One year post-TURP

Glad you had positive results. Was your urologist keeping you on irrigation for 17 hours due to anything in particular? The uro I consulted about a bipolar TURP said their standard procedure is in an ambulatory surgery center where they send you home with Foley in overnight and you return the next day for the pee test and removal.

Congrats Lee tx for sharing this keeps guys like me just starting my bph journey some hope.

My TURP was slightly different at Kaiser. I had complete prostate shutdown requiring using a Foley catheter for 3 months (actually, several). In researching things, I discovered that I had bladder spasms which I mistook for BPH. I usually RAN to the bathroom every time I stood up. Full bladder? Sometimes. Sometimes not. Bladder spasms with a Foley in place is ... interesting. Urine spraying all over (clothing, bathroom, hallway,...) as the urine blasts past the outside of the catheter uncontrolled.

The procedure I had was similar to what russ_777 was describing. Arrive at outpatient surgery by 7:30 AM for forms and various medications, IV, etc. Wheeled into surgery around 9:45 AM. In recovery with a size 22 catheter in me by 11:35 AM. Asked for more detailed instructions on what they wanted me to do with irrigation. Home a few hours later. That was Wednesday. On Saturday, my butterfly support fell off so I decided to do a thorough irrigation that night followed by a shower and put on another butterfly.As expected, the urine in the bags (had night bag plus leg bag) was clear through Wednesday but turned normal color on Friday morning. Slightly bloody red Friday afternoon going back to yellow of Saturday. However, Sunday morning there was a lot of bleeding into the bags along with scabs/clots.

Monday morning (5 days in) had a successful VOID test. Water in was about 200 ml and urine/blood out was about 185 ml. So catheter was completely out and I could now pee for the first time in 3 months. Of course, blood and clots are regular but I'm starting to see some easing at around 3 weeks. The uros at Kaiser said to expect both burning on urination and blood/clots for up to 2-3 months.

From what I am reading, everyone is slightly different regardless of the exact procedure. It sounds like you were close to being normal (no burning, for example) pretty quickly. I'm still getting the burning but I'm somewhat "expecting" it. And, I'm still seeing some blood.

I really want to thank you for mentioning AZO. I had no idea that AZO existed. From the start of everything last October (2019), I have had a LOT of urinary tract infections and was on Cipro 500 mg for almost a month one week at a time. I may see if I can get their test strips.

Like you, I'm not advocating any method of relief. I didn't think I would have done well with CIC because of the "ich" factor as well as not being able to pee at all plus the race for the bathroom needed to be complete withing 5-10 seconds with my spasms.

Lee,

I will be one year post bipolar TURP in April. My results haven't been as good as yours. I believe this is because my uro did a conservative job due to the fact that I had radiation to my prostate in 2014 for prostate cancer and he didn't want me to become incontinent. My last PVR was 81cc - and that was after a couple of tries to clear my bladder. Normally, it takes me two or three tries before I feel like I am empty. This is much better than before the surgery, as I was almost in total retention and getting up 6-10x per night. Now, it's about 4x and sometimes I can go for 3 hours before getting up. However, I have to take a few non addicting sleep meds - trazodone, an antihistamine, some melatonin and Tylenol.

Glad you mentioned Azo. This is basically pumpkin seed powder. About a week and a half ago I started taking it and it made a HUGE difference in my bladder sensitivity. I take two per day and a third capsule of pumpkin seed oil. The Azo is fairly expensive, but the pumpkin seed oil capsules are very cheap - about $8 for 100. My bladder is likely sensitive due to the radiation so this may be one reason my results haven't been as good as yours. But, I would happily do the TURP again - very easy, pain free and the only irritation was the large catheter that I had in for 3 days. My irrigation only lasted a few hours then I was sent home.

There is a lot of TURP bashing here and elsewhere, but our experience has been very positive.

Tom

I am 8 months post Turp. I had to cic before the operation for ten weeks as was in total retention. I also had to cic for 6/8 weeks afterwards. I thought the operation had not had a positive outcome as I still could not pee much, maybe because my bladder wasn`t working properly.

However, slowly but surely things have improved and I no longer have to cic. I sleep six hours straight before needing a pee, which does take two to three voids to feel good, but I can then go back to sleep for another 3 hours or so, with no problem.

Some days I do have a feeling of needing to pee, even after voiding.

However other days, I can go four to 6 hours quite comfortably without any feeling I need to pee.

I feel things are still improving slowly day by day and hope they continue to do so. I think my bladder has been through a rough few years and I pray that it heals more, and recovers ok.

I remember the uro nurse telling me, when I asked her if my bladder will recover. She told me it may well be trabeculated and if so, it will not.

I know it doesnt work so well as when I was thirty (I am now 65) but it works and I cannot fully understand why it cannot improve more so. It has been said that every part of our body is regenerated every 7 years ? So why not a bladder....even if not quite like new.?

G

I had same experience as you Lee. Best thing I ever did, apart from giving up smoking.

Mike

Hi Lee,

You've written almost exactly what I was gong to post. I underwent TURP morning of Monday 11th February 2019 at the age of 68 and the quality of my life has vastly improved. I was irrigated until Tuesday evening, the catheter was removed Wednesday morning and I was discharged late Wednesday afternoon. I took painkillers (Co-codamol) for a week or so then took it easy for 6 weeks. I too have RE but that doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would.

All in all I'm very glad I had the procedure.

Glad to hear of your continued good results one year after the surgery, Lee. I had my TURP 3 years ago and everything is still as good as it was after it healed. I chose TURP because it was reported to have lasting and durable results. That has been my experience. Best decision I ever made.

YUP! my TURP on very small prostate went well. Oct 2018. No getting up and night, no urgency, no infections, no daily catheters, no drugs, no leaking, new orgasms, a little different but strong, often i think they last longer.... any one else?

My Uro's experience is that any prostate that pushes up into the bladder neck is going to require some "removal" around the bladder neck sphincter for the flow to become unobstructed. My Uro cut enough out for that reason and said he expected that anything less would have resulted in more problems and another operation, at least according to his surgical career, which is substantial and somewhat varied with multiple techniques.

So we get the best URO we can find. It is that expertise that put me back on Turp over the many procedures so many of us research so deeply.

I feel that after all the lurking I have done on this site and the fears over TURP, the mongering or the justified, that Turp could use another voice in the "it worked great for me" column.

Good luck to all the sufferers out there.