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

We have had great success with our first few hundred patients who have had this procedure.

I had the Rezum procedure 6 months ago in December.  The prostate resolution was great but I have complication which are currently terrible.  I have a very painful uninary tract right now.  Initially, the problem was that I had an intense burning at the end of my urinary stream.  My doctor said that was normal and should go away within a couple of months.  After 4 months, I went back and said that the problem hadn't gone away.  My doctor checked my urine and said that I had signs of an infection and prescribed some heavy antibiotics for 30 days.  It didn't help any.  Now, by pain comes when I am walking or doing something where I bounce around (as in my riding mower) and is very painful and requires me to sit down for a while for the pain to go away.  I'm currently waiting for another appointment with my doctor to see if he has any other ideas.  It's very painful and somewhat debilitating.  However, I don't have the symptoms of an enlarged prostate anymore.

Feb 5th, 2018  had Cystoscopy for  doctor to see what will be needed in the procedure.  A  nurse syringed  pain killer in the urethra. That part was uncomfortable, but not painful.  Cystoscope going up urethra was not bad.  Then pushed through some valve, uncomfortably. Then there were some not too painful jabs as he moved the scope around to look in different places.  I was allowed to watch the scope output on a monitor.

Having read other’s comments in this blog, I have high hopes for this procedure, and some concerns.  Dr.  Jeffrey  Larson at the Good Samaritan Surgery Center in Mount Vernon, IL   performed my REZUME procedure. He appears highly intelligent and very experienced in this procedure, having performed over 60 at this time.  He is very well liked by the staff, who are excellent, with profession dispositions and happy personalities, making the pre and post op time more pleasant.  Dr. Larson also was aware of the issues mentioned in this blog, and carefully addressed them.

March 1st, 2018 Thursday = day 1: The anesthesiologist put me to sleep, so  I felt nothing during the procedure  and woke up in the recovery room.  The Rezum procedure seems to have taken less than 1 hour and I received four steam injections.  They gave me a pain killer for the two hour drive home, and after assuring I was stable, released me. The Foley (indwelling) Catheter became slightly uncomfortable over the rest of the day as the pain killer wore off.  The feeling is similar to having a sore throat. If nothing bothers it, it is just dull soreness.  If the Foley tube is wiggled, as in walking, it is more uncomfortable. Dr. Larson sent me home with an antibiotic to prevent infection, a pain killer, and a spasm inhibitor, as some people have bladder spasms. He also sent a larger Foley “night” bag home with me, to replace the leg bag for sleeping.  On this first day, my urine was pink due to a little blood.

March 2nd, 2018 Friday = day 2:  No change.  Took the meds.  Drank more water. Stayed as still as possible, doing desk work, to avoid wiggling the catheter tube, and causing discomfort.  Urine was normal colored, with apparently no more drops of blood.

March 3rd, 2018 Saturday = day 3:  No change. Catheter is uncomfortable. Drop or two of blood from the  “eye” of penis.

March 4th, 2018 Sunday = day 4:  No change. Catheter is uncomfortable. Drop or two of blood from the “eye” of penis.

March 5th, 2018 Monday = day 5:   As scheduled, had catheter removed by nurse practitioner. Two seconds of discomfort during removal.   They had inserted water up into the bladder, then removed catheter. Then had me urinate to prove no more catheterization needed.  Was able to urinate easily. Yay!  Small soreness or burning on tip of penis when urinating. Dead tissue is not dissolved and flushed yet, so stream should improve over 3 month period. Was able to urinate at home later. 

March 6th, 2018 Tuesday = day 6:  Woke up with itching in urethra, and burning during urination.

March 7th, 2018, Wednesday =day 7:  Itching and burning in the urethra have decreased/improved.

March 8th, 2018, Thursday =day 8:  Just passed one week.  Burning is gone, itching is gone. Feel totally normal. Flow is at pre-procedure.  I am not capturing and measuring urine output/time, just estimating.  This means any swelling is gone. I am taking no drugs, and have no retrograde ejaculation, as some have. Everything is working normally. There was some blood in ejaculate.  Increased flow is not really expected until body removes tissue killed by the steam. My doctor’s experience (with over 60 procedures at this time) is that flow will slowly increase up to 3 months. By then, the body should have expelled all dead material, and made more room for the urethra, decreasing restriction by the enlarged prostate, and increasing flow. No significant improvement can be expected after 3 months.    I will change from daily entries to monthly entries, to track improvement in flow.

April 1st, 2018, Sunday=day 30:  Flow has increased. No discomfort or issues.

May 1st, 2018, Tuesday=day60:  Flow has increased even more. Solid stream. No issues.

June 1st, 2018, Saturday=day 90:  Some increase in flow over last 30 days, even better. Flow not like at 20 years old, but extrememly pleased with prodcedure. Have no urinary issues at all.

FINAL RESULTS: Based on my experience, the problems many others have had are based on the experience and expertise of their surgeon.  I highly recommend Dr.  Jeffrey  Larson at the Good Samaritan Surgery Center in Mount Vernon, IL .  My experience with him seems to be one of the very best of all those in this blog.  The experience and wisdom of the surgeon appears  to be the main factor on patient outcomes and comfort.

I had my Rezum procedure done on March 1, 2018, by Dr. Ulchaker at the Cleveland Clinic. I highly recommend him -- Not only is he very skilled in the Rezum procedure, but he's also able to talk with you in plain English about the procedure itself, possible side effects, pros & cons, etc. And he doesn't sugarcoat any of it.  Bottom line for me is that the procedure worked very well, and I'm back to normal for urination and sexual activity.

I am 58 years old, overweight with a sedentary lifestyle (which I've begun to change on the advice of Dr. Ulchaker). My prostate was 88 cc, about twice the size of a normal prostate. I researched Urolift, Rezum and Greenlight Laser. I was not eligible for Urolift because I had a protruding medial lobe (something my first urologist missed). After reading many of the posts here, and because of the possibility of fewer side effects, I chose Rezum over Greenlight.  I feel really bad for those guys who posted their negative experiences and lingering side effects from the Rezum treatment, but I am happy to report that none of those happened with me.

The procedure was done under local anesthesia, and was completed in 15 minutes or so.  It went mostly as expected, but it wasn't all "peaches & cream", either.  I was injected 10 times, with varying degrees of discomfort associated with each point.  The first few points went smoothly -- I felt a small burning sensation during the injection that subsided quickly as the steam cooled.  But then as the doctor worked his way around to the back, the pressure he applied to the tool, and the positioning of the tool, made me very uncomfortable.  At one time I started seeing stars, but the nurse was quick to apply a cold compress and the doctor did his best to get in and out of the injection site as quickly as possible. After the procedure, I chose to wear a catheter for a few days, which may be why I didn't experience any burning or other negative side effects.  Or maybe I was just lucky -- either way, my recovery went very well.  My only negative side effect was, and still is, more frequent trips to the bathroom.  But that's improving with time, and the doctor said it will continue to heal itself.

I'm certainly not in a hurry to ever have any additional work done to my prostate, but if I had to do it over again I would choose the Rezum procedure without hesitation.  If you are considering it, I have the following advice: Ask your doctor how many injection points he's planning on doing, and where they're located.  I think the average procedure is around 6 points.  If it's more than 8, or if he has to get behind the urethra (meaning he has to exert a lot of pressure on the tool and really move it around when he's in there), then you should consider general anesthesia rather than local.  Also consider general anesthesia if you have a low threshold for pain.  I wouldn't say that the procedure itself is "painful", but there is a certain amount of discomfort that comes with it.  I equate it to being shocked by a small electrical current. If you've ever been briefly shocked by a live wire, it probably didn't hurt you, but I'm guessing you quickly realized you don't want to go through that again!  :-)

Best of luck to everyone who is experiencing BPH -- I sincerely hope you find relief, no matter which option is right for you.