REZUM--HAVE YOU HAD THIS DONE???????
Posted , 385 users are following.
I had a nice conversation today with the President of the "Urology Times". He was telling me that there is a "New Procedure" that has been approved called the "REZUM SYSTEM". The company that makes the system is called "NXThera, Inc". You can google them up and lots of stuff comes up. I called them for a referral and they gave me a Doctor in Minnepolis that has done it over 50 times now. I called his nurse and she said he would call me back and answer my questions on monday. As you guys probably know Doctors are not very good at returning calls but we'll see what happens. Iam not very good at explaining how the procedure works but basically they take the device and put it up the uretha and vaporize the prostate cells which kills them. It works with high pressure "steam" that at a certain degree will kill the prostate tissue. My question for you guys is there anybody out there that has had it done to them and how are you getting along and are there "side effects", etc etc?????
35 likes, 5645 replies
greg79427 ChuckP
Posted
I am 16 days out from my REZUM procedure. On day 14, I went back to the urologist complaining of terrible pain when urinating, blood was still in my urine, extreme urgency, poor flow and strong restriction when urinating. Because of the strong restriction when urinating I also noticed that I had to push harder. This seem to cause farting and pooping so every time I tried to urinate, I had to be sitting down on the toilet. More Grrrrrrrr!!!
The URO felt that something was wrong because I should have healed by day 14 and told me that I probably had a urinary tract infection. They sent out my urine sample (which still had blood in it) to a lab to see if my urine had bugs in it. I went home with two prescriptions, a strong antibiotic (Ciprofloxin 500mg twice daily) and a pill that is now turning my urine blue. (Urogesic Blue) (Don't ask,the blue urine is expected)
Well, I must have had an infection as by the 3rd antibiotic pill, I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER Absolutely no pain when urinating, and my flow is much better. Everthing is WAY WAY better and approching normalcy now. That Ciprofloxin is now working wonders.
So how did I get this urinary tract infection??Who knows but my guess is that damn catheter that I had to wear for the first week somehow dangled down once in the toilet and went into the toilet water. I was sitting down on the toilet at that point so you can guess what was in the toilet. Grrrrr!!!
Some of this may be my fault but anybody else considering this procedure should ask for detailed instructions on how to keep that damn catheter sterile while wearing it.
Wearing that damn catheter was the low point in my experience. Why did it have to be so long? I used it with a plug and got rid of the bag the first day. Didn't want a bag of urine attached to my lower leg. That damn catheter only needed to come out of me an inch or two NOT 6-12 inches. having the catheter extra long probably caused it do dangle down into the sewage water of the toilet. More Grrrrrrrrr!!!
Finally after 16 days post op, I can say I am feeling much better. I have no idea what would have happened if I didn't get that antibiotic. Thanks --Greg--
raygar13 greg79427
Posted
after my procedure, i was told she didnt want me back for 3 months. even though my procedure went very well, the urologists should make sure infection doesnt set in. patients dont know which pain is normal and which pain is because the area is infected. common knowlege is the urethra doesnt heal as good with a catheter in. In fact it is normal to urinate around the catheter which is now trapping urine up against the injection sites. those considering rezum need to discuss foley length of time with your urologist, learn to self cath as a trip to the ER is painful. also get started on finesteride prior to procedure at least 2 weeks to help with post rezum bleeding. I had none, just a little pink around the catheter day 2. No pain, Foley 3.5 days. no infection, good results. My urologist wasnt the most experienced at rezum, my 1 year cystoscopy showed a lot of clear runway. ipss 22 to 8
greg79427 raygar13
Posted
What is IPSS??
steven05114 greg79427
Posted
International Prostate Symptom Score
raygar13 greg79427
Posted
International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS)
Patient Name: ______________________ Date of birth: ________ Date completed _______
Score: 1-7: Mild 8-19: Moderate 20-35: Severe
In the past
month:
Not at
All
Less than
1 in 5
Times
Less than
Half the
Time
About
Half
the
Time
More
than Half
the Time
Almost
Always
Your
score
How often have you had the
sensation of not emptying
your bladder?
0 1 2 3 4 5
How often have you had to
urinate less than every two
hours?
0 1 2 3 4 5
How often have you found
you stopped and started again
several times when you
urinated?
0 1 2 3 4 5
How often have you found it
difficult to postpone
urination?
0 1 2 3 4 5
How often have you had a
weak urinary stream?
0 1 2 3 4 5
How often have you had to
strain to start urination?
0 1 2 3 4 5
None 1 Time 2 Times 3 Times 4 Times 5 Times
How many times did you
typically get up at night to
urinate?
0 1 2 3 4 5
Total I-PSS
Score
Quality of Life Due to
Urinary Symptoms Delighted Pleased Mostly
Satisfied
Mixed Mostly
Dissatisfied
Unhappy Terrible
If you were to spend the rest of
your life with your urinary
condition just the way it is now,
how would you feel about that?
0 1 2 3 4
bill1095 greg79427
Posted
Greg, I had a similar experience. After 5 days with the damn catheter I pulled it out only to find later that day I wasn't able to void. Luckily my doc was available and I went back in and they put it in again for another 5 days!I was able to void after that but had really bad pain each time. Both times they put the catheter in it took a couple of days before it was working right. I would pee and instead of filling the bag it would come out my penis (with the catheter in). Then it would start working. I had that same problem when I tried to the plug instead of the bag. No clue on that, but I think I developed an infection as the pain wasn't subsiding. I had some anti-biotics from the dentist and took them. I was actually supposed to be on them after some dental work, but had gone off. When I went back on the amoxicillin my pain finally subsided after a couple of days. I still had some pain after that for several weeks, but nothing like it was prior to taking the antibiotics, so I'm pretty sure I had an infection. I don't think I ever let my catheter get in the toilet water but I don't know where the infection came from. I think it's fairly common after these procedures, and probably due to the catheter. I went into the doc a while later and they did check my urine and at that time I didn't have any infection. I hope your recovery continues to go well! Bill
michael18519 ChuckP
Edited
1 month out, I've been catheterized twice, urine stream is slow, but improving . mild UTI's due to catheters. taking an antibiotic for that. urinary intensity thru the roof. complete voiding is a challenge. This makes driving a truck a challenge.., I bought a donut to sit on. anyone past the 6 week point, I'd like to know what's next.. school bus driver, tanker driver, yoga teacher.
raygar13 michael18519
Posted
at 13 months post rezum. the uti are inhibiting urine flow. had 15 steam injections and absolutely no pain in the prostate area from day 2 on. the donut is just icing on the cake. from months 2 to 3, I saw the most improvement. although things continued to get better out to 8 months. flow should pick up almost immediately once the antibiodics kick in. I went off flomax at 14 days when stream picked up a little. improvement is gradual but it happens as the body absorbs the dead prostate tissue. leaking and urgency were better after 3 months, better still at 6 months and at 8 months a thing of the past. totally dry and able to hold off urination. keep us posted
steven05114 michael18519
Edited
michael18519,
.
I had my successful Rezum (10 shots) at the end of November 2018. I started to open up at 4 weeks and by 6 weeks I saw a noticeable improvement in peeing. My bleeding stopped at 1 month. I was still shedding dead prostate tissue in months 2 and 3. At 3 months my peeing was about normal, my PVR's were 140 ml and my IPSS was 9. Today, my PVR's are under 100 ml which is OK for guys our age and my IPSS is 6.
.
I would say that by 3 months, the effects of the Rezum will be complete and after that, if your bladder was damaged like mine was, it is all about bladder recovery which could take (quite) a while. Guys who had UTI's have reported a slower recovery. There was a guy on this forum who operated a backhoe and he had lots of problems.
.
After my Rezum. the urologist said not to ride a motorcycle. Since I don't have a motorcycle, that is not a problem for me. If you are driving a truck all day, getting a doughnut cushion is a good start. I would recommend checking in with your urologist on what to do if you are driving a lot. They should have already discussed this with you.
.
Good luck,
.
Steve
patrick45945 steven05114
Posted
Curious why a Rezum would prohibit riding a motorcycle. I ride a motorcycle as well as ride a bicycle 30 miles every day and am considering Rezum as an option for my urine retention. Is this a permanent or temporary restriction? This could be a show-stopper for me.
steven05114 patrick45945
Edited
patrick45945,
.
When you ride a motorcycle or a bicycle, you are pressing on/bouncing on your prostate area. ALL prostate surgeries (TURP, GLEP, Rezum, etc.) will traumatize the prostate for a while so after ALL prostate surgeries while it is healing you need to give that area a rest for a few months. Again this is pretty basic stuff that your urologist should mention to you.
.
Steve
raygar13 patrick45945
Edited
The cells on the inner portion of the prostate are killed by the energy released when steam turns to water. There is a little trauma to the area as indicated by some swelling and the need for a catheter for about 3 days. this initial swelling doesnt last long (up to 14 days). had 15 injections, no bleeding, no pain at all in the area. only pain was 3.5 days foley catheter. I assume this is a precaution and they dont want to vibrated the area. any early bleeding would be a setback and could trigger infection which would block off urination. my best guess is a 30 day break from the motorcycle
Badbolr patrick45945
Edited
i ride a bike and its taken me months to not have so much pain that i just wouldn't want to ride. I'm like 5 months post and it is finally ok to where i can ride 45 min. but then i ALWAYS hated the saddle so it may just be me. i was never going to be able to take it enough to ride 30 miles. i do 12-15 miles and i gotta get out of the seat!
i read on here one guy rode again in 2 weeks..
patrick45945 steven05114
Posted
Steven, Makes sense. I've been riding motorcycles 50+ years (I'm 70) with no prostate problems but started daily bicycle riding fairly recently, about 7 or 8 years ago and am wondering if my daily 30 mile bike rides could be the CAUSE of my prostate/urinary retention problems, or at least contribute to my condition which was diagnosed only 6 months ago.
Can bike riding cause prostate/bladder/urinary problems or is this a coincidence?
Patrick
steven05114 patrick45945
Edited
Patrick,
.
I do not know the answer to your question. Maybe an Internet search will provide an answer. I did a lot of bicycling in high school and college and used to work at a bike shop. That was a long time ago back when Campagnolo was king. My BPH got bad in my latest 50's. So what sort of motorcycles do you ride?
.
Steve
patrick45945 steven05114
Posted
Steve,
I have had several but favor British twins like my current ride, a 2007 Triumph Bonneville T100.
Patrick
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