Hi @sandraazeez! First of all, BPH (Enlarged Prostate) is a common problem with many, many men especially if he is over 50! Urologists can treat this for many years with prescription drugs! It is important to see a Urologist. It is also important to understand the size of the enlarged prostate and just how it is affecting your husband. It is important to research all of the options out there in terms of medical procedures to lessen the impact of the enlarged prostate. My experience was that I took medications for years for the enlarged before I had to choose a medical procedure to deal with the impact it was having on me. After 5 or six years of medications, I decided to see a different Urologist. That Doctor immediately did a sonogram of my bladder, after I had urinated, to understand how well I was emptying my bladder. Next came procedure called a cystoscopy; this is where a small camera on the end of a tube goes up the urinary track to the inside of the bladder. In my case, the results of the cystoscopy indicated that my prostate was growing up and into my bladder, posing a risk of urine backing up and affecting the kidneys. This is where things get tricky because I had to choose the best procedure to deal with the enlarged prostate. In my case, I did what everyone does…..I googled questions, I looked at YouTube Videos on prostate treatment procedures, I sought another opinion from a Urologist. That Urologist want to perform a treatment on me the following week……but it would have been the wrong choice. After I had made my own decision about a procedure called HOLEP, I went to see another Urologist for his opinion. That Doctor looker at my Cystoscopy result and said….there is only one procedure for you, and it’s called HOLEP! I was very happy has this represented to me I had made a good decision. I contacted the Mayo Clinic Urology Department online, sent them the Cystoscopy result, I had also had an MRI so that they could view my condition. For your reference mine was not severely large….it was 83 cc’s. But it was growing up into the bladder, which really meant that there was only procedure for me. HOLEP. I encourage you to watch a YouTube video on a Doctor Dora at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville as he describes the procedure. I have no regrets at all. Hope this helps.
Wow. We could be the same guy lol. My experience is very similar.
My postop though has left me with survivors guilt because I keep reading about all the things that happened to other people I have not experienced yet it’s been almost 5 months since the procedure.
In my case, my local doctors did not know it was my median lobe. They said it was the prostate in itself. I needed to have turp or PvP. After seeing recently, some friends go through TURP I said no thank you. ESPECIALLY nowadays my job requires. I walk at least 28,000 steps per shift. This would not work out and I could not wear a catheter.
PVP does not give you the ability to check for cancer so that was a no go for me too.
Finally like you, I decided to advocate for myself and look around, and I found a wonderful doctor in Boise, Idaho, who, in addition to medical school, went on a fellowship to really dedicate himself to people like us, and it was a complete success
This is not a flex, but I want to be truthful
Zero complications during and after
Even after an extended time of recovery, I’m doing better than before the surgery.
I had zero ability to urinate without standing in the bathroom for 40 minutes pushing and even that I had reached its final push. My catheter was removed almost before I woke up. And within 24 hours, I was walking around downtown Boise, Idaho as if nothing happened.
Medium lobe is a specific kind of BPH. That’s actually the one everyone should wanna get. But some guys get the entire package of BPH some even with cancer. And that makes holep a little less, likely for them for whatever medical reasons won’t allow.
As I see it, there are 3 primary ways to address BPH. The approach selected is usually based on severity of symptoms, size and shape of prostate, and impact on bladder. One can use medication (typically either tamsulosin, finasteride, or a combination of both). This is usually the first line of approach. If symptoms can be controlled by 0.4 mg or 0.8 mg tamsulosin, that would be ideal. Finasteride has a variety of side effects which makes us less desirable but it is helpful because it can shrink the prostate and help prevent acute urinary retention. The second approach is nonsurgical treatment such as prostate artery embolization. It is not performed by urologists, but interventional radiologist. It is considered a minimally invasive procedure. It works on large prostates and there are few side effects. It may not be as durable as surgery but it may be a useful first approach. It shrinks the prostate by blocking the arteries feeding the prostate. The last approach is surgery, including minimally invasive or largely invasive procedures. If durability is important, HoLEP is the preferred choice among many urologists as it completely removes the inside of of prostate, leaving the outer “skin”. Other newer minimally invasive procedures include aquablation and Rezum. I would avoid Urolift as I understand the durability is not good. TURP is old technology and highly invasive and I would not consider it. There are also a number of other laser procedures and those using stents. Good luck and start with minimally invasive approaches and work uphill to the more invasive ones.
Hello @sandraazeez, I'd like to add my welcome to @gingerw. You may notice I moved your comment and combined it with an existing discussion in the Men's Health support group titled:
I'd like to invite @billh, @bill5letsfixthis, @kayak461 and @jimbomayo to this discussion as well as they have discussed an enlarged prostate and treatment options they have undergone or considered.
@sandraazeez, was your husband given any dietary suggestions? How is he doing with his medications?
To add one more reminder to this chain, and as Kayak461 already mentioned, enlarged prostates can lead to urine retention (you are not emptying your bladder when you urinate) and that can cause your urine to back up into your kidney and cause acute kidney failure. While a HoLEP, which I had and it worked great, can cure lessen the size of your prostate and allow for normal urination, kidney disease is irreversible. BUT THERE IS A SIMPLE PROCEDURE TO WARN YOU OF SEVERE URINE RETENTION. A BLADDER SCAN. Make sure your urologist or primary physician does this as often as needed (2-4 times a year) if you are having a lot of trouble urinating. It is an easy procedure. They have you urinate to empty your bladder as much as possible, and then put a ultrasound wand on your belly over your bladder, and measure the amount of urine left. Should be fairly minimal and if not, you know you have a potential problem.
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Wow. We could be the same guy lol. My experience is very similar.
My postop though has left me with survivors guilt because I keep reading about all the things that happened to other people I have not experienced yet it’s been almost 5 months since the procedure.
In my case, my local doctors did not know it was my median lobe. They said it was the prostate in itself. I needed to have turp or PvP. After seeing recently, some friends go through TURP I said no thank you. ESPECIALLY nowadays my job requires. I walk at least 28,000 steps per shift. This would not work out and I could not wear a catheter.
PVP does not give you the ability to check for cancer so that was a no go for me too.
Finally like you, I decided to advocate for myself and look around, and I found a wonderful doctor in Boise, Idaho, who, in addition to medical school, went on a fellowship to really dedicate himself to people like us, and it was a complete success
This is not a flex, but I want to be truthful
Zero complications during and after
Even after an extended time of recovery, I’m doing better than before the surgery.
I had zero ability to urinate without standing in the bathroom for 40 minutes pushing and even that I had reached its final push. My catheter was removed almost before I woke up. And within 24 hours, I was walking around downtown Boise, Idaho as if nothing happened.
Medium lobe is a specific kind of BPH. That’s actually the one everyone should wanna get. But some guys get the entire package of BPH some even with cancer. And that makes holep a little less, likely for them for whatever medical reasons won’t allow.
As I see it, there are 3 primary ways to address BPH. The approach selected is usually based on severity of symptoms, size and shape of prostate, and impact on bladder. One can use medication (typically either tamsulosin, finasteride, or a combination of both). This is usually the first line of approach. If symptoms can be controlled by 0.4 mg or 0.8 mg tamsulosin, that would be ideal. Finasteride has a variety of side effects which makes us less desirable but it is helpful because it can shrink the prostate and help prevent acute urinary retention. The second approach is nonsurgical treatment such as prostate artery embolization. It is not performed by urologists, but interventional radiologist. It is considered a minimally invasive procedure. It works on large prostates and there are few side effects. It may not be as durable as surgery but it may be a useful first approach. It shrinks the prostate by blocking the arteries feeding the prostate. The last approach is surgery, including minimally invasive or largely invasive procedures. If durability is important, HoLEP is the preferred choice among many urologists as it completely removes the inside of of prostate, leaving the outer “skin”. Other newer minimally invasive procedures include aquablation and Rezum. I would avoid Urolift as I understand the durability is not good. TURP is old technology and highly invasive and I would not consider it. There are also a number of other laser procedures and those using stents. Good luck and start with minimally invasive approaches and work uphill to the more invasive ones.
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1 ReactionNo dietary recommendations, he has now started the meds, some mild side effects.
Sandra
To add one more reminder to this chain, and as Kayak461 already mentioned, enlarged prostates can lead to urine retention (you are not emptying your bladder when you urinate) and that can cause your urine to back up into your kidney and cause acute kidney failure. While a HoLEP, which I had and it worked great, can cure lessen the size of your prostate and allow for normal urination, kidney disease is irreversible. BUT THERE IS A SIMPLE PROCEDURE TO WARN YOU OF SEVERE URINE RETENTION. A BLADDER SCAN. Make sure your urologist or primary physician does this as often as needed (2-4 times a year) if you are having a lot of trouble urinating. It is an easy procedure. They have you urinate to empty your bladder as much as possible, and then put a ultrasound wand on your belly over your bladder, and measure the amount of urine left. Should be fairly minimal and if not, you know you have a potential problem.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
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