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
heff ChuckP
Posted
My previous reply on this was deleted by the moderators, possibly because it included links to victim websites, or the link to the Rezum video in which the physician states that he had patients on Cipro. Anyone can search the Web for Ciprofloxacin and Levofloxacin side effects and hazards.
Yes I know some people can take these medications without effect. Others have had irreversible injury after one or two pills. The stories of these patients are heartbreaking. The condition is informally called getting Floxed.
I may go for Rezum but will say a big No to Cipro.
kenneth1955 heff
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randy_85492 kenneth1955
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How do you know when you have an infection?.......My urine smells horrible and my URO Doc states that indicates an infection and has started an antibiotic. ...Then, he'll run a test after the antibiotic...Does the horrible smell indicate an infection?....
randy_85492 heff
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kenneth1955 randy_85492
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Most of the time it can but not all the time. I have a very strong smell most of the time and it's dark. Sometimes it's how much you drink and what you eat. The last time I had a infestion was a prostate infection. One of my implants let loose. I know from the pain I was having and when I had a orgasm it hurt so bad that it took over a hour for it to go away. A orgasm should not hurt and you should not have that kind of pain. It made everything hurt Ken PS My doctor always ask me what else is going on. Do I have pain when going to the bathroom or at the end does it burn. That is a sign not just the smell...
jimjames randy_85492
Posted
Have you stopped self cathing?
If your still self cathing they will not necessarily treat with antibiotics based on smell alone.
If you're not self cathing, Did you give him a urine sample for urinanalysis and culture? That is the procedure. Sometimes they will give you an antibiotic before the culture results are available but the reason for the culture is to make sure that you will be treated with the correct antibiotic.
Jim
?Jim
edo_85551 heff
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oldbuzzard heff
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My doctor wanted me to take one Leaquin tablet prior to the procedure - I told him I didnt' want to take it and why and he gave me something else and I didn't end up with any infections
randy_85492 jimjames
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Yes..Yes, I've given him a urine sample at each office visit...No Infections..I didn't have this bad smell until I came off the foley catheter..
randy_85492 kenneth1955
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OK....No, I don't have any other problems except too many times per day...
kenneth1955 randy_85492
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randy_85492 kenneth1955
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alan1951 ChuckP
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Let's just think this procedure through. We're talking about a medically-induced burn, and the loss of energy that is released from steam hitting skin, say, in a burn from a tea kettle or an iron, occurs quickly and, in a small localized area, can cause severe damage to cells. If you've ever had this kind of burn from steam, then you know that it's much more painful than a conventional contact burn. What no one is saying is that steam injected into the prostate is analogous to a third-degree burn. Yes, it's scary, but if it does what it's supposed to do, then there are eventual benefits. The purpose and design of this procedure is to destroy hyperplastic cells, which can be a good thing. Most burns - no matter how severe - eventually heal, albeit there may be scar tissue. When the masterminds behind this procedure claim that sexual function is preserved, they're actually telling the truth, although the risk profile for retrograde ejaculation is <5%.
Not a medical expert here, and am in no position to give any advice whatsoever. That said, as of this writing, 4 January 2017, this procedure is approximately 20 months old, not accounting for clinical trials. If you're like me, you could be a little desperate for relief. What I AM advising is to not let "confirmation bias" creep in to your decision. In other words, a novel procedure coupled with slick advertising and glowing testimonials has the power to sway us. I'm saying don't succumb to what you want to hear. I'm sometimes guilty of this myself. Instead, do your homework. And one of the best places to do that homework is on this forum. I ask rhetorically; are you able to buy some time with other methods; i.e. catheterization, 5AR inhibitors, etc., until more data are revealed regarding the Rezum procedure? After all, many of us on this forum are of the Baby Boom demographic. That means more of us have prostate-related disorders. Fortunately, many of the researchers involved in these disorders are also, themselves, Baby Boomers. My point is that these scientists are motivated, not only to help us, but to eventually help themselves as well.
jimjames alan1951
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Alan,
Agree with much of what you said. And it's not just the slick advertising, but I've recently read that with diminishing insurance reimbursement for in-hospital surgery like TURP, the newer in-office procedures are fast becoming the big money makers for the urologists. So not just "confirmation bias" but perhaps a little bit of doctor bias! Caveat Emptor.
Jim
oldbuzzard jimjames
Posted
On the other side of the ledger is the fact that these less invasive procedures (PAE, Rezum, Urolift) rarely bring any long term side effects, so even if they don't work, other options are still on the table and nothing has been permanently damaged. And I don't blame Insurance companies for being reluctant to cover TURP - its the best option now in only a small and diminishing number of cases.
That said, what seems to be the biggest problem accompanying Rezum is the lack of short term guidance from Urologists and the counter productive way that some handle recovery. There will be a lot of bleeding in weeks 3-4, most don't explain that. There will often be quite a bit of short term urgency - they don't usually tell you that. There can be quite a bit of burning initially. And some docs leave people on Foley's indefinitely which is not only unnecessary and painful but can actually slow recovery. And then there is that voiding test - come on you docs, this procedure doesn't help at all for at least a month and doesn't do all that much until the second month for most guys, which means that few could pass that voiding test til then. But we can all function anyway - which we've been doing for years.
I haven't seen any advertising for any of these procedures - where are they spending their money? I'd like to see the ads.
jimjames oldbuzzard
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Hi OB,
Agree with a lot of what you said. As to "slick advertising" I was just quoting Alan in his previous post. I hadn't seen anything myself but what I presumed he is talking about are trade advertising/promotions to doctors, patient hand outs, etc.
To check it out, I just went to you tube and searched under "rezum procedure". It took me to several promo's one of which had me smiling and playing golf within a few days after the procedure.
Jim
oldbuzzard jimjames
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jimjames oldbuzzard
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tom32960 oldbuzzard
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Hey oldbuzzard, you seem to be nurturing this site as it progresses and on behalf of everyone going through the Rezum procedure, thanks for the support. As a recap I have just finished my 5th week following Rezum. I did not need to self cath and had the short cath removed 7 days after procedure. The burning pain during urination continued for 3 weeks abating on the 4th week, with no burning now. The bleeding started in earnest on the 2nd week and is still somewhat substancial at the beginning of my stream today. I had urgency issues after short cath was removed but that slowly improved until by the 4th week it was no longer a problem. The problem with starting flow was a big issue for me pre-op and happy to report I have no issues with that post-op. The single most disappointing thing so far is the stream, which doesn't seem to have improved much. I do drink 3 cups of coffee in the morning and ice-T in the afternoons if that makes any difference. My doc has me on Rapaflo during this transition period. I;m hoping for results soon, any words of wisdom on what I can expect.
jimjames tom32960
Posted
Hi Tom,
Thanks for sharing your experience and glad things are improving.
Could you tell us a little about yourself such as age, prostate size, etc., and how you happened to decide on Rezum over other procedures? Also, what were your symtons pre Rezum such as frequency, nocturia, amount of retention, etc, and how have they improved? Do you know your before and after IPSS score? If not, it’s a good way of tracking progress. Here’s a link:
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/what-is-your-international-prostate-sympton-score--453484
Jim
oldbuzzard tom32960
Posted
Hey Tom - Your experience and mine are similar - except I couldn't pee for close to 3 weeks. I didn't see much stream improvement until about week 6 and it got progressively better from there. My doc said that statistically, no one sees anything til 4 weeks at the earliest and most of the benefits come in weeks 6-12.
As for coffee/tea - It impacts some people a lot and some not at all. Try cutting out the coffee (or at least cutting back) and see if it helps. My guess is that you'll never know beause you're about to get to the point where things will get better no matter what. IF you can get your doc to switch you from Rapiflo to Alfusozin, that's worth it - I hated Rapiflo's side effects and didn't notice any from Alfusozin and they worked equally well (not much).
Good luck and keep us posted - my guess is that you'll be much happier in about 3 weeks.
Outtatoone jimjames
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Hi, Jim James. I am on my 4th week post Rezum. Overall, I am pleased with it. I was getting up 5-7 times at night and this last week I had a few days where I didn't get up at all. I typically go to bed around 9:00 p.m. and wake up around 5:00 a.m. This has been tremendous progress. Most of what I get now is 'urgency' and more frequency during the day than is normal. I've detailed much of what you ask in the Rezum Treatment Thread. I hope this will be helpful to you.
I do still get stumped orgasms (Retrograde ejaculation) - but I think this is due strictly to the Flomax. I should finish my last dosage this week. So, by week 6 or so I'll have much more to report.
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/rezum-treatment-details-553352
jimjames Outtatoone
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Hi Outta,
Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like things went really well. Hopefully we will hear more about Tom's experience. From the little I've been reading here, sounds like the Rezum experience is a mixed bag even with the same doctor. Some like you markedly improved others not so much. One fellow I believe ended up with retro even though the odds are against that.
Jim