PAE discussed in an April 4th NIH article

I think in many cases Dr Levy genuinely believes a pill is a better option and I don't think you can fault him too much since this is so new and he doesn't know much about it. Most good Urologists don't rush you into surgery. I don't think he claimed pills cured you, just helped with symptoms. Maybe he wouldn't say they didn't have side effects if he himself had to take those pills himself ... lol  ... yeh probably he doesn't really want to find out about PAE - when I told a physician friend about my PAE the first thing he said was "If this works that means everyone will be doing it instead of TURP etc" He WAS quite interested being a GP..lol

And thanks again Caringbah for connecting me to Dr Schlaphoff and Dr Catt in Sydney it's been only 6 weekls since I had the PAE and I am already sleeping better, get up once or twice now instead of 3-4 times a night and flow better.

Yeh Finasteride shrinks everything, including libido. Pills not the answer but can be OK for a few months while you decide what to do or have to wait for surgery.

I agree Mike...pills are only a VERY short term solution, Looking back the pills only gave me slight improvement. The PAE on the other hand pretty much completely reversed the symptoms. 

Mike, I know you had a good experience with a urologist who acted ethically, but my blood boils when I see stuff like what was in the article. Such a shallow response. The urologists must think their patients are stupid and don't do their own research. Then again I suppose they get plenty of patients who don't and just do what doctor says. 

Dr Schlaphoff told me most people who want to do PAE are smart people with inquiring minds, like IT professionals for example :-)

Chuck maybe it's worth going to Australia and they will do an MRI and CT Scan and try and figure out why the first PAE did not work. When you say it did not work, are you saying the Prostate remained the same size? Or are you saying you have to pee frequently? Or the flow is restricted? I know someone who had the Urolift, he said the flow improved a lot, but he still had to go frequently because his bladder was damaged. What works for him is he self catheterizes and that voids his bladder so he is OK for at least 4 hours. It could be your bladder will settle down if that is the issue, don't give up. He says he got used to the catheters and it wasn't a big deal.

Dr Glen Schlapoff of Liverpool Hospital in Sydney reports much better improvement than test. He says that 90% of his are successful. I had mine  nearly a year ago and the imorovement just continues and I can easily go 4 hrs without urinating which means only once a night getting up. 

Chuck im sorry that yours was not successful. Despite that you've been a great help to many of us here and I'd like to thank you for that. 

It's not only how many times you get up. Before the PAE I had urgency sometimes and also a lot of pain sometimes standing there trying to urinate especially if I had waited too long. That is mostly gone now, not perfect but after 6 weeks very encouraging. I have done the PAE, not read about it and I am defnitely not disappointed I did it.

Mike, I can tell you stories about urgency. Before I had the PAE I had severe urgency..never actually peed my pants but cam close many times.

I drive a lot in my work. In Australia, CSR ( a big sugar company ) sells caster sugar in 3 liter clear wide mouthed plastic bottles with a screw top The container and sugar costs $5. I'd throw the sugar away and the bottle made a PERFECT urination bottle...better than the hospital ones.

I perfected the art of mobile peeing. I'd pull up at a red light when I was busting to go, quickly unzip myself and jam the bottle between my legs.....sweet relief and no one was any the wiser. 😀

I forgot to mention that the bottles had a handle as well...like I said...perfect!

I could of used one of those when driving back on I70 after skiing stuck in the traffic! I usually had an empty coffee disposable cup handy but once or twice I "missed" and I felt humiliated and was going into depression about the whole situation.

Lol.

Mike there were many times that I actually looked forward to getting a red light. 

Not many red lights on the way back from Vail :-) But I hear you I know exactly what you mean ! What a way to live!

Sorry Mike...I only read the first half of your comment about missing...didn't see the second half of your comment till later. I didn't mean to make light of your situation. 

Once got stuck in a car full of people, in the front passenger seat, I turned towards the door, put an empty coffee cup in my lap and ahhh!! sweet relief.  No one saw.

A congressman on a flight didn't do as well a few years ago waiting on line for the bathroom, he had to take a cup off the food card and pee in front of every one.  Then he had to read about it in all the papers. 

No problem mate I didn't take it that way.

There are quite a few clinical trials underway in the US now, and I'm sure we will read about other reults as they are concluded.  For me, the very good news is the relatively low downside compared to surgical options, and I find positives in the article.

Still, at this time - and for the past three years - I am doing self cath.  My retention numbers have improved with increasing from 3xday to 4xday, and I'm going to ask my urologist for experiment with cutting out at least one, and maybe both meds I have been using for years (Avodart and Uroxatral).

 

Oh the humiliation JJ

I live in Australia but am visiting my daughter who lives in New York. I have visited lots of US cities but what stands out about NYC is the distinct lack of toilets. And if you find one there is invariably a queue.

It's definitely not a BPH friendly city.

You pretty much have to know where the next hotel is.  Or a restaurant that lets anyone use the restroom.

They even closed most of the subway restrooms.

I'm living outside Buenos Aires now and there aren't even hotels and very few  fast food places or gas stations.   

Clearly the city is designed for young people or older people with private limos.

 

FWIW 

I found an app called "Flush" that will show you the closest toilets to where you are currently. There may be other apps out there. 

I know it works in the USA, and I am currently in Madrid and it shows bathrooms around me here too!