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

Hello

First of all welcome back.

I was not going to say anything but I just have to say something. I have also said that there are doctor's that over kill the treatment. I believe that less is better for some men. Why do 15 if 2 would do the job. You need to find a good doctor.

I have been keeping track for over 2 years on the men that have had the Rezum procedure done and it does not work for everyone.

63 Done..........34 Worked.......29 Did not work.......32 Ended up with Retro

The last one that I have is Ray. He had a large prostate and his doctor did 15 injections. She told him that she saw the ejaculatory duct and stayed away from them. It worked for him and he has no problem and no retro.

But then you have men that have had 4 or 5 injections and it does not worked and they end up with retro. I think a lot of this is the doctor.

I feel it is better to start with 1 or 2 and see how it goes. You can always go back and do a couple of more

Thank you for coming back. Your information has helped many..God Bless...Ken

Bear in mind that there is possibly a "selection bias" in people who participate in the forum. That bias might favors guys who have had the procedure but must still deal with some adverse after-effects. I imagine a lot of men who have had the procedure without complication don't want to look back and don't feel the need for support. So, there is reason to think that the percentages of guys self-reporting with better and worse experiences is probably not an accurate reflection of the entire population of Rezum patients.

That said, I thank every Rezum patient who has presented accurate and detailed feedback about the efficacy and the experience. I'm also grateful to the practitioners here who have done so.

I think I've benefited from some valuable points made here, including key questions for the practitioner.

How many procedures has s/he performed Rezum procedures?

How long has s/he been performing them?

How many Rezum injections has s/he planned and if more than 5, then why?

What precautions can s/he take to prevent or minimize adverse complications?

One other thing. Before I set up my consultation with the Rezum practitioner, I asked the his office's clinical manager how many procedures he had performed. Her answer was well over 50, perhaps 100. My critieria had been that I would prefer having the procedure done only by someone with more than 50 prior procedures. After the consultation, I asked the practitioner's assistant how many he had performed, and she said, "At least 30." When I subsequently asked the doctor himself, he said at least 30, and maybe 50 but he wasn't sure.

This is also adding to my anxiety.

Is there some way to get an idea of the quality of the physician performing the procedure?

justinthyme,

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I was guided through this process by a close family member who is an MD (otorhinolaryngologist - ear nose and throat) that I have known for over 60 years. He said that by 50 tonsillectomies he had the process down. He said that I should find a urologist that had done at least 50 Rezums and I did. The first urologist that I saw who did Rezum had only done 12 so I moved on. Rezum cleared my obstruction but I am still dealing with PVR's over 100 due to bladder damage. I hope that I have been able to help you.

.

Steve

JIT, it's certainly normal to be nervous about any procedure, but if you read some of the posts in this forum, you might get a less than accurate picture of the procedure and its risks. One forum member keeps a running total of men who have reported their results on this forum and makes the broad assumption that his numbers are indicative of the results of thousands of procedures worldwide. A few of those who reported their results were not happy about those results. I don't want to minimize the discomfort and pain that some of those who have reported less than successful outcomes. But many of us are very happy that this procedure is available. Mine was about a year and a half ago, and I had no pain, and the very slightest discomfort for a few days afterwards. Granted, I was self catheterizing for a while afterwards. If, in a few years, my prostate continues to grow and causes new BPH symptoms, I would gladly undergo this procedure again.

Fortunately, the Rezum procedure actually has some of the lowest risks for RE (and certainly ED) of the options for addressing BPH. PAE may have somewhat lower risks, but will take months to see results. With Rezum, the areas of the prostate that are restricting the flow of urine can be precisely targeted. And unlike most other procedures, having a Rezum procedure doesn't prevent you from having it, or another procedure, in the future.

I had Rezum done in Dec, consider it a success, got off Flowmax, but did end up with RE. However, it doesn't bother me. In fact i think sex is more pleasurable and libido is higher after Rezum. It also fixed a low level constant discomfort that I was feeling in my prostate that got worse after sex.

Justintime,

If you want to preserve your sexual function, but buy time before you have a procedure, you might consider learning self catheterization. The best way to learn it is from a Urologists's office.

You can put off doing a procedure indefinitely and may be able to stop meds. If you do it make sure everything is clean and start with soft flexable catheters like the red rubber/latex type, with external water soluble lube, to avoid bleeding the first few times, because bleeding can lead to UTIs.

Thomas

my advice is to stay away from this procedure. i have been hospitalized twice dues ti issues associated with this.

the first time was 19 days post procedure due ti retention. 12 more days if a catheter and then start all over again.

after 3 weeks of what i would call progress once again cleared to return ti work. the day prior to a trio i passed a large piece of tissue, so large it hurt quite badly. i had seen tissue before, but this was fairly large.

the morning we left, i was fine but by the end of the day i was thousands of miles away, and this time i was passing blood, lots of it. the theory is the piece of tissue i passed uncovered a blood vessel.

anyway, another large bore catheter for 10 days, but at least this time i got to have blood clots evacuated from my bladder.

this procedure is FLAWED, do not risk it. my urologist lied to me or at least didnt know about the device urolift has for the median lobe.

either way, do not risk doing or going through what i did.

I put off the Rezum procedure for at least a couple of years and finally had it done a little over a week ago. Although I can't respond to your ED and RE concerns at this point, I can assure you that I am among the biggest crybabies on earth. I got through the procedure OK and recovery has been pretty smooth so far. If I can do it so can you.

I have recently had a positive REZUM procedure. I will write up my notes.

A POSITIVE REZUM EXPERIENCE

In Feb. 2018, I was a 68 year old male with moderate BPH symptoms. Subsequently, thru consultation with a urology practice and a sequence of tests, I learned that I also had severe urinary retention (perhaps a measurement of 450ml ). Normal score would be closer to less than 100 ml. I first went on alfuzosin and finesteride to see if medications could relax the prostate and even shrink the prostate tissue. But, use of finesteride takes several months to have significant effects. My doctors became concerned that in the interim my bladder muscles might give out, leaving me no option but catheterization. I also learned that my prostate is on the small side (about 40 mg, when normal is closer to 30). But my prostate also had an enlarged median lobe that was growing into the bladder, blocking my ability to fully void urine and placing stress on bladder muscles. Doctors told me that I was at risk of my bladder failing, with no option but catheterization.

My first doctor recommended TURP. After some internet research, I found out that HOLEP may be the new gold standard. In addition, many urology surgeons may not have the training to do HOLEP. In February 2019, I set up an appointment with a doctor in Washington DC who was trained and experienced in HOLEP and several other procedures. He said I had 4 options: TURP, HOLEP, UroLift, and the relatively new procedure called REZUM. REZUM uses steam to shrink the prostate tissue and appears less invasive than HOLEP and TURP. I chose the less invasive REZUM procedure, even though it potentially had a longer recovery period, and might ultimately remove less tissue. The doctor said that if REZUM didn’t work sufficiently, I would still be a candidate for either of the other 3 options. I chose REZUM.

I had REZUM done in Spring of 2019. The procedure was performed in the doctor’s office suite, not in a hospital surgical unit. It’s about a 15 minute procedure, and is done under sedation. Total elapsed time was about 3 hours until I was released, and I was required to have a driver.

About an hour before the procedure, I was given 3 pills: a strong antibiotic, a relaxer, and an opiod. I was not aware of any pain throughout the procedure and installment of a Foley catheter. (They sent me home with a pain prescription, but I never used any of it.) I had to be on the Foley catheter with a bag strapped to my leg for 5 days. The catheter was the most inconvenient part of the whole experience, but was not painful---you could hardly call it discomfort. I used my day bag even at night time because it was too much of a hassle for me to change to the night bag. That caused me to get up every 2 hours to drain the bag. I simply slept in a recliner chair. After 5 days, the urology practice removed the catheter, right on schedule according to the pre-procedure information they had provided as a guideline. Then, for about 3 to 4 weeks, I had a relatively small amount of bleeding and an inconsistent urine stream. The blood was not a significant amount --- just needed to protect my clothes. More like seepage. I wore Depends at night to protect the bed clothing. During the day, a light pad consisting of cotton material was sufficient. Also, my urine stream kept getting more controlled and stronger during the first four weeks after the procedure. By the end of the fifth week I felt my urination was as strong as it was when I was much younger.

I had a follow up appointment at the end of 6 weeks. Before the REZUM procedure my PVR (post void residual) ---which measures urine retention--- was about 450ml. Now it’s below 100 ml, which is in the normal range! The doctor even seemed surprised (my interpretation). My BPH symptoms are much reduced, and I’m able to drink decaf coffee and sit thru a 2 hour meeting without having to go to the restroom. I have ability to hold back a trip to the restroom for a reasonable amount of time. The REZUM procedure appears to have worked very well for me---but I have not yet had a six-month appointment. The doctor said I could discontinue taking alfuzosin. (Finesteride was discontinued when the procedure was performed). The doctor also indicated I could stop drinking the 6 ounces of pure cranberry juice, which I had been taking along with 500 mg of Vitamin C to avoid UTIs. I should say that a few weeks before the procedure, I started (based on my own advice) supplementing with extra vitamin D3, which supposedly would help my recovery. With the REZUM procedure, I never had any incontinence much beyond when the Foley catheter was taken out. I wore Depends for a few nights to protect against possible accidents in the middle of the night. Also, the procedure never gave me retro ejaculation. I never developed a UTI. All in all, I’m quite happy with the results.

thank you for sharing.

I am looking to have this done in September and I'm a little worried by the catheter so it's good reading about people who didnt have to use it more than 3-6 days.

I am looking for a bigger reduction as my prostate is 90cc

I have 3 goals

1. dont end up worse than I am now
2. zero sexual side effects
3. improvement in mild incontinence I have now
4. 40% reduction in trips to the bathroom

if all those are met I'm happy.

glad you are doing good. the new trials for prostates 80 to 150 is currently under way, i expect the results to be good. I like researching all options but was convinced when a urologist from chesapeak urology who was involved in the initial trials said he now does 95 percent rezum. Least invasive, 95 percent no retro, and results that make a difference in mens lives. Local only 2 shots, was able to drive myself home. no pain medication after procedure, only antibiodics

Hi roderick58376,

.

Carefully research the urologist that you choose to do your Rezum. As this is a relatively new procedure, make sure that they have done enough of them, with 50 being a good number. If you are concerned about the sexual side effects (and most of us are), make sure that the verumontanum, sphincter complex is spared.

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Having a Foley in for 3-6 days is not a big deal. After my Rezum, I had one in for 2 weeks as instructed by the urologist. Before that I was self-cathing for 10 months and had another Foley for 3 weeks. After the Rezum, your prostate will swell up so self-cathing may be difficult as it tries to push through the swollen area.

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For my Rezum, I had 3 goals:

1. Being able to pee on my own again
2. No sexual side effects
3. Not ending up worse than before

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   My Rezum which was on November 29. 2018 and involved 10 injections (4 per lateral lobe and 2 in the median lobe) was successful in clearing the obstruction but due to bladder damage, my PVR's are over 100 ml. Hopefully, over time, that will improve. I pee only once overnight now which is a huge improvement.

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   Good luck to you!

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   Steve

thank you for the advice I will definitely do more research on the urologist.

I'm getting mine done in Toronto Canada by Dr Elterman. the procedure was just approved for Canada this year but he has been the biggest supporter of it and once approved he has been doing them regularly. I will definitely check how many he has so far. I do trust him he is a very respected urologist

how are you doing after a 2 year wait. i gave my urologist the ok in octomber last year and was not scheduled til jan 31 long wait. my results are good to very good. you should notice some improvement my best was months 2 to 3

are you still on for september? have a conversation with uro about starting finesteride 2 weeks prior. great results on inhibiting bleeding. Had 15 injections, 2 local nerve blocks only. no pain at all the next day, a little pink around the catheter day 2 none after that. Havent heard anyone else talk about this finesteride prior to procedure.