Urolift? Anyone had it?

MRG

MRG

Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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My BPH is causing more problems and my urologist is recommending a urolift. It's supposed to be easier, less invasive than TURP surgery. Any thoughts?
 
I've looked at it (another BPH sufferer here). Fairly new, so there isn't a lot of history and my biggest question has no answer yet: How long is relief likely to last?

They say at least three years, because that's all the data they have yet.
 
My wife had the urolift done 3 months ago. Then she had a hiatal hernia repaired 5 weeks later.

The urolift was done by a Urogynecologist, and they are a somewhat specialized and rare physician. We had to drive 2 1/2 hours to get to one. It took less than an hour, and was a breeze to get over.

Her hiatal hernia repair was much more difficult, but she came out of it like a champ. She cannot get over how much better she feels from it, and wishes she'd have had it done 10 years earlier.
 
MRG said:
My BPH is causing more problems and my urologist is recommending a urolift. It's supposed to be easier, less invasive than TURP surgery. Any thoughts?
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I have been discussing this with my uro for the past 2 or 3 years. If I find the relevant links I will post.

Urolift is THE MOST EXPENSIVE non-surgical procedure. Probably why the doc is recommending it. The other new one that is only a year newer than urolift is called Rezum. It basically is thermo-therapy that has replaced the TUNA and Microwave procedures. It is less expensive than urolift and delivers the thermo-therapy much more efficiently and effectively than the microwave technique. As soon as I get some other stuff out of the way I am setting up an appointment for Rezum.

My Uro is big on urolift but has another doc in his practice who has done lost of rezums and told me just make an appointment with "dr Smith" to have it done. I like that he didn't take it personally.

In my case I told him directly I do not want rubber bands and paper clips stuck in a sensitive bodily organ! Rezum is a heat application that destroys overgrowth. Nothing left behind to cause a problem later. Besides the prostate will continue growing anyway. If I have to get another Rezume in 10 yrs OK. I get another one. It will be more refined or even replaced by an even newer friendlier procedure. The urolift dos not remove tissue. It just moves it. It just rearranges the furniture so you can get around it. Rezum removes tissue. Excess tissue is the problem. That's how I look at it.

There are videos on Youtube and some other medical websites that discuss this plus a fair amount of "printed" material.
 
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I looked at it but if memory serves, it would not have worked well for me. I ended up the Green Light Laser. I couldn't be happier with the result. The only 'negative' change is retrograde ejaculation. I personally do not find a problem with this (all the pleasure, none of the mess) and a worthwhile trade-off.
 
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davef said:
I looked at it but I if memory serves, it would not have worked well for me. I ended up the Green Light Laser. I couldn't be happier with the result. The only 'negative' change is retrograde ejaculation. I personally do not find this as a problem (all the pleasure, none of the mess) and a worthwhile trade-off.
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This is very important. I don't know if MRG has had the initial workup yet but urolift works best on a fairly narrow range of prostates. rezum can be used on a wider spectrum of prostate problems. Both of them are currently recommended on prostates less than 80 or 100 grams. Larger would require surgery which is my personal reason for doing something sooner rather than later. Nip it in the bud. Also, urolift , unless there's been a very recent refinement, does not work on median lobe involvement. Rezum can be used on enlarged median lobes.
 
razztazz said:
This is very important. I don't know if MRG has had the initial workup yet but urolift works best on a fairly narrow range of prostates. rezum can be used on a wider spectrum of prostate problems. Both of them are currently recommended on prostates less than 80 or 100 grams. Larger would require surgery which is my personal reason for doing something sooner rather than later. Nip it in the bud. Also, urolift , unless there's been a very recent refinement, does not work on median lobe involvement. Rezum can be used on enlarged median lobes.
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Thank you.
Yes, I had the workup, a wonderful experience, and am a candidate for urolift.
 
Did any of you get any relief from supplements? My prostate is getting bigger and I usually have to get up during the night to pee.
 
DFW_M5 said:
Did any of you get any relief from supplements? My prostate is getting bigger and I usually have to get up during the night to pee.
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Years ago yes. Now nothing from OTC or prescription meds. I have to get up and well... not go too well.
 
I have BPH also. Slow stream for about 5 years, on medication, that helps but not great. My prostate, last measured two years ago is 72cc, about 2x the normal size.

My urologist likes Green Light laser now over Urolift (he has done both) and has mentioned to me that if I get to the point where it's really impacting my life, we should go for it. Luckily, I'm typically up only one time per night to go to the bathroom, sometimes 2.
 
I had TURP some years back due to an emergency situation. I didn't have the option of alternative procedures so cannot comment on how well or how long Urolift works.

Is it just me or does the Urolift remind anyone else of the "As seen on TV" Ronco Buttoneer?
 
I bit the bullet and had the procedure done yesterday. My insurance company will not be paying for it as it's against their religion. So it's on me. The facility says they will discount the procedure based on our income but they can't tell me how much until it is billed.

Post op hasn't been too bad, some pain, bleeding, clots, and unpleasant sensations for the first day. That seems to be resolved 24 hours later. I haven't seen any relief of my BPH symptoms but that's supposed to take a few weeks. I took 25mg of hydrocodone the first day, hopefully I won't need any more. I see my surgeon next Friday and hopefully all is still well.
 
I mentioned Urolift, "in passing"...(no, not urine), to my urologist three days ago......he was quite negative, in fact he suggested that 'they' might ban it.

Since my available time with him is limited I didn't ask who 'they' were, or why 'they' might consider taking such an action.
 
Nemo2 said:
I mentioned Urolift, "in passing"...(no, not urine), to my urologist three days ago......he was quite negative, in fact he suggested that 'they' might ban it.

Since my available time with him is limited I didn't ask who 'they' were, or why 'they' might consider taking such an action.
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Wow. Poorly-timed comment considering MRG had the procedure done only yesterday :(
 
erkevin said:
Wow. Poorly-timed comment considering MRG had the procedure done only yesterday :(
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For that reason I contemplated not posting, but DW said "That's what he told us, you should mention it".

So....Mea Culpa.

(We DO question a number of things he's mentioned....but...this is Ontario.)
 
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Thank you. If you hear who "they are" or why the ban please post.
Nemo2 said:
For that reason I contemplated not posting, but DW said "That's what he told us, you should mention it".

So....Mea Culpa.
Click to expand...
 
MRG said:
Thank you. If you hear who "they are" or why the ban please post.
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Definitely.....because we 'found' Urolift through our own independent searches before seeing him, and I thought it might be a viable solution to my own 'expanding prostate' situation, so I threw it in during our conversation with him.
 
One thing I an aware is the prostrate has to be a certain size, weight, and dimension. They do a ultrasound to determine that.

There were many factors that influenced my decision, primarily the limited choice of providers and their skillsets. I could have gone to an in network provider and had green light, but I hear that doc has fried a few guys.


Nemo2 said:
Definitely.....because we 'found' Urolift through our own independent searches before seeing him, and I thought it might be a viable solution to my own 'expanding prostate' situation, so I threw it in during our conversation with him.
Click to expand...
 
Not to derail the thread, just an aside. Different procedures have different results in different people.

When my prostate got too big for comfort I opted for a TUNA procedure. That's somewhat like the green light laser but uses RF energy to ablate the gland.
My urologist said he could pretty well guarantee I would get five years of relief from it and he was right. In fact that was over 11 years ago and it's only recently that I've started thinking about perhaps doing something else.
 
Urolift. TUNA. TURP. Where do they come up with these names? The first sounds like Uber in Europe, the others sound like lunch.
 
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