Tulsa Pro Experience, Mayo Clinic MN – July 2024

I had the full gland TULSA PRO ablation done end of February at Texas Prostate in Dallas, Texas by Dr. James Cochran. All went very well, in at 7 a.m. and was prepped, the procedure started around 8 a.m. and I was awake at 11:15 a.m., out of the facility about an hour or so later. The entire staff were great and excellent to me, before and after the procedure. All very professional. I had zero pain from the procedure as far as the prostate goes. There is of course some discomfort from the catheter at the bladder neck, but medication took care of that. I left with a %100 silicone catheter, a leg bag and a night bag.

I wore the catheter for 12 days, had it removed at my home urologist where the URO RN did a 'fill and pull' where they fill the bladder and then you urinate in a small container. You need to pass at least 2/3 of what they put in. She put in 270ml and I passed 300ml so the catheter did not have to go back in.

The urine stream is still very weak, more so in the morning after waking up. Later in the day the stream improves to about 30 percent of what it should be. It will be this way for probably 8 or so weeks, maybe longer. Passing very little blood in urine, no pain during urination, no incontinence and no ED.

About the second week after the ablation I began to feel 'engorgement' in my penis, soon there after I began having mild erections during my sleep. Erections are now about at 90 percent of what they were. I am 69 so I am happy with that; I do expect that as I heal the erection percent will go higher.

I will get a PSA at 3 months and a MRI at 6 months. With a full gland ablation the PSA should be low, but what the doctor has mentioned to me that what ever it is, it needs to stay roughly the same from there on out. I did have a PSMA prior to the procedure and there were zero uptake, not even in the prostate were there uptake. Biopsy did show cancer but it was quite mild, and Gleason 3+3, 6. After the second tumor appeared I pulled myself from active surveillance and scheduled myself for TULSA PRO. I used AS as a window to decide what to do, that second tumor came along and I already knew what I wanted for treatment, I immediately made an appointment for the ablation.

All in all, at this point I am very, very pleased with the TULSA procedure and equally pleased with Texas Prostate, Dr. Cochran and his staff. I could not have asked for better care. I will post the results of my PSA and MRI when they are available.

I understand. I actually felt like I could’ve driven home after the procedure even after general anesthesia. I literally went for a 2 mile walk 18 hours after the procedure. Of course I only had 30% of my prostate ablated.

I tried several hospitals, they would not take me as I have no family to care for me for 24 hours after the procedure. I even offered to pay out of pocket, full rate for 24 hour hospital room, even tried to get them to let me use a nursing service at the hotel, and still no dice. I was even willing to pay what medicare did not pay, still no go.

Found a concierge facility that would work with me and that is who I chose. Yep, costing me out the hind-end but I was left with no choice.

I think I would fly to Mayo in Rochester or Jacksonville. I had my 45 cc prostate ablated (30%) there in July. My total bill was six dollars. I am on original Medicare though. Dr Woodrum in Rochester has done thousands of ablations. Not all Tulsa Pro but he is very experienced with ablation and the use of MRI. I was a Gleason 7 and at six months my MRI shows no sign of cancer.

Greetings all, I am scheduled for Tulsa Pro end of February in Texas. Gleason 3+3(6), TP biopsy, low risk, Decipher and Prolaris show low risk for mets, recent PSMA shows no prostate cancer cells anywhere, prostate volume is 45cc, age 69. The TP biopsy was a saturation biopsy with 30 cores, 9 of which were positive, mostly 1 percent levels except for where the tumor is. Gone from 1 to 3 tumors, all around 1cm and frankly should have done TULSA in November of 2024 but put it off due to holidays. I am using a concierge facility which means my medicare advantage plan will only pay about 8000 of the 35,000 cost. If I use a hospital, then it is virtually all covered with the new medicare code.

I have been reading about TULSA and its use for about 5 months now and what I see is the more experience the doctor, the better the outcome. Also, it seems to be better to leave the catheter in for at least 10 days (which my doctor is doing ). My doctor is also doing meds that I see other physicians are not using so, I feel like I have a 'leg up' on this compared to some others.

My ablation will be a total ablation. I have 3 tumors, 45cc prostate, and at 69 don't care to sire any children. Though the dry ejaculation that results from a total ablation mentally and emotionally bothers me. Still, I just want this cancer gone and gone before the prostate grows larger or I get mets. I will post back my results from the procedure and let everyone know how it went.

Doc said no issue. PSA does not go to zero as I still have 70% of my prostate. At this point the trend will become the important indicator. I will continue with the three month PSA‘s and six months MRI for at least another 18 months I was at 8.6 prior to procedure. And I was at 2.1 twenty years ago! Pet scan was clear 6 months ago.

That seems a little high for after procedure PSA. Is it supposed to continue to go down over time, after Tulsa Pro, like radiation treatment works?

You did have a PSMA Pet scan, that’s how you know there’s no tumor?

Just had my 6 month follow up. PSA at 0.96, MRI summary:
No definite residual/recurrent tumor in the ablation zone. No new findings suspicious for additional clinically significant cancer in the prostate gland.
Doctor said my results at this point are excellent

In general " YOU ARE NOT BEHIND " . My Urologists are at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto , ranked as the 5th Top Reasearch & Treatment Centers of Excellence in the world . Plus "Sunnybrook Hospital " also in Toronto .

Agreed. Thankfully if I need any future biopsies they will be done at Mayo - Rochester and I was assured Mayo does transperineal. While I didn't like the transrectal fusion biopsy I will credit my urologist for hitting the target at least twice. It was the other 12 or 13 core samples he also took which were not pleasant. We can credit the FDA for keeping us behind in this country.