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Aquablation: Post-surgery expectations
After decades of pills to (partially) manage BPH, I am scheduled for aquablation at Mayo JAX in mid-Feb. Has anyone had that procedure done? What was post-surgery like? What were your experiences regarding regular vs. retrograde ejaculation?
My expectations are high. My general health is good+ (71 yo), my prostate is enlarged but not massive, my PSA's suggest no cancer concerns. The surgeon expects a low-risk procedure (no incisions I believe) and a quick recovery (unless something unexpected pops up). I appreciate it's impossible to predict surgical outcomes with certainty - I would like to hear of others' experiences to help set my expectations.
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@kocour thank you.
I am having the procedure in a few days and just found out i will be staying overnight. do you normally leave with a foley catheter in you or do they test you before you leave to see if you can pee on your own? when i did a rezum a few years back I had a foley for 5 days. i was wondering if this is that same.
@mirdad22
Did the weaker stream start soon after taking up tennis again? That could have spiked up inflamation which can definitely be an issue. Stop tennis for two weeks and take ibuprofin during that time. Then see if your stream has improved.
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2 Reactions@albiet I had the procedure done at the Mayo Clinic on a Thursday morning. Was released from the hospital early Friday afternoon with a catheter. One catheter was designed to be worn on my leg under my clothing so that I could be up and about. At night I switched to a larger catheter bag that would get me through the night without having to empty it until morning. A nurse taught me how to switch between the two. On Monday morning the catheter was removed. I was then tested to see if I could pee on my own.
Some advice for post procedure recovery: take the prescribed meds, especially the anti bladder spasm pills (I tried to do without and regretted it). Drink lots of water (but not sparkling or carbonated as it may irritate the bladder). Do some walking to keep your body moving, but not too much. I over did the exercising and I think that may have set my recovery back. Take it easy for the first three weeks after the procedure. It took 3 to 4 months for me to fully realize the benefits of the procedure. I am now really happy with the outcome.
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1 Reaction@kocour I think most stay overnight to monitor urine, change bags and back flush. It's certainly something you can do yourself, but probably more convenient to have someone else do it. I had a PAE/ aquablation combo procedure which drastically reduced bleeding so I went home over night and came back next day to have the catheter removed. I got instructions on back flushing but thankfully didn't need to do it. I hindsight I think i would have been more comfortable staying overnight.
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1 Reaction@connect4321 Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't realize how much the wrong types of exercise could cause massive inflammation. I just thought that since I didn't see any blood in my urine that it was okay to play tennis. I'm already peeing a little better after 4 days off from tennis.
Something interesting to note: A few months ago after I had my cystoscopy (which determined I needed my large median lobe removed) I got all the symptoms of an UTI. I had played tennis the day after my scope and evidently my prostate is very sensitive to anything poking around there. I thought for sure I had a UTI as I had all the symptoms (burning sensation, difficulty peeing) but the urine culture came up negative. I assumed that the urine analysis might be incorrect as the PA said I could still have a UTI deep in my prostate which doesn't always show up in the urine analysis. But now that this has happened again (after the surgery), I see clearly that it was the tennis that caused all my problems. I play singles and I run hard on the courts which can be very jarring. I waited to play tennis about 3 weeks after the surgery and evidently it was not long enough of a wait.
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1 Reaction@mirdad22
Glad my tip might have been helpful. 😊
I had my Acquablation done today.
The process was fairly straight forward. Got there early. Signed in. Blood taken. Waited then for surgeon and team. Very organized. I believe they preformed the surgery using a Hydros machine.
When I woke up I was in recovery with a high Foley catheter. This foley hurts more than the foley I had in me for the prior 3 weeks waiting for the surgery.
I believe it a larger size . Could that the pain in the head.
I’m staying over night in the hospital as the flush out the bladder with a liquid solution. Was told it’s basically clear right now.
I will
Continue to update
My questions
1- have others here had pain due to the foley ? does the pain stop once it’s removed?
2-I’ve read that it’s common to have blood and clots for the next few weeks. The fact that there is no blood in my flushing mean that I won’t bleed once it’s stopped and the
@albiet the last comment should ask “does” the fact there is no blood in my flushing mean that I won’t bleed once the catheter is removed?
@albiet there will likely continue to be some blood in your urine for several weeks. It may start and stop over those few weeks. Too much activity and it may start up again. It doesn't take much blood to make your urine pink or reddish.
@albiet the amount of blood you experience is likely directly related to work that was needed. My prostate was only ~40cm^3, and a relatively small amount of tissue needed to be removed. Those with prostates much larger will likely have more bleeding. "No blood in my flushing" would be a good indicator that you will have less blood in your urine once the catheter is removed. What was the size of your prostate?