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

I had the Rezum treatment done in early Nov, 2019 at the age of 68. Luckily I didn't need the Foley after 6 days. My urologist insisted that I sit in a tub with hot water for a half-hour, twice a day for a week after the Foley removal, as well as taking an Advil tablet twice a day up until recently. He stated that those actions would help reduce the bladder inflammation. You might want to discuss that with your doctor if he/she hasn't had you do that.

The first day after I removed the Foley, I had difficulty urinating. I filled the tub with hot water, hopped in, relaxed and peed there. Don't know if that relaxed the valves, but I haven't had an issue since. I've also been taking Tamsulosin twice a day, now taking only one a day, and I may be off all meds when I see my doc next week.

After reading all the comments on this forum about self-cathing, I discussed it with my doc, but he said no way would he recommend it; so the Foley it was.For me the Foley was the most uncomfortable thing about the entire Rezum procedure.

Good luck and I wish you a speedy recovery.

I had almost the exact same experience as you after radiation for prostate cancer in 2014. I had 5 Foleys in and out until I could pee on my own but it took six weeks for the prostate swelling to go down. Also, similar experience with self cath. One trip to ER and drained off 1300cc. I was in horrible pain on the way to the hospital. You are very close to being OK. Hang in there.

Tom

Depending on the number of injections, 15 for me, foley for 3 or 4 days makes sense. thinking by my urologist is it can be difficult to get a catheter in, depending on swelling. A trip to the ER is extremely uncomfortable. I went off flomax at 14 days on my own, when I noticed flow improve. Got really good improvement in symptom relief months 2 to 3, but continued to improve at 9 months. now almost 1 year since rezum, my ipss is around 8 down from 22. Leaking is a thing of the past and I am able to hold off urination. I am way better in a lot of ways. still up 3 times a night but I like the results and would do again. good luck to you

wow, the initial swelling doesnt last a month, clots and infection are more likely scenarios. An infection in the bladder would close you up, hope this time is good for you. I was able to urinate after foley 3.5 days although very slow. went off flomax at 14 days when I noticed flow picking up. 15 injections. have you been on antibiodics??? with foley in it is difficult for the urethra to heal completely, UTI's are unpredictable but can cause the most damage to our daily routine. let us know how you do this time after the foley is removed. this situation is temporary and you should see improvement very soon. I had good improvement between 2 and 3 monts and it continued out to 9 months. Now 1 year after rezum, I am much better

see my posts about perineum massage. that DEFINITELY helped me with the spasms.

also i took 2-3 baths a day and felt it helped as well. in addition i used a moist heat hydrocollator pad all day on and off

First - although what you're experiencing isn't common, its not unheard of. You probably have one of two issues - maybe both.

1. UTI. You should be checked for that - if you have one, you won't get better without an antibiotic. But once it takes effect, the result will be dramatic if you have a UTI.
2. Bladder issues. Rezum can cause you to freeze up. See if you uro will send you to PT - some place that is really good with these issues. There are biofeedback sensors that can train you to loosen up and if the muscles are in spasm, massage (you can't do it yourself) can help a lot. Also, a course of Myrbetriq (used typically for overactive bladder) might help alot.

I would also see if you were instructed properly on self cathing. It shouldn't hurt and if your pain was a 10, something was wrong.

If you're locked up and no one addresses it, you could spend a lot of time with a Foley even though your opening is good. Warm baths might help, so might oral steroids.

I I think it's ridiculous that a doctor would say no to a self-cathing but yes to a foley. That's just so stupid. having a folly is so much more uncomfortable and damaging because it's so large and painful when it take it out. whereas cathing is just and painful when it take it out. whereas cathing is just a small thin flexible tube. plus it removes the chance of having to go to the ER to evacuate your bladder.

Motto,

Taking out a Foley is easy and not painful. Just go in a shower with warm water, cut the small drain tube, and then gently slide out the catheter. Easy. My self cath experiences have been very difficult and painful. Will never do again unless in an absolute emergency.

Tom

Thank you to all who gave advice to my initial post and my apologies as I did not see the emails notifying me of the replies until just today. I am happy to report that Foley #5 came out 12 days ago and I have been good since then. The first few days after, I had some blood and still do but it has lessened to only once a day or so, and I had trouble making it to the bathroom without leaking a bit at first but that has gotten better in about the past 3 days. I did go to see a urologist that is closer to where I live, for follow up, and was very encouraged by his review of my charts and advice he gave as well as the fact that he said if I have any further issues to call and he will get me in immediately. I know that I will need to give it another 30-60 days before I may begin to see benefits but just having this "normalcy" back for almost 2 weeks now has been great! Thanks again for the advice and words of encouragement!

great update, I am now at the 1 year mark. ipss 22 to 7. still up every 2 hours at night. but very much improved . rezum results are gradual but saw continued imrovement out to 9 months. prostate was 131 on ultrasound, down from 150. feels like the mass of the prostate was reduced 50 percent. with an outer and inner prostate zone for a prostate to get to 150 and solid, my guess is the inner zone (15 injections) lost a lot of mass but the structure of the prostate stayed pretty much intact. the cells on the outside of the urethra were ablated, freeing me up but prostate is still 131. psa was down 29.8 to 19.8 after rezum. 33 percent. any thoughts on prostate size and sleeping appreciated

Hey Ray

Wow it's a year already. That went by fast. Glad you are doing well. Let me see if I can answer some of your questions this is just my take on it.

With you getting up every 2 hours I think it is just habit. If I remember you had the same problem before you had the procedure and if you were doing it for awhile your going to do it after. It take time to change.

A lot of men have the same problem after any procedure.

You said that your prostate is 131 gr down from 150 gr You are down 19 gr. The Rezum is not made to shrink the whole prostate. The Rezum injection are made to shrink the central zone of the prostate to take the pressure off the urethra. This is where the injection are given

So if you are able to pee it did it's job.

Your PSA is good down 10 points that's good. You still have a large prostate so your PSA is going to be higher then someone that has a smaller size.

I'm glad it worked well for you and I will update my list .

Keep up the good work.....Ken

Day 1, Rezum with 11 injections on 12/18/19, 135 miles from residence. Day 3, visit to ER for stopped catheter, 800+ mL in bladder, backwashed after clot self-passed. Day 9, removed catheter at home. Day 11 reinserted Foley at ER after unsuccessful effort to self-cath, 800+ mL in bladder. Day 22, second Foley removed at clinic. Void test showed 100 mL expelled after 200 mL gravity fed. Averaged about 110 mL/ hour for next 30 hours. Day 23 third Foley reinserted after unsuccessful attempt with self-cath. About 500+mL in bladder before Foley inserted. Day 43, traveling to clinic for removal of third Foley tomorrow.

Wow, you are really having a time of it, I'm sorry to hear it. My issue with the cathetar was resolved at day 30 and I've been good since. Hang in there, this won't last forever and you will have normalcy again.

Best of luck tomorrow, let is know how it goes.

15 injections, foley 3.5 days. with a high number of injections your prostate was large to xlarge. After foley was removed urination was slow but I was able to go on my own. day 14 flow picked up and went off flomax. the cells that were ablated are no longer active. any swelling in an area that made urination difficult possible block you off. most of my results were achieved between months 2 and 3 but the body keeps absorbing the dead cells out to 9 months. was clotting the problem in not being able to self cath, and you should have been able to urinate on your own after 2 weeks. problem with foley for so long is healing of the urethra is lessened considerably. point is swelling should havent been the problem, infection could be one reason, clotting the other. the injections dont heal as well with foley in. hope you do well when foley is removed. healing is slow but it happens

Attemps at self-cath did not reach urine flow. Withdrawn cath showed about six inches clots and blood. The second attempt was also followed with blood spurts and dribbles. The second self-cath went in further with about three inches remaining uninserted. My third Foley required two attempts. A coude tip on second Foley attempt was successful.

Archie,

Sounds like a tough experience. Your prostate was/is obviously swollen so trying to push the catheter past the prostate was not easy. The coude tip is larger and stiffer and designed to push past obstructions. My first attempt at self cath was with a coude tip and was too painful to complete the job. You might be able to complete a self cath with a non coude tip catheter but the diameter would have to be larger - at least 16fr. Hope all of your issues calm down.

Tom

Saw urologist yesterday who performed Rezum on 12/18/19. My 11 injections were 3 in each side lobe and 5 in median lobe that was growing into the bladder. I am cautiously optimistic that I will make it without further Foleys. I am 36 hours without last Foley.

i think you're good!!

archie,

i dont post here much but i had a similar awful experience after this procedure, and Im a fairly young guy.

10 months later and im not all that impressed. The guys that post here often will tell you that my procedure was "botched", but Im not so sure. I do know that after 3 foleys and 3 ER visits i had some bleeding that needed to be cauterized, and that caused some lasting issues.

if your median lobe was zapped that many times you may have a prolonged recovery. mine was also growing into the bladder, and he zapped it about as many times. what I wasnt told, and what the Rezum folks dont talk about much, is that when the median lobe is treated like that, it can often fall off, much like a dead tree branch.

I passed what was left of it, but much like a tree, unless pruned properly, it can cause problems, in my case, lots of bleeding.

if the foley is still in, i would consider leaving it for a while. if i had to do it over again, Im not sure i would. But, if I could change one thing, I would have left the Foley in (from the beginning) for 3 weeks to allow things to properly heal.

my 2 cents, worth what you paid for it. I do wish you well.

Archie,

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Are you sure that you had 5 injections in the median lobe? That sounds kind of extreme.

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Most guys on this forum are reporting 2 and occasionally 3 injections in the median lobe. My Rezum in November 2018 had 10 injections - 4 per lateral lobe and 2 median lobe. My median lobe was also pushing up under my bladder.

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The recovery from my Rezum followed the standard schedule without any complications.

.

Steve

about the procedure, steam is injected into areas of the prostate that are putting pressure on the urethra. the steam turns to water when it hits the body temperature and releases an energy that instantly kills the cells in the inner zone of the prostate. there is some initial swelling from the trauma. the injection hole is cauterized after the injection is removed. the reason healing takes 2 to 6 months is that the body absorbs the dead cells and you get relief or improvement as it does. of all the procedures, rezum is the least trauma to the prostate. Initial swelling which causes blockage of the urethra lasts about 1 week so the need for foley anymore than 3 to 5 days is about all that is needed. complications of course are blood clots and infection. My urologist put me on finesteride 2 weeks prior to rezum. she had a patient and there was a lot of bleeding. The finesteride helps with bleeding/clotting. I had 15 injections, 2 to the medium lobe. foley 3.5 days. Felt instant relief day 2 or 3 from the mass of the prostate which felt 50 percent smaller. No bleeding, no pain at all. Urination was slow after foley til about the 14 day when flow picked up and I went off flomax. Doc wanted me on it for 2 months but I did this on my own. At 1 year after rezum, I am much improved from before the procedure. ipss 22 to 8. My take, procedure was uncomfortable but not painful 4 out of 10. I had 2 shots to the prostate prior to the procedure for a 150 prostate. psa is down 29.8 to 19.8. prostate is 131. much of the prostate reduction is in the inner zone and ultasound shows a much bigger prostate but a lot of the mass is gone. felt like a small lemon in that area, hard and firm and now it feels much smaller than the ultrasound shows. anyone considering this or any other procedure should think about finesteride prior to to help with bleeding. I read and researched this procedure extensively and talked my urologist into it. Results for 80 to 150 prostates are ongoing but I got a lot of impovement. my urologist wasnt the most experienced at rezum but she hit the areas causing me problems and I healed well

Initial swelling from rezum lasts a week or 2. since the cells are killed instantly when steam turns to water releasing an energy that kills the cells. the cells are not fried but killed by the energy released which is the least trauma to the area. Point is foley is an average of 3 to 5 days for rezum. Hopefully you can urinate on your own after removal. complications are clotting/infection. Either one can block urination. My urologist put me on finesteride which helps with bleeding 2 weeks prior to rezum. 15 injections, 2 to the medium lobe. Foley 3.5 days. Urination was slow at first but picked up a little at 14 days. No bleeding or pain post rezum. Talk with your urologist about the finesteride prior to rezum and antiobidics after. I had 2 prostate block shots for the procedure which I found uncomfortable but not painful. 4 out of 10. at 1 year I am much better in all areas, ipss 22 to 8, leaking cured and ability to hold off urnination is very good. In control again.....good luck to all

Ray,

On my computer your post to jeff03573 came out without line returns, so it runs off the page, only the first line can be read. To remedy this the reader can scroll and highlight over the line and words Report and Rep at the end, and copy it, then paste it into Notepad or Word. The rest of the text can then be seen. I will re-paste it from Notepad below.

Thomas

about the procedure, steam is injected into areas of the prostate that are putting pressure on the urethra. the steam turns to water when it hits the body temperature and releases an energy that instantly kills the cells in the inner zone of the prostate. there is some initial swelling from the trauma. the injection hole is cauterized after the injection is removed. the reason healing takes 2 to 6 months is that the body absorbs the dead cells and you get relief or improvement as it does. of all the procedures, rezum is the least trauma to the prostate. Initial swelling which causes blockage of the urethra lasts about 1 week so the need for foley anymore than 3 to 5 days is about all that is needed. complications of course are blood clots and infection. My urologist put me on finesteride 2 weeks prior to rezum. she had a patient and there was a lot of bleeding. The finesteride helps with bleeding/clotting. I had 15 injections, 2 to the medium lobe. foley 3.5 days. Felt instant relief day 2 or 3 from the mass of the prostate which felt 50 percent smaller. No bleeding, no pain at all. Urination was slow after foley til about the 14 day when flow picked up and I went off flomax. Doc wa

nted me on it for 2 months but I did this on my own. At 1 year after rezum, I am much improved from before the procedure. ipss 22 to 8. My take, procedure was uncomfortable but not painful 4 out of 10. I had 2 shots to the prostate prior to the procedure for a 150 prostate. psa is down 29.8 to 19.8. prostate is 131. much of the prostate reduction is in the inner zone and ultasound shows a much bigger prostate but a lot of the mass is gone. felt like a small lemon in that area, hard and firm and now it feels much smaller than the ultrasound shows. anyone considering this or any other procedure should think about finesteride prior to to help with bleeding. I read and researched this procedure extensively and talked my urologist into it. Results for 80 to 150 prostates are ongoing but I got a lot of impovement. my urologist wasnt the most experienced at rezum but she hit the areas causing me problems and I healed well

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