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

I read up on it and it soumds like just another way of coring out the prostate.  I sent them a e-mail and ask if it causes retro orgasm   Ken

Hi Neal;  I have already had a "PAE"  and a "UROLIFT" with NO sucess.  I continue to look at other alternatives until I get some relief from "getting up 3 to 4 times nightly" to pee. Iam  way beyond frustrated.  I try very hard to control my lifestyle by limiting my caffeine and also not drinking hardly anything past 5pm. But as you guys know the kidneys keep manufacturing urine 24 hours per day. They are not like a water tap where you can just turn it off for the night.  I have an appmt with my urologist on March  7th and Iam going to see about getting a "RE-DO" on the Urolift.  He now does the Urolift procedure even though he is not the guy who did mine.  He just started recently doing them.  I had mine done in June of 2015 in Joliet, Illinois.  I was "Really Hoping" to find some guys that have had the "REZUM" procedure because just like you guys I wanted to ask about retro grade ejaculation and impotence and all those other nasty side effects.  Hope we can find some guys who have tried this procedure.

That's great, and, at this point it might be exactly the right thing for you. That said, there are a lot of folks on here who hear TURP from their urologist, and run out and do it without exploring the alternatives as you have. And the urologists dress up the TURP with a new name, and people think it's something different when it's really not. For someone like you to make an informed decision is great. I'm just trying to help inform others so they don't get run into an uninformed decision with possible side effects they weren't told about, and don't know about.

Neal

Chuck.  I am a little confused.  What is the connection between getting up many times in the night and operations to open up the urethra (Urolift, PAE and indeed TURP or green laser or ...)?  I have had a Urolift because my stream was so poor.   

Getting up all the time surely is due to a small bladder and/or drinking too much and/or needing to go before bladder is full.  In my case I have the problems of a small bladder (<300cc) and having to go when my bladder is only half full - but no amount of urolift surely will solve that problem.

cheers

mike and="" having="" to="" go="" when="" my="" bladder="" is="" only="" half="" full="" -="" but="" no="" amount="" of="" urolift="" surely="" will="" solve="" that="" problem.="" cheers="">

cheers

mike>

did they answer your question about retro orgasm, please? thanks steve

I did get a e-mail from one of the doctors and they said that there were no issue with retro is good but I guess we wil see.  Good luck  Ken

I had procedure done a little over three weeks ago I'm doing ok but had a large bleed with me semen yesterday but no other bleeding the procedure is quick but it was almost unendurable because of the pain

It is really painful - they should consider twilighting patients before doing it. If you look back far enough on this thread, you'll find someone who said that they should consider replacing waterboarding with Rezum.

That should go away in time.  It happens when you deal with any procedure is done to the prostate  Take care  Ken

It was first time I had sex with my wife since procedure 23 days I had no bleeding small amt with catheter but none until yesterday when ejaculatated mostly blood

HI Chuck- I read about a guy in Sydney that had the Urolift done... The first time it was good for a bit, but then he went into full retention. He obviously had to go to emergency for a catheter. He later returned to the doctor that performed the initial surgery. The doctor explained that the pressure from the implants caused the prostate to 'balloon' and squeeze his urethra in the wrong way. The doctor [who is one of the originators/creators of the procedure] performed surtgery again, and implanted more 'pins' and he was fine after that... good luck to you... 

Just had the Rezum procedure Wednesday, wore the catheter until this (Friday) morning, and was able to pee by 11:30 this same morning. Re getting up pee several times nightly, years ago I was getting up at least five times a night but it was not due to prostate: I did a sleep study and they put me on a cpap machine, after which I was immediately able to sleep through the night! There is a brain mechanism that makes you have an urgency to pee when you are not getting enough oxygen during sleep, forcing you to get up (which makes you breathe).

Hey Buddy.  Glad to hear that your doing better.  Yes some time it habbit and you have to get out of it.  How many 9 second shot did your doctor do.  What did he tell you about retro.  A few men on hear had it done but refused to have them shot anything on the left side of the prostate.  To many cases of retro.  They found out that the steam destroys the duct on the left side.  I hope all goes well but don't rush into anything  Ken

He did four 9 second shots, 3 of which had me panting, the forth was not so bad. I asked about the ejaculatory duct and he said it was 'way south' of where he would be working. I watched the screen as he was doing some of the procedure and it was amazing to see the inside of my bladder and urethra. I was able to pee a second time, again with very little blood. I'm being careful not to strain anything so that I can heal as fast as possible, and so far things are great. 

I want to say again that several guys have remarked that they have to get up frequently at night to pee, but from experience I believe it to be a sleep apnea issue rather than bph.

Lets hope my friend that it all works out for you.  My doctor is just starting to do them but he has told me that eam does get to the ejaulatory duct there is that chance.  That is why a few of the men told there doctor that they only would et side.  They were told that they would not get the full benifit of the procedure.  They took the chance and it has work out great for bothe of them  Do just the one side open them up enough to have a good out put.  There has many many men oven a monthor two that were told that there  was a 5% chance of retro but out of the 10 that had it 9 got retro and ther were not happen.  I wish you d do take it easy  Ken

Thanks Ken, I think the doc is supposed to insert the needle into the prostate tissue so that the steam is localized, but I can see how steam could escape and travel down the urethra to the duct. I don't know enough to say whether this is likely, and it may depend on the skill of the doc. He said I could resume normal activities but I will wait awhile to let the area heal and the swelling to go down. 

Lets hope all goes well for you.  My doctor told me that there is no way to a void the duct.  Because they put 2 shot of steam on both side 1 on the top and one on the bottom.  The steam will spread and destroy the opening of the duct because it is in the prostate .  The body is a great and wonderis place.  Just rest and let everything heal  Take is easy.  If you can don't sit to much lay if you catotake the pressure of the prostate  Ken 

Its hard to know who to believe, because here we have two doctors saying two opposite things. That's not very encouraging, but since the deed is done I will trust in God and hope for the best. I suppose it will take at least a week or so for the selling to go down and the wounds to heal. At least I'm able to go without a catheter, though it is not comfortable.

I have mentioned this before elsewhere, a friend of mine in Australia had Green Light which is more invasive, he thought he had retro but it came back eventually - he thinks by masturbating frequently it helped bring it back - I find that hard to believe maybe it just healed in time anyway.

As far as retro goes, my Urologist explained that the issue of retro is not just the ejaculatory ducts. If the prostate size is decreased a lot, what can happen is that when you have an orgasm the sphincter of the bladder does not shut tight, there is still a gap so when the sperm shoots out of the ducts it flows back into the bladder since that is the easiest path. Maybe in view of that what my friend said has some merit, by frequent masturbation he got the sphincter to shut tighter and tighter - like excercising a muscle. Be careful don't go blind trying .. lol

You probably have a good chance it will come back, just have patience and let it heal first of course.

Thanks for your post - I've not read on Green Light.

I think Rezum does not dramatically reduce the size of the prostate, but only in the specific areas where it was too tight. The urethra below the duct should be as open as before the procedure, and if the path above the duct is now normal then things should eventually work out (I hope). Also I suppose every case varies, so that time will tell how well I recover.

Good evening Mike.  It is very hard to believe that he had a GL and did not end up with retro.  That is a given when they cut away at the prostate.  The only thing I can thing of is the urologist that did the surgery stayed away for the ejaculatory duct and the sphincter. He had a very good and caring doctor.  If you ever have looked at the videos of a GL they go and and start cutting away starting at the bladder neck.  I am very happy for him.  I know we are getting older and not looking to have any kids but why should we have to give up anything.  Take care and good hearth  Ken. 

Well I hope all goes well for you.  If you look at the video and see where the steam goes there is always that chance of destroy something because it is killing the tissue of the prostate and the injaculatory duct is tissue.  My doctor is very up front and he give me information and being he just started doing the Rezum procedure.  I try to give him information that I get for the men on here.  I told him about the 2 men that had it done when the doctor only did the right side and they both had good results.  They had it done that way because they were afaid of retro and did not want to take the chance. One guy was 57 and the other was 51.  If you read up on it it tell you about 5% chance but with the men having it done on here and alot had retro I think it's about 15 to 20 %.  God speed my friend Try not to rush.  Let your body heal some  Ken      

Ken I agree if you look at videos of green light - but if you google this subject I found a study which concluded that PVP has a very low incidence of Retro whereas TURP and Holep have very high chance of Retro.

Like I wrote before, my Urologist told me it doesn't matter what procedure, if the prostate size is reduced the Bladder duct will not close properly when you have an orgasm - maybe he is more aggressive in his approach so he blows away more tissue or even the ejaculatory ducts - he basically says to count on retro on any prostate surgery. Could be he says that for legal reasons who knows?

Could be the surgeon in Australia was particularly skilled at avoiding ejac ducts and maintaining the structure of the prostate. hard to know so many variables...

Mike you recently had FLA, correct? If I recall you had a catheter for quite a while. How are you doing? 

Yes I that's true ( Most doctors underplay it and tell you very little )  I guess it all depands on how good and caring your doctor it.  THey have also had good results with the plasma button turp.  It takes longer an the doctor will avoid the duct and the bladder neck.  They go in and just get rid of the tissue that they need to get ride of.  If you look at the voideos of Turp Helop and GL  They are horrifying.  No wonder the man are in so much pain.  Have a great sunday  Ken 

Hi unckle

Thanks for asking, yes.

About 9 weeks, post procedure. My situation has improved but still relying on Flomax and still doing self cath 3 times a day. Maybe I could skip the self cath but I'm hoping to get tone back to bladder. It also feels really good after I self cath physically and knowing I am empty and protecting my kidneys which took a lot of abuse.

I'm able to go more than 2 hours during the day with little or no urgency. Last night I only got up once to pee. natural void volumes increasing especially at night. Other nights I usually get up 3 times, once I slept 6 straight hours which felt great.

I can't say yet this was a remarkable success in that I am still relying on meds, but all in all I'm happy I did it, no retro apart from that caused by Flomax.

Michael

Yeh my Urologist stopped doing Green Light and moved to what he said was less bloody and messy surgery - I forget now what it's called but it's some kind of laser I think. I noticed on his web site, interestingly one of his colleagues started to do Rezum - I think the first in Colorado to do it and they are claiming great results. I'm lucky I have such a great team of Urologists that are open to new methods, and my Urologist supported me trying FLA and said he was there for me if I need him.

There are a lot of wierd theories and statistics regarding retro - including some docs who apparently are unaware of the laws of physics. Actually statistics on retro are that TURP and Holep cause it almost of the time - but there are people who have had both and ended up OK. But anyone getting either of those should expect it. Greenlight is about 50/50 according to the stats. The published number is 39%, but my doc said he thinks its more like 50/50. Rezum's clinical trial showed RE at 4%, but anecdotally it seems to be a bit higher - maybe 10% or so. PAE and FLA seem to be close to 0 on RE.

As for prostate size causing it - when men are young and have small prostates, they can squirt away, so size is probably not the issue. If it was, then Rezum and PAE wouldn't have such a low incidence of it, as they work by reducing prostate size.

Yes thank you my friend.  Men have to be aware of all the % before they pick a procedure.  I think it all depands on how good the doctor is and how carefull he does the procedure  Have a good sunday  Ken

I'm sure that's some of it - but a lot of it is just the procuder itself, the methodology and result of that methodology. In the best hands, TURP and Holep almost always cause RE, PAE almost never, Rezum, usually doesn't, ect.

Yes that ture. But we have to watch the doctor because they will do one procedure and if it does not work its another and so on.  Because in reality they do not know if it's going to work until they do it.  Same thing when they down play sex or the orgasm.  They spend a few minutes on it and tell you all will be the same.  But that is want they learn.  In principle that is true all men have a orgasm but no one man has the same orgasm as the other.  That what make us special We are all diffient..  God bless  Ken

oldbuzzard I asked Dr Karamanian why my Urologist's statement did not follow for FLA - he thinks it's because FLA mantains more of the structure of the Prostate as opposed to the more invasive procedures. I didn't ask him about young men with small prostates, my guess is that everything is tight and elastic when you're young. After many years parts might stretch, a huge prostate suddenly is smaller and leaves a gap. maybe the way they cut it just makes it impossible for the duct to shut properly.

 Really hard to get any info or solid facts on this rezum procedure. A lot of post on this form are very scary, makes me very confused. As I may get ithis procedure in March. Wish I could see more positive post .Dave G.

Hmm...but how does he control the green hairs on the palm. Would hate to have to go through electrolysis yet again...

I had rezum done about a year and one half ago I feel better I had a serious infection one year ago from the procedure almost everything is better although impotence remains a problem

Abstract  So sorry that you had a problem.  There have been to many problems with this procedure.  A friend of my urologist had it done and he ended up having a turp done to fix all the damage that was done.  My Doctor said that the procedure fry's the tissue not much can be down with it after.  I know this is a personal subject but are you going to look into fixing the impotence problem or are you just going to leave it alone.  Good luck with what ever you do  Ken     

Ken, 

Are there ejaculatory ducts on both side of the prostate, so the idea is that if you do one side you may destroy the duct on that side but you still have the working duct on the other side ?  If one side gets destroyed would you have reduced volume ?

Tom

They steamed me 9 times . Im no better now than before i had it. If anything its worse i pee about 17 to 23 times a day. It SUCKS.

Thats over a 24hr time

Tom  As far as I know the the ejaculatory duct are in the center and you only have one canal on the left side.  If you look at the body the canal is on the left side.  That is were the seminal vessels contact to.  I have heard good new if the doctor only does no more they 4 injections.  2 at the top of the prostate and 2 at the bottom.  If you have every watch the Doctors show  The on doctor had it done a few years ago he was only given 2 injection.  It worked fine and no retro.  The problem with the procedure is that they do not tell you how many they are going to do.  To many doctors and doing a over kill with 10 to 12 injections and they are causing so much damage that I know of 5 men that had to have a TURP done to fix the problem.  They all ready know the size of the prostate before you have it done and they should tell you how many they are going to do.  And if you do not agree with that many you should be able to say no.  If the prostate does get smaller you will not have the same volume as before  Ken

Sin  Did they tell you before how many they were going to do.  Ken

they did 9 places on my prostate. Normally they do 6, but my prostate was so big they did 9.

I feel sorry for you  They should not do more then 4  2 on the top and 2 on the bottom and leave the center.  That steam does to much damage.  Did your doctor tell you that the steam fry's the inside of the prostate.  That is how it work and within 3 to 6 month's your body is suppose to get rid of that tissue  I hope things get better for you  Ken

As of right now I'm peeing 20 some times a day and night. It sucks. I hope it starts to stop. Do u know how long it should take me before I see any results? I'm constantly having muscle spasms. And my Dr won't give me any more meds for the muscle spasms. Thanks for listening.

Sinford,

        If I were you, I would try ibuprofen.  They usually don't want you to take ibuprofen immediately after a procedure because it is a blood thinner. But at this point, you need some relief. 

Ken

How long ago did you have it done? What you need right now is an overactive bladder med - temporarily. This kind of reaction isn't typical, but its not totally uncommon. The best med for you right now is Myrbetriq - it will quiet the spasms. If you're in the states and your doc won't prescribe it, go to a minute clinic at one of the drug store chains. its not a toxic or addictive drug and there shouldn't be an hesitance in prescribing it. You should also be tested and make sure you don't have a UTI. Urgency can be one of the symptoms, so can pain/burning.

Usually, by week 6 or so, the urgency is either gone or at least manageable. but it takes longer for bigger prostates. How big was yours and when did you have the procedure done?

Its always worse before it gets better. Give it til 6 or 7 weeks

guys, I'm 3 was out from Rezum and still have blood tinged semen. normal? thanks

Chuck,

Responding to your post from 2 years ago:

Since you have had both PAE and Urolift, how would you describe the post-op recovery and side effects? I had a PAE and post-op was fairly easy - no bleeding, some pain during urination for a few days, then rapid improvement. Unfortunately, my PAE didn't help much, so now considering Urolift.

You say you are frustrated because you are getting up 3-4 times nightly. I'd be happy with that since I am getting up every hour and a half - and in the past couple of days every hour. I haven't had a good night's sleep in years. I am "sort of" used to it, and after I get up am able to get back to sleep quickly most of the time.

My uro says there is nothing wrong with my bladder. My PVR is 170ml, so I am not able to completely empty my bladder.

What did you decide to do since your post?

My best,

Tom

Impotence? Was it caused possibly from the resum procedure?

i can't see rezum causing impotence.

resume resume is very painful mine was terrible

It did for me. I have to use generic viagra.

Dear John, the day I had Resume done it was very PAINFUL SJRGERY. And alot of problems to follow to happen.. when I talked to my Dr I just found out 3 weeks ago the real truthtruth. He's performed like 6 resume surgery. And 2 of them including me didn't work out. Me being the worst.

I had the Rezum 4 weeks ago. If I had to do it over I wouldn't even consider it without twilighting as a minimum. The Dr.'s idea was that it would be over quickly. The pain was almost as unbearable as the pain I had on the way to the emergence room when two days after the catheter was removed my my urine totally stopped.

Drtom

So sorry you had to go through that. So do they have a catheter in now and how long.

Try to rest...........Ken

i agree! my pain was 9/10! horrible

It's so odd that we get these varying perceptions of pain from different guys.

I'm really not sure why several guys here have kept pumping the Rezum... my Urologist is a very good one and he refuses to do that procedure... He says the Urolift is better, the Green Light is better (though he doesn;t do that one either), the HoLep is better and even the good old TURP is better... much more control on the latter 3 as to amount of tissue removed/destroyed. The Rezum seems to almost always take 4-6 MONTHS to work... IF it works at all? Does that sound like a good procedure???

Very sorry it didn't work out for you... maybe you can still have a UroLift or TURP... depending on your tolerance for retro-ejac.

Personally, I am looking at a probable Bladder Neck procedure... but will continue with CIC for awhile...

We all have different pain thresholds. The Rezum procedure was really not that painful for me. I had 10 injections and the whole procedure lasted only a few minutes. An hour before, I took 1 Valium and 1 Percocet as instructed by the doctor. Afterwards, I went out to lunch with my driver.

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I have felt much worse pain in my life, like when I dislocated by shoulder backcountry skiing and it was not put back in until 3 hours later. I am now 5 1/2 weeks post-Rezum and in the last 1 1/2 weeks, I have really started to open up, but still have 200+ ml PVR which is probably due to bladder damage.

.

Steve

I'm really not sure why several guys here have kept pumping the Rezum... my Urologist is a very good one and he refuses to do that procedure... He says the Urolift is better, the Green Light is better (though he doesn;t do that one either), the HoLep is better and even the good old TURP is better

Your urologist may be an excellent one, and he's certainly entitled to his opinions. We don't know why he 'refuses' to do Rezum, but I got the opposite opinion from my Rezum urologist. He said that he was one of the first trained in Urolift and now refuses to do that procedure. I think that we all have to keep in mind that there have been thousands of Rezum procedures, and the number of guys reporting problems on this website are just a tiny fraction of the total number of procedures.. Are all those other guys having the same problems? I sure hope not. If that was the case, any competent urologist would stop doing the procedure after hearing about issues with his patients.

That being said, no one can argue that there have certainly been bad experiences with the Rezum procedure, just as there have been bad experiences with Urolift, Greenlight, PAE, TURP, etc.

As far as the statement that it takes 4 months or more to work, that does seem to happen to some of the guys who are reporting on this site. But there are also some whose relief from BPH symptoms have happened much sooner.

I think that the worst thing that the NxThera company has done is to advertise the procedure as capable of being one on an outpatient basis. That is where the complaints about excessive pain is coming from. For those of us who have had the procedure done under general twilight anesthesia, it's a painfree procedure.

I am in no way a salesman for the Rezum procedure; I just think it's important for men who are searching for the best solution for their BPH symptoms to be able to read a balanced view of the options.

Steve I'm glad to hear that you're getting better. It sounds like you might even have improvement over the bladder muscle.

My overactive bladder seems to be improving a lot.

I'm starting to see a connection with the overactive bladder symptoms and the amount of PFAS chemicals that were in the Ann Arbor water supply. When the levels of PFAS were high, like in November, my symptoms were worse. Now the levels of this chemical have been lowered because of efforts by state's Department of Environmental Quality to identify the source of the contamination into the Huron River, along with efforts by the municipal water service to use different filter media to reduce the PFAS chemical. Consequently, my symptoms have vastly gone down. I'm even back to drinking coffee in the am.

" I just think it's important for men who are searching for the best solution for their BPH symptoms to be able to read a balanced view of the options."

I agree... but aren't you making somewhat negative comments about anyone who questions the Rezum procedure at all? Is not "Balanced", telling the guys that my Urologist, a good one trained under Dr. Funk, a VERY highly regarded urologist nationwide... doesn't like the Rezum... are you for some reason offended by this info?

"We don't know why he 'refuses' to do Rezum"... As I said before, it is because other procedures have much more control as to amount of tissue removed/destroyed than doing it with live steam. Also considered is the time for improvement/recovery and the pain factor... If you disagree, fine, but balance requires hearing other opinions, don't you think?

Why does your urologist refuse to do the Urolift? Is he qualified to do the complex HoLep procedure?

BTW: You are confused about what you call "general twilight anesthesia". No such thing. General anesthesia is far different than twilight anesthesia... you should maybe do some research on them both before making such a comment, agree? Perhaps others here are confused about the difference too.

Balanced view of the options...

Very well said Ken !

It is up to each man after their research and that's the value of this forum to learn from individual experiences of successes and failures.

To that extend; I used this forum and decided for Rezum based on my priorities which I had this morning at 7:30am CST and now it is 8:30 pm as I write this.

I am 63 yrs old, suffering from BPH for about 5 years and had ~81 cc prostate with median lobe. After MRI and cystoscopy , 11-12 shots was planned. ( have been informed before the procedure and I know what some people think on the number of shots on this forum).

The procedure was done under sedation, I felt nothing and It took about 5-6 hours to get used to Foley after the procedure where at the beginning I had the sensation of needing to void but couldn't. After a couple of Tylenols no problem and no sensation.

Foley was installed by my choice (although I can do CIC ) as i have some engagements coming up which gave having Foley an advantage.

There is good amount of blood in the bag and bleeding was explained before the procedure with reference to time from darker to lighter which is logical depending on the number of shots etc.

I don't know what is going to happen but based on my research among all procedures, alignment of my expectations to my priorities will decide if Rezum has been successful in my case and I will report on it in time.

Just to second, "Very well said Ken !", and it appears to me that you were not making any negative comments about anyone who questions Rezum.

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The bottom line is that Rezum is a minimally invasive procedure compared to TURP, GLEP and HoLEP and that is why men are choosing it. In the case of Rezum the urethra is only punctured by the injection needles and the prostate capsule is left intact. The steam kills the prostate tissue from the inside and the the body removes it over time.

.

While TURP, GLEP and HoLEP, they all have more control, they also all has more morbidity and complications. In these 3 procedures, you need to slice through the urethra (TU stands for Transurethral) in order to get at and then remove prostate tissue. In the case of GLEP and HoLEP, a laser is used. If you want more blood and RE, choose one of these.

.

The family-member-MD who guided my towards Rezum said it this way: "Rezum is a game changer because all of the 65 plus year old men who are not having surgery for their BPH because of the known morbidity and complications of TURP, will try the less invasive Rezum first and see if it works." That certainly was my strategy.

.

Time will tell if Rezum will work for me. After 5 1/2 weeks, I am definitely opening up and peeing more and I do not have RE.

.

Steve

Mark,

Best of luck to you. Thanks for the timely post. Please follow up and let us know when you can void on your own without the Foley. My biggest concern with Rezum is the length of time it takes before the catheter can be removed - days, weeks, or? I had prostate swelling after radiation for prostate cancer and I had to have six Foleys in and out for 5 weeks before I could urinate on my own. I hope, in your case, you will be OK in just a few days.

One question: what was your PVR before the procedure? Hopefully you will be able to clear your bladder and get your life back.

My best,

Tom

Tom,

I don't mean to bother everybody with daily comments but to answer comments and questions.

They originally scheduled the the pee test this Friday Jan 11th. but I requested to have it done on Jan 16th. due to travel planned a while back with a group of couples to see a play + play in Chicago.

I had a great night of sleep (almost 11 hrs , woke up once to move and check+empty the bag and all together voiding with about 2 lt. of urine for the night) and frankly if every night will be the same ,walk in the park with Foley and Rezum; Let's see...

The color of the second liter was in between pino to rose from Cabernet during the day !

My past PVR amounts have been 50-100 , mostly not looked upon as critical.

I will continue with Advil to keep swelling in check now and after foley removal for a while in case of irritation during removal.

I am grateful for the guidance I have received from this forum and some of the guys and I'll report after the next milestone - Jan 16 and @lifeafterfoley

Br.

My biggest concern with Rezum is the length of time it takes before the catheter can be removed - days, weeks, or?

tom86211,

The "official" recommended Rezum procedure is to send the patient home with a Foley installed for 2 weeks. Because the prostate cells swell after the steam treatment and if the patient cannot void, a trip to the ER would be necessary. As reported by posters here, some Urologist do not follow the official Rezum procedures and instead do their own thing.

I am 75 y/o and everything takes longer now. After two weeks, I could only void a small amount, 93ml I think. PVR was 900ml. So I went home with a Foley for 4 weeks. When it was removed my stream was strong and still is but the PVR is still 900ml. My bladder has held 2000ml several times so it is still a big PVR problem.

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.

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

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

Best wishes to all,

Allen (Al)

Mark,

Thanks for the update. I'm in my 4th week and finally didn't have to cath last night. My volumes are getting back to normal, 250-300ml. All in all, the two weeks after Foley removal were the worst for me. YMMV. Tim

The ER trips have been miserable. Apparently not only do people have different thresholds of pain, the we experience pain differently in different parts of our body. The second catheter has been out for 6 days and things are working now. It had to be removed because it was blocked by blood clots. The Dr. suggested we try leaving it out. It hurts pretty bad as the stream starts, but then feels OK. My biggest concern since removal was two days ago when a large, 2" by 1/2", clot blocked my urine flow for several seconds, then busted loose and I peed normal. Every time I pee there is a small amount of fresh blood and from time to time a small chunk of tissue. Dr. says it will continue to get better. I sure hope so.

Blessings,

Drtom

You will get that with any procedure. I remember when I had my Urolift I had long clogs coming out of the penis Had a catheter for 3 days. Very little after the catheter came out.

Just relax and heal. That is all you can do now......Ken

Drtom,

Did you have Rezum done in December also? Why so many trips to the ER?

Tim

Mark,

Your previous PVR at 50-100 is good. Mine is around 200, so my bladder fills up frequently at night and wakes me up.

Want you to know that you can remove your own Foley easily. The uro nurse can give you a small syringe to drain the liquid out of the little bulb that keeps it in place in your bladder. Then, the Foley just slips out. It's best to do this in a warm shower with the water stream hitting your lower abdomen. You will hardly feel anything. Very easy. Then, if you have trouble urinating, you can self cath in an emergency, until you can get back to the urologist and have another Foley put in. The easiest to use catheters are hydrophilic - very slippery and comfortable. 14fr is smaller and easier than 16fr.

Because the Foley wiggles around in your bladder, it can cause a little blood to appear in the bag. I kept the Foley carefully taped to my leg, the insertion point at the tip of the penis constantly lubricated with Neosporin and the penis padded in my underwear to minimize any movement. Made a huge difference in comfort. You may be doing this already, but wanted to pass this on anyway. Back to the Neosporin - not only does it keep the drain tube slippery it kills any bacteria that might be present at the tip of your penis.

Tom

Al,

Thank you for this very important information. So, if your PVR is still 900ml, then is the Rezum working? My PVR is 200 and when my bladder fills to 350 it wakes me up, so I am constantly going to the bathroom. Can't imagine 900ml. Perhaps you could self cath to drain the bladder down to 0. Sounds like your bladder is stretched out a lot.

Wishing you an empty bladder and good sleep!!

Tom

Ken,

I had a PAE a year and a half ago. Results were less than I was hoping for (about a 20% improvement in urine flow) and I was able to stop taking Flomax for about a year, but now symptoms are back, so I am looking at alternate procedures. PAE hasn't been mentioned much in this discussion, but it's a LOT easier than anything I am reading about here. The prostate isn't touched, so no pain at all. There was a minor amount of discomfort and I believe swelling for a week or two after, so I just took 2 Flomax capsules and Tylenol for that period of time, then all was well. No blood, minor burning sensation for two weeks during urination, really, very easy compared with Rezum or Urolift or TURP or anything else that physically heats or cuts the actual prostate tissue. The more I read here the more I think I would happily go in for a second PAE. Studies show it can be almost as effective as a TURP unless there is a median lobe involved, and that appears to be my situation. The IR who did my PAE called me for my six months followup and said I have, what he called, a "lollipop" pattern - I assume that means a stick (the urethra) then at the top the lollipop, and I assume that means the blocking median lobe. He said his team could fix this. No post op blood, no Foley catheter, no restrictions on physical activity - I'm really thinking about this....

Tom

drtom,

I had to rush to the ER after total blockage after radiation for prostate cancer. I was in excruciating pain, worse than kidney stones. They drained 1200ml into a bag, and all pain went away. I later learned to self cath, and did that several times to avoid another ER trip. Now, I keep some hydrophilic 14fr catheters on hand just "in case" I get blocked. I absolutely don't want to do the ER routine again. Haven't had to self cath for a few years.

Tom

Thank you Tom,

I read and have seen on the web how to remove the Foley and I agree with you , looks simple enough. However I think i will see it first just in case so I blame myself less if something goes wrong. 😃

Currently I am using Speedycath Fr 16 and will ask for hydrophilic 14s.

So far I am ok but will start using Neosporin before it starts becoming a problem.

Thank you again for the tips.

So, if your PVR is still 900ml, then is the Rezum working?

.

Tom,

.

Yes, Rezum is still working great, I have a strong stream when I void.

.

My PVR is 200 and when my bladder fills to 350 it wakes me up, so I am constantly going to the bathroom.

.

Tom,

.

Your bladder function and mine are exactly the same, mine is just much bigger.

.

When my bladder fills up, it wakes me up and I drain off about 150-160ml and then I have 700-900ml PVR. My drain off is very quick since the prostate blockage was gone after Rezum so I can get back to sleep quickly. If I don't drink a lot in the evening, I usually have to get up 1-2 times/night.

.

Currently, I have a Foley installed due to a UTI IV treatment and the Uro wants to be sure I am in a constant urine drain state. 1L leg bag in the day, 2Lnight bag. Love the night bag as I can sleep all night.

.

Best wishes to you!,

.

Allen (Al)

It was done Dec. 11. Things seem to be OK now. I still have a tiny amount of fresh blood as urine flow starts. It still burns. I have not had a large clot discharged in 3 days. Thanks to God it looks like things are on the mend.

December 18, Foley removed by doctor.

December 21 Trip one to emergency because of excruciating pain and no pee at all. The emergency staff had a lot of difficulty in inserting the Foley due to swelling.

December 21 Trip two, late evening return to emergency with infection.

December 31 Trip three,. Terrible pain like first time. Foley blocked by blood clots, opened by irrigation and left in place.

January 2 Trip four. Foley blocked around 2 am.I knew I had at least 7 hours before the terrible pain started, so instead of going to the local emergency room I made the 100 mile trip ( 50 miles driving on ice) to the office of my urologist. He irrigated and opened the Foley and drained my bladder. He then removed the Foley. As an emergency back-up he suggested I learn to do a self-catheter. I tried but it wouldn't go in. The doctor did not want to inflict any more trauma so we gave up.

Once since then my stream was completely blocked for several seconds and I feared another trip to emergency room.Suddenly a big blood clot exploded through and I peed more than I have at one time for several years.I feel so confident that in 2 days we are going to our usual week end home which is 2 hours from any emergency treatment. I hope this story helps someone. All through it I don't know what I would have done different except perhaps have gone to the emergency room sooner.

Thanks for the comment. Things indeed seem to be better each day.

Thanks for the update. You were 3 days before me and your symptoms are similar to mine, except i didnt have any blockage from dead tissue and I was able to self cath. Hopefully it will continue to get better and we can move on with life .

Ken i think my problem is my bladder is getting smaller i take it PAE will not help much?

Hello

If that is the problem maybe a pill would help you. Try Vasicare 10 mg It will relax the prostate and the bladder. I have been on it for a year. I have a tight external sphincter. I can tell the difference when I don't take them.

Take care.Ken

I did a sleep study and they put me on a cpap machine, after which I was immediately able to sleep through the night! There is a brain mechanism that makes you have an urgency to pee when you are not getting enough oxygen during sleep, forcing you to get up (which makes you breathe).

Very interesting. I have never heard of this before. Will do some research. I am having a severe issue with getting up multiple times per night and each time I am able to dribble out a little pee, then back to bed, then back up. My brain won't let me sleep until the little tickle in my bladder calms down.

In my case, I was getting up a lot because I was retaining a lot and the blockage wasn't letting me fully drain. So when my bladder was topped off, I would get the urge to pee.

Now, post Rezum, I am peeing better and draining more. My PVR is around 150-200 but just lately I've started getting awakened at night having to go every hour or two. This is where I started. Anyway, I'm just under 2 months post Rezum so I'm hoping that will improve as well.

Hi Motto,

.

At 2 months post Rezum, my PVR's were a little over 100 ml, then they started to go up to about 140 ml. If your PVR's are at 150-200 ml, then you are probably looking at bladder damage which may or may not recover over time.

.

If you are getting up at night, then completely empty your bladder before you go to bed by self-cathing.

.

I have been doing bladder exercises for about 20 minutes, 2 times a day which consist of about doing about 200 suprapubic taps over my bladder while bearing down a little forcing my bladder to work at lower volumes. I do 3 or 4 repetitions of this.

.

My thoughts are that if some people do Kegel exercises to help hold it in, I can do these bladder exercises to help let it out.

.

Steve

Neal with all due respect, each person is different. Many people had Pae or urolifts without success. I don't know what your expertise is but to generalize like you suggest maybe not be the best idea because some people will benefit from TURP much more than PAE or Urolift. PAE could be a shotgun approach and may not work for small prostate.

just just recently I have been sleeping through the night. getting up only once to pee. That's a pretty great improvement. and now when I cath which I'd only do about once a day my volume is around 150. I'm only cathing right before I go to bed.

so so I'm reasonably happy with my results so far.

guest, would be interested to know if things have improved over time? I am 10 weeks after Rezum and peeing like you.

Motto,

.

I forget, how far out are you from your Rezum? I am thinking of that because of your 150 ml PVR's. I got a really detailed measuring cup on Amazon to give me very accurate numbers. Self-cathing before bed will help you sleep.

.

Steve

kenneth1955

no retro for me but I waited until all blood in urine had gone then a few more weeks

IMHO its important to allow all the area around the valve to fully heal before getting too excited

now I no longer take meds volume of ejaculate has gone up

Hi, can we get an update on your Rezum procedure last year?

thx

Hello mitch,

I am 64 now and Yes I had my rezum last year in January at Loyola, ILL by Dr. Macvary after an MRI and Cystoscopy and a PSA of 17. I had a 81 grm prostate with enlarged central lobe and needed hell of a lot of shots. I was sedated and wore Foley for 8 days ( even went to see a play without waiting in line in the bathroom 😃 ) and had no issues afterwards, peeing normal actually with quite a strong stream that I have not experienced after 6 years of BPH . I stopped taking all pills after 3 weeks and resumed sex life .

Without any alcohol and caffeine I get up 1-2 times a night and with 2-3 times a night. My current PSA is 4.5 now and almost no retained urine in the bladder. Except with coffee in the morning and beer whenever I don't get urgency to empty my bladder and have quite a normal life now.

I am sure you have read all that is written here with guys having to run to ER after their Foley was removed , blood in the urine etc. but all I can tell you is that I am happy and expect the prostate will keep on growing and I will do it again when it does. My quick recommendations are :

read all on this site for a variety of procedures for your expectations , pick a good doctor that has a process and good experience on these procedures and , wear a Foley for 10 days and have sedation if you pick rezum. I did and am very happy.

Good luck with your choice

good post. 2 points on difference in procedure. Foley can be extremely uncomfortable after a few days. The urethra will heal better without a plastic tube trapping urine against newly healed injections. from all my reading, foley 3 to 5 days. glad the 10 days worked for you. I did 3.5 days, and urination was slow but I passed it. at 14 days went off flomax as stream picked up. I was prescribed anti anxiety xanax I think and a local prostate block. I wanted to drive myself home and eliminated the anti anxiety and received 2 lydocaine injections for 150 prostate.. 15 injections. the 9 second steam injections get a little warm at 7 but overall 4 out of 10 on the pain scale. Next day was a breeze. if you are anxious take the sedation as recommended above. we all have different pain tolerances and being knocked for this procedure is an alternative.

Interesting. I'm getting up a lot lot less since my REZUM and bladder neck TURP but I still get up to go without much in my bladder. Sometimes only once a night but sometimes 3 to 4 times. I thought I just need to "re-set" my brain to stop getting me up at night.

So maybe I should get a sleep study, CPAP workup, etc.?

Hey Metto

How long ago did you have that done?????

Motto,

Same issue for me - getting up on the average 4-5x per night. I slept through the night my whole life, but in the past couple of years this chronic insomnia started and it was caused by bladder retention. Now, after a bipolar TURP a year ago, I can empty my bladder fairly well, but my brain is now so used to waking me up every few hours that I can't seem to break that habit. I have been taking some non-addictive sleep aids before bed and they help a little. Sorry you're going through this.

Tom

REZUM was July, 2019 and bladder neck TURP was December, 2019.

Tom, you might consider asking your doctor for a trazodone prescription (generic of Desyrel). I got one after my not-so-helpful Urolift last October and it really helps a lot. It's very mild but helps me sleep through the night. Both my regular doc and my neurologist tell me it's not harmful for long-term use.

The scrip is for 50mg but I break them in half and that does the trick. Extremely low dose. A thought.

David

Oh, I see you're taking something already, maybe it's this stuff!

Thank you. Have a great day...Ken

Hmm. Interesting suggestion. Does it cause weight gain? Loss? I'll take a loss.

Not a bad suggestion, thanks.

I try to avoid taking most if not all drugs. I'm on a BP medication.

Dunno about the weight loss or gain. I don't believe it did so in my case either way. Anyway, it's always worth asking about!

david

I'll second that recommendation on trazodone. I took it in a small dose exactly like Guy says (25 mg/night) for couple of years when I was having trouble sleeping through the night unrelated to BPH. For me it gave me a hangover effect the first couple of days I was taking it but that went away quickly. If I recall correctly it did have some side effects, none of which I noticed, but I quit taking it when I developed some heart issues. It worked like a charm when I was taking it. It's a little inconvenient having to cut the pills in half but no big deal.

Yes, already taking the Trazodone. I cut them in half and take one before bed and the second half in the middle of the night. I also take an antihistamine and low dose melatonin. I do get sleep, but still can't seem to last more than about 2-3 hours at a stretch - once in a great while over 3 hrs. The urge to go to the bathroom keeps coming back over and over again at night and I have to void in 3 tries spaced over a 5-10 min stretch. Then, my bladder is completely empty (I hope) and I can go back to sleep. This may be this my brain has forgotten how to sleep for longer stretches, or, there are little signals sent from my bladder to my brain telling it to wake up. I used to take trospium for this, but now take oxybutynin. I am also taking pumpkin seed oil capsules and that helps to calm my overactive bladder. I don't want to start on any heavier duty sleeping pills as they can become addictive.

You can get a pill cutter device at any pharmacy. They give them out free at any Kaiser pharmacy. Makes pill cutting very fast and easy.

Hey Tom

Sometimes it can be habit. But you have to remember over the last few years what you have gone through.

At least you can get back to sleep after.......Be safe...Ken

is rezum the procedure you had done? how are u now? had my rezum 3/23/21

Hi, Mark..could not help notice your situation is similar to my. As I have been told by eulogist that Rezum is my best procedure for a prostate size 40 cc. with enlarged protruding median lobe. He does NOT recommend eurolift . I presently am on medication flomax X .8 grams and Myrbetriq 50mg daily. The medication is simply not doing the job, as I must still get up 2-4,5 times every night. The more I read, the more I am apprehensive about Foley catheters and keeping all the business clean and sterile. I see where a Dr. Barber and DR. Chin have developed new tech and tools for median lobe prostate. However, not here in Middle Tn. Could you offer words of wisdom , as I am not satisfied with rezum and numerous days with catheter hanging on. I appreciate your time. Life changes are more difficult, as no coffee or a cold beer once in a moon is not living. Thanks for listening to rant

Hey Carl

I have to say a few words after I read your post

Why does your doctor think that the Urolift would not help you. My prostate was about the same size as your. My doctor could not get the scope through to check the bladder. It is almost 8 years and I'm still open. I know that I did not have a median lobe like yours but that is why the Urolift company came out with the Medlift procedure. It as been out for over 3 years. All they have to do is pull it to one side and clip it.

I wish that the doctor would stop pushing the Rezum. It is the worst procedure to heal from and even in the little booklet that they put out tell you that you can see improvement in 2 week. Most men will see something in 3 month's there have been men on here that they were over a year before they saw any improvement. And they were still on medication and doing CIC. This is to long to wait.

I have been on this site for over 8 year over the last 4 years I have been keeping a list of the men that have had it done. There has been 109 men that had the procedure done only 45% has seen some improvement. Out of the 109. 85 men ended up with retro ejaculation. I don't know if this is a concern. Also there were 11 men that had to have a Turp done to fix the damage that the Rezum did to the prostate tissue

Think before you do anything, Which Dr. Barber are you talking about the one from the UK. I have talk to him may times. Still have some of his e-mail. Dr. Chin I think I have read a few things on him. What new treatment did they come up with?

Have a great day and I wish you well

Thanks for sharing Ken, of course finding a procedure as newer Urolift is what may be in my future. However, finding a practice local versed with newer technique competent Urologist is key. Present, medication works better than the unknowns of catheter use and sterile maintenance. I will research Medlift and use in protruding obstructive median lobe. It is so easy for Urology practice to do the cystoscopy and ultrasound of prostate. Feeling like cattle through shoot. But doctor comes out and says, this is your only available procedure Rezum and hands you tablet from manufacture Boston Scientific. One thing physician said was 50% of his patients HATE him, 50% LOVE him. With my luck, I fall into first category. The Urolift from Dr. Neil Barber and peter Chin show new available tools and technique for my situation of large lobe obstruction in vicinity of bladder neck (?ball-valve). As I have been told, Urololift WILL NOT work under those conditions. Any info is much appreciated. You are very kind to listen to others wooes.

I am considering Rezum but I have some complications and my doctor is not sure it will help. Alpha blockers keep me up all night and do not even help, same with some other drugs.

Did you have Rezum and how are you now?