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
Bbs1960 charles40613
Posted
Did you have any leakage or accidents during the first couple weeks after the procedure?
steve52719 charles40613
Posted
I had my Urolift 3 years ago. 6 clips. No clotting or catheder. lots of pain 3-4 days ..then ok. Better stream.. until the last 6 months.. back on Finasteride.. Everything is working fine. As the prostrate continues to grow, the clogging returns. thought I’d get more than 2 1/2 years from this procedure not sure of the next steps. Best of luck with your procedure, everyone seems to have a different outcome. Steve
bert33901 charles40613
Posted
I had the Urolift in September and had complications due to a misapplied staple. I wore a catheter for a week and had a variety of issues for two months after including painful urination, slow stream and ultimately urinary retention that required another week of the catheter. Since then I've seen improvement in flow and cessation of pain during urination but experience pain immediately prior to urination. UTI tests come back negative. Doc wants to do a cystoscopy to determine whether anything else is contributing to the pain. Has anyone else had this issue? Thanks, Bert.
2019Guy charles40613
Posted
Pretty zero leakage/accidents for me. Maaaaaybe a coupla drops here and there but essentially I noticed nothing. I did have a big clotting problem that landed me in the hospital for 3 days, this was a week after the Urolift. But that passed, pardon the pun, and it was clear sailing after that.
The trouble was the calm seas: after all is said and done the procedure barely made a dent in my BPH and that's why I'm now considering a Rezum. But there are some real horror stories about that on this forum.
Basically it's different - perhaps markedly - for each of us.
Good luck with yours!
george18730 2019Guy
Posted
My Urolift helped for about a year and then symptoms began to return. Broke down and had a TURP. What a difference. P***ing like I'm 10 year old.
2019Guy george18730
Posted
George - any ED to report?
george18730 2019Guy
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Retro as warned but no ED. And functionally, maybe even better than before the procedure. I'm well pleased.
2019Guy george18730
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Thanks, George, and glad to hear it!
David
Bbs1960 charles40613
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should I ask for pain meds for after the procedure?
Chiefton Bbs1960
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I would recommend it. Also consider asking your doc about pyridium. It helps releave the pain in the urethra during urination after the procedure as you will be very irritated and sore. My doc did not give it to me but his PA did when I was in terrible pain during urination. It works relatively quickly and will turn your urine orange. Wear old or deeply colored underwear as it permanently stains light colored material.
Deltoid charles40613
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I was not aware of that Charles, but I only used it for a couple of weeks, until the pain on urinating subsided somewhat. It also turns the toilet bowl yellow, something my wife was not happy about.
Bbs1960 Deltoid
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Having the procedure on 28th, dr nurse called advised me to get AZO. Was told that an enema would be required day of because the dr will do a prostate block, and have me breath nitros gas. Has anyone had these used the block and the gas? If i understand right the block is a shot done inside the rectum into the prostate nerve, then the gas to help you relax.
Chiefton Bbs1960
Posted
Having gone through it with nothing other than a half dose pain shot which led to an extremely painful procedure for me. As I have read many of these that have been done , it seems that about 90% are done under general anesthesia. I would strongly suggest that from your doctor or else find one that uses general anesthesia for these surgeries. The folks that have had a general seemed to have a much easier time than those that had anything else. Are you in the US or overseas?
Deltoid Chiefton
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Absolutely, that is the only way to go.
kenneth1955 Chiefton
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Good evening all
Yes that is the way to go. 5 years ago when I had mine done I had a general. I went home a hour after I woke up.
Take care...Ken
Bbs1960 Chiefton
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In the US, hoping gas and block will do well, hoping
Chiefton Bbs1960
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I think doctors are still experimenting with the minimal ways to reduce the pain to lower costs. When I had my total knee replacement 3 years ago, my doctor told me the insurance pays a flat rate now. All the expenses before and after come out of the total. If there are complications, that falls on the doc. Since that time doctors want to get the most profit. If anesthesiologists and an operating room come into the equation that is out of their pockets so they try cheap alternatives at your pain expense. With that in mind, you are your own advocate anymore.