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

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ChuckP
ChuckP

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?????

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  • rij1127
    rij1127 ChuckP

    Posted

    I had REZUM 11 weeks ago to reduce an 81gm prostate. It was done as an outpatient procedure, took about 15 minutes, required 11 steam treatments – and hurt like hell. It was shocking that this wasn't done under a twilight anaesthesia as one gets with a colonoscopy. The likely answer is doctor $$: reimbursement is 8x higher in the doctors office as an outpatient than in the hospital. I had a Foley catheter for 6 days.

    Results:

    • weeks 1-5: burning sensation before urinating, blood at beginning of urination, blood at beginning of stream, pain on underside of penis lasting 1 minute after urinating.

    • weeks 2-10: pain associated with urinating is gone, full urinating stream, sleep through the night vs up 3x per night before procedure

    • erection quality has declined having never had any ED issue. I'm worried about small nerve damage but hoping that over time this is going to heal itself. Am about to try Cialis for my first time.

    • ejaculation pain: after achieving orgasm, it feels like lava coming out of the volcano – a burning, painful feeling that lasts about a minute. The doctor says it is due to the still-inflamed state of my prostate. Hoping this improves over time.

    Net net: from my research, Urolift is the better procedure if you're a candidate. I was not due to my prostate size and shape.

    • david19922
      david19922 rij1127

      Posted

      I must be the only person who underwent the Rezum without any pain or bleeding, peri or post operative. It just goes to show urology is not an exact science, and people have significant physiological differences that determine which procedure is best for them. Unfortunately it is impossible to determine which one in advance.
    • jimjames
      jimjames david19922

      Posted

      True. That's why forums like this are helpful so that we can get a wide spectrum of experiences to help make a more intelligent decision. The argument has been made many times that forums tend to get more of the "worst case" scenarios because people with successful procedures just move on with their life. This may be true, however I also think it fair to say that our doctors many times present us with the "best case" scenarios often leaving out important details such as that you will never be able to ejaculate normally again, etc. 

      Jim

    • rij1127
      rij1127 jimjames

      Posted

      And, in this day of malpractice, my doctor says little. It's like I have to play the game of 20 questions to elicit yes or no answers from him. It's possible that the procedure is so new that my questions are in the realm of unchartered territory, or he has poor communication skills, or doesn't want to say something that will be used against him in a court of law. Frankly, it's my own delving into this on the Internet that helped me learn so much more – and which made me aware of this site.
  • jerry69962
    jerry69962 ChuckP

    Posted

    I had the resume procedure done last Friday, June 10. My catheter was removed on Monday , June 13.

    I could not urinate for 6 hours afterwards. Then another trip to the ER

    for another catheter.

    Now, been told I might have to use a catheter for an extended period of time. Wish I had read this forum

    before.

    Procedure was painful. Unless you really have to do this procedure

    skip it.

    • rij1127
      rij1127 jerry69962

      Posted

      I am about 14 weeks post surgery and happy to report that after a lot of discomfort and other scary side effects – things are now much better. I am urinating like a 10-year-old and sexually am feeling much more like my old self again. Hang in there. It will get better!
    • Smudgit
      Smudgit rij1127

      Posted

      Hi rij1127 ,

      I had rezum done 9 weeks ago ( ten Injections ) , all was great but just recently I noticed a diminished climax intensity and almost no ejaculate .

      Could this be transitory as prostate heals , it was fine up until recently and past all tests .

      appreciate any feedback

  • Larbike
    Larbike ChuckP

    Posted

    I had the rezum procedure done on June 1st, 2016 to treat symptoms of my bph. My urologist initially did an ultrasound exam and cystoscopy to see if I was a good candidate for the procedure. He told me that rezum could be used for men who have prostate volumes between 30-80 grams. Mine was around 35. I was instructed to stop any blood thinning meds, alcohol, caffiene etc., 7 days before the procedure to reduce potential bleeding.

    At my request, the doctor gave me a single diazepam tablet to take 30 minutes before the procedure (to reduce anxiety). On the day of the procedure I was given: 1. An intramuscular injection of an analgesic in my buttock, 2. An oral antibiotic (cipro), 3. a prostate nerve block injection via an ultrasound probe inserted rectally. This was not as painful as I expected. I was then taken to the room where the procedure was to be done. A nurse squirted a numbing gel into my urethra and after a couple of mnutes the procedure was started. The entire prep time took about 40 minutes. Once the doctor began, felt only a pressure sensation when the probe was inserted. The doctor told me when he was about to start the first steam injection. The first 9 second steam injection felt distinctly warm but was not very painful, the probe was rotated 180 degrees to admnister the second steam injection, which felt similar to the first and only slightly more uncomfortable. The doctor retracted the probe slightly to do two additional steam treatments ( for a total of 4). The last two were distinctly more uncomfortable and more painful for some reason, but not unbearable. The rezum treatments took less than 5 minutes. I was gven the option of using a catheter which I opted to do since I did not have to go back to work anytime soon. I was able to walk out of the clinic and had my wife drive me home. I was prescribed one cipro pill, a daily anti-inflammatory (meloxicam) and daily phenazopyridine (reduces urinary irritation). There was some blood in my urine bag for the first day but this cleared up by the next day. I had the catheter on for 4 days at the doctors's recommendation. The catheter became a nuisance after the second day and I was eager to have it removed on June 7th back at the clinic. I was given a bladder voiding test prior to the catheter removal. Voiding was good, so the nurse removed the cath ( which was more painful than expected). The doctor told me to continue my meds until they were finished. He told me that I would probably have some discomfort, bleeding, urgency for the first two weeks but that this would subside and I would see rapid improvement. He advised me to abstain from sex, alcohol, blood thinners, heavy lifting, or riding my bike for at least 4 weeks to allow complete healing ( I jokingly asked him what was left for me to do?) ?

    Here are my results so far: I noticed my urine stream improved  by the 6th day after the procedure. I did not have any pain after the catheter was removed. I am sleeping much better and have only had to get up to urinate a few times. I am now at 15 days post-procedure, I am still seeing small traces of blood in my urine, especially after bowel movements, but there is no pain, my urine stream continues to improve. I advise avoiding caffeine and chocolate during recovery ( I had coffee and chocolate cake and these caused bladder irritation), drink lots of water to help flush things out and keep your urine diluted. I do daily walks for exercise and have had no problems and have resumed most of my daily activities except for my cycling. I do notice my bladder is still a little sensitive so I have been watching what I eat and drink. I have also been taking stool softeners to reduce straining during bowel movements. I will give an update after week 4. So far, I am pleased with the results.....

    • Tim-B
      Tim-B Larbike

      Posted

      Thank you for this detailed post. You are the first one I have heard of getting a nerve block. Most seem to have only lidocaine injected through the urethra, which may explain why so many seem to experience a higher level of pain. In what state was your procedure performed and did your doctor offer different methods of anesthesia?

      I wonder how many men opt to not be catheterized and later have issues?

       

    • Larbike
      Larbike Tim-B

      Posted

      My procedure was done in San Antonio, Texas. My doctor told me he would be doing the prostate block ahead of the rezum. I wanted to be given a "twilight" sedative but the doctor discouraged this, he explained that this would drive up the cost quite a bit and require the procedure be done in a hospital setting rather than the clinic. According to my urologist around 70% of men who had the procedure do not require a cath, but around 30% will require one due to urinary retention. I opted to use the cath because of the upcoming weekend after my procedure. I did not want to self-cath or have to go to the ER if things went wrong.
    • david19922
      david19922 Larbike

      Posted

      I used a mild sedative without the surgeon's knowledge,they are prescription. It wasn't in "twilight",but it did help alleviate the anxiety. I wore a Foley for three days. The problem with the Foley of course, is that if it needs to be removed (emergency such as blockage that is) it will require a MD or RN, and might require an ER visit. Surprisingly the nurse who was present during the procedure, showed me how to remove it myself, but I didn't feel confident enough and had it removed by another RN.
    • fritzi
      fritzi Larbike

      Posted

      Who is San Antonio is your doctor? I am thinking of going there for Rezum.
    • Larbike
      Larbike fritzi

      Posted

      My urologist is Dr. Kyle Weld of Urology Associates, In San Antonio.
    • tonyynot
      tonyynot fritzi

      Posted

      I had my Rezum done in April of this year.  It has now been about 9 weeks and the results are very satisfactory.  I feel like it is worth the risk.  However, you never know what is around the corner.  Right now, I would easily do it again.  You know, you can't wait forever for the new "gold" standard.
    • Larbike
      Larbike

      Posted

      I had a setback on my recovery progress this weekend. On Saturday morning I awoke to a burning sensation and quite a bit of blood in my urine. This progressed throughout the weekend. I called my doctor's office on Monday to inform them of my worsening symptoms. The nurse said that some bleeding was to be expected even after 3 weeks and told me to call back if symptoms worsened. I saw an increase in bleeding and had a marked increase in painful urination and called back on Wednesday. The practice's nurse practitioner saw me that same day and diagnosed a urinary tract infection. I was prescribed a 7 day course of ciprofloxacin which I am currently taking. This is my second day on the antibiotic and I have had some relief of the burning, but urination is still painful and I am still seeing a fair bit of blood in my urine. Needles to say, I am quite frustrated as I expected to be fully healed soon.  I will report back after my antibiotic regimen.....

    • Larbike
      Larbike

      Posted

      On week 4 now after the Rezum procedure. I believe that the antibiotics provided some relief but it took several days. I was also prescribed Urelle and meloxicam to use concurrent with the antibiotics and I felt very rapid improvement. Over the last three days the bleeding has stopped during urination and the irritation is mostly gone. I spoke with my urologist over the phone and he cleared me to resume my normal activities. My stream has been good and seems to be improving. My bladder is still sensitive to caffeine and alcohol (1 beer) so I may abstain from those a little longer. My wife and I were intimate and everything functioned normally but there was blood in my semen and this will likely clear up over time. So far so good.
    • guy30383
      guy30383 tonyynot

      Posted

      2-7-18  Has anyone had the Rezum procedure a year or two ago and how s it working?  

      Success or failure?

      Guy

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