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
Evdilos charles40613
Posted
Thanks so much for the support. Is duodart more effective than tamsolusin.
Tony
Ess_Kay Evdilos
Posted
Duodart is a combination of 2 drugs Tamsolusin being one part.I beleive it helps flow. The other drug in it shrinks your prostate. I was reluctant to take it because of the long list of side affect , some very unpleasant. I know people that got depressed when taking it, and one guy started to get enlarged breasts. I got retrograde ejaculation which I did not like so stopped it.
Chiefton charles40613
Posted
I just went through this procedure (surgery in my mind) 5 days ago. Prior to surgery, I had asked my doctor about anesthesia. He said it was not needed because you only feel the snap of the lift when it is placed. I trusted him. Major league error on my part. First, the numbing gel and a half dosage pain med shot. When I was taken to the procedure room, the doctor started an aromatic mist machine, turned on music on his cell phone and the nurses handed me 2 plastic fist size hot dogs to squeeze for pain. Yes folks, this is a true story. That was my pain management program. It was excruciating and I have a very high pain tolerance. Every clamp that went in felt like a razor blade being dragged across my prostate as the pain meds completely failed. The snap felt like a twist of a knife and then the knife slid back out. I got 7 of these with each getting progressively worse. I bled like a stuck pig after that and mentioned that to the manager who was there and he just said you will bleed. I left and went home in severe pain (couldn't wait to get out of there) and bled heavily for about 20 hours. It slowed after that but I had to go back in after 3 days due to lightheartedness that felt like I was suffering from too much blood loss. I am glad I did because tests showed that I had started to get a track infection and started antibiotics immediately. I had a total knee replacement 2 years ago and cannot risk infection which my Dr knew about. They wanted to do an irrigation of the bladder which I was very hesitant about but they thought it best. I told them if I hurt to bad they had to stop. That ended up being the case. I finally got some meds from a PA (I thank God for her) that was a pain killer for when you urinate that have worked excellent. The Dr called and said sorry and if I am still bleeding in another 2 days (7 overall) he will go in and cauterize. He doesn't know yet but it will not be him. No way, no how. To give you an idea how high my pain tolerance is, I had a total knee replacement and after 6 weeks I was golfing and bowling again without any pain meds. Yes, my flow is excellent but do not let your surgeon do this without anesthesia, preferably a general. It is,in my opinion, totally irresponsible not to. Yup, mist, music and hot dogs to squeeze for my pain. And to top it off, the pain meds I received form him (that I knew nothing about prior to this) had warnings that it could be fatal to asthma patients and can cause excessive bleeding in elderly patients and could be fatal for that also. Oh boy, I have asthma that is in my health record and will be 68 in a few months. So we brought death into the equation for a minimally invasive procedure.
Ess_Kay Chiefton
Posted
OMFG.. bad experience and sorry to hear that. Hope you are recovering well. I am in Sydney Australia and my doctor did not even mention doing the job without a general anesthetic and over night stay in hospital. Good luck and hope it all goes well.
Chiefton Ess_Kay
Posted
They had me pee after the final flush and I was out the door in 3 minutes. Even after mentioning extreme bleeding. Day 6 still bleeding at varying amounts but still very noticeable. PA prescribe Pyridium which turns urine dark yellow and numbs the urethra during urination. Has helped a lot with pain.
2019Guy Chiefton
Posted
I'm so sorry to read this, Chiefton. It sounds awful. Hope things improve quickly.
andyacko Chiefton
Posted
That is unbelievable. I had 8 clips 12 months ago under general anaesthetic. Not convinced that my flow has improved much. Think l am the way l was on meds. At least l can cope and dont need the tablets which are no good. My mate had Turps and l think he is better off than me.Never had that strong flow that a healthy system should. As for your OP the surgeon is a butcher. I had a hernia like that under local and it hurt like hell. When l complained to the surgeon after he joking said he would take a note for next time. Funny guy!!
Chiefton andyacko
Posted
You beat me by 1 clip. Flow is great for me with no issues. I was easily passing clots the size of a quarter with some bigger than that. One was about an inch and a half long but only pencil size around. The clot passing is seeming to have slowed to smaller particles in my urine but still blood too. Had a laparoscopic hernia repair about 20 years ago and have never had a problem with it after that. Done under a general. Very sore for 2 days then felt completely healed after 4 days and was back to normal. Great doctor on that one. I have no complaints about the outcome so far but the path there was terrible and problems are still not resolved. I want my life back to do my activities again. I have been holding off due to the bleeding as I am concerned about increasing the bleeding if I get active.
mark09977 Chiefton
Posted
I had mine exactly a year ago this week... i think i beat you all on one thing age..... was 52 at the time. 53 now.
Had 7 clips.... no real anesthesia, just some laughing gas. While i was happy to be able to drive myself home an hour later not sure i'd opt for the same procedure again. Passed a few clots and had some bleeding for about two weeks. My flow has definitely improved overall BUT there are times where it is a struggle. One big difference is the urgency and frequency,
both have definitely improved. i travel a lot for work and before the surgery i had to change or cancel a trip if i couldn't get and aisle. Now i don't need to worry..... unfortunately i came to learn that despite a doctor's note etc.... frequency was not an excuse to get airlines to help!
Sex etc.... is good but definitely would tell any newbies to wait 4 weeks and expect a little pain the first few times....
kenneth1955 mark09977
Posted
Mark and Everyone
Yes that is true my doctor told me to wait 4 weeks. I was 58 at the time. Did have some clogs when I had the catheter in but after it came out had very little. It was about 10 days when I could not wait. ( I just want to make sure all was good ) It did hurt and there was a little blood. It does clear after a few times
I told my doctor and he yelled at me. He then told me that this is because they want the clips to a here to the prostate. It has been almost 5 years and the 4 clips are still in the same place.
At 64 all is good and if something happen down the road I would do it again.
They also have come up with a procedure to deal with the median lobe. It is called the MedLift. So far there are 35 doctors in many of the states that do both. It has been out about 1.5 years.
God Bless you all....Ken
Deltoid Chiefton
Posted
Chiefton:
That is a terrible experience you had to endure. Can you tell me if this was in the United States or another country?
I had my procedure this past July. The anesthesiologist started my drip as soon as they came to wheel me into surgery. The next thing I knew, they were waking me up in recovery. I did not have to have a catheter, for which I was glad. Peeing was painful for a week or so. I had to go more frequently for several weeks. Overall, what I am most pleased with is that I was able to get off of flomax and avodart. When I went back for my 6 month check up, the doctor said I had an overactive bladder, gave me a low dosage medicine to help control it.
Overall, I am happy with the outcome. I am 75 years old. I do resistance training 6 days a week and walk a minimum of 9 miles each day.
Chiefton Deltoid
Posted
NC, USA. Yup, I am off of both of those meds also. At first the results were good with good flow but it is diminishing with time. I am a month and a half into it. My 6 month is in June and that will be the last time I see him. I would leave sooner but I will let him do his follow up before I leave his practice. I have absolutely no trust in him at all. I had his PA put me on pyridium for the urination pain and healing and it worked very well. Why my doc doesn't prescribe it from the start is beyond me. But of course he said he does not use anesthesia because a urolift is painless. Not. I have had a cramping feeling in the area of my prostate but in front and an occasional sharp pain. Did you have these feelings also? If so, when do they go away?
douglas03547 Deltoid
Posted
what low dose overactive bladder drug were you prescribed?
Deltoid Chiefton
Posted
No, I didn't have any pain like that. I did have a strong urgency to go occasionally, and when l did, I really had to go. I had my procedure in MS.
Deltoid douglas03547
Posted
AZO, it is an over the counter med.
kenneth1955 Deltoid
Posted
Good evening
Yes you can get it over the counter. Any drug store or if you have a Wal-mart's you can get it there also.
Good luck to all. My Urolift is going on 5 years and I would do it again.
Have a great day....Ken
Deltoid kenneth1955
Posted
Five years, that is very encouraging. Mine will be one year in July. So far so good.
kenneth1955 Deltoid
Posted
Yes 5 years still open. I'm seeing what is going to happen. When I had it done they said a 5 year life. If I have to have a couple more clips put in to keep it open. No problem.
You can go up to 8. I have only 4. And if I develop a median lope there is a new procedure that the company came up with about 2 years ago. It is called the MedLift. It is just for the median lope.
Good luck to everyone....Ken
bert33901 douglas03547
Posted
Be careful with AZO. Overuse can contribute to urinary retention. I learned that the hard way. Ended up on a catheter for a week 6 weeks after the procedure. Make sure to follow the directions.
Deltoid kenneth1955
Posted
Thanks for the update Kenneth. Hopefully the procedure will last beyond 5 years.
kenneth1955 Deltoid
Posted
Thank you.
Good luck...Ken