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The Urolift procedure; patient views and questions

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charles40613
charles40613

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

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  • den-52442
    den-52442 charles40613

    Posted

    I'm trying to reply to conversation, but it says my reply is waiting to be moderated. Frustrating!

    • andyacko
      andyacko den-52442

      Posted

      Interesting just had Urolift yesterday general anesthetic. Used 8 staples and some greenlight laser . So far sense of urgency and painful urination. Drinking a lot of water to flush system. Early days but sure hope it settles down. Prostate was large.
  • andyacko
    andyacko charles40613

    Posted

    Hi Charles starting to ask same question. Large prostate had 8 clips and he used some green light laser general anesthetic kept overnight system flushed suffered frequency burning urgency. Operation Friday by monday night had issue with voiding took flowmax because l panicked was able to void but flow is weak Early stages for me but does not look like the result l expected Visiting surgeon today to express concern.
  • Slincoln99
    Slincoln99 charles40613

    Posted

    Hi Charles. I finally had my Urolift yesterday. I had 3 ‘clips’. I came home with a catheter to keep in place for 24 hours. After about 6 hours I simply couldn’t tolerate it. I would get this urge to push that came in waves. Like I was trying to birth something. Lol. So, I removed the cath. Immediate relief. I have however had to pee every 30 - 60 minutes since then. It was bloody for a while but just regular yellow urine now and just a slight burn at this point. So I am now about 27 hours post procedure and still peeing like every 30 minutes. Is this normal? If so how long can I expect it to last?
    • george18730
      george18730 Slincoln99

      Posted

      My experience with the catheter was the same as yours except I foolishly left it in all night- as you know, miserable does not even come close to describing the discomfort.  If you're not passing any blood after only 24 hours you're doing really well.  I too peed every 30 minutes the first day or two but it gradually, I mean gradually, got better.  I don't remember the exact timeline but I want to say that after about a week I felt real hope.  (Laser surgery can take months to heal.)  It's been a couple of years since my procedure and things are awesome.  Hang in there, you're doing fine.

    • Slincoln99
      Slincoln99 george18730

      Posted

      Thanks for the feedback. It calms me a bit. I was surprised about the blood too. Hopefully it stays that way. 
    • george18730
      george18730 Slincoln99

      Posted

      You may get a little more bleeding or a clot or two, don't sweat it.  Your prostate took on a lot of trauma and it's pretty swollen right now.  Even though the Urolift is much less drastic than a Turp or Greenlight procedure, it's still invasive so it will take your prostate time to heal.   I know it may be hard to believe right now, but you're on a good path.  Keep us posted.

    • kenneth1955
      kenneth1955 george18730

      Posted

      Just relax and drink a lot of water.  You will be ok in time.  If you can lay or sit in a recliner it will be better then just siting up right.  No sex or any rough stuff for 4 weeks.  They want the clips to a hear to the prostate.  I had 4 put in 3 1/2 years ago still wide open  Have a great day  Ken  
  • DrDavidB
    DrDavidB charles40613

    Posted

    Hello group,

    I’m 71 y old with long time prostatitis (first infection at 22 y old).  I first notice difficulty urinating at 60 y ago.  My PSA started rising linearly for 30 years due to prostate enlargement and is now 17.  My urologist was convinced I had PC and I have had 3 negative biopsies, a clear MRI and several cystoscopies.   I have been taking Tamsulosin .8 Mg and Sildenafil 20mg nightly with poor results.

    He finally relented that I do not have CA and agreed to a TRUP.  I was on track for that surgery until I learned about the Urolift (I actually wanted RESUM but Kaiser does not own the equipment yet.)  I had the Urolift 8 days ago: 4 pairs of implants because the surgeon said I had a “tall” prostate.  I had encouraged him to leave in the catheter because I figured initial urination would be painful.  I think that was a wise decision.

    My surgical recovery however was difficult.  For about 5 hours my bladder was in painful spasm.  Pain medication did not touch it including a Belladonna suppository!  Finally the damn bladder relaxed and I went home to recover.  A couple of uncomfortable nights (thank you for the advice of lubricating the tube at the tip of the penis!) and I have not had any major discomfort urinating after removal.

    At Day 8 my flow is noticeably better than before the procedure and my Doc says that the squeezing of the prostate by the implants will, over time cause the gland to atrophy lending to even better results.  As I sit here I have absolutely no sense of anything abnormal “down there.”

    However this is why I am posting this:  I still am experiencing difficulty urinating at night after sleep.  I awake at night after a few hours feeling like my bladder is full.  When I try to pee I get only a few dribbles and have to wait for about 5 minutes before my stream is better and I am able to void.  This is the primary reason I wanted some sort of prostate surgery!  My hope is that the bladder will “learn” after a while that it does not have to over react and cause this difficulty.  This not only happens at night, a few nights ago during a play (90 minutes without an intermission!) I spent about 10 minutes in the restroom after the show trying to pee!

    Does anyone have this issue?  I am taking oxybutynin extended release at night.

    David

    • kenneth1955
      kenneth1955 DrDavidB

      Posted

      David.  Give your self time to heal.  Most of the time it takes 4 weeks.  I had the same problem you had with the spasm.  When I came home.  As long as I was still in bed I was fine but if I moved the spasm would hit and then I would have blood come out around the catheter.  It has been all most 4 years still wide open.  I had 4 clips also.  Just relax and rest.  You will be fine.  Ken 
    • Slincoln99
      Slincoln99 DrDavidB

      Posted

      I had a urolift 12 days ago and I too had bladder spasms - no fun! Luckily after 2 days on oxybutinen, they stopped. Last night I was up only once to pee. Still pee every few hours during the day but stream is much stronger. Slow progress. Be patient is what I’ve learned. Good luck! 
    • andyacko
      andyacko Slincoln99

      Posted

      Hi mate l also had Urolift about 3 weeks ago Badder spasm was very painful they me only panadol l think l am fairly good now. I had 8 clips because prostate was very large Also had some freenlight laser on bladder entrance still have slight blood in urine now and again stream much better need regular voiding due to drinking lots of water
    • kenneth1955
      kenneth1955 andyacko

      Posted

      Glad your doing good.  Make sure you do drink a lot of water or cranberry juice.  Remember you have 2 procedures at one time and each has it own healing time  Take it easy  Ken
    • DrDavidB
      DrDavidB kenneth1955

      Posted

      Hey Kenneth, you sound like you've been helping a lot here.  I'm 10 days post Urolift and doing what you suggested; giving myself some time to rest.  I enjoy riding my bicycle about 10 miles around the bay on both Saturday and Sunday but am wondering approximately how many weeks I should wait before I get back on the saddle?  Any history on that?

      David

    • kenneth1955
      kenneth1955 DrDavidB

      Posted

      I try to help when I can.  You are only at 10 days.  You need to rest.  You should not do anything that is stress full like sex or riding a bike or lifting anything heavy for at least 4 weeks after that you should go into it slow.  The reason for that is.  Which I was told by my doctor that they want the clips to a hear to the prostate.  After that you can do whatever you want.  It will keep you open.  I just had mine check a few months ago and I am still wide open.  It is going on 4 years.  Have a great day.  If I can help you with anything else please let me know.  Ken  
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