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PAE PROCEDURE

Posted , 6 users are following.

Ronnie_S
Ronnie_S

I'm quite interested in any input from anyone who has had the PAE procedure. Thanks so very much.

0 likes, 18 replies

18 Replies

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  • greg35632
    greg35632 Ronnie_S

    Posted

    Hi Ronnie, I had the PAE procedure at UNC in N. Carolina 3 weeks ago and am doing fabulously well now.. Great pee stream, no pain, just had to leave in catheter for the two weeks following the procedure to be sure I could pee when the time came.  Only remaining issue is that when I have an orgasm, there is still some red (blood-like) coloring in the semen, but I am told that goes away after a few weeks...
    • mark23925
      mark23925 greg35632

      Posted

      So as a result of the procedure all the swelling in your prostate went down and you can urinate with full stream. I though PAE worked gradually. What were your symptoms before the procedure and what is the phone number of the physicians who do this procedure.
    • mark23925
      mark23925 greg35632

      Posted

      How does the procedure itself effect prostate so that you needed the cathether and why so long.
    • Ronnie_S
      Ronnie_S greg35632

      Posted

      Hi Greg, Thanks for your reply. I hope you will kept us posted as to your progress. Are you able to tell us the cost & did insurance cover any cost? Thanks again
  • greg35632
    greg35632 Ronnie_S

    Posted

    Hi Ronnie and Mark,   My issue started with an unexpected event when I was traveling in Thailand and found I had a complete inability to pee one evening.  I had some typical slow peeing issues before, and getting up once a night to pee for  several years, but nothing troublesome, so this was a huge surprise.  I wasn’t able to pee for about 12 hours so finally went in to emergency hospital where they catheterized me and ran tests and found I had a 137 cm prostate, which is very large.  I took some meds (finesteride, cipro and doxazocin) for 5 days hoping it would all calm down.  They took out catheter and still couldn’t pee.   I was retested at 12 days with further scans and it was concluded I needed surgery of some kind. (they thought TURP or Green Light surgery).  I did further research, found out about PAE, and decided on going this route.  Dr. Issaacson at UNC  was mentioned in this forum,  as a very skilled doc.  I contacted him, he was great and very responsive as everyone who has mentioned him in this forum can attest,  and had surgery on day 24 of being catheterized.   It was decided to keep it in for 2 more weeks until PAE could do its stuff and when we took it out, I was peeing well.  Its been a couple weeks now since that surgery and I continue to improve my pee stream (more volume, quicker response time). I am told the prostate will continue to shrink for 4-5 months, so I could get even better results, but I am happy as a clam with where I am at right now.  Hope that helps. 
    • mark23925
      mark23925 greg35632

      Posted

      UNC , what city is that.? Were you referred to your doctor; or was he recommended as a good surgeon or radiologist for procedure. If your prostate shrunk does that reinforce the idea of high concentration of testosterone around the prostate.?
    • greg35632
      greg35632 mark23925

      Posted

      Hi Mark, UNC is in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  I didnt get a referral from my doc (he didnt know a PAE guy, I got it from this forum.  I dont know about the high concentration of testosterone around prostate. I do know I took fisteride for 35 days before the surgery, which I think is to reduce testosterone, but it usually takes 6 months to have an impact. I think they started me on that in Thailand (where this all started) thinking I might be able to reduce the size without surgery, but then saw pretty quickly that my size and symptoms probably required some kind of surgery...
  • lou051947
    lou051947 Ronnie_S

    Posted

    i had OAE  1 1/2 months ago at Vascular institute with Dr. Bagla. It has been a very good sucess for me with big improvements in urination. I would advise going forward with PAE if you are considering it
    • Ronnie_S
      Ronnie_S lou051947

      Posted

      Hi Lou, Thanks for your reply. Could you tell the cost & did insurance help? Thanks again
    • lou051947
      lou051947 Ronnie_S

      Posted

      my insurance covered the procedure. I understand from someone who is self paying the the priced it aout 7000.00. i would call to discuss the payment options

      good luck

      lou

    • Ronnie_S
      Ronnie_S lou051947

      Posted

      Hi Lou, Thanks for your reply. Could you share the insurance you used. Thanks
    • lou051947
      lou051947 Ronnie_S

      Posted

      MEDICARE PAID FOR THE PAE

      I hope this helps you out

      someone I know contacted Bagla and the self pay fee was 7000.00

      It might be more if insurance covers the procedure

      lou

    • greg35632
      greg35632 lou051947

      Posted

      Dear Lou,   I just wanted to give you and Ronnie S an update...the PAE results continue to be very good after 9 months now, peeing well, only once a nite at most am I up.  But Regence BlueCross has been denying my appeal so far. HAve one more appeal. Says that PAE is "investigative" and thus wont pay, and they want $28,000  for it!   So if there are any ideas you or Ronnie have for making my case (maybe any language that Medicare used in covering yours, or if you know names of other insurance co. that have paid, that would be great.  Thanks!

  • greg35632
    greg35632 Ronnie_S

    Posted

    Hi Ronnie,   I am still appealing to insurance, so dont know if they wil cover it. I bled a few times into the bag before the procedure, so that can sometimes make a difference in whether they might cover it. But I am told not many companies cover it. Medicaid used to, not sure if they still do.  I think its worth fighting though, its not FDA approved yet, but it gets excellent results for roughly similar costs.  If insurance pays, I am told its around $10,000. If its user pay, then at UNC its closer to $6500
  • bruce19007
    bruce19007 Ronnie_S

    Posted

    I had it done twice.  The first was in November 2014 and a second in October 2015.  No complications from either procedure.  The second one was easier than the first.  I had a 37% reduction form the first procedure and ahave yet to be tested for the second.  I was on the verge of needing a catheter before my first PAE and getting up 4-5 times a night.  I now get up once a night to pee.  I have other problems with the stream and still need Flomax, but the PAE dramatically improved the condition.
    • mark23925
      mark23925 bruce19007

      Posted

      Where did you have the procedure done, had you been to other urologists before that wanted different procedures? How long did the PAE take and how much radiation from the x ray guidance is there?
    • bruce19007
      bruce19007 mark23925

      Posted

      Kaiser hospital in Oakland, CA.  Two urologists, both worthless.  They never heard of the PAE procedure and when I tried to tell them about it the treated me like  no-nothing and "who was I" to challenge their choices for me.  They were one trick pony's who only want to do the TURP.  It sounds harsh, but they both were either clueless or deliberatly ignoring a very successful alternative.  I found the Interventional Radiologist on my own and forced the urologist to work with him to arrange tests prior to the procedure.  The hospital in Oakland was brand new and had the latest flouroscope x-ray machine that exposes the doctor and patient to much less radiation.  The procedure took just about two hours and I was awake for both.
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