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
lew82832 charles40613
Posted
I had urolift 10 months ago and it has quit working. my new uro think that i have a bladder problem.
Guest charles40613
Posted
Hello,
I had the procedure done about three weeks ago, I passed blood clots fir four days and even though it was uncomfortable it seemed at the time I had better flow. Today I cant really tell anything has changed for the better except I think my bladder is empty when I go to the restroom but sometimes I empty it and within 30 minutes have to go again. I hope this was worth it because it was around 10,000 dollars and I had to pay 25%.
i would recommend anyone doing this to go with anesthesia , I was on laughing gas and it was not pleasant .
hwstock Guest
Posted
I didn't have anesthesia, or even a sedative. It's working some, but there are cautions:
I passed a 6mm kidney stone a few weeks back, and it stuck in my urethra for about 18 days, which was not particularly pleasant, but at least it passed.
The doctor went in through the rectum to apply the local in the prostate. I guess because of this, I had 2 strong antibiotics, metronidazole and cefuroxamine, a total of 2.5 grams per day for week. That was pretty intense, and the antibiotic regimen made me sick, basically killed all the good flora in my gut. I started taking probiotics before the end of the AB regimen, but still, 3 weeks after the operation came down with C difficile. The C diff was so bad it came to a point where I wouldn't mind if I had died right then, to get rid of the pain.
So be sure to discuss the AB options with your doctor. They probably would have used fewer ABs if I had simply been put unconscious.
Chiefton Guest
Posted
I got nothing other than a half dose pain shot that did nothing. 7 clips and the pain was absolutely excruciating. If your Dr will not do a general anesthesia find another Dr. Mine gave the shot, numbing gel in the first few inches of the urethra then started a aromatic mist machine, turned music on on his cell phone and I got to small rubber hot dogs to squeeze to mitigate the pain. This is a true story. As the saying goes, you can't make this sh** up.
hwstock charles40613
Posted
I didn't have anesthesia, or even a sedative. It's working some, but there are cautions:
I passed a 6mm kidney stone a few weeks back, and it stuck in my urethra for about 18 days, which was not particularly pleasant, but at least it passed.
The doctor went in through the rectum to apply the local in the prostate. I guess because of this, I had 2 strong antibiotics, metronidazole and cefuroxamine, a total of 2.5 grams per day for week. That was pretty intense, and the antibiotic regimen made me sick, basically killed all the good flora in my gut. I started taking probiotics before the end of the AB regimen, but still, 3 weeks after the operation came down with C difficile. The C diff was so bad it came to a point where I wouldn't mind if I had died right then, to get rid of the pain.
So be sure to discuss the AB options with your doctor. They probably would have used fewer ABs if I had simply been put unconscious.
2019Guy charles40613
Posted
Boy, Hwstock, that's very distressing to read. Sorry you've been through so much!
My experience (other than the hospital stay part) is more similar to yours, Deron. Lots of clots and it took basically 10 days to clear them all. I'll be a month out on Monday, when I'm scheduled to have a chat with my uro. So far I would give it about a 10% improvement mark, maybe a bit more. But I do know that full effects can take several months so I remain cautiously optimistic.
george18730 charles40613
Posted
Hi Ken:
Your participation on these forums have been a great help to myself and others, thank you. To help everyone make the most informed decision as possible regarding their BPH treatment choices, I thought I'd post a follow-up about my journey.
I had the Urolift done around two years ago (I was a perfect candidate, see my other posts) and everything went great I had improved flow and nocturia for the first 6-8 months and then things got progressively worse because my prostate continued to grow. (I'm a very healthy 68 year old vegan that spends 5-6 days a week in the gym, blah, blah blah. ) Then I started having on and off urinary track infections and prostatitis. They ran a MRI which showed a 85-90% probability of cancer, whoa. Luckily a follow-up biopsy came up negative, yay. Because of all these symptoms I needed to make another treatment choice.
My urologist is very progressive and offers a number of different treatments including the Urolift , Rezum and TURP. He was the first to offer the Urolift in our county. That said, he told me I should strongly consider a TURP because he still believes that it is the most effective for the long haul. I had it done 12 days ago and the first few days were a little tough but I am improving day by day. After only 12 days I can safely say that I have never had flow like this, except in my youth. No incontinence or any other complications. My Uro confidently said I should be good for at least 20 years which surprised me. He showed me before and after photos and I don't doubt his prediction. Yes, I will have retro ejaculation but I had it when I was taking Finasteride and Tamsulosin and it's no big deal (my wife thinks it's awesome ....most would agree I think).At the time, the Urolift seemed like the prefect choice but in hindsight I wish I would have done the TURP.
hwstock george18730
Posted
I had urolift 5 years after a TURP. My TURP became ineffective within 4-5 months.
kenneth1955 george18730
Posted
Hey they Buddy
Glad your doing great. Yes Urolift does help for some but with the prostate that grows you have to watch. When you had your first one done how many clips did you have put in. I had 4 if I need more I will but for now all is good. Almost 5 years.
You could have tried a few more clips but your the type of men that the prostate keeps growing. Who knows it may grow back.
What type of Turp did he do. Did you ask him if he could try to save your ejaculation It can be done. It has to do with some of the tissue.
But that is up to you and your wife. What ever is good for you. I hope it all works for you and you can enjoy your life....Ken
kenneth1955 hwstock
Posted
It does happen
Take care....Ken
2019Guy george18730
Posted
That's good to hear, George. I've generally been of the opinion - based mainly on hearsay I suppose - that the TURP procedure was being phased out. But clearly this is erroneous. I'm sorry to read that the 'lift didn't work for you and that your prostate is growing. The TURP was surely a wise choice.
I was diagnosed a year ago with 2 cores Gleason 6 PCa and am on Active Surveillance. I'm interested to know more about your MRI and the "high probability". Shall I assume it was a guided biopsy based on the MRI? And did they give you a PI-RADs score? Prostate cancer is a very difficult thing to pin down and - and I'm not trying to alarm you, your physicians clearly know best - there can be false positives on imaging studies; and biopsies, even targeted ones, can miss cancer. I'm guessing they're checking your PSA levels fairly regularly and perhaps will schedule you for another MRI in a year.
As for retrograde ejaculation.... well, I don't like it, mainly because the sensation, at least for me, is greatly diminished (for the record my wife doesn't care.... except about me, bless her heart). I've also been on tamsulosin and just came off a 2-week course of Finasteride after the Urolift. But going back to a youthful flow would be marvelous!
Good health and continued improvement to you.
David
kenneth1955 2019Guy
Posted
David
They are doing less and less regular Turps because there are coming up with different one. My Urologist has only done 3 in the last 4 years. He will only use it as a last resort. He will try other stuff
I was watching a video yesterday the PSA was not suppose to use to find cancer it was suppose to keep a eye on it when you have cancer. They also yes that the best test to see if you have cancer is the HDX-3.
Have not had a chance to check it out
Be safe and make sure you all relax after you have a procedure
george18730 2019Guy
Posted
Hi David:
The MRI showed a 3.3 cm lesion that was rated at PI-RADS 5. The report did say that the suspected cancer was probably contained within prostate which, of course ,would have been the good news if it was cancer. They used the MRI to do a targeted biopsy and took 15 Core samples ( 12 + 3 extra around the lesion), all negative. My Uro did say the he did not see any evidence of cancer during the TURP and all of the tissue removed came back negative. They will check my PSA again at my 3 month follow-up.
I will never go back on the drugs. I didn't realize for the 5+ years that I took them how much they affected my libido and reduced the sensation. Within a few days of stopping the drugs I was chasing my poor wife around the house like I was 20 years old, LOL.
Let the flow be with you David.
George
kenneth1955 george18730
Posted
Sorry George>>>>
I forgot to say thank you.I do try to help when I can. When you are picking a procedure you have to have all the information you can to pick what procedure that you think will be good for you. With so many out there you just have do.
All doctors are different and all men have different concerns when picking a procedure. Some men just take the word of the doctor and after the procedure we what to know why stuff is happening because the doctor did not tell them in detail what was going to happen and they did not ask.
Some doctors will not even return your calls when you ask to many questions. But you also have to remember that doctor will try to sell what ever procedure they are doing. They are like car salesmen.
When doing your research you have to make a list what are you looking for in a procedure. What are you concerns. Are you still interested in sex and what will be the side effects. Will the procedure cause ED or lose of ejaculation. With men getting BPH earlier someone at 35 may have different concern then someone at 60.
For me my problem did not start until I was 57. After test he found out I had a stricture. 6 month's later I had the Urolift done because my prostate doubled and was closed tight. My concern was with my erection and I refuse to give up my ejaculation. It goes together with my orgasm. After 5 years still open
But this what I picked and what worked for me. My doctor was a wear of my concerns. I do not care what you pick. It is not up to me but you have to get a second opinion to make the right choice. Do not rush into anything and do not let your symptoms dictate what procedure you have. You are the one that will have to make the choice and you are the one that will have to deal with the side effects.
Another good thing to do is if you pick a procedure ask to talk with men that the doctor have done it to and see what there outcome are.
All the best to all of you and lets hope in the years to come that find a cure for BPH. It is about time and long over dew.
God Bless.........Ken
2019Guy george18730
Posted
Hmm. PI-RADs 5 is deeply suspicious for cancer and 3 cm is big. I'm guessing that they found it to be BPH. But MRI reading for PCa is a very specialized thing and not all radiologists are good at it. That happened with me, the same reading (5), and when I showed it to two other radiologists (one who worked on the committee for PI-RADs v2) they reversed the first one's opinion.
It's good you got the targeted biopsy and interesting that there was a lesion to look at. All part of the mystery! And extra good that they biopsied the tissue from the TURP and it was negative.
This to you and also Kenneth: PSA is not necessarily a good predictor for PCa because many things can cause it to rise - like infection, riding a bike, ejaculation, etc. Kenneth, that test you mention, do you mean PCA 3? Or perhaps Confirm MDX? There are a number of genomic tests - Oncotype DX, Decipher and Prolaris are the most well-known and test for slightly different things. They're primarily useful if you have biopsy-proven cancer. Some doctors won't even recommend you for it unless you're at least Gleason 7 (3+4 or above).
PSA is like a guideline. Yes, it's most valuable after treatment (either rads or surgery) to determine if - since basically you don't have any cancer left, hopefully - there's still something there making it. Some doctors don't care much for its predictive value in treatment naive men. But yet everyone still uses it that way, and if your numbers are going up, especially over a short period, it could be cause for concern.
The gold standard, and the only way to be absolutely sure, is biopsy. And that, George, is excellent in your case. I'm sure your doc will stay on top of the situation.
Onward!
David
kenneth1955 2019Guy
Posted
Good morning David
I did a look up and yes I did find that there are 3 blood test that they use. It seams that the PCA-3 is the most.
Have a good day......Ken
2019Guy kenneth1955
Posted
I assumed as much, Ken. The first step in the potential march toward PCa diagnosis is generally the DRE (digital rectal exam). A necessary unpleasantness but not so bad in my experience. So I hope all who are reading this are getting them regularly.