Urolift experience

Background: I'm 70 and have had a weak stream for over 30 years. Taking .4 mg tamsulosin M,W, & F every week and 81 mg aspirin per day.

Have suffered bladder infections and one prostate biopsy (negative) in years past. Also, I have nocturia. But lately I started using a $12 chin strap during sleep which helped me tremendously. Many times I would wake up to the sound of either my dog changing locations on the bedroom floor or to the sound of myself in the middle of a big snore. Startled just

enough that I'd have to get up and pee.

I finally found a doctor in my area who does the Urolift at the Cleveland Clinic which also happens to be the #1 urology hospital in the country, according to the sign outside their door.

Monday, Feb 19, 2018: After all the pre-testing during two earlier appointments was complete including some blood work, I arrived for the procedure at 10:30 AM. There was a longer wait than I expected, then a urine sample to check for infection (a deal breaker if found), then some more waiting.

When my name was called the nurse gave me one antibiotic pill and a shot in the hip to cover gram positive and gram negative bacteria. I think the pill was in the same family as Cipro and the shot was some kind of "-mycin?". The doctor then injected the

prostate through the rectum, similarly to having gums numbed before a tooth drilling. Was not a very pleasant feeling. I watched the monitor as the "gun" was routed into position and "fired" with a loud click. Then I could see (and feel) as the sutures/stents were cinched down, four times. Also not pleasant, but not as bad as the biopsy which was eight times and each of those stung a lot more.

When it was done, I walked to the john and tried to pee out the water pumped into my bladder. I was very disappointed, expecting to be able to pee like a kid again. Mostly blood dribbled out, with some clots. After the doctor was satisfied that I could urinate well enough, they taught me how to cath myself in case I couldn't pee after I returned home and sent me on my way with a bag full of catheters at around 12:30 PM with a follow up appointment in three months.

My bladder was sore across the pubic hair line from the procedure for the rest of the day. Normally on Mondays I'd have taken a tamsulosin before bedtime, but on this day I simply forgot.

Tuesday: I slept well enough Monday night, only waking once to pee. However, Tuesday morning I couldn't start the stream despite being very full. I was glad to have the catheters. I also took the tamsulosin right away in the hopes it would help open things up. Subsequent voidings were done without need of cathing and the bladder pain was mostly gone. I spent the day taking it easy around the house. I took a second tamsulosin before bedtime.

Wednesday: I got up early and drove to a doctor's appointment (eye doc this time) on the other side of town. After returning home, peeing became more and more difficult and blood clots were getting bigger and more frequent all the time. Although able to pee without cathing, there seemed to be a lot of blood and not very good flow. The clots grew in size from a dime to a quarter.

Thursday: Things seemed to be getting worse, not better, which was what they had warned me would happen. Again, I needed to cath, but the style catheter was different this time and was painful to insert. Eventually, I worked it home and relieved myself. Thereafter, most of the time I could pee without cathing, but was alarmed at the growing size of the blood clots, now a half dollar.

After consultation with my doctor's nurse I was given two options: 1) Return to his office to install a wider catheter to apply pressure to the implants, or 2) Drink more fluids and continue to watch. I chose to drink, drink, drink.

Friday: By now the clots were becoming alarming in size and frequency. So, I skipped the daily aspirin (which my cardiologist would not have approved of me doing, had he known, but I've been eating vegan for six years, following the Esselstyn diet, and felt my artery walls were in no way about to burst and occlude).

I went to Wal-Mart for four quick items in the evening, but as close as the store is to my house (five minutes) and as fast as I got in and ready to check out, I had to put down my basket and run to the men's room where I peed a lot with a fair stream. This after emptying my bladder right before I left home just minutes earlier.

Saturday: Up very frequently during the night before, probably due to all the fluids yesterday. Other than a couple smallish clots in the morning, pencil eraser tip size, my urine showed no trace of blood. I decided to take the aspirin every other day for awhile and the tamsulosin once every day. The strength of flow was weak, about like before the procedure, but with mild burning.

Sunday: No clots or blood at all today. Still had a weak stream, but I remembered how the flow would improve drastically after I passed a big clot. I hope the reason it was weak is because of a remaining clot that will pass after the tissues are repaired beneath them and the stream strength will go back to that of a normal human being.

I felt good enough to go roller skating tonight, which is my usual habit two or three times per week. No problem with sudden desire to urinate like at Wal-Mart two days ago, even

though I sipped coffee the whole evening. Needed to pee before driving home (but that isn't unusual), with a fair stream. Post-procedure, week one complete. Things improved after day four.

For the Cleveland Clinic's FAQ, click here:

https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/2016/09/exploring-urolift-new-minimally-invasive-

treatment-enlarged-prostate/

1 like, 14 replies