With the availability of the Rezum procedure, men should not wait to fully address their BPH.

Posted , 11 users are following.

I am 67 years old, and have had BPH for many years. It continued to get worse over time. I finally went to a urologist about 2 years ago and was prescribed tamsulosin. It helped for a about 6 months, then my symptoms started getting worse again. I did not like the fact that it caused retrograde ejaculation, but felt I had no choice. About a year ago, my urologist added finesteride to try shrink my prostate. It seemed to make very little difference to my BPH, but the fact that it really messes with your male hormones was a problem for me. I need ALL of my male hormones working for me!

So I started looking for how I was going to address this BPH more effectively. The relatively new Rezum procedure looked very good to me, mainly because it had almost zero long term side effects. I discussed this with my urologist, and he was just adding this technique to his practice. He tested me, and reported that my prostate was 56cc and I had a median lobe. I decided to have the procedure.

My procedure had 5 total steam injections, 2 on each side, and 1 in the median lobe. I had a catheter for 2 days. Urination burned for 1 more day. By day 4, no more discomfort.

The last few months before this procedure, I would wake up to urinate 4 to 6 times a night. It was totally unpredictable. These episodes would start very slowly and drag on with many start and stops. It was really impacting my life due to sleep disruption.

I am only in week 3 after this procedure, and should experience improvements for the next several months. In the last 7 nights, I have only gotten up to urinate 2 times each night, and they were quick and complete! I could live with this level, but may still experience further improvement. The other big change is that I stopped taking the finesteride the week before my procedure, and the tamsulosin the week after even though my urologist wanted me to continue on both of them for 4 months. In the last week, I feel that my male hormones are fully functioning again, and the retrograde ejaculation is gone. I could not be more pleased!

Based on what I know now, I would suggest men starting down the BPH road should consider addressing their problem right away, before their prostate gets too large or they damage their bladder. If you know you have a large prostate and it is only going to get worse, why not skip the BPH drugs and try a procedure that has so little long term risk? Reading other men's outcomes, it appears to me that getting this fixed BEFORE you damage yourself greatly increases your chances for a good outcome.

1 like, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Posted

    Good evening Mike.

    Glad things are working out for you. I will add your results to my list.

    Thank you and I hope all continues.......Ken

  • Posted

    I fully agree. Of course some men may not be good candidates for various reasons, but for the majority of men suffering from BPH symptoms, the Rezum procedure is a quick procedure with a minimum of side effects.

  • Posted

    Hey Michael,

    I totally agree with your thinking about going after bph and getting it fixed the right way sooner, then opting for later and possibly damaging your bladder! My Dr also had me on both the drugs you were on, to no avail, I tried pumpkin seeds and other over the counter items that basically only lightened my wallet. I ended up with the holeup 34 months ago and would do it over again, although I'm intrigued with the procedure you had done.

  • Posted

    It worked for my 91 gram prostate with a median lobe. 13 injections.

    I can urinate now - - - and no nasty side effects. No meds either. Thank you, Dr. McVary!

  • Posted

    Hi Michael,

    Your last paragraph is one that is ignored by Men for too long. I couldn't agree more. It appears to me that drug therapies are a complete waste of time and potentially a serious illusion that something is being done and just leads to a deterioration in positive outcomes for later procedures. Act now and reap the benefits later.

  • Edited

    i hope all is well. I also had a rezum done by Dr Mcvary. Great guy. unfortunately after 2 years, my stream has greatly reduced. Has your rezum help up over time?

    I look forward too hearing from you.

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