OT: Urolift Procedure
- Thread starter Cosmoc
- Start date
No idea what this is, but I bet my wife could use it.
I had it done November 2022. I was given three options and did as much research as I could. I was pretty certain I did not want the TURP as you are in the hospital and it is a major roto rooter job with potential for side effects, think sex. The steam was another option where it is much like the TURP only these use steam/hot water to drill their way open with the same potential side effects although the % is low.
I had a good urologist who didn't push me, just gave me options, answered my questions, but there are things he didn't tell me I wish I would have known.
He told me it is an in the office procedure which it was. Recovery is a few days but he said there would be lingering blood and pain when I peed which was true. No anesthesia, no pain killers, just a local in the form of a jell that deadens your tool. He also said they don't have real long term studies that can definitely say you will get a lifetime or 10 years or 5. At that time he said 5-10 is about all they have to go on, may last longer.
What he didn't tell me was how painful it was to get done and none of the material tells you anything about that. What they do is take a long rod equipped with micro staples that they insert into your penis and then push against the side before setting the staples, one at a time. I think there were three each direction so six total but my memory is not that good on that part. The harder he pushes to the side the wider the opening he creates by stapling it to stay open. I can take a lot of pain but it was intense for a while and there is a nurse there holding on to me so that is when I knew something was up. I had to lay with my back flat to the table with legs up, I now know what women go through. I did drive myself home. Then you have a few days of peeing blood and I don't mean just a little, these are clots, big ones and they hurt coming out. Peeing burns for a while as well. I honestly do not recall how long it took before I was somewhat back to normal. When I went in for my follow up I was peeing like a race horse again and the doc said the only time he would likely see me again is if things changed and so far they haven't.
I know some people still take meds even with the surgery, I do not. I dislike medications of any kind. BTW, I am 71 now so that gives you an idea. The only thing I have noticed as time goes on is I pee a little in the early morning around 4:00am which is actually a bit weak but then again when I get up for good, 6 or whenever which is a full stream and the best part is I empty really well. I do find, and I am not certain if it is from the procedure or just getting old but I pee more often and it seems to come on all at once, nothing serious, I just have to listen to my body, or part of it anyway.
I had a good urologist who didn't push me, just gave me options, answered my questions, but there are things he didn't tell me I wish I would have known.
He told me it is an in the office procedure which it was. Recovery is a few days but he said there would be lingering blood and pain when I peed which was true. No anesthesia, no pain killers, just a local in the form of a jell that deadens your tool. He also said they don't have real long term studies that can definitely say you will get a lifetime or 10 years or 5. At that time he said 5-10 is about all they have to go on, may last longer.
What he didn't tell me was how painful it was to get done and none of the material tells you anything about that. What they do is take a long rod equipped with micro staples that they insert into your penis and then push against the side before setting the staples, one at a time. I think there were three each direction so six total but my memory is not that good on that part. The harder he pushes to the side the wider the opening he creates by stapling it to stay open. I can take a lot of pain but it was intense for a while and there is a nurse there holding on to me so that is when I knew something was up. I had to lay with my back flat to the table with legs up, I now know what women go through. I did drive myself home. Then you have a few days of peeing blood and I don't mean just a little, these are clots, big ones and they hurt coming out. Peeing burns for a while as well. I honestly do not recall how long it took before I was somewhat back to normal. When I went in for my follow up I was peeing like a race horse again and the doc said the only time he would likely see me again is if things changed and so far they haven't.
I know some people still take meds even with the surgery, I do not. I dislike medications of any kind. BTW, I am 71 now so that gives you an idea. The only thing I have noticed as time goes on is I pee a little in the early morning around 4:00am which is actually a bit weak but then again when I get up for good, 6 or whenever which is a full stream and the best part is I empty really well. I do find, and I am not certain if it is from the procedure or just getting old but I pee more often and it seems to come on all at once, nothing serious, I just have to listen to my body, or part of it anyway.
My wife was a GI nurse for a long time, so we are good friends with a lot of GI docs. At Christmas time we were at a party with one of the docs and he had told us he had a procedure done early last fall. I wish I knew the name of it, but he had his prostate cleared out robotically. He had to go over Seattle to have the procedure done. One of his nurses who we know well used to do the procedures you described, and she talked him into the robotic route. She told him your way was a bloody mess. The doc said the robotic method was very painless and he had very little if any side effects. The doc is 70 and I am 69. When I am ready to throw in the towel and have it done, I think I will have it done robotically. I urinate all the time. I have a couple of places on the ski hill where I ski into the trees for a quick pit stop before I am on my way. Beats taking off my skis and walking down the outside stairs at our Midway Lodge to use the bathroom. Why do ski lodges always put the bathrooms down or up a flight of stairs?
The one thing you can count on is procedures will change. Just being robotic doesn’t tell me much. How does it work and what do they do robotically?
It's 2025. You can't just assume someone's gender.
A TURP IS NO BIG DEAL. Had one a few months ago. IF you have a good urologist there’s a very low risk of any intimacy issues. I can pee like a stallion now. Wish I had done it years ago. Having the catheter removed was by far the worst part of the procedure.
Robotic turps are kind of a gimmick. The key is a competent surgeon. As you know from your work, not all docs are the same. Wish I had mine done earlier. The week post op like with most surgeries isn’t great, but life improved dramatically after that.
I think the proper name for the robotic procedure is Aquablation. It was developed in Europe and was approved in the US about 8-10 years ago. I had it done last year and the results were phenomenal. First they do a thorough ultrasound of where the problem area in the prostate is located. Then the doc determines where the robot will go. It uses a cold water jet to clear out the problematic tissue in the prostate. The use of the water jet means less tissue damage, less bleeding and less pain.
I was put under with a general anesthetic. That was my decision because months earlier a nurse at Bergan damaged my urethra when she inserted a Foley catheter. I was in the ER for 32 hours, no sleep, bleeding like a stuck pig, bladder spasming and the pain was surreal. Every narcotic they gave me didn't phase it. I was in and out of consciousness for hours just due to the pain. Eventually the Foley just fell out and as soon as I could pee three times they let me go. The ER staff at Bergan was fantastic. It was kinda funny that over the time I was in the ER three nurses waited until no other staff was in the room and told me the same thing, "they butchered you". I was relatively pain free when I left Bergan but was unable to sleep more than a few hours over the next few days because I kept reliving the pain, and that was after no sleep for over 30 hours in the ER.
So that's why I chose a general anesthesia. I wanted no part of being conscious while the procedure was being done. Anyway, since the procedure I pee like a race horse and the sex life is fine (other than not getting enough). I would recommend the Aquablation procedure over the green light laser or other methods because the post-op effects were minimal. Hope that helps.
BTW, the procedure was done at Methodist by a urologist with the Urology Center of Omaha. Strong recommendation for that place.
I was put under with a general anesthetic. That was my decision because months earlier a nurse at Bergan damaged my urethra when she inserted a Foley catheter. I was in the ER for 32 hours, no sleep, bleeding like a stuck pig, bladder spasming and the pain was surreal. Every narcotic they gave me didn't phase it. I was in and out of consciousness for hours just due to the pain. Eventually the Foley just fell out and as soon as I could pee three times they let me go. The ER staff at Bergan was fantastic. It was kinda funny that over the time I was in the ER three nurses waited until no other staff was in the room and told me the same thing, "they butchered you". I was relatively pain free when I left Bergan but was unable to sleep more than a few hours over the next few days because I kept reliving the pain, and that was after no sleep for over 30 hours in the ER.
So that's why I chose a general anesthesia. I wanted no part of being conscious while the procedure was being done. Anyway, since the procedure I pee like a race horse and the sex life is fine (other than not getting enough). I would recommend the Aquablation procedure over the green light laser or other methods because the post-op effects were minimal. Hope that helps.
BTW, the procedure was done at Methodist by a urologist with the Urology Center of Omaha. Strong recommendation for that place.
I like how you say “it’s no big deal” but then qualify it with an “if” which disqualifies the earlier statement.
It’s like a test in in college is no big deal, unless you didn’t study.
You're right. Research the urologist you go to. It's tough and I have a little more access to non-public information on MDs. My spouse is an MD as well as multiple in-laws, friends and Eagle Scouts from my scout troop. I can get the scoop on MDs in the Blackhills, Omaha, Lincoln, Des Moines, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, Norfolk and Rochester MN. We've had procedures done at the Yankton SD medical clinic, Des Moines, Sioux Falls and my daughter had major spinal surgery at the Dunes in North Sioux City. All of the doctors were chosen because of their particular skill with the procedure I or my family were having done. I don't care if my Dr. is a prick that nobody likes. I want to know if he's one of the best in the area for what we need done. The Dr in Des Moines I used was known as "not having a good bedside manner" but my in-laws (both MDs) knew he was the best orthopedist in the area. He's retired now and I've used an orthopod and urologist at the Yankton Medical Clinic now for a couple of procedures. Both are excellent surgeons. Ironically one gets beat up on internet evaluations because some people think he's a prick. If you're not a whiny little bitch he's a great guy. It's amazing sometimes how unrealistic expectations can be and then if something uncontrollable happens they go on the internet and try to destroy their Dr. Believe a fraction of what your read on MD evaluatons.
This topic has a lot of entertainment value for older men! Along this same line of comments...
So far...no one has mentioned a prostate biopsy. I've had two...each time has been exactly what I expected. After the each time, my urologist asked me if it was as bad as I expected it to be. Well...I expected it to be similar to, if not the same as, shoving a baseball bat embedded with nails up my a$$...which is pretty much what it was.
Old age is not for the faint of heart, the easily embarrassed, or the delicate.
So far...no one has mentioned a prostate biopsy. I've had two...each time has been exactly what I expected. After the each time, my urologist asked me if it was as bad as I expected it to be. Well...I expected it to be similar to, if not the same as, shoving a baseball bat embedded with nails up my a$$...which is pretty much what it was.
Old age is not for the faint of heart, the easily embarrassed, or the delicate.
