)="" or="" contact="" details="" in="" the="" forums.="" if="" users="" want="" these="" details="" please="" use="" the="" private="" message="" service="" or="" refer="" users="" to="" the="" comment="" linked="" in="" second="" link="" below.="" [url=http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages=""]http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages=""[/url]; [url=https://patient.info/forums/discuss/pae-for-bph-478028?page="">

      if you are interested in pae and wish to learn more, you can check out the clinical trials. there are several out there. the other trials near us are at unc and georgetown. some include invasive testing with cystoscopy and proctoscopy during the trial. the fda did not require us to get these tests.

      regards, and good luck!

      andre uflacker, md

      emis moderator comment: i have removed the links and contact details. we cannot allow repeated posting of the same link(s) or contact details in the forums. if users want these details please use the private message service or refer users to the comment linked in second link below.

      http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages

      https://patient.info/forums/discuss/pae-for-bph-478028?page=0#1881298>;

    • AndreUflackerMD
      AndreUflackerMD bill80656

      Posted

      dear bill80656,

      Thank you for your vote of confidence. I'm sorry to hear about your experiences with this condition. 

      We are starting an effort to get the word out about PAE in general and our trial that we have started. I have contacted folks in patient advocacy groups that focus on men's health and things are slowly starting to happen. 

      It takes a good deal of money, time, and effort to carry out these trials, which is tough, especially when you don't have industry sponsorship. Our trial is sponsored by our physicians and we have done virtually all the work to get it up and going. We are all in an academic institution.

      Our main motivation for doing this trial is to study this new therapy which could have an enormous positive impact on patient's quality of life, which is why we became physicians in the first place...

      It's very important that we have evidence driven results before we can start offering this procedure on a widespread basis. We believe this is cruicial to protecting our patients!

      Best of luck,

      AU

    • robbiekw
      robbiekw AndreUflackerMD

      Posted

      hello Andre,

      i've just read your post about the PAE procedure .. so this is done by Radiologists, is that correct ?

      can you recommend any in Florida ?

      Robbie

  • Steelyburt
    Steelyburt latour1961

    Posted

    I live in Asheville NC. I plan on pursuing treatment at UNC Chapel Hill. I don't care what it costs. I've been down every rabbit hole in my research regarding prostate health. Physical intervention is required. 13 years of pain/discomfort has been long enough. I believe PAE is the procedure I have been waiting for.
    • joe74831
      joe74831 Steelyburt

      Posted

      Steelyburt from what I have been told by Dr Isaacson ( who is truly a pleasure to deal with) the cost should be around 6,500. I wouldnt wait if I were you tho, it took me almost a month to get in to see him. My ct scan is scheduled for Jan 25 and the procedure on the 26th. I am like you, its a small price to pay if its even close to as ggod as it sounds.

      good luck

  • Godsloveforus1
    Godsloveforus1 latour1961

    Posted

    I am on a Supra pubic  catheter constant UTI s,  I had a blockage and urinated through penis. I'm still wearing catheter they say due to enlarged prostrate. Just gave this thought after reading articles. Most helpful.  Iam now feeling I need to further question Urologist! He is wanting to do a Turp but I'm a high risk candidate.     Oh I peed though, normally. So frustrating 
    • caringbah
      caringbah Godsloveforus1

      Posted

      Have you had an opinion on PAE yet? I would definitely not have a TURP until I had an opinion from an Interventional Radiologist as to whether you would be a suitable candidate for PAE. Save yourself a lot of grief...PAE is a far less invasive procedure with a very high success rate, ..my guy has a close to 100% success rate. 

      Dont ask an urologist for an opinion on PAE they are very likely to give you a totally uninformed opinion. 

  • robbiekw
    robbiekw latour1961

    Posted

    wow .. this is truely fantastic news .. are you still doing ok ?   sleeping, peeing, sexual functions ?  i will definitley look into the PAE procedure ..  i have to pee 3 times a night and never get a good night's sleep !!  it sucks !!  

    Robbie 

    • caringbah
      caringbah robbiekw

      Posted

      Robbie, I'm 8 months out from my PAE. I used to get up 6 times a night now once a night. I pee like a horse and my sexual function has improved. I truly believe that PAE will become the new benchmark for treating PAE.

      No incontinence, no impotence, no retrograde ejaculation. 

    • robbiekw
      robbiekw caringbah

      Posted

      wow.. that's amazing and really incredible !! after all the horrer stories we read ..  i'm happy for you ... and sooo jealous !!

       i'm going to look into PAE .. congratulations !!! 

      Robbie 

    • caringbah
      caringbah robbiekw

      Posted

      Robbie, don't be jealous. You can have one too. Like you I was very depressed after visiting three urologists. One wanted to do TURP, the other laser and the third wanted to do open surgery. The prospects of complications such asincontinence , impotence etc were very high. I was not very excited about the prospects of a sexless old age. 

      Then I discovered PAE and the rest is history. :-)

    • robbiekw
      robbiekw caringbah

      Posted

      hello,

      can you pease give me your updated details on you PAE ? 

      and I'd really like to get the contact info. for where you got it done

      Robbie

    • mike588
      mike588 robbiekw

      Posted

      I think he had it done at Liverpool hospital, call the Interventional Radiology Department - I had 2 PAE's there and I was one of the unlucky ones, didn't do anything for me. Maybe they have improved their technique since then. The idea is to target the area of the prostate that is blocking or squeezing the urethra, I later had an MRI that showed that my prostate indeed was embolized but in a totally different area nowhere near the Urethra. I guess I am not a believer, maybe it is hit or miss or maybe there is something they don't really understand going on.

    • robbiekw
      robbiekw caringbah

      Posted

      hello ...

      just checking in with you to see how your doing since your PAE ?  I hope all is well, because i'm looking for a PAE specialist ..

      thanks

      Robbie

    • caringbah
      caringbah robbiekw

      Posted

      Hi Robbie, 

      I'm all good. You can't go past Dr Glen Schlapoff at Liverpool hospital in Sydney. Give the radiology department there a call and make an appointment. I was the third PAE in Australia....he's since done hundreds and refined his technique considerably I understand. 

      The misery of an enlarged prostate is just a distant faint memory now. No incontince or impotence like the poor sods who had TURP. 

      Even better it's free. How good is that? 

      Beet of luck to you. 

    • robbiekw
      robbiekw caringbah

      Posted

      wow...that's fantastic to hear ... congratulations !!! smile 

      I'm in the US so i've got to find a Dr. here that does it.

      thanks for your reply ..

    • paul87612
      paul87612 caringbah

      Posted

      Hi Caringbah.

      You say the PAE is free?

      Could you please give some details?

      Thanks 

      Regards 

      Paul 

    • caringbah
      caringbah paul87612

      Posted

      Hi Paul....yes it is....in Australia, at Liverpool hospital in Sydney. Dr Glen Schlapoff does it on Medicare. Other places in Australia charge for it. Call the radiology department and ask for an appointment with the good doctor. 
    • paul87612
      paul87612 caringbah

      Posted

      Many thanks Caringbah.

      I'm in Melbourne proposing to see Professor Stuart Lyon next week re a PAE.

      Out of interest, how old are you?

      I'm going on 65

      Regards 

      Paul

    • caringbah
      caringbah paul87612

      Posted

      I'm 72 Paul. I've lost track of how long since my PAE....would have to be a least three years. Schlapoff would have to be the most experienced n Australia. Very nice guy as well.,

    • robbiekw
      robbiekw caringbah

      Posted

      just checking in to see how your doing since your PAE ? I found a couple of Docs in the US that do it ..but they said they only do it on "extremely" enlarged prostates .. I don't think mine is in the "extreme" category ... any thoughts ? 

      take care

      Robbie

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