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
mike1016 charles40613
Posted
I am a healthy 65 year old man and in good shape. I have had mild BPH for 10 years. I was on a cruise in Oct. 2018 when I developed total urinary retention and terrible urgency pain. I went to the ship's medical department and I had 900 cc of urine in my bladder. They inserted a catheter and its been in ever since (its been changed out 6 times since) but I can't urinate and need it. Since then, I have been on Flomax and Advodart and oxybutinin for spasms. Have tried to urinate when catheter comes out but within 4 hours, I am back at the doctors office with a new catheter inserted. I went for second opinion at University of Iowa urology department. Had a cystoscopy, MRI, and it was determined I was a candidate for Urolift. My prostate was at 76cc and PSA 6.1. I have had 2 prostate biopsies over the past 8 years with benign results. Today, I am 1 week out from a Urolift and still have a catheter in. I saw the surgeon yesterday, they took the catheter out, and still have complete retention. I waited in the urology clinic for 4 hours and drank 7 glasses of water and 2 cups of coffee. I had terrible urgency and a bloated stomach but not a drop of pee came out on my own. The doctor kept me on the same medications, did a bladder ultrasound showing 680 cc in the bladder and reinserted a catheter again. The doctor says to come back in 2 weeks. Does anybody have any insights into why I can't urinate even after the Urolift? The doctor says my bladder has been traumatized from having a catheter in and from a recent UTI and from the Urolift procedure itself. I am very frustrated. What is next? Will I ever pee on my own again? Am I being impatient? Sex is very important to my wife and me. That is why we wanted the Urolift.
By the way, the Urolift was done in the OR under general anesthesia and took 45 minutes and they inserted 4 bands. It was easy and painless, although I had red punch colored urine for 24 hours , some blood clots coming out around the catheter for 24 hours and lots of bladder spasms for 5 days. My Medicare and secondary BCBS covered the entire bill. I welcome any thoughts, opinions, and advice from anyone. One final thought....has anybody ever used saw palmetto and is it effective for prostate health? THANKS!
kenneth1955 mike1016
Posted
Hey Mike.
Sorry that you are going through this problem. Who check you for the Urolift. The Urolift will not work for retention. There has to be something wrong with your bladder or the bladder neck.
Go back to the doctor and have more test. They should have not did it on you. Most other procedure have a 50/50 chance of working Most of the time the prostate is not the problem.
I had my Urolift done for the same reason. I did not want any side effects going on 4 clips. Hope they find the reason for your problem.
Ken
mike1016 kenneth1955
Posted
Thanks, Kenneth, for your comments. My MRI did confirm a complete narrowing of the urethra caused by prostate enlargement so I am confident that the prostate is at least part of the problem and I don't regret the Urolift yet. I am concerned about the bladder neck and the sphincter not working correctly. Luckily, my wife is a RN with a Masters degree so she isn't afraid to ask all the questions. So our next visit will be all about alternative medicines and bladder/ sphincter issues and testing. I don't know much about Vesicare but we have a neurosurgeon friend who said there are many medications for a neurogenic bladder. I looked them up and want to have my arsenal ready for my next visit. I refuse to self cath. until all options are exhausted. Any other thoughts are welcome. Good luck to you on your Urolift journey and hopefully, time and patience will be our savior. Merry Christmas!
kenneth1955 mike1016
Posted
Hello Mike
I'm happy you have a wife that know what is going on. Yes you need to ask the question to see what is going on. The Urolift does do it's job by opening the urethra with the clips. I'm sorry that it did not work yet. Maybe it will kick in like with your retention. You get what I mean. One day your fine and the next you can't pee. Maybe it will go the other way
It will be 4 years for my Urolift I was in the hospital in November of 2016 Went in for something else and I stopped going they had to put a catheter in. Long story short my doctor found out that I have a tight external sphincter. That is why he gave me the Vasicare
I have been on it for a year. It has worked great and no side effects. You would have to have the catheter taking out. Please try CIC. It would help you and with your wife there she care help you if you find.
I am not a fan of catheters but I do have some catheters just in case. I can do it if I come up with a problem. You need to get rid of that. Maybe go on it for the first week with the catheter and then have it taking out. You never know.
I want you to get back to a normal life.....Happy Holidays.....................Ken
mellonc charles40613
Posted
I had mine done 12 days ago. Still bleeding at the end of peeing.... A couple of drops of pink to reddish color. Still on Flomax. The doctor said 2 weeks to get better but no change from before the surgery.
What is the typical time after surgery to stop bleeding?
ramblin mellonc
Posted
My bleeding stopped in 3 days - I had pain, however, for 6 weeks. My procedure was Oct 18, and I'm still not quite right. The one big benefit is that where I was cathing twice a day, now I have only needed to cath once since the procedure. I'm still having problems with frequency and urgency.
kenneth1955 ramblin
Posted
Hey Guys
Being that we are all different we all heal at different rates. When I had mine. My bleeding was done in a week. I had a catheter for 3 days and most of my clogs came out during them 3 days.
I was good to go in about 2 weeks. I was my urologist 20th patient that he did. The Urolift was only out 6 month's at that time. I had 4 clip put in and it will be 4 years in April.
Take care and give it some time....Ken
mike1016 charles40613
Posted
Had my urolift on December 13, 2018 at the University of Iowa Hospital. I had total urinary retention so I had to have a catheter in me until we determined what surgery I would need. The Urolift was a very easy procedure but I had a very sore and agitated bladder due to the total retention due to total prostate closing off the urethra so I left the hospital with an indwelling catheter in place for 4 weeks. The surgery was done in the OR under general anesthesia. It took about 45 minutes total and I had 2 bands put on each prostate. I had red punch colored urine for 2 days and spasms. Slowly, it has gotten better. I learned to cath myself for comfort which I did about 2-3 times per day for about 3 weeks. Cathing yourself isn't as bad as you might imagine. As of today, I feel pretty normal except for some urgency which I've had for years. I'm still on Tamulosin and Advodart but will discuss with physician at next appt. in 2 weeks to see if I can discontinue any of these drugs. I haven't used a catheter in 2-3 weeks now. I am thinking I might just need something different to treat OAB...perhaps Vesicare. I would consider my Urolift a success but it took 6 weeks to get here. So....my advice to anyone wanting a Urolift is PATIENCE! The procedure and testing was 100% covered by Medicare and BCBS. I am 65 years old.
mark09977 charles40613
Posted
I had mine done Dec 10th and was worried it wasnt effective but it finally started getting better last week. CAN't say the flow/stream is back to what it was at 40 but definitely better than it was before. not getting up at night ans able to hold longer.
andyacko mark09977
Posted
Love reading these stories makes my own situation seem quite good. l had 8 clips put in and some green light laser September 14 2018 Intially had bleeding everytime l exercised so decided to take it easy have not bled for a month or more. No meds which is great Still think frequency and urgency can be an issue but getting better. All my other functions normaL Wish to travel so would like the frequency to reduce more. Getting off the tabLets has been win. I understand the concerns others have but overall my urolift seems to have worked quite well. .
kenneth1955 andyacko
Posted
Hey Andy
Glad you are finely healing. It took a while because of your Green Light Laser surgery on your bladder neck.
I'm happy for you...Ken
mellonc andyacko
Posted
day 13 after the procedure. i had a huge chunk of blood/plasma clot discharge. right before that, i was bleeding beet red for about 1 hour. it was so bad that i was thinking about going to the ER. however after the "chunk" (it was larger than my pinky finger) came out, the bleeding stopped to a usual mild pink color. the urine stream improved however. that chunk must have been impeding the flow for days.....
andyacko mellonc
Posted
l think the one thing the surgeons don't do enough of is reassurance. you need to know about the stages you go through in recovery It is not a quick fix like they tell you when they take your money
mellonc andyacko
Posted
i got a call from the doctor's office today. they said not to worry. but if it happens again and the color red is like tomato juice, then go to the ER .
not sure that is reassuring.
anyways, the flow became somewhat good today and bleeding occured only when starting to pee at about diluted cranberry juice color. im gonna try skipping FLOMAX
andyacko mellonc
Posted
l had some bad bleeds but only after playing sport or exercise but they cleared very quickly when drinking water. Get off tablets as soon as you can side effects are terrible.
andyacko kenneth1955
Posted
Hi Ken, yes doing much better sometimes l go frequently sometimes not. but no meds is a big win .
kenneth1955 mellonc
Posted
Hey Buddy
I have to ask.
Have you been resting and not doing stuff your not suppose to be doing. Are you on any blood thinner or do you take aspirin?
Try just to relax and don't sit to much. If you have a recliner that would be better for you.
Good luck.......Ken........
PS. Had that happen to me after I had my repair done took my blood thinner to soon
kenneth1955 andyacko
Posted
Andy
That's great. It took a while for you to heal.
Hope things improve more...Ken
mellonc kenneth1955
Posted
no blood thinners. not even fish oil. it was a long driving day due to crash on the highway. took 2 hours to get home. i held on for a long time.
kenneth1955 mellonc
Posted
Thanks for writing back.
That may have something to do with it.
Sitting in a car for that long and holding it. You never know.
Just try to relax and drink a lot of water ad cranberry juice. No citrus Juice. It's a irritant to the bladder.....
Take it easy....Ken
andyacko kenneth1955
Posted
use the recliner a lot but your right sitting too long is definitely not good.
mellonc kenneth1955
Posted
does anyone know what it feels like if one or two of the clips get loose? not saying it's happening to me but just wondering. is that like a hugely painful experience? will i feel it right away?
kenneth1955 mellonc
Posted
Mellonc
That happen to me 9 months after I had it done. Never know one of off. Never felt it. My doctor found it when he was checking my stricture. It was kind of funny when the doctor was looking through the camera and he yells out what in the world is that.
I felt like saying you have the camera. Ken
andyacko kenneth1955
Posted
Wow Ken you didn't tell me that l have 8 what are my chances that one or more could come loose. How would l know? You seem to be a strong advocate for Urolift and it does have its short comings My mate had full turps and 6 weeks later he appears to be better than me . Plus you still take meds l checked out the potential side effects and they certainly exist.
kenneth1955 andyacko
Posted
Hey Andy
The only reason my one clip got lose was because my prostate got smaller. When I had the one replaced they had to tighten the other 3. After 4 year I'm still open. I take no prostate med. This last year I do take 1 pill for a tight external sphincter. Nothing else for the prostate
If you would have had only the Urolift you would have been good to go in 4 weeks or so but being your doctor would not take no for the GL laser on your bladder neck that is why you have to add 12 more weeks to it. The other guy I was talking to about the same thing. His doctor agreed to do only the Urolift. The doctor told him no problem they can always do the BNI. He never needed it. He was great in 5 weeks.
That's all I have to say. Glad your better.Ken
kenneth1955 andyacko
Posted
Andy
One more thing.
That was the first time any clips got lose. I'm in there research files. My doctor informed them that it happen. The only thing they have figure out that could have caused my prostate to get smaller was that 2 month's before I was on 2500 mg of Ciprofloxacin for 30 days??????????????????
Ken
andyacko kenneth1955
Posted
Hi Ken if there is a drug that will shrink the prostate why don't we all get that in order to reduce surgery. l was always told that you couldn't shrink it.
kenneth1955 andyacko
Posted
Andy.
The Urolift company and my doctor could not figure it out that was the only pill I was on for that month
I know there are drugs that the doctors will give you but it takes time and there are to many side effects.
If someone could figure it out. They would be in the money....Ken
DrDavidB kenneth1955
Posted
Ken, Don't forget that I told you that my Uro told me that after a year or so the clips can cause the prostate to shrink due to a slight restriction in blood flow. You poo-poo'd this and now you are experiencing it. Keep an open mind.
David
kenneth1955 DrDavidB
Posted
Hey David
I do not remember you saying that. I have to e-mail the company and see what they say. Been researching Urologist for over 4 years and I have never read it. It could be true. I will never give up on Urolift. If I have to have it again. I would
Take care......Ken
andyacko kenneth1955
Posted
Hi Ken pretty sure my urologist didn't mention that about shrinkage and clips becoming loose. If true could be a problem and l for one would not back this method l will check with my guy!
kenneth1955 andyacko
Posted
Hey Andy
Yes my doctor never said that to me. I reading some stuff on it know but have not found out anything. I just got done writing a e-mail to the company and see what they have to say. I can e-mail my doctor and ask him about it also
As far as I know I was the only one that this happen to. My urologist did a report for the company. So I'm on a list.
I don't see this happening because you are not cutting or doing anything to the blood supply. The Urolift only opens the prostate up. I will see what the company tell me on Monday.
Glad your doing better. Take care Ken
andyacko kenneth1955
Posted
Thanks mate! i love your commitment to this
kenneth1955 andyacko
Posted
Thanks Andy
I try to help where I can. I will let you know on Monday when I get a answer from the company.
Been going through a bunch of stuff on the Urolift. Have not found anything like that yet. Well keep trying.
Rest up my friend and take it easy...Ken