TO ALL THAT HAVE MADE PROSTATIC ARTERIAL EMBOLIZATION

I had PAE Oct 28 2015. It took about 6 weeks for me to get off flomax after the procedure, which I was having to take two aday. After a little over 18 monhts I am still doing ok. I do not get up at night except maybe once a week. That usally happens when I drink water to late. I can hold off the urge for hours if I have to where before on flomax I had to tend to it right away or pee on myself. Glad that got corrected. 

I am almost 75 so the change has been great and getting off flomax made the cost well worth it. 

During the peeing process, I tend to have a slow start then a regular stream and then a slow finish which is completely acceptable to me. I am able to clear my bladder every night by taking a regular shower and then running cold water on my lower back which in my cases empties my bladder. By doing this before i go to bed may be one of the reasons I do not have to get up at night. 

I realize I may have to do this procedure again sometime in the future. But for now I am quite satisfied with the results. 

Right after the procedure I had brown pee for maybe a week with small amount of burning. I had very little pain so I did not have to take any pain medicine.

good luck to you.. Hope it works for you as it did for me. 

I'm sorry that your problems have retruend.  

I did great for 30 days after my PAE.  Over the next 60 I returned to my pre-PAE BPH condition, getting up 5-6 times per night, interrutpion, delay starting, etc.  

I think the temporary improvement was due to the steroids and meds given during the PAE.

I wish you better luck.

Didn't work for me - but I've spoken to someone who said it worked like a miracle for him. You shouldn't have blood after 2 months in my opinion.

Where did you have your PAE done, if I may ask?

I had mine done in Northern Virginia by Dr. Sandeep Bagla, who has performed more PAEs than anyone else in the US--and maybe in the world, after Dr. Pisco in Portugal (who I believe pioneered the proceudure). I can't say enough good things about Dr. Bagla and his team--all extremely competent, patient, and kind. 

My PAE was done 42 days ago, and has allowed me to stop taking Finasteride, which I'd been on for several years. I'm still on Cialis, 5 mg. a day, but hope to gradually wean myself off of it. Unlike Finasteride, which takes months to work, Cialis works immediately, so even if I stop taking it, I'll keep a supply on hand in case I need it. A urologist I know, who has mild to moderate BPH symtoms, always takes a bottle with him when he travels. I'll do the same. 

In general, I'm quite happy with the results of the procedure. My symptoms pre-procedure were not very severe, because the meds worked. The main point for me was to get off the meds, in particular Finasteride, and so far the procedure has done what I wanted it to do. While there hasn't been a dramatic improvement in symptons, since my symtoms weren't all that bad (getting up several times at night, occasional urgency and inability to empty my bladder), I'd say there's been a 20% improvement since the operation. I think I'm probably peeing as well as a 72-year-old man can hope to. I'm still getting up at night, but only 1-3 times (versus 3-6, pre-procedure). I have no trouble going back to sleep, so I'm not particularly bothered by this.  

That's my PAE story: So far, so good. If you--or anyone else reading this--have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. 

Don

 

Good discussion that should help others decide if PAE is a good choice.

As an additional information, I have pain in the urethra when ejaculating and after 60 days of PAE, still sometimes a little blood in semen. Would like to know from the guys who had PAE done, how long (in months) last the good symptoms like improvement in urine flow, few bath trips at night, etc...

My IR was only able to get to one side - I improved for six months, then all progress ceased and I returned to the starting gate. It was a waste of $7000 for me and $37,000 for my insurance company. My procedure was in July of 2015 at St. Louis University Hospital, St. Louis, MO.