I posted an update. After my visit today with the surgeon to get the pathology results and deal with online BS with the Spanish government, I tried to post again here after I found "here," but they tell me I already posted somewhere else. It's okay, I needed raisins with the oatmeal that is now my brain.
They found a cancer tumor in the prostate gland that was morcellated. Now, it didn't show up on the MRI months prior to HoLEP. They clocked it at a Gleason score of T1a for a 0.5 mm tumor undetectable from imaging post-prostatectomy. The prognosis isn't grim, it's a PSA 4 months from today to determine if any spread to the prostate capsule. If it has, or does, then the PSA will register an antigen number. Right now, as I understand it, it should be 0.0 because there's no prostate, right? What I'm wondering is how the hell do they know where the tumor was after it was morcellated? Anyway, that's the scoop. No hopes or expectations, it is what it is, without any concrete info might as well get my mental constitution back so I can get out of the 1.5 year protracted shock and start life anew.
I suspected something was there, I was surprised it was that small.
You bet I can believe you can get prostate cancer without a prostate. The surgeon mentioned that out of my X number of gram-size prostate that there was a 0.5 millimeter tumor, I wondered how if it was morcellated they knew where it was and if the process or morcellating it didn't break it up to smaller pieces. It was the prostate they analyzed, it wasn't the outside.
Even if it didn't show up on an MRI, that doesn't mean that a part of it's cells couldn't run through my vascular system and hang out at a local organ.
Hello. Today marks two weeks since my Holep surgery. I am 57 yo. 6'1", 186 lbs, and fit at time of surgery.
Prostate size was ~79, amount removed was 55, and removed tissue was negative for cancer. Catheter removed day after surgery.
First bowel movement 5 days after surgery. Felt like I needed to go day three but couldn't and did not want to strain. Very uncomfortable feeling. Started taking stool softener day 2 and stopped day 6. Bowel movements are now normal. I lost 7lbs first week after surgery!!!
A lot of tightness in my core during the first 7 or 8 days - which I suspect was my bladder - that seems to have resolved.
Typical current diet is high quality eggs and bacon for breakfast, fried or scrambled in ghee. Tuna sandwich and an avacodo for lunch. Cheeseburger with grass-fed beef and blueberries for dinner.
Currently have a bit of blood at beginning of urination. Also have some pain at the start of urinating. I'm not taking anything for the pain, but it is uncomfortable. I completed a UTI test at home and it was negative. No fever, etc. I guess the pain is from inflammation?
Do not appear to have significant incontinence. Stream is much better. I am experiencing some "spraying", and I don't know if that is being caused by some blockage from small scabs, etc.? I don't see anything in my urine. I'm drinking 100oz of water/day. Stop drinking water around 8PM. Go to bed around 1130. Going to restroom every hour or so. Last night I got up three times: hour 2, hour 4, hour 8. The 4 hours was probably longest between urination.
I am not exercising yet. My DR advised I can walk, but not heavy lifting for one month. I have limited walking in fear of slowing recovery - but I'm not sure if that makes a difference. I'm probably going to resume walking a mile or two a day starting this week. Not sure if I should postpone exercise until all blood and pain are gone?
Day 15 after surgery update: pee was clear last two days but then this morning had a lot of blood and some black pieces, the largest a little smaller than a dime, which I assume is scab? More blood and a few more pieces the next time I peed and then less blood as the day has progressed. Last pee, early evening, was clear. Noticeably less pain the last two days, which is welcome. Hope that continues to improve. Continuing to drink 100oz/day to help flush everything out and continuing to take it easy. Flow is good.
Just to add some perspective for those having had HOLeP or considering having the procedure in the future. I had my 180 gram prostate removed via HOLeP 18 months ago and it was the best decision I ever made. I worked for over 40 years as a nurse anesthetist providing care for surgical procedures including prostate surgery. The last ten years at a urologic surgery center. For years the treatment for BPH was Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP), the socalled gold standard, something a Spanish Inquisitor would be proud of. Yes there was blood in the urine the first 48 hours after HOLeP, but nothing like what is seen after a TuRP and picture the large catheter and traction for several days as opposed to a single overnight with HOLeP. The clincher is the repeat customers I saw throughout my career for a second TuRP several years later, Ughh!
I am glad it went well for you. In your medical career did you also observe the Rezum procedure? If so, did you ever encounter "repeat" Rezums and subsequent efficacy? I had the Rezum several years ago and it just did not abate my symptoms - still get up 5 times a night, weak stream. I went with the Rezum because it was deemed the least likely to render sexual side effects. I am pondering giving it another try vs HOLEP vs anything else? My friends have done Urolift and they were not satisfied with that either.
Just to add some perspective for those having had HOLeP or considering having the procedure in the future. I had my 180 gram prostate removed via HOLeP 18 months ago and it was the best decision I ever made. I worked for over 40 years as a nurse anesthetist providing care for surgical procedures including prostate surgery. The last ten years at a urologic surgery center. For years the treatment for BPH was Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP), the socalled gold standard, something a Spanish Inquisitor would be proud of. Yes there was blood in the urine the first 48 hours after HOLeP, but nothing like what is seen after a TuRP and picture the large catheter and traction for several days as opposed to a single overnight with HOLeP. The clincher is the repeat customers I saw throughout my career for a second TuRP several years later, Ughh!
@rnikkel51 Thank you for your input. I fully agree with you, had HoLEP 6 months ago and doing very well. Minor tenderness when I sit too long, excellent voiding, recovery was easy. I wanted a one and done procedure - nothing else will compare to HoLEP for that. I have retrograde ejacualation - that was expected but a fair trade off. All those in-office (Rezum/Urolift/etc) just kick the can down the road, don't last long and may have serious complications. It was the right decision for me
Hello. Today marks two weeks since my Holep surgery. I am 57 yo. 6'1", 186 lbs, and fit at time of surgery.
Prostate size was ~79, amount removed was 55, and removed tissue was negative for cancer. Catheter removed day after surgery.
First bowel movement 5 days after surgery. Felt like I needed to go day three but couldn't and did not want to strain. Very uncomfortable feeling. Started taking stool softener day 2 and stopped day 6. Bowel movements are now normal. I lost 7lbs first week after surgery!!!
A lot of tightness in my core during the first 7 or 8 days - which I suspect was my bladder - that seems to have resolved.
Typical current diet is high quality eggs and bacon for breakfast, fried or scrambled in ghee. Tuna sandwich and an avacodo for lunch. Cheeseburger with grass-fed beef and blueberries for dinner.
Currently have a bit of blood at beginning of urination. Also have some pain at the start of urinating. I'm not taking anything for the pain, but it is uncomfortable. I completed a UTI test at home and it was negative. No fever, etc. I guess the pain is from inflammation?
Do not appear to have significant incontinence. Stream is much better. I am experiencing some "spraying", and I don't know if that is being caused by some blockage from small scabs, etc.? I don't see anything in my urine. I'm drinking 100oz of water/day. Stop drinking water around 8PM. Go to bed around 1130. Going to restroom every hour or so. Last night I got up three times: hour 2, hour 4, hour 8. The 4 hours was probably longest between urination.
I am not exercising yet. My DR advised I can walk, but not heavy lifting for one month. I have limited walking in fear of slowing recovery - but I'm not sure if that makes a difference. I'm probably going to resume walking a mile or two a day starting this week. Not sure if I should postpone exercise until all blood and pain are gone?
@jackflash I am now 16 days out of Holep at Mayo in Jax..65, 5'7, 160 overall good shape, diet always pescatarian(not that it matters)...first couple days some burning then that was gone...while they told me about incontinence for 3-4 months, the only "leaks" I have had is when coughing or farting and its only a few drops...most of day nothing at all, so using a very thin pad at night just in case and during day nothing..used to take me minute to start a stream and then stop and go never feeling empty, now I start within 3 seconds and p like a racehorse...I started walking 2 miles day 4, and back to 5 miles walking now with no impact at all...doing kegels and crunches(not full sit ups that is to must strain on area) and feel great...walking actually helps recovery, strengthens pelvic muscles and sphincter which controls any leakage...occasional itch in tip but expected with only 16 days out of surgery, but overall best decision I could have made...86 cc down to 29 cc, neg biopsy...I still have some red first pee in morning which is normal since it pools overnight(I get up once a night to go) but after hydration it clears up quickly...spraying usually is from bladder being empty, also had little black scabs mostly gone now but thats good sign of healing...
@jackflash I am now 16 days out of Holep at Mayo in Jax..65, 5'7, 160 overall good shape, diet always pescatarian(not that it matters)...first couple days some burning then that was gone...while they told me about incontinence for 3-4 months, the only "leaks" I have had is when coughing or farting and its only a few drops...most of day nothing at all, so using a very thin pad at night just in case and during day nothing..used to take me minute to start a stream and then stop and go never feeling empty, now I start within 3 seconds and p like a racehorse...I started walking 2 miles day 4, and back to 5 miles walking now with no impact at all...doing kegels and crunches(not full sit ups that is to must strain on area) and feel great...walking actually helps recovery, strengthens pelvic muscles and sphincter which controls any leakage...occasional itch in tip but expected with only 16 days out of surgery, but overall best decision I could have made...86 cc down to 29 cc, neg biopsy...I still have some red first pee in morning which is normal since it pools overnight(I get up once a night to go) but after hydration it clears up quickly...spraying usually is from bladder being empty, also had little black scabs mostly gone now but thats good sign of healing...
@alexdav Sounds like you are doing great! I am 19 days since surgery. Currently no blood and little to no leakage. Stream is strong. Have started walking 1/2 mile; it sounds like I should be more aggressive. Prior to surgery I walked 3 to 4 miles a day and did strength training 3 times/week. My Dr said to hold off on strength training until week 4.
I still have moderate pain at the beginning of urination. And I am peeing every two to three hours at night (and during the day), despite stopping fluid intake around 8PM. I'm drinking 100oz of water per day. This suggests to me that I still have inflammation. My home uti test was negative and I don't have fever. Overall, I will feel much better about things once these issues resolve. Having said that, feeling pretty optimistic that i am going to have a great outcome.
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My understanding of prostate cancer is it is detected or located on the outside of the capsule. Not inside the capsule where the Holep was performed.
Believe it or not you can get prostate cancer without a prostate
If it is small enough that they had an issue with detecting it. I would hope that it could be taken care of fairly easy.
Healthy liver reduces chances of cancer. That's the takeaway I got from this video.
https://youtu.be/L2gXeyAj7losi=lDMPX93CGNwd7TBp
You bet I can believe you can get prostate cancer without a prostate. The surgeon mentioned that out of my X number of gram-size prostate that there was a 0.5 millimeter tumor, I wondered how if it was morcellated they knew where it was and if the process or morcellating it didn't break it up to smaller pieces. It was the prostate they analyzed, it wasn't the outside.
Even if it didn't show up on an MRI, that doesn't mean that a part of it's cells couldn't run through my vascular system and hang out at a local organ.
So, they didn't Discover it until after the procedure.
Have they proposed any additional procedures to ensure it doesn't spread?
Do they think they got all of it with the Holep ?
Hello. Today marks two weeks since my Holep surgery. I am 57 yo. 6'1", 186 lbs, and fit at time of surgery.
Prostate size was ~79, amount removed was 55, and removed tissue was negative for cancer. Catheter removed day after surgery.
First bowel movement 5 days after surgery. Felt like I needed to go day three but couldn't and did not want to strain. Very uncomfortable feeling. Started taking stool softener day 2 and stopped day 6. Bowel movements are now normal. I lost 7lbs first week after surgery!!!
A lot of tightness in my core during the first 7 or 8 days - which I suspect was my bladder - that seems to have resolved.
Typical current diet is high quality eggs and bacon for breakfast, fried or scrambled in ghee. Tuna sandwich and an avacodo for lunch. Cheeseburger with grass-fed beef and blueberries for dinner.
Currently have a bit of blood at beginning of urination. Also have some pain at the start of urinating. I'm not taking anything for the pain, but it is uncomfortable. I completed a UTI test at home and it was negative. No fever, etc. I guess the pain is from inflammation?
Do not appear to have significant incontinence. Stream is much better. I am experiencing some "spraying", and I don't know if that is being caused by some blockage from small scabs, etc.? I don't see anything in my urine. I'm drinking 100oz of water/day. Stop drinking water around 8PM. Go to bed around 1130. Going to restroom every hour or so. Last night I got up three times: hour 2, hour 4, hour 8. The 4 hours was probably longest between urination.
I am not exercising yet. My DR advised I can walk, but not heavy lifting for one month. I have limited walking in fear of slowing recovery - but I'm not sure if that makes a difference. I'm probably going to resume walking a mile or two a day starting this week. Not sure if I should postpone exercise until all blood and pain are gone?
Would welcome any insights.
Day 15 after surgery update: pee was clear last two days but then this morning had a lot of blood and some black pieces, the largest a little smaller than a dime, which I assume is scab? More blood and a few more pieces the next time I peed and then less blood as the day has progressed. Last pee, early evening, was clear. Noticeably less pain the last two days, which is welcome. Hope that continues to improve. Continuing to drink 100oz/day to help flush everything out and continuing to take it easy. Flow is good.
Just to add some perspective for those having had HOLeP or considering having the procedure in the future. I had my 180 gram prostate removed via HOLeP 18 months ago and it was the best decision I ever made. I worked for over 40 years as a nurse anesthetist providing care for surgical procedures including prostate surgery. The last ten years at a urologic surgery center. For years the treatment for BPH was Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP), the socalled gold standard, something a Spanish Inquisitor would be proud of. Yes there was blood in the urine the first 48 hours after HOLeP, but nothing like what is seen after a TuRP and picture the large catheter and traction for several days as opposed to a single overnight with HOLeP. The clincher is the repeat customers I saw throughout my career for a second TuRP several years later, Ughh!
I am glad it went well for you. In your medical career did you also observe the Rezum procedure? If so, did you ever encounter "repeat" Rezums and subsequent efficacy? I had the Rezum several years ago and it just did not abate my symptoms - still get up 5 times a night, weak stream. I went with the Rezum because it was deemed the least likely to render sexual side effects. I am pondering giving it another try vs HOLEP vs anything else? My friends have done Urolift and they were not satisfied with that either.
@rnikkel51 Thank you for your input. I fully agree with you, had HoLEP 6 months ago and doing very well. Minor tenderness when I sit too long, excellent voiding, recovery was easy. I wanted a one and done procedure - nothing else will compare to HoLEP for that. I have retrograde ejacualation - that was expected but a fair trade off. All those in-office (Rezum/Urolift/etc) just kick the can down the road, don't last long and may have serious complications. It was the right decision for me
@jackflash I am now 16 days out of Holep at Mayo in Jax..65, 5'7, 160 overall good shape, diet always pescatarian(not that it matters)...first couple days some burning then that was gone...while they told me about incontinence for 3-4 months, the only "leaks" I have had is when coughing or farting and its only a few drops...most of day nothing at all, so using a very thin pad at night just in case and during day nothing..used to take me minute to start a stream and then stop and go never feeling empty, now I start within 3 seconds and p like a racehorse...I started walking 2 miles day 4, and back to 5 miles walking now with no impact at all...doing kegels and crunches(not full sit ups that is to must strain on area) and feel great...walking actually helps recovery, strengthens pelvic muscles and sphincter which controls any leakage...occasional itch in tip but expected with only 16 days out of surgery, but overall best decision I could have made...86 cc down to 29 cc, neg biopsy...I still have some red first pee in morning which is normal since it pools overnight(I get up once a night to go) but after hydration it clears up quickly...spraying usually is from bladder being empty, also had little black scabs mostly gone now but thats good sign of healing...
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1 Reaction@alexdav Sounds like you are doing great! I am 19 days since surgery. Currently no blood and little to no leakage. Stream is strong. Have started walking 1/2 mile; it sounds like I should be more aggressive. Prior to surgery I walked 3 to 4 miles a day and did strength training 3 times/week. My Dr said to hold off on strength training until week 4.
I still have moderate pain at the beginning of urination. And I am peeing every two to three hours at night (and during the day), despite stopping fluid intake around 8PM. I'm drinking 100oz of water per day. This suggests to me that I still have inflammation. My home uti test was negative and I don't have fever. Overall, I will feel much better about things once these issues resolve. Having said that, feeling pretty optimistic that i am going to have a great outcome.