REZUM--HAVE YOU HAD THIS DONE???????

I asked my doctor and he said it would not. I just had my procedure 6 days ago and I still have a catheter in, so I cannot speak from experience yet.

Jag Please let us know.  I hope it do not cause retro. Because the steam can destroy the ejaculatory duct because it is just tissue.  That is way a couple of men on here had it done and had the doctor do only the right side they did not want to take the chance.  They said only 5% but it more like 15%  Good luck  Ken 

Good morning! I started this group 12/15/16 when I had this Rezum surgery done! I had to be put out to have it done.  They tried to do it while I was awake but I couldn't stand the pain.......  So far I can't see any good results???  Other than peeing better.  I'm 58 and have to get up at least twice at night sometime more.  I have large amount of seam come out at sex and no problems with erections.  I had the cath for 2 days had it taken out and had to go to the er and have it put back in for another three days.   That was the WORST pain ever.  The only positive thing is now I have zero problems with pulling down my pants no matter where or what doctor or nurse has to do something to me.. I've been married for 33 years and have never been able to undress in front of people. LOL

Wish you better luck than me. Dr said I will continue to get better, but I don't recmend this to anyone so far......................

Have a good one and maybe all your dreams will come true.

Sorry that your still having a problem.  I to was like you.  I had a different procedure.  I had a urolift done in 2015 in 2016 my doctor was checking my stricture when he found one of the implant off the prostate.  He try to do put it back but it hurt so bad that I told him to stop.  I was bleeding the rest of the day and had the repair done 3 weeks later.    Was kinda shy when taking off my pants  Was married for 22 years.  With my wife it was no problem.  I remember when I was 47 and had to have a heart cath.  I was going in to the operation room the nurse yelled at men because I still had my underware on.  I have been in and out of the hospital a lot over the last couple of years now I don't care who looks now.  Been shaved by men and women  Even now at the gym if you want to look go ahead I don't have anyting different then anyone else.  I hope things will get better for you.  Sometime it does take some time to heal  Take care  Ken 

Leon I've commented before, I really don't understand you. You state you are peeing better and absolutely no issues with retro etc. All these procedures are aimed at enabling us to pee better. If you had not done something our BPH would have caused other problems eventually.

I have friends who have no BPH and still get up 3 times a night - I believe that is part of aging, and anyone with BPH probably made that worse by stressing the bladder.

I had a Foley catheter a few times - it's definitely unpleasant to have it put in but honestly there are many more painful things than that. I think it's partly psychological because it's happening to our most precious part :-)

The good news is that your bladder has a good chance to recover somewhat - maybe you'll only need to get up once, or sleep through sometimes, give it time to readjust. It can take many months - this was told to me by a Urologist, depending on your age and health.

hope it all gets better for you!

Michael

Mike did you see my post about the probable cause of having to go several times in the middle of the night is really a sleep apnea problem? I was getting up no less than five times every night. After doing a sleep study they put me on a cpap machine and that night I stopped getting up. Now I usually don't get up at all, maybe once some nights.

Leon did you see my remark that having to get up to go at night is likely a sleep apnea problem? I was getting up no less than five times every night but it immediately stopped after I started using a cpap machine. Its a bit of a hassle but well worth it.

Hi seadiver - yes I did - but usually I am guessing people wake up because they feel the urge to go. Certainly that is what happens to me. I don't believe I have a sleep apnea issue. But thanks for alerting me.

BTW I had PAE twice, didn't help at all nor did it cause a problem. Feb 14 I had FLA and that HAS helped, but thus far I still take Flomax (and self cath) and have had some ups and downs, a UTI and international travel haven't helped. I will write about it one day it's still early to make conclusions.

Right that they wake up because feeling the urge to go, but I believe with me it revealed some kind of brain mechanism that gives you the urge to go when you are not getting enough oxygen during sleep. It makes you get up and thus breathe better.

I think that's a great idea, and will surely help many.

That said, some of us also have problems during the day, so there are obviously several conditions all causing similar symptoms. The urologists should be sorting this, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Seadiver: but I believe with me it revealed some kind of brain mechanism that gives you the urge to go when you are not getting enough oxygen during sleep.

------------------------

What you are describing sounds like Sleep Apnea which is one cause of Nocturia. You can request a sleep study to investigate, and if you have it there are treatments. That said, not everyone with Nocturia has Sleep Apnea.

Jim

Jim I did have a sleep study, which revealed my apnea and (when I began using a cpap) then I stopped having to get up at night.

That's great. Was the sleep study done overnight at the hospital or did you do it at home? I had one scheduled last year but ended up cancelling. Probably should have it done one of these days. How is it wearing the cpap device? Do you have to use it every night?

Jim

You know I was just thinking. Instead of going through the bother of a night at the hospital, etc, what if I just bought a Cpap device (they seem not that expensive) and tried it out? If it kept me from getting up during the night, then it's a keeper! Or, is it more complicated than that? Probably is but just a thought.

Jim

It was over night at a clinic set up for that purpose, and I had to wear a lot of sensors. It wasn't unpleasant. The cpap took awhile to get used to (sometimes they have to adjust the air pressure so that you are able to exhale normally) but the results were so great (usually not getting up even once a night) that I didn't care. I use it every night.

I suppose you can get one without a prescription, and by carefully reading the instructions you could adjust it properly. But mine was expensive. I can't recall how much my insurance paid (and they didn't pay until I brought back the memory card that showed I'd been using it for a couple weeks) but I think they paid for it.

Also you have to be fitted for a nose piece that feels comfortable. The harness that holds the nose piece is adjustable - if it is too tight it will leave pressure marks on your face, but if too loose it won't stay in place. I've taken to using a soft sock to cushion the tightest places, which works fine for me. You don't think of breathing as taking effort but the cpap makes it even easier than normal.

Most people can't adapt to a CPAP in one night. It often takes weeks before finally making it completely through the night. Some people, (and I'm guessing most,) never adapt. But once you master it, It's very good, and you sleep great.

Just had Rezum yesterday prostate block and rezum we're both incredibly painful should have had sedation was never offered that option Thursday when the catheter comes out my urologist will get an earful. It must cost them time and money to do it in a hospital

Hi, there is a really good video on the Rezûm website

http://prostatecancer911.com/bph-information-what-is-rezum-therapy/

Good info here to.

Mike-Am thinking about PAE and understand published reports state 98% positive and few complication. Considering you went twice you could maybe explain why you had no help. What was the drs explanation?

Hi Leon,

Thanks for starting this forum. I have been following it religiously as I had Rezum exactly one year ago.

At first it was great...I was knocked out, had the catheter for about 6 miserable days, but thereafter had good strong stream and few if any wake-ups, and no affect on ejaculate.

Now after one year I have a weak stream again, and wake up sometimes three or more times. Worst...I feel the urge to go all the time. Sometimes more then once per hour.  

I just turned 62 and am kinda worried about what to do.

Thanks!

Has anyone had this same experience? What did you do? 

Hi Busky99,

Has any test been done to determine why this is happening? If it’s the prostate is there an infection or any organs crowding the prostate? I had the procedure but it’s still too early to determine results.

Peter

Busky, would you say that your symptoms now are worse off than before the procedure ? Hank

Hi PeterMurphy,

No...no tests yet...seeing doctor again on Feb 2nd. I didn't know to ask about an infection....I will now! Thanks so much. I was concerned that my prostrate simply grew again causing the same issues....not nearly as badly as before Rezum, but not the same as right after the procedure. Best, Busky

Hi Hank,

No not as bad as before Rezum...but steadily my stream has gotten weaker, and recently the need to urinate often ....ugh. I wonder if I need another round of Rezum? 

Hi Busky99,

Let’s hope you don’t need another round and that it’s something that can be handled by antibiotics or a lifestyle change. Good luck and keep us updated.

Peter 

Busky, I would look into UTI and/or constipation first. Hank

PAE is not very effective on  smaller  prostate  within  50 cc  and especially when you have big median lobe .  Thats my experience.  Procedure on April  2017  ,  improving within September and again worse  and increasing  of urine retain .  Another solution ahead, probably REZUM .  Has anybody similar diagnosys treated by REZUM ?  Thanks a lot, Stan 

Okay it's been sometime since I had my procedure (11 months).  My doctor was very aggressive 10 bursts of steam , 5 each side. That is also why I had a catheter in for 6 days. I had a lot of ups and downs with this. After about 6 weeks I was doing great ( urinating and ejaculation) then all of a sudden things got worse. Frequent and painful urinating and retro ejaculations. Things gradually got better and as of today I'd say I am about 90% to where I was when in my thirties. I should mention I'm 65.  Would I do it again? Yes, but I would go to a hospital and go under anesthesia as it was very painful.  I am urinating freely with no medication and I get up only once during the night as compared to 4 or 5.  My prostate was 75 cubic centimeters before the procedure and was at 53 cubic centimeters when measured about 6 months ago. The other big question is retro ejaculations? Yes I am experiencing some retro, meaning very little semen comes out, but when taking the meds I was experiencing total dry ejaculations. So in my case this is somewhat of an improvement. It is my understanding that not everyone will have a problem with retro ejaculation. I have no problem getting an erection and my sex drive is as strong as ever. The more research I do I find that everyone is different and has different experiences, but I feel it helps most of us. I hope this gives you some insight and I am sorry it took so long for me to reply.

Good afternoon everyone.  I sent my urologist a e-mail about Rezum because of a man on here that I have been talking to for 2 month's Trying to help him.  He had the Rezum done 7 month's ago and has no improvement.  The only thing he got out of it was retro and at 52 he is not happy.  He was going to see a new urologist today to see if they can help him pee and if there was a way to fix the retro.  I did get a e-mail from him a few minutes ago.  I am going to write it just the way it wrote it to me.  My doctor said that a friend of his had the Rezum procedure. ( He said that he is skeptical of the Technology ) He did not do it.  He's friend had it done and it did not work and it caused him horrible bladder contracture.  To fix the problem he had to have a Turp.  My urologist partner did it for him and he assist.  He said that it is very hard to try to fix something when you are frying the prostate and destorying the ducts.  He said that the only way you can try to fix it is to resect the ducts to a place that was not affected but most of the time he said you have to resect the bladder neck and you will end up with retro anyway.   So whats done is done.  So when you pick a procedure be ready for anything  Take care  Ken        

Hi Ken, I am new to this forum. I just had the Rezum procedure about a month ago. To those considering this procedure, always request general anesthesia- makes the process way more smooth. Recovery is similar to what I've read here. Still have some blood in urine and in my semen. No issues with erections or volume of semen when ejaculating.

That said, recovery hasn't been perfectly smooth- the urgency to pee is off the hook at times, and the pain associated with it in the early stages of it post Catheter is substantial. I'm able to urinate just ok, but I know the true results can take up to 3 months. What I'm most interested in is at what point do I become concerned with blood still being in my urine and semen. Blood in the urine is not significant- a few drops, but the amount in my semen was more alarming.

Anyway, any guidance on this 1 month recovery and beyond would be helpful and appreciated.

Hi Rich;

It is expected to have blood in the semen, as well as the urine. The blood in the semen can last months, but is not dangerous in any way; the semen in your body comes out of your prostate, so anything that effects your prostate (including a procedure such as the Rezum) can cause bleeding.

Rich,

      I fully agree about the general anesthesia. Mine was in January 2018, and that type of sedative made it so easy. Since I had been catheterizing regularly, I opted to forego the Foley catheter and self-cath instead. Those two things made it a simple painless procedure for me. 

       If you're still having discomfort and/or urgency, I would suggest a couple of ibuprofen. For me it made a huge difference, and it was the only medication that I took post-procedure. OK, my urologist did suggest that I continue to take my tamsulosin, but I stopped taking it a couple of weeks ago. 

       Best of luck for your continued recovery,

Ken19524 (not kenneth1955)

Thanks- I assume blood in the urine can last just as long- up to 3 months? Appreciate your feedback!

Thanks Ken. In the end, this ain’t walk in the park but it beats the alternatives from this affliction!

Hi Rich,

 I had the procedure this past January 23, I continued to ‘see’ blood in my urine up to a month and a week.  A follow up urine analysis showed white cells present in my urine typical of the healing process ongoing of the prostate. My first post procedure semen was discolored and subsequent were absent of discoloration. 

 In my case 3 lobes of my prostate were enlarged and each lobe received 2 treatments. 

Peter 

Welcome .  What Jersey is saying is true when you have any procedure dome on the prostate you do get blood in the ejaculation.  Let's just hope you have it after a few month's..  Good luck  Ken

Hey Peter, Curious what the verdict is on the treatment after 2 months. Are you peeing normal and on your own now?? Also. did you have any serious  retention before, or just urgency and frequency??  THX !~!   Scott

Jimjames,  You can buy an oxygen monitor that can be worn on your finger.  They can record data all night which can be loaded into a computer the next day. The software that comes with it will make graphs showing your blood oxygen level and pulse rate for the recorded period. Contec is a company that makes some good ones, for $39 to $120.  They are available on Amazon. Make sure you get one that records data and is not just a real time monitor.  During an apnea event you blood oxygen dips low.

That's a good first step, but there are a lot of false negatives with a finger monitor. If it comes up negative but you have classic sleep apnea symptoms, a sleep study might be a good idea.

Hi Thomas and OB,

I just had a full sleep study (split) but didn't qualify for Cpap per guidelines as I had under 5 events per hour.  I wonder how accurate the study was given that I probably got no more than three hours of real sleep with all the gizmos on me. If I had to do it again, probably request a home study first which I assume would have the finger monitor plus more.

OB, when you say "a lot of false negatives" can you expand a little? Does the sleep study use something other than the finger sensor to quantify apnea events as defined by a certain 02 drop more than 5x/hour? I know they have a lot more sensors but my understanding is that they are to measure other things such as sleep position, leg movements, sleep state, etc, but it's only the 02 sensor that actually measures the 02 drops that define sleep apnea.

Jim

Jim

Jim

Just had the REZUME procedure done yesterday. Not very pleasant. Only had the oral Meds and the block painful but manageable. Had 3 treatments then the catheter couldn't get first one through went with a hooked one got thru but painful. Then went home had a leg bag filled up some with clots in it hard to drain because of clots. After about 2 hours little drainage with clots, then no drainage. Then urge to urinate with blood and urine seeping around the tube where it is inserted into penis with lots of pain. Figuring clots are clogging tube I call Doctors office they said it was normal and would clear up. It didn't, called a couple more time insured me it would get better. It didn't. Urge to urinate every 10 min. with immense pain and seepage around insertion. Call 24 hour service 3 times busy signal. Finally go to urgent care very nice doctor and staff. Doctor explains just plumbing. See's this all the time from prostate procedures. Plunges water in the tube then sucks out all my urine and blood and blood clots that clogged the tube and was held up in my bladder. What a relief. Much better today, I think I'm on the right track now. I'm commenting on your post Jag because I hope the rest of the process goes like yours. To urinate with no problems like my 30 

I wasn't done sorry. Just wanted to say to urinate like my thirties would be great. But when the procedures are finish they should not rush you out they should monitor for awhile, and give a better idea of possible complications when you get home. My doctor will get a earful come Tuesday. Sorry to drag this out just needed to vent it was awful 

JJ - your oxygenation can be in the normal range and you can still have sleep apnea - so a positive reading from the finger monitor usually means yo have it - but a normal reading isn't as conclusive. 

Are you saying that you can have sleep apnea even if you have less than 5 apnea events per hour? In any event, Medicare won't pay for a CPAP unless you have over 5 events per hour.

Jim

They had to take my Cath out the same day. My body couldn't tolerate it. I kept peeing around the cath. My peeing went to 2 to 4 hrs. Which was better. But 8 days later I'm back to peeing 17 to 23 times aday. Waste of time.

I had steam surgery done on 6-18-2018.And it hasn't helped me yet it's been 2 weeks and I per like 15 to 20 times in 24hrs. It sucks. I only had the Cath in me for 5 hrs it had to be taken out my body kept rejecting it I got no relief from this surgery so far. If anything it made it worse. At least before I peed,every 2 to 4 hrs. I tell to my doctors nurse she said that was notmal. I don't believe that and I don't see the Dr for another 16days.

Hey Rich  Just checking on you.  I know it's about 4 month's.  As anything improved.  Do you still have blood in you urine and semen.  By the way how many injections did you have.  How are you doing now.  I hope well  Take care  Ken  

sorry for very late reply - they have no explanations,they said that the first time not enough "material" got to where it was supposed to go - I don't think they were being honest with me. I know for sure from MRI that it got to the wrong spot which does not block the urethra so it killed some tissue, just not the part that needed to go.

john,

its now 3 months. how are you feeling? was the rezum a success?

Hey John, I am shocked that they didn't explain that blood and clots/tissue would be normal, and in fact necessary . But more shocked that they didnt show you how to irrgate and flush and send you home with a syringe for that.  They AT LEAST  should have explained how to do it and have you go to the pharmacy to pick up the plunger after you called with the issues.  Easy fix to flush if there is a little clogging.  I already knew all of that since I was Cath dependent for  6 months prior to my procedure.   I already had  a SupraPubic  catheter.   So flushing, etc. was easy for me if I started to get a lot of blood build up, etc.  But they definitely should have explained to you how to take care of it once you called in. Very strange.  I actually wish I showed more tissue coming out with my urine in the first couple weeks!  It would at least be more tangible evidence that my  damn prostate was breaking down for sure!!  Lol.   Anyway, how are you doing now, 3 months later??? I am only a month out from my procedure. Not sure it's going to be enough for me for as a real solution. I can pee a bit on my own now, but so far not enough (and not confident enough)  to remove the catheter as insurance policy!!   We are doing a test over next two weeks , peeing only on my own and keeping  the catheter tube plugged (I have always used a plug). Will see if I deteriorate into severe retention, or if I can consistently empty enough to at least remove the cath!   Did you get enough improvement after the 3 months??

I had the Rezum procedure done on me on Monday, July 9, 2018 at 9:30 AM and was home by noon.  Tuesday morning the 10th I was peeing like a 16 year old without having to self cath!  Monday was the only day I passed some blood and clots.  I couldn't believe it because I was not expecting any significant results for 2 to 8 weeks.  It was incredible and I will share my theory as to why I came through it with little pain and speedy results.  1. the doctors need to improve their Rezum skills so that it can become the new golden standard for BPH treatment.  My doctor has been a urologist for 20 years and said that if the Rezum didn't work that I could still have the TURP.  I have fought off the TURP and struggled with BPH for over 15 years.  I have coped with serious urine retention problem by taking alfuzosin/uroxatral.   2.  I would suggest that anyone preparing for the Rezum procedure take alfuzosin because it relaxes the urinary sphincter and may reduce the pain before, during and after.  Also consider taking a low dose of Cialis 2.5 because I did and it didn't hurt my recovery.   3.  Much to the consternation of the medical team I refused to have a folley cath because I believe that folleys impede recovery!   Prior to the procedure I was having difficulty getting my urine flow started so I insisted on doing four self catherizations during the two months leading up to the procedure.  As it turned out the doctor drained my bladder at the end of the procedure.  I never had to self cath and I didn't need any strong pain medication but I did take two Tylenol just in case. 

Here is something to think about.  There were four of us who had the Rezum procedure on the same day.  I had the largest prostate of the four but had the quickest recovery with the fewest side effects.  Could it have anything to do with the fact that we were probably following a different medication plan and they all went home with folleys and I didn't?

  

Andrew,

That’s great to hear.

How many shots did you have?

How large was your prostate ?

Did you have a large median lobe?

Where did you have your procedure done?

Thanks

Andrew,

Probably not. I took Alfusozin, self cathed after the procedure and couldn't even dribble a drop for 3 weeks - couldn't pee decently for 6. What you describe seems almost theoretically impossible as a direct result of Rezum - which kills tissue by spraying it with steam, The tissue has to die, then be absorbed by the body for flow to improve and I don't see how that can happen overnight. I'd be interested in Jersey Uro's take, but I would hazard a guess that you had something like a stone that was blocking your urethra and the procedure cleared it out.

Great news about the results though - and it can only get better from here.

 

OB,

how your current flow? do you still take meds?

 

Good morning Andrew.  I am very happy for you.  I hope all continue's for you.  Some men heal faster then other's Please keep us informed.  Please let me know if you ended up with retro so I can add you to my file.  Good luck  ken

Just in case you don't know what retro means, Ken is referring to retrograde ejaculation.

CG - my flow isn't perfect but its vastly improved and has stayed that way for 2+ years. I stopped taking meds once my flow improved and haven't looked back. Rezum was a life changer for me - the first month was rough but it was worth it. 

Thank you David I forget to  write out the whole thing..  Ken

Ken....just found this site and registered.  I'm 70 and having difficulty peeing.  OK during the day but when I wake up in the middle of the night after sleeping for a few hours....very difficult to get it going. Sorry to direct this to you but it is really for the whole group.  Just wondering if anyone knows what it is about sleeping that brings this on and if it is a problem for anyone else.  My urologist isn't very talkative....but reading this forum has been most helpful.

Jim

Jim no problem.  When we get older our body well do that,  Maybe it time to find a new urologist.  Has your doctor giving you any meds to help your bladder and prostate.  Do you drink a lot during the day.  You may have to watch what you drink.  You may have to stop drinking at 7 or 8. Before you go to bed.  Take a hot bath that may help you pee before you lay down.  Just try to relax.  Ken We are here for you  Ken

OG,    A urologist told me we produce more urine at night because, during the day liquids pool in our lower body and legs due to gravity.  I have also observed larger amounts at night while self cathing and keeping a log. Some people on this sight have said they have a difficult time getting started when they are very full.  Could it be because of a large median lobe acting like a ball valve, just a thought ?

Thomas

OG,

I’m 60 and have noticed the same for over a year.  At 2am, I usually always have slower stream than the rest of day. I have yet to find out way. Maybe the bladder is more relaxed?  Maybe the prostate expands a bit?

Tim

What is your volume a 2am versus the rest of the day? Sometimes a greater volume may result in a stronger stream.

Jim

thomas: A urologist told me we produce more urine at night because, during the day liquids pool in our lower body and legs due to gravity. 

-------

What he should have said is that "...we sometimes produce more urine...." Normally, one actually produces less urine at night, not more. When we produce more, it's called nocturia polyuria which has several causes and is more common as we get older.

Jim

Gentlemen,

This is to all who replied: thanks to all of you...sounds like I am in excellent company.  First, allow me to apologize for asking what might have appeared to be an off topic question. This thread was about REZUM and investigating that procedure is what got me here.  At 63 my doctor told me I had an enlarged prostate and high PSA.  He recommended a biopsy.  I have now had that procedure done twice with negative cancer results.  Over the subsequent years the pendulum seems to have swung a bit toward not doing biopsies unless you show a major spike in PSA as opposed to a more even increase as you get older.  The only reason I mention this is because if any of you have a biopsy recommended, watch the Dr. Bergman video on the prostrate on YouTube.  Aside from being very informative, it's pretty funny.

So flash forward to present.  I see my urologist every year and he tells me the same thing....your prostate is enlarging normally for a man your age.  Unless you experience a problem, don't worry about it. Sex life is just fine...I just don't pee like I did when I was 16.

About three years ago I noticed that I was developing a proclivity toward needing to urinate urgently when it was time to empty my bladder.  Used to be I could hold it for a while when I needed to pee but it is more difficult to do that now.  When I complained about it, my urologist smiled and told me it is common in men my age and is known as the "garage door effect".  He told me to do the Kagel exercises 10 times a day for 5 seconds and that would help a lot.  OK....life goes on.

So two weeks ago....I go out and play 6 games of raquetball....great workout and I can hardly walk afterwards....totally exhausted....come home and have a dinner party with friends...two beers and three glasses of wine over about 4 hours.  I wake up in the middle of the night with a full bladder and absolutely cannot pee.  Try, try, try.  Painful.  Three hours later I head to the emergency room and arrive in considerable pain.  Fortunately the place is dead at 5 am (I live in a small town in California otherwise known as the left coast)  A wonderful (beautiful, young, sweet, knockout) nurse grabs me, takes me back to a room and quickly inserts a rubber tube up my wanger.  Ouch!  No one has ever done that to me!  Instant relief!  Now it has to stay in for three days until I see my urologist.  He puts me on Flomax.  It takes me a few days to get back to my normal after catheter removal....but still have the "slower" stream at night as opposed to the day....hence my original question for the group.  What happens at night that appears to make the prostate more "p****d off" than normal (Squeeze that little tube harder you SOB!).  Have not had alcohol since but did have greater difficulty again the evening after a strenuous workout so maybe the prostate doesn't like that.  Don't know.  Am doing some other life style changes including switching to foods that generally cause less body inflammation (no glutens) but got into this thread when researching REZUM as a possible future alternative as things may get worse anyway as I age.  After reading about your experiences with REZUM....I might rather have my fingernails pulled out with pliers.

Thanks to all of you again for your replies and sorry to be so long winded....but I wanted to make sure I was being clear about my background...and I would imagine most of you have had similar experiences.

Jim

 

Rezum was a real life changer for me - I had a lot of pain during the procedure, had to self cath for almost a month (not typical, most are at least able to function after a week or so) and still would do it again.

As for the pain, many docs will twilight you now, so you don't feel a thing. I had occasional retention too, had my 3 days on a cath the first time and was taught how to self cath by my urologist. I had trouble in general and always traveled with a catheter in case I got in trouble - I did once travelling for business and having that catheter was a life saver.

You will likely have more retention episodes and I strongly recommend learning how to self cath and getting set up with a script for Coloplast Speedicath 14 coude tip catheters. But I also suggest you take a serious look at Rezum. Everyone's tolerance is different, but I'm an active 63 year old, don't want to worry about the bathroom, retention, taking too long to pee at night, ect.. Its been 2 1/2 years for me and my quality of life is vastly improved. Many on this forum self cath all the time and are fine with it. I could do it and could learn to adjust - but I'd rather not worry about it and now I don't.

I suggest you give serious consideration to Rezum. Its not so bad at its worst and its really nice not to worry about the bathroom anymore.

In my own experience, alcohol causes very weak stream, coffee causes urgency, walking (the more the better) helps the flow. Sex sometimes helps, other times irritates it. It’s a constant battle!  

@JJ - volume at 2am is about the same as day. If my bladder gets too full, I have a really hard time going. 

Sounds interesting Andrew. Glad it worked well for you. I think it has a lot to do with the skills of the urologist. Can you recommend one?

I had resume done 10 weeks ago. I still pee every 1 to 1.5 hrs. Didn't help me at all. When I have to pee, it's right now. At least before I was able to hold it a bit. Now I cant. Sometimes it's every 20 min. And I was the first patient that had a Cath that had to be taken out in 6 hrs. My body don't tolerate caths. Even with the biggest Cath in me I pee right around them. In my 9th week. I peed blood for 8 days straight. Resume has REALY F**K ME UP!!!!

Thomas ,

Where did you have the rezum done?

Just wondering... did you consider the Green Light/PVP procedure at all... sounds much less problematic... very short time if any on a cath afterward... less pain... fewer side effects (supposedly)...

I have a PVP scheduled late this month, just tried self cath, not bad at all... I could live with it if necessary...

Hi, glad to hear someone had a successful result!  Hey, did you consider the Green Light/PVP procedure when you were deciding on the Rezum?  IF so, why did you choose Rezum over the PVP?

Hello,  I watched the Bergman vid too... interesting guy... my cousin, 74 had a biopsy, came back with a few cancer cells, I read this is VERY typical and should NOT lead anyone to chemo/radiation, etc!!  He was in 'Nam, got soaked with Agent Orange several times... anywho... the Rezum reviews here are scary, I would recommend that you look into the Green Light/PVP procedure... mine is scheduled for late this month... worried, but have had BPH symptoms since my mid-late 20's (unusual)... perhaps a tight bladder neck more than a BPH thing back then... I am now 62.  I just tried self cathing... much less uncomfortable than I thought it would be!  So I could probably live with that if necessary...

Greenlight is just another way to do a TURP. It works well for many. I started doing them in 2003.

Rezum is a newer procedure of the Minimally Invasive variety.

Greenlight is a form of TURP. Rezum is a minimally invasive procedure; takes about 5 minutes, and most men do very well. (I've done many of both.)

@Tucsonjj: Just wondering... did you consider the Green Light/PVP procedure at all...

---

The one person that I know who had a Greenlight Laser TURP ended you with the standard undesirable side-effects/complications of TURP and once the damage is done, it is done.  If you do decide on TURP, Greenlight Laser is your best choice as it "seals as it slices" and the post-op bleeding does not last as long.  He took about 3 months to recover from a Greenlight Laser TURP.

The deal with TURP is that the percentages on the undesirable side-effects/complications are well known and urologists know this.  Hopefully, your urologist told you this.  So far, the Rezum results show significantly lower percentages on the undesirable side-effects/complications.  Personally, any TURP would not be my first choice unless I was not a candidate for Rezum.

Grennlight is newer and better than TURP. It uses pulses of light with nearly no bleeding, less catheterization, and a greatly reduced recovery time. Hank

Grennlight is newer and better than TURP. It uses pulses of light with nearly no bleeding, less catheterization, and a greatly reduced recovery time. Rezum is relatively newer, and the results on this forum have been mixed. Hank

I would hesitate to call Greenlight "better". It is just a different way to perform a TURP. I've been doing them since 2003, and now have moved my TURPS mainly to the Button (which I feel works better than Greenlight.)

Rezum results have been great with our first several hundred patients; literature supports that.

I was told by my Urologist that after he did a Green Light procedure "there was so much blood" Since then he switched to what he described as less bloody and painful, I think it's called "button turp" and he also does Rezum. His PA told me he still prefers the button turp, presumably he gets better results - from his point of view of course. Where do you get "nearly no bleeding" from I find that hard to believe.

It's a direct quote from one Urology website. The others described it as "minimal" or "little" bleeding. No where have I seen too much blood. You can Google it yourself. Either you misunderstood your urologist or you need to find another one. Hank

If you specifically compare greenlight vs button TURP, then it's a different story. I can understand that. Hank

Hank thanks for the information, I never looked in to Green Light for myself, I was only relating what he told me directly coming from surgery so I always assumed that it was more "bloody". I did not misunderstand his exact words were "there was a lot of blood" he was running late for my appointment to do a scope and was apologizing because that procedure took a lot longer than he expected.  I did google and I believe what you say, it could be that in this particular case due to the shape or for whatever reason there was a lot of blood. This is a top notch well respected Urologist and surgeon. I'm not using him for surgery because I don't want to do Button Turp his latest favorite, and if Rezum which he also started doing recently I'd pick one of his associates who has been doing it a lot longer. That same guy also pioneered aquablation but I don't know what the holdup is there.

The web site I saw advertising green light states RE "less likely" than TURP - I thought it was highly likely, I suppose 100% of Turp folks have it, so anything less than that counts as "less likely"

The greenlight procedure is a perfectly reasonable approach to a turp-like procedure if someone doesn’t want a rezum or other minimally invasive procedure. It’s been around for 15 years now, and is well established.

I had resume done 11 weeks ago. Waste of time I still . every 30 min to 2 hrs, when I sleep at night on my back i mite get 2.5hrs. On my side it's like 1 to 1.5 hrs. It did ks. It was like that before resume surgery. And still the San after surgery.i did bleed for 8 days straight. But while I was on xazalto. So I stop taking it for 2 weeks. I go back on it in 2 days. If I start to bleed again I'm going to stop taking it. Regardless what my heart Dr says. It's my choice!!! Not there's.

VERY strange they let you stay on Xarelto prior to any surgery... that is VERY unusual and dangerous (obviously)... did they just not mention it... Just miss it completely?  IF so... maybe time for a new Doc!  Best of luck to you...

I don't think the green Light has too much blood, BUT... I read that it is not that effective, takes many weeks to heal, leakage is usual... as is pain. 

I am reconsidering my Green light scheduled for late this month... I will see another uro Doc for second opinion... who is noted for his skill at HoLEP... (and I have read lots of positive reviews of the HoLEP procedure...) IF I can get insurance to cover it, otherwise a stiff $20,000 or so...  I just sent to self cathing... not that bad at all...

I was off xarelto 1 week before surgery. But after surgery I went back on it. My heart Dr said only to be off it for 1 week. But I've been off it for 2 weeks now. And going to start it tommorow. Again. After a few days of being on it again. If I start to bleed I'm going off it compketrly. Regardless what my heart Drsays. It's my body. And I'm the kind of guy that don't let any Dr control me!!°

Lots of bad reviews of the Rezum here... not that many great reviews of the green Light either...  long mend times, pain, leakage, etc... from what I read, the HoLEP is superior... if done by an experienced Doc... but very expensive... do you do this procedure?

Do you do an MRI on patient prior to all procedures?

Can you message the doctor and let him know that you’re still bleeding?

Yes, I have a Gren Light scheduled this month late... but will likely cancel it...  several bad reviews here on ALL procedures, but rezum seems to have very few good reviews... I think HoLEP has the most favorable reviews, but doubt my cheapo insurance will cover it and $20,000 is a LOT.

I am getting a second opinion soon, will ask about Rezum and possibly, just a BNI (I think the bladder neck may be the main problem, have had bad retention.difficult urination since my mid-20's... I am 62 now...

Lots of great reviews, lots of bad reviews of just about any procedure you can think of on an anonymous forum;

Would speak with your urologist (and maybe get a second or third opinion) before choosing what might be best for you. Someone who practices "evidence based medicine" is a must in 2018.

HOLEP is a different animal entirely- it's basically a suprapubic prostatectomy without an incision.

As far as minimally invasive procedures go, Rezum is likely the most promising currently.

MRI's are very rarely needed (if ever) for a non-cancer prostate procedure.

What did your urodynamics demonstrate? The prostate may not be your issue; it may be a bladder or a nerve issue, in which case a prostate procedure won't help you.

A few REALLY important things:

1) Don't use reviews on this, or any site as a measure of success/failure of a given procedure. Most people come here either for info, or to complain/share regarding a bad outcome. Few men who have a procedure, recover as their doc/the literature say and do well come to this site to report that, yet most fall into that category.

2) Jersey Uro has to be diplomatic and not promote one procedure over another without seeing the patient first. I'm not a doctor, but have done a lot of research and can tell you this. For someone with simple BPH (remember as JerseyUro said, this only applies if the prostate is your issue and it may not be), its almost always advisable to try Rezum before anything that requires anesthesia and/or cutting. For the overwhelming majority of men, it does the job nicely, without the risk of anesthesia and much much lower risk of any permanent problems or side effects. Also, if you're OK self cathing, you can go back to normal living and a couple of days.

I would cancel the greenlight, go see some doctors that perform Rezum and the others and see what they say. Greenlight, even if it works really well, gives a 50% chance of dry ejaculations for life (Rezum is 5-10%), often requires a diaper for 3-6 weeks and adds all of the anesthesia risks. And if Rezum doesn't work out, it you can still do Greenlight or any of the other more invasive procedures. This should be presented as a no brainer IMO.

Thanks, Buzzard, appreciate it... I will ask about the Rezum (pronounced "resume"?) procedure... hope my new Uro-Doc does it, he should, as he does the far more complex HoLEP...  BTW, do you know, does Rezum address a tight bladder neck as part of the procedure?

My current Uro-Doc mentioned nothing of the stats you quote, which makes me boiling mad... guy is after the $$$ only, seems like.

Thanks for the info!

What Oldbuzzard is telling you is true.  Check into a less evasive procedure get all the information.  You can. Why have your prostate cut out if you don;t have to .  Take control of your body.  Your the one that will have to live with the side effects  Have a good day  Ken 

Good advice, thanks... and my cathing is really no biggie... a bit of an inconvenience, but compared to leaking all over or months of recovery with little gains... yes, a no brainer.  I'm getting very used to it, after only a few days...

I just wear depends all day long. So I don't have to worry about a cath. Or any leaking. 98% of the time I don't even wet my depends.

None of my beeswax, but you sound like you need to see a different urologist... lots of Hacks out there, why not try to go to the Mayo Clinic? Or read lots of reviews on Healthgrades.com or Vitals.com

If no cath can stop you leaking, you must have some serious problems that need to be addressed.  And if you don't cath, and don't wet your depends... how to you void your bladder?

I pee like every 1hr to 2.5hrs in a toilet.

Thanks for your post. I'm only 3 1/2 weeks after rezum. Can't i ask how long the recovery really took. Doctors tend to underestimate. 

63 year old with BPH since 2011, sysmptoms getting worse. Getting up 3-4 times a night. Learned a lot from your posts and currently doing research to decide between Rezum and euro lift as they seem to be the least invasive.

any advise to help decide?

@mark5750: any advise to help decide?

Mark,

Before any surgery, always get a second opinion. See doctors that do both Rezum and Urolift. Ask these doctors what procedures that they do BEFORE any surgery such as TRUS and/or cystoscopy to see if you qualify as a candidate for the surgery. If they do not do this, then find another urologist.

Steve

I am a newbie here myself... but the Urolift is a lot less "invasive", in terms of destroying prostate tissue... so I am leaning that way...

Have you tried Flowmax or Terazosin (Hytrin)? For many, these drugs can work well to increase flow... I had serious negative side effects from the Terazosin... but that doesn't mean YOU will... extra magnesium sometimes really helps... so do Stinging nettle root and pygeum... any of the above can possibly give you a lot more time to consider which procedure is right for you...

You might even consider self catheterization... short or long term... especially if you only need to do once a day before bed... GL to you!

Hi Eddie -

Since Buzz seems to be taking a nap, this is from one of his posts a while back:

Recovery can vary - most men take 7-10 days before they can function without a catheter and its 30 days before the procedure starts to work. Most benefits come weeks 6-12, maximum benefits at 6 months. There is often some urgency and bleeding weeks 3-5. The bleeding goes away as does the urgency. If the urgency is bad, a short course of Myrbetriq will help a lot and reduce it to a nuisance.

Me, I'm about a week ahead of you. I had Rezum done 9/4/18, five weeks ago today. I had some minor bleeding and occasional urgency up until about a week ago, and I've started seeing symptom improvements over the past week. Stream is improved, hesitancy is gone, and my PVR has dropped from about 500 ml to about 150.

George

extra magnesium sometimes really helps... so do Stinging nettle root and pygeum

Can you explain how these help? Do these relax the urethra or the muscles around the prostate ? I know what stinging nettle is but usually it's the leaf that is used as an herb to make a tea. What is pygeum?

Mark Rezum and Urolift are the least invasive procedures. Please do your research on both of them. I had Urolift done 3 1/2 years ago. Still wide open. But it is you that has to pick Ken.

Mark, You should determine some things about your prostate first:

1. How large is your prostate?

   -Determined by TRUS, DRE, or 3T-MRI

2. Do you have an enlarged median lobe and is it obstructing flow ?

   -Determined by TRUS, 3T- MRI, or Cystoscopy

3. Do you have any strictures or blockages in the urethra?

   -Determined by Cystoscopy

4. Have you eliminated cancer?

   -Determined by PSA, DRE, or 3T-MRI

The cutoff prostate size for Uro Lift (not euro lift) is 80g

If you have enlarged median lobe Rezum may work better.

There is a new median lobe procedure for Uro Lift, Look up information about it. If you try median lobe procedure for Uro Lift find a doctor who has done some, with good results.

PAE, Prostate Artey Embolization is the least invasive of all the procedures but does not work well for enlarged median lobe, although I have heard they can block the median lobe artery, but you need to find a doctor who has done it, and ask about his results.

Hope this helps,

Thomas

I believe that magnesium relaxes the muscles, much like Hytrin (terazosin) and Flowmax do, of course not as strong...

Nettle root works for uro problems, leaf doesn't, though that too has lots of benefits... pygeum is just another herb... combining them works well for some guys... saw palmetto never gave me any relief... and now, nothing works anymore so I had to go to self cathing... hope YOU get some great relief... I read that 80% of people are deficient in magnesium... so it might really help... did help me for awhile... but I have had BPH type symptoms since my mid-20's (now 62)... so lucky I lasted that long before having to go to the cath...

urolift works immediately. I'm 3 weeks out from Rezum and still no good.

Thanks. My problem was more an overactive bladder issue in which I have to be careful about what I eat and drink. My post void residuals were all normal, and a urine flow test showed I had normal urine flow during that test. Although other times I dribble. I also have to do physical therapy exercises for the transversus abdominis to help me. But these herbs could be useful.

My prostate is 40 grams. Enlarged but not believed to be restricting my flow, not sure if it contributed to the overactive bladder issues.

John 98818,,Kenneth1955,TucsonJJ ,Steven05114 ;

Thank you so much for your responses.

Thomas also thank you for your questions and the leads you have provided.

1. I will have it checked but I was told it was not too large (!)
2. Median Lobe- I have not been told.
3. Nothing in the Urethra that I know of
4. eliminated cancer by 2 biopsies and 1 recent MRI

   PSA 7.22 in 2011 to 17.1 in 2018 june

Again Thank you for the education and guidance.

Mark,

17.1 is getting high on the PSA scale, unless you have prostatitis, or you were doing sexual activity witin a day of the PSA test. Has your Urologist checked for prostatitis ? Irritation of the prostate by something like bike riding can also cause the PSA to go high.

Thomas

You bet, GL to you!!

BTW: Look into taking a teaspoon to one tablespoon of baking soda 2-3X daily... need to cycle it, 14 days on, 1 week off... discuss with your Doc... but your PSA will drop like a rock... add a little maple syrup or molasses if you wish... Skoal!!

Just to 2nd that a 17.1 PSA is kind of high. How recent were the biopsies to check for cancer? Again, irritating the prostate by something like bike riding can also cause your PSA to go up. When I had prostatitus it was in the 5's though.

More important than the PSA number is whether the PSA number has jumped up a lot in one year. If your PSA number has been steady and only gradually rising than it is not an indicator of a cancer.

What does psa stand for?

I'd be a bit concerned about the 17.1 representing an increased potentiality for cancer... even if stable... but certainly a topic to discuss with your UroDoc... I'd look into baking soda and/or organic unsweetened pomegranate juice (do some research online) to maybe drop it down to a more "reasonable" number... AND slow down the increase... all just IMO.

Prostate specific antigen... I think... good to keep low, drink your POMEGRANATE juice!! 😃

Again, all of you; thank you for your comments and guidance

I also think 17.1 is high but over the years it also went down and up. MRI with Endorectal coil was done April 6 2016 biopsies 2011 and 2014

After your earlier notes and guidance ; further checking with my urologist revealed:

He still thinks it is BHP not cancerous.

Prostate: 5.7 x 5.2 x 4.6 cm = 71 ml.

"Prominent median lobe extending into the inferior aspect of the urinary bladder"

My current Urologist does not practice Rezum or Urolift so I have made appointments with 2 different urologists this month each practicing Urolift and Rezum and will consult with them as well about the PSA level.

thank you

Also forgot to mention :

Sex before PSA , possible ..embarrassed but I did not know no sex rule before PSA or did not pay attention.

and Chronic inflammation was found on both biopsies as well the MRI.

Did you have Urolift? How long ago?

Mark,

Make sure the Urlogist you talk to has done the new Urolift procedure for enlarged median lobe. In the past enlarged median lobe was excluded from the Urolift procedure, but in May of 2018 an new Urolift procedure for enlarged median lobe was FDA approved. They pin the median lobe to one side with a clip. Not many doctors have done the new procedure yet though. They need to go through training from Urolift before they can do the procedure.

Thomas

I think your math is off - 5.7 x 5.2 x 4.6 cm = about 136 cubic cm which i think is the same as 136 ml. Not 71 ml.

Thank you Nisvan , I should have checked it but took it directly from the report !

in any event 136 ml=136 grms ; is that considered large, medium or small?

Mark,

Prostates aren't rectangular, so the above calculation, while mathematically accurate, does not reflect the true size of your prostate. The dimensions likely indicate the overall dimensions, but not the volume. For the volume, I think that his estimate of 71ml = 71cc is correct. As such, that is a larger than normal prostate, but pretty average for those of us who have BPH. For that size prostate, and for the enlarged median lobe, you would likely be a good candidate for Rezum. Thousands of Rezums have been done to date, and the vast majority of the men who have had this procedure have had good results.

My Rezum procedure reduced the volume of my prostate from around 70cc to about half that (my urologist's estimate based on his experience). More importantly, it reduced the size of the median lobe, which had reduced my flow to such an extent that I had to use catheters.

John,

Your last message was almost two weeks ago. Now that you're closer to 5 weeks post-Rezum, how are you doing?

better. off intermittent catheter

stream still not fantastic. but better.

only getting up once at night.

i want more improvement... so still waiting.

71 ml is correct, same as mine. Probably considered medium compared to 150+

Ken,

thank you for your comments; sounds logical and has been confirmed by a Rezum specialist this afternoon. I live in Wisconsin west of Milwaukee and the closest specialist I could find (from Rezum website) was In Highland Park Illinois whom I have seen this afternoon. He pretty much quoted the same statistics as what I have been reading here and gave the same explanation and confirmed being a good candidate under 80 ml with a large median lobe. He said he has done about 100 Rezum procedures and had one that was totally unsuccessful and had to have some sort of TURP afterwards for him to pee. Than quoted the same statistics about retro, etc the same as has been quoted here.

I am leaning towards Rezum , based on my evaluation of what I read and heard.

I will have it done in Surgery center as many suggested here and he can do it but I was surprised that he never has done it but in office . All his 100 Rezums in the office, with Valium and novacaine gel and shots and he said 5 minutes of uncomfort and very slight pain. Similar recovery periods. Foley for 3 -4 days and 4-5 stings depending on what he sees once he is there.

He said I should expect better but not perfect flow, normal start - stop, no sexual side effects and off the pills and that would be success; approximately 85% . They don't know how long it would last and so far some still going strong and some are weakening.

I am going to get into the costs and what they cover with the insurance company next and see what the cost difference is between office and surgery center.

I don't have a date as of yet but thinking end of Nov.

Hello Mark

He sound like a very good and caring doctor. 4 or 5 injections would work for you. So you don't have a median lobe which is good. If he only does 2 and 2 that would give you enough relief.

Which will be good and no pills. I wish you luck and I hope all goes well. If you get a chance I would ask him the one that failed how big was his prostate and how many injections did he do on him. And yes they have to do a Turp if it fails because of the damage to the tissue inside of the prostate.

Relax and good luck Best Wishes Ken

Mark I had Resume surgery done June 18 2018 I'm worse off. Now than I was before surgery. I pee 8 times in a 12 hr period. If ilau on my back and sleep I can get sometimes 4 hrs before I have to pee. I had a Very lare prostate. And got poked 6 times. And had to have the Cath taken out 7 hrs after surgery in a ER Room. My bladder hole was so large that when the biggest cat wouldn't work. I kept peeing around it. I think they used a 18 at the end and it still didn't work. I'm the first patient that didn't have to have a Cath left in for a week. Acording to my dr. I'm the first in his entire career. All together it was a BIG WASTE OF TIME!!!!! There was2 week period. I peed blood. And then a another 1 week to.. Tom

Mark,

I am sorry to hear your problems. I hope there will be a way to make you feel better.

Let's see what happens.

I am 71 and had the Rezum done in office on July 9, 2018 in Phx AZ by Dr Robert Lipson. I am thrilled with the results. I had been taking Alfuzosin/Uroxatrol for at least 10 years and it was no longer effective for normal urine flow. Of the patients he did that day I may have had the largest prostate with an enlarged medium lobe. The unique things that I did in preparation for the procedure that I believe contributed to my quick recovery are as follows:

1. I insisted on learning how to and doing some self caths in the months prior to getting the procedure done.
2. Following the procedure I REFUSED the standard of care of a foley catheter and was prepared to self cath and return to office or ER if foley was actually needed. It turned out that I never needed a cath which I believe expedited my recovery! I passed a little blood and some clots the day of the procedure but by the next morning I was painlessly peeing clearly with the volume and force of a 16 year old.

   Even now every time I go I can't believe my good fortune.

3. I continued taking 2.5 mg of Cialis daily (for improved blood flow) and alfuzosin before, during and for one week after the procedure.

Sexual function continues to normalize and improve. My only side effective that I happily put up with has been a burning sensation in the prostate after I pee but as my prostate continues to heal the burning is getting less and less.

what what was the first few weeks right after the procedure like?

I'm 5 weeks out of rezum and still not urinating well either.

I peed about 8 to 12 times a hr for the first 5 days and blessed. Could get no sleep. Was very tired alot from peeing so much. The Dr gave me pills for muscle spasms to slow the peeing down but then I ran out if them

And he wouldn't give me any morr. They helped. But right back to peeing air per hr

Just seen him like 3 weeks ago and he asked why did I stop taking them. I said becauseyour nurse wouldn't give me anymore. He said that wasn't righting her. I said oh well she works for u. I'm not happy with my dr. I'm going in nov. 5 for a scope to see why I still per so much threw the nighy. I'm down to 4 times a night now. I was peeing at least 8 ti.mti.mes a night. It's starting to get better. But I stopped drinking beer. So that helped ALOT!!! I WAS WEARING A DEPENDS EVERYDAY. I HAVEN'T WORE ONE IN 5 DAYS. I'M SEEING To be able to hold my peeing longer before I have to go. It soon as I go back to drinking again. I know I will start peeing alot per. Hr.. And drinking beer is my fun thing without it it's not worth worry about if I'm going to be alive from day to day

Luck

Thomas,

Alcohol is not so good for the bladder, and may also delay the healing after a Rezum procedure.

David

@thomas77847 : It soon as I go back to drinking again. I know I will start peeing alot per. Hr

Thomas,

Just to second what David had to say about the beer drinking. I like beer too, but consuming alcohol after prostate surgery is on the short list of bad things to do. I assume that your doctor told you that.

Steve

Tom,

Have you checked for a possible urinary tract infection? I got one after a cystoscope in Feb and was peeing several times per hour. Once the UTI was cured with antibiotics I was OK. Got a mild UTI recently and instead of antibiotics I used high dose vitamin C to clear it up.

Tom

Great urin flow from day 2 to the present. After the procedure the strongest pain medication that I took was tyenal. I have never had to cath. I can't believe my good fortune. Sometimes I have had a low grade burning sensation when I pee but it's mild and getting better all the time. It's probably from where the steam killed the cells inside the prostate. I fear that a lot of guys are seeing the wrong doctors.

I have received different answers about drinking coffee after REZUM. What have you been told?

I don't have any good info. regarding coffee, except that I can't drink it because it irritates my bladder which has a tendency to being overactive. Not sure how I developed an overactive bladder, my prostate is mildly enlarged, and it may have contributed to it. But my post void residual volumes were always measured normal.

Hey Ant

It is not a good idea to have coffee or tea. Not good for the bladder even if you didn't have a procedure

Ken

I havent had Rezum yet, but I had to stop coffee because of the urgency and frequency it caused in general. Took me a while to figure that out.

Ant,

I've been addicted to coffee since my Army days back around 1972 or so. I did pretty much eliminate caffeinated coffee for a few months when I was in partial retention, thinking that the caffeine made my bladder too active. But actually it made no perceptible difference, at least to me. Since we're all a little different, I can't say that my experience applies to you or anyone else, but I didn't find that drinking coffee, caffeinated or not, made a difference before or after Rezum. Right now the 'experts' say that we should all be drinking some coffee every day because it will make us live longer. I really doubt that is true for everyone, but it does illustrate that there are going to be conflicting opinions about things like this. To answer your specific question, I haven't read or been told anything from any authoritative source that drinking coffee should be reduced or eliminated after Rezum.

If my memory serves me correctly I believe I didn't drink my two cups of morning coffee for the first 5 to 7 days. I tried tea which was a huge mistake because it will raise your urgency to go to panic level.

I just read something that says that tea and coffee can be a diuretic and therefore would cause that urgency. Good point.

I guess I was just lucky there because it didn't seem to affect me noticeably.

Mark,

The original volume of your prostate you quoted, 71, was correct. The prostate is more like an ellipsoid than a cube, so the equation for volume of an ellipsoid applies, V= L x W x H x π/6 or V=LxWxHx0.523.So instead of :

V= 5.7x5.2x4.6= 136 It is:

V=5.7x5.2x4.6x0.523=71

Thomas

nisvan, The prostate is more like an ellipsoid than a square, so you have to use the equation for an ellipsoid.

V=LxWxHx0.532

Very impressive Thomas

Thomas,

Interesting stuff. So when they do a TRUS, they get the volume of the prostate and from that they calculate the mass of the prostate so they need to know the density of the prostate tissue or the mass of a given volume of prostate tissue. Sounds like something to look up...

Steve

Hey Tom

Could you say that the normal prostate is egg shape. Does it keep that shape when it get bigger.

If you have a infection and you set up straight you can feel it. I know for me it feel like I'm sitting on a ball

Ain't life grand.........Be safe...........Ken

The TRUS machine seems to be automatic. I think it assumes all prostate tissue is around 1cc = 1gram so it gets an answer that is close enough. If if calculates within 10% it is doing good.

The equations are useful for calculating from images either MRI or TRUS.

Thomas

Thanks Thomas; good news then; mine's like almost half of what i thought it was then; lwh had come out to 112; so the new math puts me under 60; i'll take it!

Thank you guys, appreciated.

No explanation - they don't know why it works for some and not others

On this website I hear of mixed results for Rezum. In your post (JerseyUrology) you say literature supports great results for Rezum. Could you refer me to that literature. I ask because I'm seriously considering having REZUM but comments on this forum leave me somewhat apprehensive it.

Hey Gary

I saw this post to JerseyUrology Is he back. Have not heard from him in almost a year.

You have to do your research. Not all procedure work for everyone. That is because we are all different. It is best to do a pro and con and also look at the side effects of them all. Can you live with any of them.

Good luck in your search...Ken

No just doing research on REZUM and saw JerseyUrology post. Definitely would like to see the literature he is referring to to get another perspective, because I think you tend to hear more of the negative results on this forum. I think the people with positive results probably move on and may be less likely to post here. Just my little theory!

Gary,

Re: "mixed results"

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I found this site 2 years ago when I was considering Rezum. I have found that a lot of people with positive results simply don't take time to repost when they are happy but will post if not happy with whatever procedure they used for their prostate issue.

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Also, there are people on this site that post about Rezum who never even had Rezun done. So I advise you not to pay attention to those posters.

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My Rezum was May 24, 2018, it did what I was hoping for, it removed my prostate blockage with out no more pain than a hornet bee sting on my five shots of steam. I had 1 Valium and 1 Percocet one hr before the procedure and was awake during the Rezum procedure. I had a few underware blood spots for the first three days and none after that.

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I will use the same Urologist to have Rezum done again if it is ever needed again due to prostate growth and urine blockage.

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I am not selling Rezum, I am just reporting truthful information about my Rezum experience, which I am happy about. It worked for me.

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You can go to Rezum and youtube web sites and find more Rezum info.

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Best wishes,

Al (Allen)

Gary

Yes have not see him on in awhile on the site.

He did do a lot of good post for all of the procedure. Not just Rezum. You have to have a good doctor with any procedure you have. Have you looked into any other procedure. There are a few less evasive procedures.

No matter what you pic you are the one that will have to deal with the side effects.

I have been keeping track for the last 2 years on the men that have had the Rezum procedure. We have had good and bad some worked and some didn't.

I have 62 men that have had the Rezum procedure. 38 worked the other 24 did not. Out of the 62 that had the procedure. 36 men ended up with retro. Also 5 men had to have a Turp procedure to fix the damage that Rezum does.

My urologist and his partner will not do it for that reason.

Before you pick any procedure please do your research. There are a lot of good site on the internet that you can get the information. Also talk with your doctor and voice your concerns and if he give you the run around get another doctor.

Take care and good luck.....Ken

I am happy to here about your posititive result, however I do hear a lot of negative comments about REZUM on this forum. I'm just looking for another prospective beyond this forum that my help me make the best decision for me!

I thought I would share my results 3 months after. First of all, the procedure hurt like Spanish Inquisition torture. If I could have do-over I would not do it without some type of anesthesia. After the procedure I had four emergency trips to the hospital due to blocked urethra and blocked catheters. It hurt for 10 weeks when I urinated. Now, it only hurts a little when I pee, and I pee better than I have peed in 7 years.Last night, for the first night in as long as I can remember I did not wake up once to pee.I had this procedure after deep study. I couldn't have the urolift because of size of prostate and big medial lobe. I would not do anything with a risk of re. I stopped taking medication because ejaculate was disappearing.Our lovemaking is totally back to normal. No pain at all. This is only my experience but I thought I would share it. I told the doctor that I would try anything if it would not affect my love making. Pain be darned, I would do this over.

Thanks Ken the info in your post is the info I'm looking for. STATS. I have median lobe issues so other than REZUM the newer median lobe urolift is my next choice. I all ready have a doctor close by who will do my cystocopy/REZUM under general anesthesia. I have heard good things about him. I will also have a consult with a doctor for the median lobe urolift (beleive there is another name for it) before I do anything. The problem is I think the Urolift doctor will not do the procedure under general and I refuse to do it in his office so I will have to discuss it with him further.

Thanks Drtom. This is the kind of stuff I want to hear. I have a Dr lined up who will do the cytocopy/REZUM under general. I refuse to have it done in the office. I'm a chicens--t! Next choice is the newer median lobe urolift, but i'm not optimistic I would be a candidate.

Gary,

You're in the same boat we all are or were in, trying to make the hard choice. I had Rezun in Dec under general and it worked for me, I would do it again.

Tim

Thanks Timothy

Gary,

If you read this forum at least for the last 3-6 months history , you will get a lot of information about the Rezum procedure.

Among the pros and cons, you will also find there are some points most people that had the procedure also have consensus on.

1. Experienced Doctor,
2. General anesthesia
3. Longer duration (10-14 days) with Foley

   I think what ever procedure you choose, the above basic points will help a lot.

   You can also bounce the above points against any cases (for any procedure) that has been reported negatively and maybe it could have helped.

   In my case, I am 63 and I had rezum January 7 2019 , with the above criteria, dropped all drugs 6 weeks after , I still get up once or twice based on how much I drink but can pee in seconds and get back to sleep. No retro and satisfactory sex life. I can drink as much water (or beer!) and feel I don't have to know where the bathrooms are and/or don't have to go to the bathroom for hours.

   It worked for me!

   Good luck,

@gary37907: On this website I hear of mixed results for Rezum

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I had my Rezum done on November 29, 2018 by the same urologist as Al. My Rezum worked and no RE. It took 1 month to open up and then got better over the next 2 months. My PVR's went from over 250 to under 100 ml. As other's have advised:

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1. choose your urologist carefully so they have done enough Rezum's before yours. I would say that 50 is the magic number.
2. keep the Foley in for about 2 weeks so the swelling can go down. Swelling after the Rezum will close you down.

   .

   I did not need any general anesthesia as I was able to tolerate the procedure's pain with 1 Valium and 1 Percocet taken 1 hour before.

   .

   I am 62 and other than the BPH problem that was fixed, I am in very good health.

   .

   Good luck,

   .

   Steve

Steve,

No RE ?

That is what I wrote "no RE".

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S

Hey Steven

I'm very happy for you that all worked out like you wanted. I know you said no RE. Can you tell me if the volume change. More or less.

Have a great day........Ken

Ken,

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Thanks. No RE, volumes about the same, and maybe a bit thinner/clearer. Feels the same as before and I can pee again! I am now at about 3 1/2 months post Rezum.

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I am still self-cathing 2/day (before bed - helps sleep, and when I get up) to measure PVR's. The Kaiser urologist says to stop self-cathing when my PVR's are at 50 ml.

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S

Hey Steven

Yes I'm very happy for you. That it all worked out.

I think what is happening is that your ejaculation is coming more from the prostate then the seminal vesicle but as long as you still have it.

I don't know if this would help but instead of cathing before bed take a hot shower and see if that will help you pee. Just let the hot water run down your front. It works for me even if I don't need to go.

Take care Ken

Steve , what city are you in? I am in MN.

Thanks.

Kenny

Al, what city or state did you have procedure? I am in MN

Thanks,

Kenny

Mark , what city did you have procedure done? Thanks,

Kenny

Kenny,

I had my procedure done with Dr. McVary from Loyola in Chicago.

K49701,

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I am in CO. If you are in MN, Rezum was developed in MN and there should be some uroligsts there or near there that were involved in the clinical trials so have longer experience.

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S

I live about 30 miles south of Denver, Colorado.

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Locate Doctors by going to Rezum web site and search by your location.

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Best wishes,

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Al

I live in same suburb it was developed in. Very uncertain about procedure. My uro told me a year ago they've had a "shitload" of problems with the procedure. By "they", he means other surgeons that have done it. Thanks.

I'm guessing that your current urologist has not been trained in the Rezum procedure and that he's not been directly involved in it. At least it sounds like most of the comments that we read on this site: "my urologist is really good at ______ and he says that any other procedure is garbage". (I really think that most urologists are open minded about procedures, but we mostly read about the others on this forum)

The sheer number of Rezum procedures to date must be in the thousands, and I have to think that the great majority of them were successful, as mine was.

I agree that the Rezum procedure isn't ideally suited to everyone. And I'd like to think that there will be something better in the near future for sufferers of BPH. But right now for many men with BPH, the Rezum procedure seems to work pretty well, with minimal risk of ED, incontinence, and RE.

Now if they (Boston Scientific) would only focus on the issue of the first month's recovery from the procedure, when the treated prostate swelling causes even more problems than the BPH itself, then we wouldn't be reading about so many unhappy patients who have recently had the procedure.

I certainly agree with your reference to the first month post Rezum. My AUR did not clear up until around the 5 -6 week mark. Swelling is an issue and clots had to be drained several times before I could have the Foley removed. It was discouraging initially but at the 8 week mark I am more optimistic and feel much improvement. The healing process varies per individual but I did have higher expectations entering into the Rezum decision.

@k49701I: live in same suburb it was developed in.

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k,

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The 1st urologist that I saw only did TURP and did not have a good thing to say about Rezum. No way was I going to have a TURP given the well-known morbidity and complications (10% chance of ED, 100% chance of RE) of TURP.

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I was guided through this process by a close family member that I have known for over 60 years who has been an MD for over 40 years who said to look for an alternative to TURP. We chose Rezum after our research.

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It is important to understand that doctors will advocate for the procedure(s) that they do so if they don't do Rezum, then they will say that it is not as good as what they do and that Rezum has problems. See more than 1 urologist.

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I saw 3 urologists until I chose the one who did my Rezum. When I saw the original urologist 3 months after my Rezum (as requested by the urologist who did the Rezum), he was surprised that I was doing so well (compared to TURP).

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According to the family-member-MD, that Boston Scientific has purchased NxThera, who developed Rezum, is a good indicator of the success of Rezum given how big a player Boston Scientific is in the medical devices field.

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My Rezum was successful and followed the standard recovery schedule.

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Steve

@ken19524: Now if they (Boston Scientific) would only focus on the issue of the first month's recovery from the procedure, when the treated prostate swelling causes even more problems than the BPH itself, then we wouldn't be reading about so many unhappy patients who have recently had the procedure.

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Yup!

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S

I had the Rezum done 9 Jul 2018 because of BPH with enlarged medium lobe. I could not be happier with the result. No RE. My only side effect is a new mild burning at end of voiding for 1 minute or less. I had taken Alfuzosin/Uroxatrol for 15 years and was having more & more trouble peeing.

I watched several Doctors on Utube explain the procedure. One of them said that 25 % were going home without caths/folleys. I practiced doing self caths before procedure. I literally went to war with my doctor and nurses refusing to allow them to do post TURP type of protocol with a folley on me. My theory is that urine is a sterile fluid that should be allowed to flush the urethra if possible. I can't help but wonder if folleys are not causing some of the reported swelling. I never had to even self cath after my Rezum. I kept taking my Alfuzosin for a week after procedure. The day of the procedure I passed some small blood clots. The next morning much to my amazement I was peeing with the volume and pressure of a 16 year old!!!

Hey Steven

I am happy that it did work for you. But you also have to remember we are all different and it does not work for everyone.

Maybe if they would leave the catheter in longer and let the prostate heal the recovery would be much easier. At least you would not have to worry about going to the bathroom and the blood clogs that happen.

Take care Ken

is there anyone in this forum that is located in nyc. i have a box full of caths i would like to give as I know longe need them.

its hard for me to ship so hopefully someone is located nearby.

It's good you don't need them. How are you doing?

david,

for the most part my prostate is feeling great. i still have time where i need take a little longer or some stop and go but have a great stream most times.

how are you doing ?

my problem is an overactive bladder. it comes and goes. some evenings are fine, and other evenings it seems my bladder is on overdrive. still haven't figured out a cure, but it's better than a year and a half ago.

I had the procedure done on 4/25/19. I was instructed to use a fleet enema 2 hours prior to procedure as they admistered a prostate pain block through the rectum into the prostate. Dr. prescribed 10 mg diazepam and one norco tablet to be taken 30 minutes prior to procedure. Also, they injected lidocaine gel into the urethra prior to procedure. These meds plus the prostate block made it tolerable....uncomfortable yes, unbearable no. Dr. did 5 shots of steam including one in median lobe. After the procedure they inserted Foley cath . Wearing this for 5 days was ok but painful at the insertion point...Neosporin ointment helped a lot for that. The cath was removed on the 6th day. They asked me to drink a lot of water and ensure that I could pee. I was fine at the beginning of the day but then the urethra began to close off from the swelling. I was able to pee but with much straining against the swollen prostate. I am at 8 days now since the procedure and still having to push quite a bit to pee. Hope that it will improve soon....right now my condition is worse than before procedure, but doc gave me confidence things will improve.

Had mine done 1/31/18 at the 8 week mark I was doing better. signifacant improvement over the next 5 weeks. prostate size 150. 15 injections. ipss scores 22 to 8. At 8 weeks psa was down to 19.8 from 29.8.....expect lower on next psa. Very pleased with results any improvement out to 6 months is a bonus

Question for post rezum patients. I went for a follow up today and was told the protein in my urine was high, I have never had any kidney problems. The thought is that this is some of the "material" or dead tissue being passed, But then they calmly tell me that it also could be the start of kidney disease.

Has anyone else had a urine protein test come back high after this procedure?

Thanks

I am 3 months post Rezume. I had a follow up visit with my Uro the other day and they tested my urine. It came back normal, but I'm not sure what they were testing for since the results came back before my visit was over. I thought that was too quick for a thorough test, but I forgot to ask questions about the test. They also tested my retention level after peeing and it was at 54 cc, which the Doc said was excellent. I had Rezume done because of AUR five months ago and wore a Foley for three months. I am trying to mention related factors to your condition so you might compare circumstances. Do you know your urine protein level prior to Rezume? So far my condition is much improved and I'm waiting for the PSA test results. I am scheduled for a follow up visit in six months. Best of luck to you.

Hi,

wow your prostate size 150 and this worked for you.. great.

What did your size go down too?

​Richard Levin from chesapeak urology was involved in the trial of the procedure of 30 to 80 prostates. He is now doing 95 percent Rezum. my urologist said my prostate was too large for the procedure, but levin had done a 151 and the patient was doing fine. He is now involved in trials of 80 to 150. Results should be good, if I am an example. My thought was we could reduce the prostate , lower the psa 29.8, and if we had to do a second procedure for full benefits it was better than turp. Prostate measure at biopsy was 120 but mri showed much larger. At 2 months the psa was down to 19.8 about 33 percent. I expect the psa to be around 15 in a month (6 month anniversary). That would be a 50 percent reduction. As of now my symptom relief is very good. may do a second procedure or may leave well enough alone. 3t mri after my next urology visit early next month, will update psa but I am curious about the size reduction also. It feels like over 50 percent compared to what it felt like before. This procedure ablates the prostate cells on the outside of the urethra, putting less pressure on the urethra a freeing up the ability to urinate. It makes sense and has the science behind it. No procedure is flawless. Results for me are in the very good range all around and no retro.

Raygar, I think your explanation of how and why Rezum works is a good summary.

My Rezum worked well for me and also resulted in an approximate 50% size reduction (about 70gm to about 35gm)

I had my procedure in January 2019. I had 8 injections, and I am still having to strain to urinate. Flowmax helps some, but I sure hope I dont have to take this for the rest of my life. I have read where guys are back to normal quickly. I hope i improve soon

I had procedure in January, 8 injections 7 months later I still strain to urinate.

Preston, I think that by the 7th month your flow should be better than that.

I think that your urologist should be helping you find answers.

I suppose that a compromised bladder could be a factor too, but again, he/she should be concerned enough to help follow through.

I am going back to see him in September for him to go in a look and see what's up.

preston, procedure was jan 31. Do you strain to get started? Or does it feel like you start and then strain to pass urine? At 7 months if the cells most affecting urination would have been ablated and absorbed. I havent noticed much improvement since 5 month anniversary. they say that slight improvement out to a year but most notice improvement from 2 weeks to 4 months. and like i said minor improvement after. you should have been off the flomax, i quit at week 2 when I noticed the stream picking up. I'm sure the rezum relieved some of the prostate causing you problems. Protocol says procedure starts a ;ott;e bacl from the bladder neck and they inject left and right on the way back. treatment of the medium lobe if applicable. if you strain to start there is a zone that causes a lot of men problems TZ I believe near the bladder neck. I know sometimes the procedure doesnt work, If they (urologist) identify the problem area and inject it, it will work. overlapping injections clears the runway but injections stay in the zone they are administered to, I would be consulting maybe another urologist and planning on another procedure. if things get better, good but be prepared, I think like ken you should be doing better by now

Preston,

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Before you had your Rezum, what did your urodyanmics test and cystoscopy show about the condition of your bladder? By 6 months, the Rezum has already done all that it will do, but your bladder may still be recovering. I had my Rezum in late November 2018 and now in late August 2019, my bladder is still recovering.

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Steve

I am going in for the cystoscopy in September. I have a read where some guys it took a year to get back to normal.

without the flomax after about 2 weeks i have to strain to urinate. i did experience a bad bladder infection. so I had to take antibiotics and flomax for about 6 months. I hoping the September appointment shows improvement

Preston,

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What did your cystoscopy show about the conditions of your bladder BEFORE your Rezum? How about your urodyamics test too?

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Steve

Hey Preston

Yes that is very true. This is because all men heal at different rate. But this happens with any procedures.

Hope you see improvement soon.....Ken

Preston,

If you had to take antibiotics for 6 months you may have prostatitis , causing your prostate to swell, and limit your flow. Six months is a long time to take antibiotics, they should have killed off all the harmful bacteria. You may have a biofilm protecting the bacteria or you may have a yeast infection that antibiotics will not kill. You could try some of the biofilm disruptors, look them up on Google and Amazon. You can also try Dmannose , it prevents Bad bacteria from sticking the your urinary track walls, similar to cranberry juice. If you think you may have a yeast infection, you should look up cures and tests for that.

When I was 22 I had a prostate infection. A Urologist massaged the prostate and got some of the semen on a microscope slide, which he looked at to determine which antibiotic to use. The infection stopped when I started taking the antibiotic.

Thomas

prostatitus, uti, nonbacterial infections would all cause any improved results from rezum to be negated. I missed antibiodics for 6 months which should be no more than a week or 2. my urethra gets extra sensitive as urine passes down the urethra when I get "inflamed". urine culture, blood test and psa could lend help in determining whats going on. my psa spikes when I have infection. Just recently my 19,8 post rezum psa spiked to 24 and 31 (same blood draw for both primary and urologist). after 7 days of antibiodics and a 7 day pause before psa test it returned to 21.8 although i still felt the extra sensitivity in the urethra. could have been slightly inflamed.

Yeah without flomax I still have strain to start and even with it I have to milk penis like milking a cow to empty. I am going back 6 September for the cystoscopy. Hopefully it show better results. The last one was in March 2019 and doc said it was wide open, but a really bad bladder infection. But they just had removed the cathater (which was my 3rd).

I think the bad infection was from taking mybriqic without taking flomax and having so many cathaters put in.

Yeah I did, but I can't find those tests. I can say for a fact I can't urninate as strong as I did before Rezume procedure.

Hi newbee here and asking the forum in general for their kind responses,

I had the Rezum done in the UK mid June 2019, so now about 10 weeks out. Catheter was in for 6 days not very successful as I would pee painfully around it with urgency and frequency. But no retention issues.

Since then flow has improved considerably but I still have urge continence, need to pee when I have to and frequency. Between 1-2 hours all day and sometimes more often. Nightime a bit quieter. Just does not seem to improve at all. I am careful with no coffee, beers and citric juices so not that.

Any advise from those who have had Rezum earlier than I and suffered with urgency and frequency and over time this has improved or disappeared? Did you take any medicine to help? Had a urine test which was fine.

Any comments would be great and most appreciated. I had 10 shots as I had a median lobe by the way and a prostate of about 50.

Thanks Singres

Singares,

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As a starting point, do you know what your PVR's are after you pee and what did your urodynamics test and cystoscopy say about the health of your bladder? Some who have still have problems after their Rezum can trace that to bladder damage.

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I had a 10-shot Rezum (8 lateral, 2 median) in late November 2018 which was successful but my PVR's were still up around 150 ml due to bladder damage. Now 8 months later, my PVR's have slowly dropped to around 100 ml.

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My advice is to still do some self-cathing, maybe 2 times a day, especially before going to bed to completely empty and to measure your PVR's. Going back on Tamsulosin is also an option but that should be discussed with your urologist

.

Steve

I noticed around week 10 that urgency or the ability to postpone urniation and leaking started getting better. I held off a couple of times and the urge to go went away. Impossible before rezum. with the catheter if I walked to the bathroom, I would get an urge to go which was intense for about a minute and then went away. Some of this is habit, try to hold off urination to see if you can,

Steve

Many thanks for the response. I only did several PVR's on the day I had the catheter removed. Self cathetering has never been mentioned by the nurse or Dr here in the UK so I am not sure how usual it is compared to what I read on the forum.

I have written to the Dr and have a follow up call mid September but have moved back to SE Asia where there is little knowledge of REZUM so dont have knowledgeable medics to hand. Certainly I can consider doing a PVR locally to try to see what is happening. I can just about hold on when the urge comes but some leakage but soon have the need to pee again afterwards. Hoping that in a few weeks will see some improvement.

Best wishes

Thanks raygar13

Being near the sink in the morning and running the tap is enough to make me feel the need to pee - quickly, and the urges often come when I am thinking how near the nearest toilet is to where I am. I am aware it is in the mind, trying to overcome it and hopefully will be similar to yourself as I head into the 3rd month after the op.

between months 2 and 3 I had to wait to urinate and to my surprise the urge went away after I relaxed for about a minute. impossibe prior to rezum. The body sends a signal to when the bladder is full but also from our past experiences. pschosymatic response. practice holding off urination, you might be surprised. sometimes it is easier to go than to fight it

Thought I would update and hopefully help anyone with the urgency and frequency issue. I reached week thirteen after the 10 shots I had in UK, including a median lobe and in a matter of 2 days the urgency and frequency subsided. Instead of feeling like I could pee anytime and needed to keep an eye out for toilets wherever I went and a pad in place - just in case. Things seems to have improved considerably. On the IPSS scale I have gone from a 20 to an 8 in 2 days. I was concerned that the way it was was going to be forever which would not have been good, but clearly the body needs its time to correct and week 13 it was.

So anyone in my situation hopefully there is good on its way, I was offered a couple of meds: Vesticare or Betmiga but never needed to go get them.

The mind plays a cunning role in all of this and whenever I was near water or saw a toilet sign in the distance urgency would come quickly. This has now abaited and hopefully I have turned the corner.

Good to have had this forum to hear of similar cases and I am sure it helps us all.

Sounds about right, I noticed around week 12 or 13 that I could hold off urination if I wanted to. The urge to go is there when I walk into the bathroom or run water but if I want not to go the urge goes away, like when I was younger. I also noticed about the same time that leaking was improving noticeably. 15 injections, 2 to medium lobe. ipss 22 to 8 around the 12 week mark with 3 points for waking up in the night. 2 hour intervals are still common but have given way to some 3 to 5 hour sleep intervals. Now at about 8 months post rezum I have much better control over leaking, urgency and frequency of urination. Not perfect but so much improved. With an xl prostate 150 wasnt sure one procedure would be sufficient but am comfortable and happy with my results. 62 years old. so in summary, discomfort during the procedure (not really painful) (local only). No pain in the prostate are after procdure, no bleeding, foley 3.5 days. no retro. Success

sounds like week 12-13 was key for both of us. pleased to hear what you say. leaking also gone. IPSS the same now as you, bathroom visits twice a night and hoping to get to one only but more preventative than any urge. looks like both of us going well.

Just to add about the same at 12 weeks: IPSS 29 down to 8, good stream, no RE, no leaking, urgency or leaking, and only 1 overnight pee so no sleep problems. Age 63, 10 shots (4 per lateral lobe and 2 median lobe). At 9 months, my PVR's have finally dropped below 100 ml. Success too!

.

S

congrats steven05114

my experience too 12 weeks is magic number (approx 3 months) when you start to see the peak of healing

I just had this procedure this morning. Ignoring the possible benefits down the road I'm going to say it's the worst thing I've ever been through! I've had many injuries in my life, serious industrial injury and burn at 18 reulting in the loss of use of my left hand and have a high pain tolerance, but this was ridiculous...

I get steroid shots in my back and they give you an arm IV and sedation for the injection into your nerve root. That pain isn't even comparable.

I was told I could choose between the painful rectum shot (which I've read didn't result in being fully numb and pain free) or nitrous oxide for $150 out of pocket. While the gas made tool entry okay, it did NOTHING for all the movement he did in there and the actual injections VERY painful. The way he pulled on penis I thought he was going to tear it off.

It makes ZERO sense you get conscious sedation for a colonoscopy and back injections but not something shoved up your penis and then get burned.

The doctor said it is too quick a procedure for sedation yet my back injections take 5 min. To me, this is inhumane! I would not get this done without equivalent sedation to a colonoscopy! We should all start a revolution about this crap.

I'll update how it goes post catheter. Obviously the catheter sucks. I'm really surprised by the amount of blood. I'm just praying it works and that I can pee come Monday morning when they pull the catheter out. Some of these stories I've read scare me...

Rezum is extremely painful in short burst. Someone in this thread said that they should replace waterboarding with Rezum.

That said, it works well for the vast majority of men where prostate size is causing their problem. As for the Foley, often you can't pee at the first attempt. PLEASE...pay attention here. If you can't pee, have your doc show you how to self cath and get a prescription for catheters. Those Foley's are painful and self cathing is a MUCH BETTER option. You can live totally normally that way and don't have to keep going back and praying that this time you'll be able to pee.

Most men are "good to go" by 10 days, but many take longer. Self cathing is a snap once you get used to it -it will only be for a 1-3 weeks, but those weeks will be way nicer than if you had to drag around a Foley.

i hope i can pee Monday when they pull it out. i can take pain but no way i can self cath. no way

You can self-cath, it actually doesn't hurt. And moreover, it can be very helpful if you aren't able to urinate. There's a couple of threads on here devoted toward self-catherization, which were started by JimJames and I recommend you read them. Then there's also youtube videos which are helpful. The most crucial thing is following an antiseptic technique. When you go to the doctor on Monday that's something they definitely can show and help you with. But come armed with knowledge in advance.

Badboir,

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When they remove the Foley, absolutely make sure that the teach you to self-cath and send you home with a supply of catheters!

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I had my Rezum at the end of November 2018. I had 10 shots (4 per lateral lobe and 2 median lobe). I did not find it that painful, but some men do. I went out to lunch after my Rezum to celebrate finally having the procedure.

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At 2 weeks, my Foley was removed and I could not pee. Many men can't pee at 2 weeks. I had been self-cathing for about 10 months already so I did that until I started to open at 4 weeks. Many men start to open at 4 to 6 weeks.

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The bottom line is any guy having a Rezum should know how to self-cath. Keep us posted on your progress in a month or so.

.

Steve

keep the faith. im close to a year out. there have been some ups and downs but im glad i did it. most days i pee great. i only wake up once a night to pee. i can hold it for hours and then do a great flow. some days are less flow but still nothing compared to before.

best wishes

I had the Rezum procedure done about 6 weeks ago. You gave an Oscar winning description of the procedure!

So far, I am extremely pleased with the results of the procedure. I got it done early enough that my recovery was relatively easy. My quality of life is so much better. At 67 years old, it is wonderful to actually have something within my body start working correctly again.

But there has GOT to be a better way to make the discomfort of this procedure less onerous! Having said that, based on my results so far, I would do this again without hesitation.

I hope your next few days and weeks go well.

thank you. ill check it out. im just hoping i can pee. the studies i read has high incidence of success after 3 days cath. im praying I'm in the 'normal' range

ok, i will but i'll prob faint trying!

i appreciate the encouragement! im just glad I'm recently retired and dont have to go into work

thank you! I'm 58 and have slowly been getting worse since early 40s.

held off IN hopes a less invasive approach came along. looking forward to better days but am NOT happy with the lack of sedation

i had my cath in for 5 days. When it came out i had the self cath once. it was slow the next few days. from most people i talk to its about a 50 percent chance that you will be able to go on your own right away after your cath comes out so dont worry if u cant right away.

Badbolr,

I have not had the Rezum procedure yet, but from what I have read on this web site, most guys cannot pee at all for 2 or 3 weeks after Rezum, because of the swelling from the procedure. Most break even between 4 to 6 weeks, meaning their flow is equal what it was before the procedure, Improvement comes in 6 weeks and after. Some people report continued improvement up to a year afterwards.

If you think you will pee normally after 3 days, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

Thomas

ok, got it!

Doesn't hurt??? I have done CIC a number of times and it hurt every time. The first time was so painful I wasn't able to finish. The last time I tried I had to stop after only an inch of penetration. My tissue linings are very sensitive. We are all different. I would describe my attempts at self cath as some of the most painful experiences of my life. Will never do this again unless it's an absolute emergency. Fortunately, I had a bipolar TURP in April and am able to pee on my own now.

richard levin who did the clinical trials for rezum sends a lot of rezum patients home without foley and teaches self cath. some men never need it. I had 15 injections, foley 3.5 days and although very slowly at first was able to go on my own. after thought would be to have urologist show how to self cath. just in case. Had urinary retention twice prior to rezum very painful. If you dont get an infection, chances are you'll be able to urniate. Overall on the procedure, i didnt find it painful, more uncomfortable, 2 shots to the prostate only. the injections get warm around 7 second out of 9. no pain afterward, no bleeding, finesteride 7 days prior to rezum. got major symptom relief which continue to get better at 9 months. 150 prostate got mass reduction, about 40 percent. ability to control urgency and leaking over 95 percent better. in control again

The steam injection turns to water when reacting to the body temprerature and releases and energy that ablates the cells. of all the methods to reduce bph this is the easiest on the body. initial swelling from the injections varies but isnt as bad as you are saying. Learn to self cath. I was able to go on my own after 3.5 days of foley, went off flomax end of week 2 when stream picked up. most notable improvements 6 weeks to 3 months and improvement continues at 9 months.

I was shocked that after 15 injections I had no pain at all the next day, only the discomfort of the foley

yeah i second that.

yeah i second that. did anyone else ice? ive been using cold therapy since i got home 30 min after the procedure. back of the penis down to above my testicles.

def helped with vasectomy and hernia repair

Raygar,

Did you start finasteride 7 days before Rezum or were you already taking it. Did you continue taking it after the procedure ? How does finasteride control bleeding ?

Thomas

office visit 14 days prior to rezum. was taking flomax only. she (uro) put me on finesteride immediately and only took up to the procedure. she had mentioned to me a patient who had a lot of bleeding during rezum. when i googled finesteride and bleeding there has been a lot of success in the bleeding dept. when finesteride is used prior to the procedure. After 15 injections, a little pink around the catheter day 2 . nothing, no bleeding after that.

i have no idea how you handled 15... unless you had way better sedation than I received

they wanted to give me anti anxiety medication but opted for pain block only, so I could drive myself home. 2 shots. found the procedure uncomfortable and the steam gets a little warm at 7 seconds but not painful 4 out of 10 at the most. the pain block was about the same. Had biopsy with pain block 2 shots and it was about the same. I was the last rezum patient of the day and the rezum rep said there were 2 shots left on the machine at 13 and my uro used them. xl prostate 150 will get the size reduction via mri when I go back to dr. psa was 29.8 reduced to 19.8. possible targeted biopsi down the road. feel good on all ends of the procedure and would recommend. we all have different pain tolerances. most reviews say the procedure is not painful, a degree of discomfort and I would agree

all i know is nitrous alone didnt cut it. it was line having NOTHING!

anyone else use laughing gas only??

That's really strange for the urologist not to use any kind of analgesic besides nitrous oxide.

yeah it was some serious BS and im going to tell him so on Monday

Can you look for another Urologist, experienced in the REZUM procedure?

protocol is for a prostate block, lydocaine to numb the urethra and it is not uncommon for some other medication orally to relax the patient. Agree with David that nitrous alone is strange. in fact this is the first I heard of. How many injections did you endure?

Badbolr:

Did you have your procedure in the US or UK? UK uses nitrous oxide more than here in the US for analgesic.

Raffie.

US. all i can say is do NOT get it done eith just gas...

Okay, update from me... if you been reading REZUM last Friday on median lobe - two injections. Foley Catheter for 3 days.

This morning I awoke to extreme burning and the feeling like I had to urinate constantly. I went in for my appt and they took the Catheter out. I IMMEDIATELY felt relief from all my symptoms. It was amazing! She said to expect spasms from my bladder but none so far.

They said if I didn't pee by noon to come back. They also limited my water intake to 64 oz with no alcohol or caffiene for two days.

They cath came out at 9 and I urinated by 10. HURT LIKE ALL HECK but it came out. Since then I've peed like 6 times. Each one hurts just as much as the first but it comes out fine. I'm sore inside my urethra and the base of my penis so I'm using ice for comfort and to minimize any swelling.

I think they limited my water intake so I don't pee too much and aggravate the urethra. I've only drank 2 of 4 bottles but so far I'm peeing a lot.

Tomorrow morning will be the big test if I wake up and can still pee. I read a few guys say that's when it hit them. And pre-REZUM mornings have always been most difficult for me.

Anyway, compared to a lot of stories here 3 days on Cath is great and I'm praying it all keeps healing fast. I still have some blood coming in my pee and a little out the tip of my penis. But I don't care about anything else except I got that catheter OUT!!!

After the foley came out the doctor put me on a restricted fluid intake schedule. seems to be working because i can urinate. Sort of thirsty a lot of the time. of course you have to watch that you dont get constipated. and then of course there is the blood.

the literature talks about gong back to work and regular activities. i am retired so work isnt a problem. however, i am really tired most of the time. is this common after rezum?

So as I said earlier today at 9am I had the foley taken out after 3 days. All day long I urinated. At first it burned badly. But by 2pm or so I was going without pain. I had to pee every 30-45 min even with regulated fluid intake. I was starting to think I was out of the woods everything felt so good.

At about 8 pm last night I started to feel slight pain and burning in my bladder. By 10 I was having spasms. Didn't know what those would feel like until I felt it. As the hours went by it worsened to a point it felt like a baby kicking in the womb. I felt it from inside my bladder to the tip of my penis. A flutter of vibrations. I went from peeing freely to being unable to get my urine hardly to dribble. I lost my total ability to contract my muscles to pee. Felt like I had a lump I was contracting around.

By midnight it was level 8 constant pain without any relief. Ice, pain pills, hot shower, NOTHING helped. When I tried to lay in bed it got way worse immediately.

So essentially I paced the floor or sat. At 330 this morning going out of my mind I started to rub my perineum because it felt tender too. Guys, this is IMPORTANT if you have these spasms... I started to massage the perineum from anus to bottom of my shaft and quickly the spasms started to subside. It was amazing..

I continued to massage this area for the next couple of hours and eventually all symptoms abated except for the burning in my bladder. I regained control of my ability to urinate and went from not being able to pee to peeing every hour. The spasms stopped completly by 5am.

I searched the internet a bit and found the perineum contains all the nerves and blood supply for the penis and testicles. Also, it is the closest you can get to the prostate from outside the body. So I'm not sure exactly what I did, but it worked! If you get spasms, have difficulty urinating, or any pain in the man region, I highly recommend a perineum self massage. It feels good too. I massaged carefully but vigorously. I hit all areas and moved everything around and dug in where I could.

I hope today I see an end to the burning but at least I'm past a very bad day 4 evening!

I forgot to add, every time I pee the spasms start back up. But i then massage and apply icebag to the perineum and they stop until next time I urinate

I self-discovered this as well. When I'd feel the pain in the tip of my penis, I found the pain was actually coming from the area of the perineum. Rubbing this diminished the pain that feels like it's coming from the penis and alleviates the pain in the area it really is.Expect some back and forth with the healing. Weeks 3 and 4 for me were mostly painful every time I peed, but I had short stints where things got better, and then back to the painful urination. Coming up on 5 weeks now the pain is diminished all the time, but my stream is still weak, but improving. I'm just glad the pain is diminished. Still alot of blood in my urine. Geez, how long can this little organ take to heal?

So I'm now 5 days post procedure and this has been very frustrating. Previous posts I indicated after 3 days of Cath I could pee okay when they took it out and felt EXTEME relief when the Foley came out. Then the night they took the cath out I had horrible pain and burning which subsided after massaging my Perineum.

On day 4 by 5pm I felt ZERO symptoms except some burning when I urinated. Pretty much how I felt during the day they removed the Cath. I thought, OK, I'm over the hump. Then, around 7pm on day 4 I started to feel the spasms and burning coming on. I did the massage again and kept it at bay. I went to bed around 1030 and from then until 630 am today (Wed) I unrinated 13 times. Every time after #3 was agony, By 5 am I was in such pain I could barely walk and was waiting outside when they opened the Urgent Care.

I figured either I have a UTI or recovery from this consists of feeling good then suddenly being in great pain! But I want to know for certain, The doctor in urgent care said a UTI can hurt and then stop, then start again, Anyone else experience this?

They sent my urine out for culture to confirm for sure whether I have a UTI and put me on CIPRO for 7 days unless they change it if something grows in the culture.

Around 10am today all my symptoms resolved themselves. However, by 5pm I felt them coming back. As I write this I am well on my way to another night of severe pain. I can still pee but when these flare-ups occur it is EXTEMELY difficult to pee and it hurts REALLY bad!

Has anyone else experienced these ups and downs? If you are considering Rezum and read this I'd seriously consider what myself and others have been posting here. While my procedure may end up highly successful I was totally unprepared for the last 5 days based on what I read in advance and what my doctor told me.

I'd prepare for a MINIMUM of two weeks off work. No chance I could have gone back on Monday like the videos say. I couldn't go back this week. All I've been able to do is lay around trying to heal....

Badbolr sorry that you're having such a difficult time.

Please continue the updates every few days if you are able to let us know how things are going.

We are definitely victims of some seriously misleading "recovery time" advertisements by Boston Scientific. 2 weeks and 5 days post-procedure. I have a Foley in right now, and am hugely disappointed in the dramatic mis-leading by B.S (owners of Rezum).

I'm sorry to hear you still have the Foley. My body hated that thing!

I'm going to have say from a recovery perspective that is definitely true! From a does it work perspective I'm getting results. Today was my first day out since surgery 7 days ago. I got my Foley out on the 3rd day after surgery and could pee straight away. My days have felt normal but my nights have been MURDEROUS! I get spasms starting around 6pm and they go until 4-5 am. I cannot lay flat to sleep at all. If I do the cramps worsen by a magnitude.

But when I went out today I saw the new Terminator movie. I urinated before I left home 30 min before the show. Movie was 128 min. I didn't have to get up once or sit there with an uncomfortable feeling having to pee. It's been 15 years at least since that has happened. I always get up at least twice. If I couldn't get empty good before 3-4 times. The other improvement is I feel like my bladder empties good. I pee like 15 seconds instead of 4-5 min of trying.

In the daytime my stream is much improved, with a little pain to start. At night my stream is weak like pre-surgery and the pain to start and finish is like an 8. Burns like crazy all the way through the tip of my penis. I have been in agony every night post surgery for 7 nights.

So there's been good and bad with hope of a final outcome of good, but I REALLY wish the doctor told me to expect serious discomfort.

Hang in there

I did start a second round of Antibiotics while waiting results of a urine culture I got Thurs morning at Urgent Care. This would all make a LOT more since to me if it comes back with an infection...

I should add I do NOT have a large prostate and my 2 injections were limited to a median lobe in the neck of my bladder. It may explain my more serious complications to my bladder while others who got injections into the prostate may experience worse urethra issues. That may also explain why I only had a Foley for 3 days and could pee compared to others with larger prostates who wore the cath 2 weeks or more... my guesses anyway

wait... you are only 7 days out from the procedure? Thats amazing. I thought I was going to be like you, pre-procedure... I am 18 days out and honestly wish I never had this done, right now. my results better be worth it...

Badbolr,

Are you saying you only got two injections, total, for your rezum , both in the median lobe and none in the prostate ? If your having speedy recovery that is probably the reason. Two is the least number I have heard of, most guys are getting at least 4 and up to 15.

It will be interesting if it works though, because it will show that the median lobe can be a main cause of urinary problems.

Thomas

yes 7 days. but they've been rough but granted not as rough as some

I just read you had only 2 injections into your median lobe... I had 6 total. I think our differences in recovery can be attributed to that... Most of the guys here are in pretty bad shape after 7 days, the majority are in Foley Caths or doing it at home to pee. I have not read anyone's testimonial here stating they are OK to pee at 7 days.

yes, just two and i agree, far less than most. if i got one in the urethra it was through to the prostate but inside the urethra to kill what had grown in

and NO DOUBT median lobe causes major urinary issues without the urethra being restricted or enlarged prostate.

i saw my pictures from the cysto. its like a toilet ball valve that wont let urine out.

Unlike a toilet however there's no flush handle so you cant get urine out of the bladder

was NOT through to the prostate...

yep, I agree. number and location

According to Richard Levin urologist who did rezum clinical trials. A good percentage of patients go home without foley and self catherize and many never need to. The procedure is the easiest on the prostate as the energy released when steam turns to water kills the cells, not burning. Still there is trauma to the the area and there is some swelling. I had 15 injections for 150 prostate, foley 3.5 days and although slow was able to go on my own. after 14 days the stream picked up a little and I went off flomax. Key seams to be to be able to self catherize after initial catherization as a trip to the emergency room is painful. Gradual improvement out to 9 months, rezum jan. 31 2019

you should start seeing a little increased volume if there is no infection. really solid results were noticed month 2 to 3 with gradual improvement after that. some men get results a little faster but the majority follow this time line. I bet when all is said and done you will be happy with your decision. my ipss went from 22 to 8 Leaking gone, urgency under control. stream is average. piece of mind is over the top. good luck

That is the exception and not the rule. The clinical trials had most men unable to pee for 3-10 days on average. I haven't heard of anyone who went home and could pee right after.

google richard levin, if the urethra is partially blocked an injection to the area with any swelling at all would make urnination difficult. A lot of urologist believe the prostate and urethra would heal quicker without foley. urologist err on the side of caution. I urinated very slowly after foley, i can see how some have difficulty for a couple of weeks after rezum. love your posts and information

could your urethra swell up again and prevent you from peeing after 6 weeks?

Rob,

.

In the period after I started to open up (4 weeks) and I was continuing to open and doing a combination of peeing on my own and self-cathing, I had 2 swelling episodes where the softer catheter that I normally use could not make it past my prostate and I had to use a stiffer catheter. So yes, swelling can happen later on.

.

The bottom line is that if you are concerned about not being able to pee post-Rezum, then learn how to self-cath. All guys who have a Rezum should know how to self-cath.

.

Steve

Yes - but something would have to trigger it - like a UTI.

that is correct after the initial swelling the ablated cells are dead and the body absorbs them in the recovery period. At 9 months i am experiencing a UTI (water and antibiodics to help) but i am finding it difficult to urinate. flow is way down. urethra is sensitive. An ultra sensitive urethra is a clue you have uti. track infections are common early on and are the main reason men open up and then close.

Steve, Oldbuzzard and Raygart

Thanks for your replies.

Rob

So I'm 12 days out now. I 'think' I'm passed the extreme bladder contractions with the exception being when I try to lay flat to sleep. I’ve finished another dose of antibiotics since my day 5 urgent care visit.

Aside from laying flat, during the day, my stream is weak but it is constant and without a sonogram to see how much I’m holding, I feel empty. Towards evening urination burns somewhat but during the day it’s fairly pain free. I still see some blood from time to time - always after laying. And, it only takes 30 seconds or less to finish instead of all the waiting, stop and go, milking, etc. I routinely make it 2-3 hours between times I have to pee and when I get that feeling it’s not Urgent, just I feel I need to pee. I’ve made it through two 2 hour movies at the theatre without having to urinate or have the urge to so that is great!

I read to wait two weeks to ejaculate however on day 11 (yesterday) I did so. While it felt ok (not totally normal but ok) it was 100% blood that I could see. Afterward I felt okay but as the day went on I got pretty sore in my urethra and perineum. But today that was gone. I hope this means I don’t and won’t have retrograde ejaculation.

I was finally able to lay flat to sleep on days 10-11 for about 3 hours. After that, once I have to urinate it burns pretty bad, i get minor cramps, and I end up sitting in a recliner to finish the night’s sleep. The exception to my 2-3 hour duration between urinations is once I lay flat and wake to pee, I go a few times within 30 min of each other and each is pretty painful and burning. By late morning however I am good until the next cycle.

So I’d have to say after getting by the first week, especially days 1-6 I’m feeling better and better.

Thank You

the urethra will be sensitive out to 30 to 60 days this goes away. I have noticed that if I feel pain or extra sensitivity is a sign of infections. Saw the urologist today. 9 months post rezum. my mri came back and the conclusions were clinically significant cancer is highly unlikely. my prostate was 150 feels like 40 percent got removed with the 15 injections, yet the 1.5 mri said prostate was 165. crazy. any feedback on mri and prostate size? My bottom line results are I am way better in a lot of areas and I dont leak at all and can control urination. I am a little slow to start urination but dont have to strain at all. flow is average but consistent and with the other improvements, i am satisfied and would do rezum again. next up is a cystoscopy in janury to check out the runway. a lot of results say some men show improvement at 2 weeks but most emphasize a full 3 months yet improvement for me was out to 8 months. keep posting

Wow you are doing great. 12 days out would have been a dream for me.

I am 24 days out from my Rezum

Today I had my foley removed after a week, my self-cathing created a "false passage" and I couldn't get the cath into my bladder at home. Urologist put the foley back in, and it came out today... I have had a fairly decent stream, but Its not back to where it was pre-procedure yet. I am concerned about this evening, which is when I have historically had a problem peeing... I wont be able to cath at home, so it will be a trip to the ER, if I have issues tonight. Fingers crossed. I don't want a foley again. It was torture.

Typically I see fresh blood as I start to pee. Sometimes some clots or tissue seems to come out. I ejaculated today, not much came out, but some blood dribbled out... It might be because I am still swelled up, but it might be retro. I hope not.

Im coming up on 1 month post-rezum next week. This has not been what I bargained for. Im extremely upset with Boston Scientific for their misleading ads. I probably would have opted for Green Light if I had known my recovery was going to be so difficult.

that sounds rough... i hope you can go tonight! evenings have been hardest on me as well.

if you had a good stream pre-procedure what did you have Rezum to fix? i had it because my stream was horrible and i couldnt empty through my median lobe. and i had to get up 4-5 times every night

Raygar,

Was your prostate size measured before and after by MRI. What formula was used to calculate the volume ? The formula for an ellipsoid should be used,

V=4/3πabc. If you use the formula for a cube it will calculate the volume too high. You can also find ellipsoid volume calculators on line, so you just plug in the three axis.

Thomas

Recovery from Greenlight varies a lot too - just like Rezum. Some are pretty much fine in a few days, others still using diapers after a month.

Getting up frequently at night isn't always because of retention caused by the prostate. After years of BPH issues a form of chronic insomnia can develop and once this habit is established it's hard to break. I had a bipolar TURP in April and my urologist says I am "wide open", yet I continue to get up 5-6x per night. Very little comes out, but I am still waking up frequently. Over time the issue is improving slightly, and once in a while I can last for 3 hours asleep, but this is rare. It can take the bladder many months or more to "calm down" as well. One never knows how BPH issues will resolved (or not) after any procedure, as we are all very different. This field is not very good at predicting the outcome of anything we do surgically. For every procedure described here there are some who have excellent results and others who have no relief, and some even get worse. There is a high level of uncertainty involving anything about the prostate and bladder, unfortunately.

the problem is the companies and surgeons make it sound way easier

I had it done because I was waking up 2-3x to pee at night. The Uro said it was now or later, and I decided that I wanted it now so that I didn't have to struggle any longer. My daytime stream was good, but my urgency sucked during the day.

Good Evening Kevin and the Rest

I was not going to say anything but over the last 3 weeks all I have heard how much trouble all of you have had with the Rezum procedure heal process. I do hope it is worth it and you all don't have to have another procedure.

It seam like it worked for a few in a short time. But other have problem. We are all different. Some seam to have more problem then before they had the procedure.

I'm very happen that I did not go for that and had the Urolift. I was good to go in 2 week and it is 5 years and counting.

I wish you all good luck.........Ken

urolift wasnt an option for median lobe. my dr said it was but it just didnt make common sense to me. you pull something out in the middle amd the top sags in. its basic physics. if you already have an obstruction in the neck of your bladder it'll just make it worse.

i did my own research (this is when Urolift was new) and the mfg even said it wasnt a solution for a median lobe. subsequent studies showed lack of efficacy for this diagnosis.

so i waited on the next great thing, then had to wait for bluecross to cover it.

i guess we'll see...

I suspect the issue with laying flat is that more blood flows up into your abdomen and torso that would normally be in your legs. More volume, more pressure, including in prostate and urethra. My urologist once explained to me why it's harder to pee first thing in the morning (other than just having a boner) and it had something to do with the bladder shifting when you lay flat. So there could be several things causing what you're experiencing. Good luck with continued recovery.

Badbolr

Sorry that it was not a option for you. But I had my Urolift when it was only out 6 month's I was my doctors 20th patients. It has worked great.

When you were doing your research did you look into the new procedure that Urolift came up with. It is called the Midlift. It is for the median lobe. There are more then 30 doctor that are train in this procedure and they have had very good results. It has been out 1.5 years. I have over 30 doctors that do them in the US. Men have ask me to get there names from the company.

If I ever get a median lobe I would rather have it pull to one side then made smaller that it may grow again and cause the same problem. But to each his own.

All the best...Ken

yeah that makes sense. it's definitely anatomical

no never heard of that one... but Rezum actually killing the lobe tissue 'should' work. it just comes at a rough price to get there 😕

Hope you were able to go on your own tonight. I did a lot of research prior to rezum. I gave the least amount of weight to Rezum or now Boston scientific. The rezum procedure is clinically tested and is a sound procedure for men with BPH. That being said, there is a lot of thinking that having a foley for a long period of time inhibits healing. more infections which means more inflamed tissue and difficulty urinating on your own. In comparison, I had 15 injections, foley 3.5 days, torture. was put on finesteride prior to rezum. Had no blood at all, no pain post rezum. antibiodics 3 days before and 7 after. no infection and was able to go on my own, slowly at first, after foley. I refer a lot and put a lot of my decision to richard levin. he did the first clinical trial for rezum and now does rezum 95 percent of the time for bph. teaches self cath. Healing is better without a catheter period. Hang in there steve, although you have had it rough, the clots and blood will clear out. you are not experiencing swelling and blockage from the procedure, more likely infection, stay on antibiodics till you clear out the clotting.

At biopsy prior to rezum, prostate was thought to be 120. after my first mri also prior to rezum it came back 150. after 15 injections thinking would have been a 30 percent at least reduction in prostate size. a month ago mri showed 165 when reality is prior to rezum i could feel the xlarge prostate, immediately after the procedure i couldnt feel it at all when sitting at the computer. to me it feels like the mass was reduced a minimum of 40 to 50 percent. 30 percent is the nominal value associated with prostate size reduction as is 6 to 8 injections. psa was reduced 30 percent and since cancer was ruled out, mass of the prostate is in direct correlation with 29.8 psa which was reduced to 19.8. it is a mystery, my prostate is possessed

sounds familiar. I am 3 times up at night to urinate what seems like very little. not enough to wake me. 9 months after rezum, i too have had some 3, 4 and 5 hour intervals but should have more. I used to get up every 2 hours to the minute prior to rezum.

Yes it should but being that the median lobe is in the middle of the ejaculatory ducts they can get damage. And for some men it can grow back.

Good luck.......Ken

success last night. i did get up 3 times but was able yo go each time with comparitive ease... some burning and blood, but i slept reasonably well (except waking to go) better than with the foley attached to me.

will try to ejaculate later to see what if anything comes out...

that's great! I'd hold off on the latter another week if you can. it REALLY irritated my urinary system after orgasm more swelling, harder to urinate, and more burning. i didnt think it was worth it to slow my progress

Glad to hear you are able to go on your own. if you are urinating a little blood the last thing you need is to traumatize the area by ejaculating. be paitient let things heal a little. the catheter in my opinion promotes a breeding ground for infection, urine and blood pass outside the catheter, keep up the antibiodics there is some burning as urine hits a sensitive urethra, you dont need an infection to set you back.

ok so im peeing much better. im still waking in the middle of the night with what feels like a full bladder... 3 times/night.

concerns: blood. when i start peeing, whole blood comes out before the stream of urine. like a good tablespoon and then it is followed by clear urine... im 3 weeks and 5 days out: 26 days.

burning. assuming this is blood related in my stream... but holy hell it burns for a few minutes after im done going...

anyone ahead of me in recovery have any input on timeline for these things?

thanks.

Kevin,

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I had some blood for the 1st 4 weeks of my Rezum. There is a lot of blood in BPH surgeries. You will see blood 1st before pee, because it settles to the bottom of your bladder so it is the 1st to exit. It is probably more pee than blood as a little bit of blood can really darken you pee.

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I know a guy who had a GLEP and he had blood for over a month despite how laser cauterizes.

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I never had burning which is most likely due to sensitivity in the urethra. If you feel like you bladder is full 3 times per night then 1) self-cath to completely empty before going to sleep. 2) don't drink 2 to 3 hours before going to sleep. All guys who have a Rezum should know how to self-cath.

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Steve

Thanks Steve,

I can no longer self-cath because I developed a "false passage" from the catheters, which prevented me from advancing a cath into my bladder. It was getting hung up in a hole created by the cath, in my prostate. Lovely, eh?

It will be 4 weeks on Monday. Unless I have a miracle happen tomorrow, I anticipate having blood well into this upcoming week... Id love to stop bleeding by Thanksgiving as my wife and I will be in Miami... That would put me 6 weeks out from the Rezum.

Kevin,

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I hear you on the problem from the false false passage. Did your urologist teach you to self-cath before your Rezum and did you try it before your Rezum? Learning to self-cath after a Rezum is probably not a good idea because of the swelling.

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Because I was totally blocked, I was self-cathing for almost 10 months before my Rezum. After my Rezum, I had 2 episodes of swelling where I needed to use a stiffer catheter. I can see how a stiffer catheter can lead to a false passage.

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Steve

Steve, he taught me after Rezum, about 10 days post-procedure as I was begging to get out of the Foley Cath.

I had Rezum in September, in London UK; the consultant gave it to his researcher to do it, said he'd done it 50 times so would be ok. Went home same day, two days later got terrible shaking and sweats, had to rush by ambulance to A&E; it was severe sepsis, took antibiotics for a week and was in hospital that long; then went home, 5 days later, could not pee for the profuse bleeding, they had to suck it out with syringes and put me on irrigation for 5 days, when it stopped bleeding. This was hell, my SBP went from 130 down to a dangerous 60, I was in Resus. Anyway, been out for 7 weeks now and still cannot pee properly, and keep getting recurrent UTI's, for which I am on round of Co-Amoxiclav incessantly; GP hasn't a clue what's going on, Consultant won't see me any time soon (NHS), not ideal. I also have to go to the loo 3-4 times a night, when I wasn't at all before, and am back on Finasteride and Alfuzosin, so no change there! The Post-op support has been shockingly dire, non-existant, in hindsight, I was better off without Rezum, which is marketed hard to poor saps like me; they promise a rosy future with little complication or negative effect, and yet here I am, almost 3 months on and still unable to work or do very much at all; and I am in my mid-50's. I would say think twice before taking on Rezum, it really is new and needs much more testing and refinement, the pain I have been through has been immense, and am still struggling. Don't believe the medical BS they pump out on Rezum on the internet, like YouTube and websites. Rezum is NOT low-risk. Be aware and decide carefully - and do not let the main surgeon pass it onto his eager trainee; it needs an experienced hand, and a good post-op care team that genuinely cares about you.

Worran,

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I am sorry to hear that your Rezum did not go well for you.

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I had absolutely no problems with mine and my recovery followed the standard progression. After 10 months of AUR and self-cathing, I can pee again so I am much better off. I carefully chose the urologist who did my Rezum. They had been a urologist for over 20 years and had been doing Rezums for over 2 years. My post-Rezum support was excellent.

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I always tell guy to carefully chose who does your Rezum. I do not know enough about NHS in the UK to know if this is possible with government-run health care. I would absolutely never have let the "researcher" to it. This is a major red flag for me. You may have made a bad choice in your urologist. It also sounds like you are very susceptible to UTI's.

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Good luck to you,

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Steve

Worran,

When your Urologist said " he'd done it 50 times so would be ok" did he mean himself or his assistant ? It sounds like he meant himself so that does not help with his assistant at all.

Did they start you on antibiotics before, or at the time of the procedure ? I think with a major procedure like Rezum they start the antibiotics before or at the time of the surgery, and don't wait until an infection appears, because it is almost certain you will have an infection.

Is there any legal recourse you can take in the UK ?

Thomas

rezum jan 31. prostate 150. 15 injections. was put on antibiodics 3 days prior to procedure, finesteride 14 days prior, was already on flomax. foley 3.5 days. No pain although the procedure is uncomfortable. no bleeding at all, flow improved from very slow to ok around 14 days. went off flomax. standard recovery with no complications after. ipss 22 to 8. leaking and urgency totally fixed, still up 3 times a night. didnt see urologist for 3 months after except to remove foley. Think they should see you around 2 weeks minimum, I understand the body heals itself and the process is slow. results are better than I expected and would certainly do again. of all the procedures out there, this is scientifically sound and effective. also no retro. psa 29.8 down to 19.8.

Thanks Steven, glad it went well for you; I guess I got the short straw.

The Urologist is well-respected and being doing Rezum for 4 years, his plucky 'Researcher', as he was titled, was around 6 months; I've learned my lesson here. Hopefully, things will improve and the UTI's fade away. Cheers.

Yes they did give me Cipropfloxacin Thomas, however this was not strong enough to combat the two types of bacteria that had gotten into my prostate; Co-Amoxiclav was the right drug - a fact I learnt when in A&E a week later with sepsis! Not my fault. Not sure what legal recourse I have here in the UK, will look into it, been through too much pain to not seek some redress, which'll sharpen them up too, so others are properly handled. Thanks.

Thanks raygart, was your prostate 150mg in size, do you say? Then that is quite impressive that they did Rezum, what is it now, do you know?

2.5 months in and I keep getting UTI's and prostate still feels very sore. Theyve agreed to see me soon, maybe this week, so let's see what they find .. not holding my breath on them knowing even then .. this is all somewhat of a try-it-and-see approach, it seems to me. Cheers.

all results on prostate size indicate the prostate should have been reduced 30 percent. mri last month showed 165. 1.5 T with an abdomen coil. Personally it feels like 40 percent at least in reduction. New trials for prostate 80 to 150 are being done now. Key urologist involved in trials had done a 151 prostate and the patient was doing fine. 12 shots recommended. I was at 12 or 13 when the rezum rep said there was only 2 injections left on the machine and my urologist used them. Just coming off of a bladder or Uti. when urine passes the affected area is sore and as the infection passes out of the urethra it too gets sore or inflamed. When there is no uti I feel normal, no pain or sensitivity. The urethra is sensitive after rezum for a month or two. this can be confused with a uti. Better to take antibiodics to be sure. after 15 shots i had absolutely no pain in the prostate and urethra the following day. I was shocked to say the least. My guess is that the initial swelling from rezum should calm down in the 7 to 14 day period. any lingering problems are probably more related to uti.

when people here are saying they have a UTI; is that being confirmed via a urine culture or best guess of a doctor?

The only positive method to confirm bacteria, and which one, so they know which AB to use, is through a urine culture which takes 2 days to grow.

my pain and burning has been so severe at times in the past 18 days since surgery I'd bet money i have an infection. Days have gone between these events where i felt, "great, i must be over the hump", only to have a setback.

I'm on my third such evolution the past two days. the previous two times i went for a urine culture and both were negative; even though both times the doctor "suspected" i had a UTI given my symptoms. Again, so did I.

so my point is the course of healing with Rezum can REALLY mimic UTI so if you dont want to just be taking AB for no reason you need to request your urine be sent out for culture.

There are a couple of things that can cause burning when urine passes. Anything that irritates or causes the prostate to inflame or swell can cause the burning sensation. prostatitus, some foods, uti. the initial swelling from rezum which caused my urethra to be sensitive out to 2 months. this eased with time. my psa post rezum was 19.8 at the 6 month mark retested, actually they sent 2 psa samples from the same blood draw. urologist and primary care. results 24 and 31....go figure. antibiodics for 1 week and retest. 21.8 psa. this last time felt almost closed off near the bladder, felt the pain when starting urination. this moved down as the infection was healing (antibiodics). when im cured there is no pain or sensitivity during urination. so no bacteria not always present. cloudy urine and the sensitivity in the urethra are signs that something is irritating the prostate.

So I'm 24 days out now. I think I am past all the burning and spasming relapses. Night time urination is still a bit more difficult than daytime. I've been tracking my urination schedule closely that past 15 days. On average I've been urinating every 2 hours which is like 14 times per day. However, the past three days drinking the same 1/2 gal per day I'm down to about 7-8 times per day.

Around dusk it seems I have to go more frequently. Every hour or so. Then once I go to sleep I go 2-3 times an hour apart. After that I sleep for the night. The longest I have gone is 7.5 hours. I've had many 3 hour gaps during the daytime.

I'd say 90% of the time my stream is 50 times better than pre surgery. I can empty in about 20 seconds. Maybe have a couple more squirts after that if I push a little. But I feel totally empty. No dribbling. No urgency. The other 10% is a mixed bag. Sometimes I don't feel like I can't get it all out and go again in 15-20 min. Mostly this is in the morning. Sometimes it feels like the old days where it doesn't want to come out. Sometimes it hits sudden and I have to go right away. Again, these issues have been few.

I don't know what causes the 10% issues but overall I'd say the improvement is EXCELLENT!

One thing is odd for me however. In the morning after not peeing 4-7 hours I can feel like I have to go, but it's not like that totally full bladder feeling you get when you have to go bad. I think I'm having that, but the feeling itself is muted. All I can say is it feels different than my whole life - even before I had any urination issues.

Possibly my bladder is still healing so my sensation isn't yet 100% normal.

In any event I am praying my progress continues and in a couple months things are even better. It is just great to be able to go in the bathroom and walk out in less than a minute! The 5 minute (or more) trips are a thing of the past!!!!

** What is a cpap machine ?**

Thank you george22591,

This is the post I was looking for.

It has been four weeks since I have had the Rezum procedure done. I am still experiencing EXTREME PAIN while urinating, along with a few drops of blood. Both a strong frequency and urgency to urinate.

I was starting to get concerned about the side effects lasting so long after the procedure - side effects are not properly explained in the brochure lol.

I get it now, we all heal differently and the side effects are a normal reaction from the procedure.

Thanks for the advice, i just started taking Myrbetriq medication. Hopefully that will stop the urgency to urinate five minutes after I just urinated.

peace, tom

Hi Tom -

Glad I was able to help! Best of luck with your recovery.

George

i have BPH and a 220ml size P. Is any of these procedures good for such a large P?

I see this post is 5 weeks ago which means you in month 3 of your recovery. things got better for me between months 2 and 3. noticeable improvement. and continued thru month 8 and 9. I agree with the 10 percent which are different. mornings are better than evenings. looking back i know that I am way better than prior to rezum. Leaking and urgency are under complete control and flow is good. Keep sending updates on your progress

at biopsy ultrasound measured prostate at 120. mri said more like 150. Had rezum last january 31. ipss symptom relief 22 to 8. 15 injections 2 to medium lobe. no retro. no pain after. no bleeding. Major relief in mass reduction of the prostate almost immediately. Clinical trials for rezum 80 to 150 are underway currently and my guess is the results will mirror the 30 to 80 group. with good results. If you reduce the cells substantially on the inner part of the prostate that puts pressure on the urethra you will see noticeable improvement. Because my prostate was xl I always knew that a second procedure might be necessary. my results from the 1st procedure are very good to excellent and a second procedure isnt necessary for a couple of years or more best of luck to you