Tulsa Pro Experience, Mayo Clinic MN – July 2024

Posted by jcf58 @jcf58, Jul 19 6:54pm

Gleason 7 (4+3). I was treated Wednesday July 17, 2024. I checked in at 7am, entered the MRI/Tulsa suite at 8:15, and woke up in the recovery room around 11:30am. Approximately 30% of my prostate was ablated. I woke up with no pain and catheter in. The first 5-6 hours of the catheter were a little tough as I felt an urgent need to pee, but you can’t because you have the catheter in. Was fine after that. I did take Oxybutynin for bladder spasms at night. At 12:30pm, I walked out of the hospital and 2 blocks to my car to be driven home to Minneapolis.
Over the course of the next 40 hours, I just needed to regularly empty the catheter bag and continued to have no pain. Didn’t even take a Tylenol. The morning after TULSA I took my normal 2 mile walk. Catheter was removed at 7:45 Friday morning and I was good to go home. Catheter removal was not bad and they had to ensure I could pee on my own before release. Urine stream is about half of normal but will improve as inflammation of urethra declines. No medication needed at this point.
I did a ton of research before deciding on TULSA Pro. I talked to 7 different doctors. 4 current and 3 retired (1 had RP and another had radiation). The technology and low risk of side effects made this an easy choice for me. I was also fortunate to have the cancer contained in a fairly small lesion.
I couldn’t be more pleased with the procedure and my care at Mayo.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.

I only waited 1 week before clearing the pipes. Have been having sex twice a week since. Blood in semen lasted about 5 weeks.

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@pdcar4756

thank you! Mayo got back to me. Told me this adema is not uncommon and as long as I was in no pain or had no fever it was a normal response in some cases. I had 60cc of a 100cc prostate ablated including the lesion, so my prostate took a big hit. They also gave me 14 days of prednisone and 1 month of flomax to help with swelling and urination. So far my stream is adequate to keep my bladder happy. The swelling is diminishing gradually so I'm feeling assured things are progressing as planned. Thanks for the 5-7 weeks sluffing information. So far my urine has shown no signs of that process. I had my procedure on Oct 9, so it's still very early in my case. How long did you wait before clearing out the pipes?

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I waited a little over three weeks before I masturbated the first time. Lots of blood and clotting in that one.

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I had TULSA procedure in April 2024, just had my 6 month exam and the results were very good. I am 80 years old in a couple of months and was more concerned about the "bathroom and bedroom" and not so much longevity. My PSA was 2.7 this time and MRI showed no bone or adjacent migration. I feel great, Mayo JAX care team was wonderful through it all!

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@mrdennyb

I had TULSA procedure in April 2024, just had my 6 month exam and the results were very good. I am 80 years old in a couple of months and was more concerned about the "bathroom and bedroom" and not so much longevity. My PSA was 2.7 this time and MRI showed no bone or adjacent migration. I feel great, Mayo JAX care team was wonderful through it all!

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Awesome. I just got my 3 month PSA from Nayo Rochester yesterday. PSA down to 0.68. Was 8.3 prior to treatment. I have had zero side effects and am very grateful.

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All great information , however :
It was my impression that TULSA-PRO was a REAL TIME , procedure . NO MRI Fusion involved .
Am I correct ?

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@clandeboye1

All great information , however :
It was my impression that TULSA-PRO was a REAL TIME , procedure . NO MRI Fusion involved .
Am I correct ?

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you are correct. TULSA-PRO is in-bore MRI utilizing MRI images in real time to guide computer controlled ablation

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Thanks .
I was confused by another member referring to FUSION -- He may have been mixed up with MRI Fusion Biopsy .
Many centers are now moving to REAL TIME Biopsies : In - Bore or Gantry Biopsies .

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My description is too long to copy and paste here. Please see the attached .pdf file.

Shared files

Prostate Cancer - My Personal Journey (Prostate-Cancer-My-Personal-Journey.pdf)

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@pdcar4756

My description is too long to copy and paste here. Please see the attached .pdf file.

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It should be interesting to see what your PSA shows in the next test. I imagine it’s gonna drop a lot, just wonder if it’s gonna drop to 3 or 4. Something normal.

Your treatment is a little bit rougher than just SBRT, but the fact that it retains some of your prostate could be a real positive.

Keep us up with your journey, real interesting.

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@pdcar4756

My description is too long to copy and paste here. Please see the attached .pdf file.

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Well good story and good documenting. Just like my 110 cc prostate and my Tulsa Pro experience. You also had transition zone problem and them getting to it. They can't get to those, I had trouble too, so good they got to it when they did but the technology for biopsy has only come forward lately, the old ways of doing would not find these lesions. I hope things stay well for you, you had troubles, but hopefully you are past it.

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