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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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I'm scheduled for Aquablation in February assuming my Urologist confirms I'm a good candidate when he does the cystoscopy. I've had BPH symptoms for years, 73 gram prostate, got put on tamsulosin and solifenacin and went from getting up 4 or 5 times a night to zero. I do have to pee around 10 times a day and have a low flow but my question is this: If I want to get off the meds (I don't like the way I feel on them plus the retrograde ejaculation thing) is that a good enough reason to have this procedure done? I'm also curious if anyone else had this done for that reason alone? My normal Urologist wanted to do TURP, as that's all they offer but I found an experienced doctor who offers it a bit further away. Opinions please?
I'm in EXACTLY the same situation as you.
I'm also looking at OptiLume. Looking forward to the responses to your post.
Paul
I’m 71 and I did it too for those reasons. Additionally my bladder walls were thickening. After 5 or 6 years on tamsulosin it started to not work very well and I had been unhappy with the side effects for years. I went in to talk about the issue with my urologist and he suggested aquablation. I was immediately on board.
I’m about 7 months out now and my life has changed. I wish the procedure had been available when I first started to have prostate issues. The reasons to choose the procedure and the results of it are specific to the individual. The damage being done to my bladder walls from not being able to empty out was a big factor. Left untreated that’s a road to a permanent catheter. Not being able to urinate properly is a deceptively slow process and we seem to just get used to the inconvenience of it. Personally I had no idea of the long range implications to the bladder if left untreated.
I encourage any guy that’s having issues to see a urologist sooner than later. Good luck to all!!!
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1 ReactionDo it!. I'm 65 and was completely asymptomatic until Acute Retention shut me down completely. I was on a catheter for 4 months. I had a few very bad voiding trials on the way to aquablation. Tamolosin and Finesteride both screwed me up...and I was only on them for a couple of weeks.
Surgery was at the end of September. I was 105 grams. I'm peeing like a racehorse. I only get up once per night...which is the same for me for the last 20 years. I am also shooting forward and had no incontinence. Just understand you are being cut with a waterjet so you will bleed for a while...more than you would with Holep or Turp. I was told to drink 3 quarts of water per day...and I did. I went back to work at the end of week three. Bleeding stopped completely at the beginning of week three. But I've read other people who had lousy recoveries and still weren't 100% at three months.
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1 ReactionHello please look back through the comments, I wrote about my husband’s journey with Aquablation, which was completed in Aug. 2024. I’m a nurse and tried to keep it accurate and concise. Good luck, he loves the outcome.