Surgery advice for enlarged prostate (BPH)

@chalesbehm1 Re : BPH treatment . First, assure yourself you do not have Prostate Cancer .
With PC you can still be offered BPH Treatment , HOWEVER , your options become limited . Foe example Green Light Laser as referenced on this forum is NOT recommended for cancer patients suffering from BPH .

I had a HoLep procedure about a year ago and it was very beneficial to me. I had Gleason 3+3 and on active surveillance. They were most concerned because my prostate was enlarged and restricting urine flow to the point they were concerned about kidney damage. I had the holep procedure done, stayed overnight at the Mayo hotel (Jacksonville), and then booked a room locally since we live 3 hrs away. The catheter was taken out the next day, all the removed material was biopsied, and came back benign. I can compile I used to 40 years ago! Lol

Some very good comments above on the various options for treating BPH.

For what it is worth, there is an article currently posted on the website UrologyToday which compares outcomes for Aquablation and Laser Enucleation. The article is here:
https://www.urologytimes.com/view/water-iii-aquablation-achieves-comparable-outcomes-to-laser-enucleation-for-bph
The Urology Today website is free and I have learned a lot about research and emerging treatments for prostate cancer on that site.

Hi Phil,
My symptom is getting so bad I have started to wear diapers at age 57. I have been to a urologist in Japan however with disappointing outcome. I am concidering traveling overseas in getting my prostate reduction treatment. I was raised in Hawaii so my English communication is preferred. If someone could guide a layman what my options are in getting some relief. All I have been taking is nutrient recommended for BPM. Bougth 'Fiber' and will reduce my alcohol and coffee intake. Reading the options online is overwhelming. Hope you can lead me in the right direction. Thank you, Koji

If you have not had radiation then ProACT May work for you. Some people in this forum have had it and are extremely pleased with the results. If you Have had radiation then the AUS (Artificial urinary sphincter) is probably the answer to stop your incontinence.

Talk to your urologist about this, it can change your life. If they mention the sling and you have had radiation, do not expect it to work at all or for long.

I know a few people that have had prostate cancer in Hawaii, They’ve had to come to the mainland in order to get treatment because there just aren’t any specialists in Hawaii and there are few advanced treatments. If you want to discuss this with people that Live in Hawaii you should attend an Advance prostate cancer meeting with the reluctant brotherhood. The guy leading the meeting lives in Hawaii for at least six months of the year but comes to the US for treatment. There are a couple of guys that attend, the weekly advanced prostate cancer online meetings with Ancan.Org that live in Hawaii, but also travel to the mainland for treatment.

Hi Jeff,

Thank you for your message. I live now in Japan and is under a non-US health insurance coverage. How much is the radiation treatment and duration meaning time needed to be in the states? Many Mahalos!

I’m not quite sure what you were asking. 7+ weeks of Salvage radiation was a no charge service under Medicare .

Oh 7+ weeks and I don’t have Medicare.. I would have to travel from Japan so the expenses and taking 7 weeks from work would be difficult.

If you were able to get SBRT radiations As the first treatment toresolve your cancer problem that could be done in five sessions.

If you needed salvage radiation, it would take at least 20 sessions.

Doesn’t Japan have the necessary radiation equipment to handle your treatment? Did you contact doctors there for treatment information?

You should consider having a HoLep procedure - works great