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
mellonc charles40613
Posted
its been 3 weeks for me. the flow is a little better. bleeding has also stopped. but i now have other problems. there is serious amount of bladder spasm after i go to the bathroom. i cant stop it as it happens naturally. i also cannot hold it more than 90 minutes. the duration doesn's bother me but when i have the urge i can not even hold it for longer than 10 minutes. finally, i cannot empty my bladder fully. i feel like i have to go again. sometimes that is what i end up doing. or i get serious amount of dribbling. this is a huge problem because i have to travel for work in about 2 weeks. im not sure i can survive NYC subway with this condition. taking flomax doesnt change anything. i had none of these issues before surgery except the slow flow. and, im still wearing Depends undergarment. QUESTION did anyone have a cystoscopy after the surgery? how long did you wait to have it done?
andyacko mellonc
Posted
The bladder spasms are agony l had them in hospital and my wife thought l was over dramatizing but they really hurt and l convinced the nurse to give me some tramadol which saved the day good luck with recovery the road can be long they all say that the full TURPS is the gold standard in treatment but they also say your sexual function can be effected. You need to weigh it up. Sex is still important to me.
mellonc andyacko
Posted
It's now been 3 and 1/2 weeks since the procedure. The bladder spasms are slowly going away. Bedroom activity is slowly coming back and but not 100%. I'll give it another week for that.
However, I still have dribbling issues, and still get up once or twice per night. Given that I got the procedure because of nocturnia. the results, so far, have been incomplete to say the least. Oh, and, I still have to go the bathroom every hour. However, the flow is better than before.
I'll report back to the group after my one month post op with the doc.
kenneth1955 mellonc
Posted
Good Evening
Mellonc
Just give it some time. It take around 4 weeks but being we are all different it may take you a little longer.
Just relax...Ken
bob75564 mellonc
Posted
Mellonc, I agree with Ken--give it some time. You need to heal and we all heal at different rates. I had mine over 3 years ago, don't remember how long it took to see improvement, but it has worked well for me. Give it the 4 weeks suggested and see how it is going. Good luck. Bob
mellonc bob75564
Posted
I had my 1 month post op today. my condition, BTW, is worse than before the surgery with additional issues like not being able to hold it for more than 1 hour, super weak stream. However, the ultrasound says my bladder is empty?!?! In any case, I took a video of my urination and and discussed my fresh bleeding episode (7 days after surgery) after all bleeding stopped. the doc's thought is that one of the clips may have moved and maybe messing with bladder area (not entirely clear on this explanation but I get that clips moving too close to the bladder part isn't good). But the bad news is that he doesn't want to do a cystoscopy now and wants to wait so that my urethra and prostate tissues don't get anymore trauma.I asked if he'll do the clips again, if he finds that one of them indeed moved. He says most likely he'll take just that particular one out and see how I respond.
100 years of modern medicine and we still can't figure out a simple peeing problem...........I'm p****d.
mike1016 mellonc
Posted
**Good message. I was p ****d at 1 month also after my Urolift. Mine was done on December 13, 2018. Didn't think I would ever get better. I had the same symptoms you had at 1 month plus I still had a catheter in and couldn't pee on my own. Then 1 day about 2-3 weeks later, the catheter came out, I self cathed for a week so I didn't have the urgency and all of a sudden, everything got better. I asked to be put on Vesicare because the Urolift helped the prostate problem but I still could only hold 100-200 cc of urine before I had urgency therefore had an overactive bladder on top of the prostate problem. I am now on Vesicare 5 mg. and Tamulosin 4 mg. dly. If I want, I can take Cialis 5 mg. dly in place of the Tamulosin and it will work fine. I am experimenting right now. They told me to be patient and I wasn't. I had urodynamics done and it showed my bladder can only hold 200 cc before I have to go. Therefore, the Vesicare should help my OAB. I also fell on the ice and my wife, the nurse, checked my urine and it showed blood in my urine. It has gotten better too. In 3 months, I will have another cystoscopy because we thought we saw a polyp in my bladder during the last cysto. and we want it removed. Make sure to ask for what you want but give it 3-4 months before asking for another cystoscopy because everything can resolve by then. 1 month out is too soon to expect everything to be normal. Maybe it is for some people, but most people find you get better with time and patience. Get your mind off of it and you'll find it will get better. Hope you get better soon. Many of us have had the same symptoms and problems as you...you are not alone but there is hope and it WILL get better.
ramblin mellonc
Posted
I had a urolift Oct of last year. I have had a great deal of pain, and my urgency and frequency is worse than before the procedure. I had a cystoscopy yesterday, and the 5 pins are still in place, but my uro is in agreement that it just didn't help me. He is now trying to get me to do TURP. The one benefit that I thought I got from UROLIFT, an end to retention events, has now also reversed. I have restarted self cathing. At least it wasn't as expensive as PAE, which was also a bust.
kenneth1955 ramblin
Posted
Hey buddy
The Urolift did what it was suppose to do. You had 5 maybe you need a couple of more. Or the problem may just be you bladder.
I'm going on 4 years for mine. My Urolift worked great. I do have now a tight external sphincter . My urologist put me on Vesicare 10 mg. It relaxes the prostate and the bladder. Maybe that would help you
It is not all ways the prostate. It can be the bladder the kidney or any of the muscles in that area. Try other things. The Turp is not all ways the answer.
I have been told that doctor will do all the test they can and if they can't find a answer they will assume it's the prostate and what to cut it out. But after it out what if you still have the problem. To late then..
Good luck....Ken
I did not have the Vasicare for a month. I could tell the difference
ramblin kenneth1955
Posted
I have no choice but to keep trying, and I have no interest in TURP. Like you say, it is a dead end street. However, I am quite disappointed and have some complications that I did not have before the procedure. I now have chronic constipation, which I have never had before. Twice daily doses of Konsyl are now essential. The problem started with the procedure. Either my prostate got pinned to my colon, or a bulge is pressing against my colon. I now have to have a colonoscopy to determine the cause, and likely some corrective surgery. Neither the URO nor NEOTRACT could tell me that this couldn't happen. Of course, there was no warning up front. Everything out there about UROLIFT is sunshine and rainbows.
kenneth1955 ramblin
Posted
Ramblin
It is hard to say what is going on. That is the first time I heard of it. I know when I had mine done He gave a a stool softer so I would not force my self to go. Are you on any medication that would do that.
Please let me know what is going on.
Ken
mellonc ramblin
Posted
just adding a data point here.... from my experience i actually have a little more, shall we say "control," of my anal muscles after the procedure. As such, my bowel movements are actually easier if that could be even possible.Sometimes, I would even say that I have the urge to deficate, even though I've already gone. So, I do think the nerves that are down there pinch up against whatever other connections you have below. Otherwise, we wouldn't feel any different.
andyacko kenneth1955
Posted
Hey Ken, they have come out with new prostrate trial in Australia where they inject into the prostate and shrink it Sounds like the best method yet. How difficult is it to remove the staples if required? Andy A
petermiami mellonc
Posted
You may want to discuss with your Dr a FDA approved nasal spray called Noctiva for nocturia. I am 5 days post op and I will consider it in a couple of weeks if my nocturia doesn't improve.
george18730 charles40613
Posted
Hello Mellonc:
I don't know what you were told or what your expectations were post procedure, but waking up once, or even twice a night to urinate, is normal for someone with a healthy prostate. Before my Urolift procedure I was going 3-4+times a night and now I go once or twice (on a rare occasion I will sleep through the night). I'm happy. I can't comment on the dribbling thing other than I would guess that will correct itself shortly.
George
mellonc george18730
Posted
Only woke up once last night around 4am. Bad time because it's close enough to my regular waking time of 5am..... so I couldn't go back to sleep. Bladder spasm is now down to about 1/3 of the pain from the initial pain. I can hold it about 90 minutes now, which is an improvement. But sudden urges still come. I was in the elevator when it happened yesterday and I had to squeeze my thighs together. People were looking at me like I was 10 years old.
john09076 mellonc
Posted
Been there!!
kenneth1955 mellonc
Posted
Hello All
Last week one of the men was told by his doctor that the Urolift after a year will make the prostate smaller.
I just heard back from the company Neo Tract.
This is what they told me. The Urolift is made to lift the prostate away from the urethra. The clips are quite small and could not reduce blood flow enough to make the prostate smaller.
Take care...Ken
mellonc kenneth1955
Posted
My doctor told me that in not so difinitive fashion. He said he has seen smaller prostate due to less blood going to the prostate. I guess there is no clinical research data yet. I feeling is that Urolift should work out OK for me until my prostate actually gets quite big - then, I will look into something like PAE. For now, my prostate is normal size....
drummer10 kenneth1955
Posted
I have had nothing yet but PAE is my inclination I am thinking URO LIFT as a distant second can anyone tell me pros and cons on PAE its all very scary to me but thank you all for the educational discussion Cant help but think us men are big babies but ill admit I'm the biggest 69 year old baby heard PAE DR would prefer LARGER prosrate then smaller 75 cc or larger any info you have on PAE would be apprciateted SO I CANT spell please excuse
william10248 drummer10
Posted
i have had both and PAE was much less tramatic and I have had excellent flow, stoppage, and no RE. i had an experienced surgeon and he felt it was a good option versus TURP to open the prostate up.