The Urolift procedure; patient views and questions
Posted , 264 users are following.
Would it be possible to keep this thread purely about Urolift and a means of sharing experiences from those who have undergone the process and invite debate from those considering it.
The Urolift process plus pros and cons are accurately described at many a website. Other very long threads discuss in detail BPH and other treatments such as TURPS, laser tend to overshadow people looking for advice on Urolift.
So for me, tired of getting up in the night. Tired of the medication and its side effects, tiredness and ED. Quality of life getting me down. I am 60 and reckon to be pretty fit and active.
I underwent this treatment (as an alternative to TURPS) 2 weeks ago at one of the 5 or 6 clinics/hospitals that appear to offer this treatment in the UK. It really was as simple as described on the web.
I had a 30 minute consultation with the consultant whereby he explained the procedure.
The treatment was booked for 10 am., it took about 15 minutes. I had it done under a local anaesthetic. To be frank if you are used to having your prostate and other bits probed there is no pain. It is just the thought of it you have to come to terms with. After the treatment you have to drink a lot of water to flush your system but I was allowed to drive home by dinner time.
First warning here. I did have to stop probably every 15 minutes with a sudden need to urinate. Fortunately I took a urine bottle from the clinic !
I could write for ages but will see what response I get to this post. I know on the day I was there, 4 other blokes were having the procedure and I sensed there was a regular flow of patients.
I’m now going through the period whereby I’m asking myself is there any improvement? It’s only 2 weeks in. I’m not sure is the answer at the moment. We are all different and recovery and improvement I am told does take time anything from 2/3 weeks to 2/3 months maybe longer. Your system needs time to readjust, I understand that, I don’t know how much time but I’m due for a follow up next week. I'm remaining positive.Would welcome comments from others.
18 likes, 1911 replies
charles40613
Posted
It's well over two years now since I had the Urolift procedure. I've posted many summaries of my experience. A few questions I guess for UK people really.
1) What's the situation going through customs at airports ? Do these implants send the alarms off at the security gates? What do you do?
2) Does anybody have any experience of going back to see their urologist for regular checkups. What do they checkup on ? Do they tighten the implants for example ? My Urologist just seems to have forgotten me.
3) Has anybody had the implants taken out ? If so why?
Thanks, Charles
steven07153 charles40613
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steven07153 charles40613
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Hello to All
Yesterday I received from my surgeon a urology journal published study of urolyft outcomes over three years. The article, Roerhrborn et al. Three Year Results of prostatic urethral L.I.F.T Study, Canadian journal of Urology 2015, "demonstrates the durability of effect (of urolyft) over a three year period following treatment". Essentially, greater than 80% of men benefit from the procedure including restoration of sexual function. I googled the cite I've provided. It's very encouraging news.
jimjames steven07153
Posted
Thanks for the heads up on the study.
Of particular note is that those treated in the study had LUTS (lower urinary tract symptons) secondary to BPH (enlarged prostate). The exclusion criteria backs this up by excluding anyone with retention over 250ml. (other exclusions as well such as median lobe)
I bring this up because in the real world these same men may not be excluded nor (for what I surmise is inadequate screening) some Urolifts may be performed on men whose LUTS is more secondary to bladder dysfunction than BPH. This can account for some of the failed PAE procedures we read about here.
My takeaway is that while Urolift is a promising procedure for those with limited retention and decent bladder tone, the jury is still out how helpful it will be for those that do not meet this criteria.
Jim
jimjames
Posted
TYPO: "Urolift" should be substituted for "PAE" in third paragraph. That said, the concept of LUTS being secondary to BPH vs secondary to bladder dysfunction also apply with PAE.
kenneth1955 steven07153
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Evdilos jimjames
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Evdilos
kenneth1955 Evdilos
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Having something wrong with your bladder that is way the urolift did not work. I had the urolift done April of 2015. The problem I had was that the prostate got so big that it came together and closed the urethra. My urologist went in and put 4 implants in and pulled it apart. I feel the turp would not work for you because it take care of the prostate not the bladder. Look into someting that will repair the bladder.For the bladder to do its job the muscles and the nerves have to work together. It could also be your sphincter muscle. Look into some meds and exercises to see if that would help your bladder. Try kegel it may help. Don't have a surgery that is not going to fix the problem but cause more Good luck Ken
jimjames Evdilos
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Hi Evdilos,
It's only been a few weeks, give it a little time. But if improvement doesn't come, bladder tone could be the problem. However, that doesn't mean your outcome will be any better with TURP or any other procedure on the prostate. Are you having retention right now? Do you know what it is?
Jim
jimjames Evdilos
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Forgot to ask if you had urodynamic testing prior to Urolift? If not, and if your symptons don't improve, you might consider it. Urodynamic testing among other things will measure your detrussor pressure. If the pressure isn't adequate than any outlet-reduction treatment -- be it Urolift, TURP, etc -- may not work.
Jim
frank74205 jimjames
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vaughon 43529 nktronto?
Thanks,
frank,
jimjames frank74205
Posted
Click on his name (in red) and then click on "message". You will then be able to send him a private message. If you can't locate his name, try a "Control F" on a Windows computer and then enter his name. That should take you to one of his posts.
Jim
Evdilos jimjames
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Jim,
? I'm not sure what the test was. My urologist, not the one who did the uro-lift, inserted a small camera up my penis. The image shown on a screen as, I thnk, my bladder. He noted that it was not in great shape but good enugh to benefit from the procedure.
?Tony
Evdilos kenneth1955
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Just guessing about my bladder. Weeks prior to the surgery my urologist examined something by running a small camera through my penis. I assumed that what appeared on the screen was my bladder. He said whatever it was was in so-so shape. but there is no doubt a problem with my prostate. It is enlarged. I wonder if the urologist who did the procedure put in enough implants.
Tony .
jimjames Evdilos
Posted
Sounds like they did a cystoscopy. The gold standard for differentiating symptons caused by the bladder vs the prostate is a suite of tests called Urodynamics, with Video Urodynamics offering the most complete evaluation. Hopefully things will get better with time. If not, don[t go ahead with another prostate reduction procedure such as TURP until you sort out and address any bladder issues.
Jim
kenneth1955 Evdilos
Posted