T.U.R.P.
Transurethral Resection of the Prostate
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Many
of
these emails are from those who unfortunately have complications or
other unique problems. Yet there are also those who are just
concerned and confused by the symptoms of BHP, and/or the TURP
post-operation experience. Remember, the vast majority of TURP
patients have successful procedures and greatly reduced or even
eliminated symptoms. (Messages
are in chronological order with the oldest
first; oldest messages are purged first. I
only add emails if they offer significantly new information.)
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Just thought I would
share
my experiences since it seems most of the e-mails are negative. I am
a 51 year old male who was experiencing a continuing number of
bladder infections. After consultation with a urologist was told that
my prostate was growing up into the bladder putting pressure on it so
my stream was reduced. My doctor said I should have the T.U.R.P. Also had a biopsy to confirm no cancer
which it did. It came back cancer free. I had my procedure on the
22nd of May of this year. The catheter was removed on the 2nd day
after my surgery and my stream was 100% improved. I went home that
day and took the next two weeks off. Some blood in the urine at the
beginning of each evacuation but not much for the first few days.
Began passing some scabs with some bleeding at those times. It is now
June 12 (three weeks since the procedure) and have not seen any blood
since saturday. Have not resumed sexual relations yet. My check back
appointment is this Thursday, so hope to have an idea then when they
can resume.. My only recommendations are to take it easy for a couple
of weeks and to drink plenty of water during the day to flush your
self out.
Ed
I am 59 years old and was
told 6 years ago that my prostate was the size of an 80 year old. He
wanted to remove the prostate but after reviewing what that meant for
my quality of life I decided not to. I went on herbal medication. Saw
Palmetto helped a lot.
Two weeks ago I
began experiencing difficulty peeing. My wife persuaded me to go to
the emergency room. It took almost 2 more hours to see be admitted to
the room. The nurse inserted a catheter. I didn't know what to expect
and it was very painful. At the same time it relived the pressure. I
filled a container with 850 ml of urine. The normal bladder holds
about 1/2 of that. They told me that if I had not gone in I would
likely have died in about 10 hours from acute renal retention. So
much for denial of prostate problems.
I saw a urologist
that Tuesday. He scheduled me for a TURP on Monday 7/02/01. The
operation was only about an hour. When I came out of it I was
beginning to feel some pain. They gave me a little morphine and a
percocet tablet. I was okay for about 4 more hours. They took me to
my room and as usual for this operation I was on a Foley Catheter.
The put about 2 gallons of saline solution through the catheter to
flushout the prostate operation debris. This went well until 11:30 PM
when the staff changed shifts. They neglected to drain the container
that catches the fluid. I began feeling cold on the end of my penis,
and a feeling like my bladder was under pressure. it was. Someone
finally came and when they drained the bottle they went too fast and
caused me to fell a vacuum and some sharp pain. MAKE SURE THE STAFF
REGULARLY DRAINS THE CONTAINER!! You can see that drain hose. They
drained mine about once/hour. If the drain hose fills call them
immediately.
I was allowed to
go home the next day. They removed the catheter. This didn't hurt too
much. A lot of blood flowed for a few seconds and then stopped. I
have been taking it easy and following the doctors instructions. So
far I can pee very well (but did get the "burning" sensations). It
has been 1 week from the operation. I feel much better. I hope things
continue to improve. I am glad I had the TURP instead of any of the newer techniques.
I don't know what a laser or microwave would do to other parts of the
body. I am on flow max as prescribed by the urologist. I can still
see blood when the stream 1st starts. Overall the TURP is a very good
operation. If things start to get worse I will write.
Joe
I had a TURP 18 months ago. There was a significant
stone in my prostate the surgeon said he'd try to remove but couldn't
since it was too close to the nerve bundle. Later I developed quite a
few more small stones on the resected section and have experienced
recurrent infections. Some small stones were removed cystoscopically
9-10 months ago by the urologist who performed the turp. 2 months ago
a second urologist accidentally knocked loose some large
stones(5mm-10mm) in a cystoscopy followed by a rectal ultrasound of
the prostate. After I passed those in the next 3 days I was in heaven
because the urine flow was tremendous. Now I fear I have more stones
or bits of the original big one blocking the way again since I've got
weak stream and frequency again. If I need another turp to go after
the stones I'd like to have access to the French 3-D procedure I
heard on t.v. was being performed somewhere in California. Its
advantage is that the risk to the nerve bundle is greatly reduced.
Does anyone know where this procedure is available?
Pierre
To sort of "balance the books" a little for this webpage, I am
offering a positive example of the TURP procedure. I (the author of this web
site) had a TURP
performed about 3 years ago. I had been suffering from increasingly
upsetting and limiting symptoms for over 15 years before deciding to
do something about it. I would get up from sleep two to three times
per night; I avoided travel where access to a restroom was not always
available; and declined social events for the very same reason. It
was essentially controlling my life to a greater and greater
extent.
My operation was
an "out-patient" one, i.e. I was home within an hour after the
operation was performed, and I was required to administer the postop
recovery procedures and deal with the catheter -- even to removing it
myself when the time came.
Yes I was
uncomfortable during the recovery period and had all the postop
symptoms that the website lists. However, after recovery, I was
without any of the prior negative BHP symptoms and after three years
none have returned.
John Fife
My father had the TURP
procedure at the advice of his urologist due to frequent urination at
night. I'd just like to share an unfortunate consequence that
developed in his case so others may avoid the same outcome as he. He
developed blood clots in his lower leg below the knee, which were not
treated timely and even clot busting medication did not help,
resulting in having to have an amputation. If you have this procedure
and develop leg pain afterwards INSIST that it be checked out by your doctor
or a hospital. Older people may have circulation problems (perhaps
unknown to them) that can be exacerbated by having their leg(s) in a
stirrup position for a prolonged time. Better to be err on the side
of caution. You can print this as it may help someone else avoid this
problem. (Oct,
2001)
Linda
Hi John.
I had first PSA
test last week since my turp operation in Oct 2000 and it turned out
an excellent result of only 4. Everything is back to normal, no more
dripping after toilet since the operation and my sex life is back to
normal again. (Feb
2002)
Regards K.
Scott.
Hi: I'm scheduled for a
TURP on
March 14th after fighting continually more restrictive prostrate
symtoms. I was pretty sure it wouldn't be a "walk in the park" but
after reading so many horror stories ( your's being one of the few
positive testimonials) I'm scared to death. I thought the procedure
had gotten better and more sophisticated. Now, I'm not sure what to
do. It sounds like guys (I'm 58) are condemned to weeks, months and
years of torture. Can you offer any more encouragement?
Webmaster
answer: Yes, the vast
majority of
TURP patients have successful
and uneventful
operations (inc. myself). The variables are: choice of doctor, in or
out patient treatment, how well you follow recovery procedures and
your general health. Good luck.
Response
from Rick: Just had the
surgery. Feel like a new
man. Should have had it years ago. Thanks. (March 2002)
So far it's been a
real good experience. I'm thankful that I had it done and that I'm
recovering so quickly. (April 2002)
Rick
I am 63, and have a
moderately enlarged prostate, along with several stones which have
caused me much misery with chronic infections/inflammations for many
years. My Uro. has recommended a TURP to correct the enlargement and remove
the stones. My questions are: How effective is this surgery in curing
chronic prostatitis by removing the stones? On a scale of 1-10, how
painful is it each time you urinate, and for how many days or weeks
does this painful urination last?
Finally, has
anyone developed any major hospital staff infections from the
procedure? I guess these are my chief concerns outside of not being
able to urinate at all after the catheter is removed, which I
understand can happen. Would appreciate comments from anyone on these
items and/or advice.
Thanks for your
help. ArdHi57
Hello to fellow sufferers
-
My urologist has
been recommending a TURP for
the past three years, but I have been hesitant. My PSA is under 10
and two biopsys have been negative. (BTW, I'm soon to be 69). I have
found that the saw palmetto and cardura (prescribed somewhat
reluctantly by my urologist) have helped. I'll never forget when I
first noticed a problem. One morning I got up, went to the bathroom,
and NO stream. Panic! After a few minutes and considerable straining,
I was able to release a weak stream. From that time on, it has been
every 6 months to my urologist, PSA test, and the infamous "digital
exam" - You ex-GI's know it as "bend over and grab your sox". But one
suggestion that I have to everyone who has this problem - when you go
to the bathroom, Take Your Time! I make a game out of it. How long
can I keep a weak stream going. When I concentrate on prolonging it
instead of "I have to hurry back to work" and squeeze it off, I find
that I can go longer between trips - sometimes all night without
having to void. My personal feeling is that if 85 percent have good
luck with the TURP, that
leaves 15 percent with problems. That's the same odds you get with
Russian Roulette. I don't mean to sound flippant, but after all, it
is My (and Your) decision as to how you might have to spend the rest
of your life. As a disclaimer, I am NOT in any way a health
professional. Just a retired electrical engineer turned banjo player.
Best wishes to all.
(Update): Hello
to
all: I had my T.U.R.P. 10
days ago, and I can't believe how well it went! I had almost complete
blockage and had to wear a catheter for the past three months, which
took some getting used to. The reason for the delay in surgery was
the fact that my bladder was so enlarged, my doctor wanted to allow
it time to recover. It was my fault that I waited so long to have
something done. I think, like a lot of guys, I was just afraid of the
potential side effects. After the surgery, I had virtually no pain,
and after 4 days the catheter was removed and I have been voiding
like the proverbial race horse since ;-) I echo what was said on an
earlier post -- find a urologist whom you trust and who has a lot of
experience with TURP. BTW,
I will be 70 in three weeks, and I'm looking forward to a summer full
of activities that I haven't enjoyed for several months. Good luck to
all,
(Update from Charlie from Sept.
2002): Hello
to all -- This is a follow-up to
my previous posts. I had TURP the
first of April, 2002 and was very pleased with the results. However
starting in June, I began to see a decrease in my urine flow. My
urologist ordered a uroflow test and determined that there appeared
to be some blockage, probably due to scar tissue. I was scoped and it
confirmed that I had scar tissue in the urethera at the bladder
opening. I am now scheduled for a "minor" procedure in October during
which the the doctor will remove some of the scar tissue. It will be
much a much shorter procedure than the TURP, and will have much less recovery time.
He told me that about one out of 100 TURP patients have this problem. Has anyone
else on this page had this condition? BTW I am 70 years old and
fairly active. My one other complaint to the doctor is that I now
have erectile disfunction. Would anyone else out there care to
comment?? Thanks for reading.
Charlie
C.
Hi,
Just had
TURP
proceedure 10 days ago and wanted to share a positive result. I am 48
years old, and [was] told that I am way to young to have these
problems. However, with a PSA reading of over 8, 2 biopsies , a
cystoscope proceedure, a very enlarged prostate, 3 trips to the
emergency room with a urinary tract blockage, and very many trips
throughout the day to the restroom, it was time. I had my surgery
performed in New York, at The Sound Shore Medical Center, by my
urologist Dr. Larry Roberts of New Rochelle on Wednesday April 24.
The surgery took almost 2 hours, and I was in no pain before, during,
or after the surgery. The catheter was left in for one day after the
surgery to help cleans and drain the prostate. It was removed early
Friday morning by Dr. Roberts, and I have been urinating with no
hesitation since. The first 2 or 3 hours after the catheter was
removed, I urinated quite frequently, since I was drinking an awful
lot of juices and water, and also, I needed to regain some control
over my bladder. From Saturday however, my control has been
excellent, my urges to urinate are far and few between, and through
all this no pain, not too much blood during urination, and my control
is almost excellent. I actually went to the Yankee game this past
Sunday (10 days after surgery), and I did not have to get up once to
go to the men's room. I have even slept 2 or 3 nights straight
through without having to get up to relieve myself (Oh what a
feeling!) The only minor problem is if I cough or laugh too hard, and
there is some urine in my bladder, a drop or two comes out since I
guess I am not completely healed. However, I am assured this should
stop in the next week or so.
But I must tell
you what a pleasure it is, not to have to plan my day around where
bathrooms are. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to
write. (May
2002)
JOHN
This is June 14, 02 and
just wanted to share my TURP
experience, since your site has helped me out greatly... On June 4,
02 I was TURPed at
the Cleveland Clinic after about 4 mos. of my creatine level starting
to rise. I had no pain or discomfort which surprised my doctor... I
was still peeing but one day it just stopped and I had to have the
urologist put a catheter in me which I retained for 7 weeks. After
one day in the hospital they took the catheter out [and] I peed 600cc
-- mostly blood. They said that was no good and 1 hour later I peed
again which was pink and they said that was o.k. and let me go home.
Since being home I
have not had any blood in my urine and I drink lots of water and
juices. It is still difficult for me to begin a stream and usually
have a bowel movement with it.... but when it starts, its pretty
good, and one night I filled three 8oz. glasses. But usually its
between 4 to 8oz. I know it sounds stupid to keep track of your
urine, but I read somewhere you should expel approx. 2 quarts a day,
depending on the amount you drink, naturally. My doctor was concerned
about me peeing even after the operation because he said I had a
large bladder even tho he said the lining looked good. He didn't tell
me if it was naturally large or if it got that way by not peeing. I
was always able to hold my urine, even when I was in high school. The
only problem is straining to pee, I hope that gets better. I am 62
yrs. old and my first follow-up with him is July 8. Please print this
letter maybe it will help some one, your site has sure helped
me.
Clipper
Hi, had a turp on May 6th 02. Have been leaking since
then. On the third week I started to pee blood, had to go to E.R. for
a catheter. The next day began bleeding outside the catheter -- back
to E.R. for serious blood clot removal. Had a second surgical
procedure to seal leaking blood vessels. It is now about six weeks
after the first surgery and I have resumed my normal routine,
exercise, sex, work and so on. However, I have to wear an adult
diaper because of the leaking. If any one has had a similar experince
or has ideas on what might help, short of buying adult diaper stock.
I would be glad to hear from them
Jack
My name is Bernie, I had
the T.U.R.P.
surgery August 6, 2002. My surgery started at 10:30 A.M. and was out
of the hospital the next day at 2:30 in the afternoon. I know this is
early in the process but I want to thank all the guys who shared
their experience. It was fantastic. It made it easier for me to have
that knowledge before hand, because without it, I wouldn't have known
about the difficulty in urinating, standing on my tiptoes really
helped. Being aware of the blood and the clots eased my mind a lot. I
am almost 70 years old and this was my first surgery so you guys did
me a great service. (August
2002)
Thanks
Bernie
I was amazed to read the
many e-mails about problems folks are having after TURP. I've got my own horror story but was
under the impression that complications are rare. I'm 65 years old
and after having symptoms of an enlarged prostate for as many as ten
years, my primary care physician finally recommended I see a
urologist. The guy he recommended was young (the first mistake!) and
he performed a
TURP in
may 2001 using what he called a vaporization procedure. The initial
recovery was good, but I continued to show blood in my urine as much
as a half a year later. Finally another cystoscopy revealed that I
had a number of stones attached to the resected prostate tissue.
These were removed by the same urologist in Feb. 2002.
After that we left
Rochester, N.Y. for our winter place in South Carolina where the
bleeding recurred almost immediately. X-rays and ultrasound revealed
more stones and a blocked uriter (the duct from the kidney to the
bladder) It seems that insufficient prostate tissue had been removed
during the "vaporization" TURP. The
S.C. urologist (an older more experienced one) said the stones were
the result of my inability to void completely, causing the retained
urine to concentrate and to precipitate stones. He did another
TURP (May
2002) and, again the initial recovery was good - excellent stream, up
once a night only, no leakage etc, etc. BUT, six weeks after this
TURP I
started bleeding again. This time the amount of blood was scary.
Almost any physical activity could bring it on. Yet another urologist
- we were now back in Rochester - attempted to cauterize the large
resected area in a procedure very much like yet another TURP. It hasn't worked. The least amount of
lifting or activity still results in bleeding, usually six or more
hours later. It will then clear up until the next time I forget and
maybe pick up my 2 year old grandson or something even
lighter.
If there is anyone
out there with advice, I'm getting a little desperate! You may post
my e-mail and I hope to get some response. (September 2002)
Herb
I appreciate your public
service. Here's my story, positive one so far. I'm 47, have had
'prostate problems' since my 20's. Graduated to Urine Retention
issues with problem symptoms in my 40s. I went through Caduraand
Flomax and finally decided to get it fixed. I had my Turp 4 days ago. I had a spinal and watched
the job, stayed in the hospital one nite. If you want to do that, do
what I did and get them to give you Valium first. They used a balloon
catheter with traction pulling downward to faciliate healing and it
hurt a fair amount. I found the morphine didn't work as well as the
vicodin. Cath came out in the morning and I went home. It took awhile
to get the pee going, I was a little freaked out because it hurt
alot, they gave me some atavan to cool me out. First few days at home
sucked, kinda leaky, kinda bloody. Now at day four its all getting
better. Guys, if you have this problem and you are a candidate for
surgery I'd say do it if you can. The more you wait the more you
compromise your whole urinary system.(March 2003)
David
It is my pleasure to
contribute my experience to this website which has been my guide
through the TURP experience. My doctor initially did not inform me of
the severity of the TURP operation on my system nor the difficulties
and length of full recovery. I am thankful for the realistic
information this website provided.
First I want
to comment that despite the difficulties of the TURP procedure, I am
very pleased with the outcome and would urge any candidate for
surgery to do it. Now 10 weeks later, the urgencies, nocturnal
urinating, etc. have largely disappeared. I know I will be happier as
time goes by as explained below.
I am 67
years old and had my TURP operation on Monday, June 9, staying two
nights in the hospital on the advice of my physician. I urge you to
do the same. The balloon catheter can be very uncomfortable, painful
and messy. Why hassle it? That first afternoon I had to be irrigated
because of the pain. They gave morphine in an IV but after a few
hours found that Tylenol with Codeine by mouth worked better. A
sleeping pill gave me reasonable night's sleep. About 7 am Wednesday
morning the catheter was removed, and after drinking cranberry juice
and a large container of coffee, I gushed urine (to my surprise) and
went home.
The first
two weeks of recovery were difficult For the first three days, I had
to take Pyridum to relieve pain and burning in urinating. The pain,
frequencies and spasms diminished slowly and although I did return to
work after two weeks, I still had considerable discomfort. Even into
the third week I curtailed business activity. While bloody urine
dissipated, I still passed clots or scabs for many weeks. Before my
surgery my physician said that I would be OK to go on a planned
vacation 4-weeks from operation date. Now that I know the
difficulties, I would have postponed the vacation. And I suggest you
wear "adult diapers" until you can completely control your urinating
system.
Today, 10
weeks later, I am perhaps 95% recovered, have been back for weeks on
my regular schedule, including sex (which I believe has greatly
improved).
However, I
was not prepared, except for the advice from this website, for the
physical toll of the TURP operation. I didn't realize that I was
making a major commitment and that it would disrupt my life for many
weeks.
I fully
agree with Mr. Fife's comments on his "Frequently Asked Questions
Page." Full recovery can take up to a year.. Confronting my doctor, a
week after surgery, he even admitted that surges would not fully
disappear for perhaps six months. So be prepared, be realistic and
good luck!(August
2003)
Ralph
Hi!
Today is my first day home from
the hospital. I had my TURP surgery on
Tuesday (28th, October 2003) and
I wanted to share with your readers how really terrific everything went
for me. I am 44 and have been dealing with symptoms for many
years. 2
months ago I had to resort to cath - ing myself 4 times a day because I
could no longer Pee by myself. My Dr. wanted me to do this for 6
weeks
in order to "train" my bladder. He told me that I was his youngest
patient by 14 years and that my urethra was completely closed by my
prostate. ANYWAY: I want you to know my surgery and post surgery
has
been COMPLETELY PAIN FREE and without pain medications. The only thing
that hurt was the shot for the spinal and of course there was a bit
irritation with the Cath. The nurses & Drs. were great, they
answered questions. I wanted to tell you of my experiences because
while many of your contributors have expressed the many complications
that can occur. I wanted everyone to hear about the ones that are very
successful AND don't write in. I encourage everyone to drink water, and
do the surgery ASAP. For the first time in 15 years I can "Pee
Freely"...My family & Nurses have said I am acting like a kid at
"Show And Tell" and that Santa came early this year! My life has
changed! No more searching for bathrooms, no more 6 trips a
night to
the bathroom, no more "full" feelings. My goal was to be able to
write
my name in the sand (Snow for the northerners) and I will do it!
Also,
I do want to
thank everyone in
this site, I collected information to reduce my fears and by far this
site was the most helpful. It is easy to read and navigate. THANK YOU!(November
2003)
Lou
My TURP procedure was performed three months
ago and I just learned that I have been doing the sphincter exercises
completely wrong! The urologist/surgeon asked me several times if I was
doing the exercises faithfully, and I answered truthfully that I
certainly had. Still, three months down the line my bladder
drains every time I rise to a standing position. I squirt when I
sneeze, cough, or bend over. I am sick of being one of the Depends
company's best customers!
I
started a
six-week biofeedback program at Queens Hospital in Honolulu three days
ago. When I demonstrated how I had been tightening my sphincters on the
prescribed schedule three times daily, the RN very politely told me
that sucking my abdomen in and holding it tightly ten seconds at a time
was exactly the wrong thing to do! She use the word
"contraindicated." I learned during two hours connected to a
sophisticated computer program with a probe up my rear and patches
stuck to my skin in several places how I am supposed to be
exercising.
Very
simply,
what I was supposed to have done was imagine that I was very anxious to
have a bowel movement and was puckering my rectum in order to prevent
messing my pants before I could make it to the bathroom. Since the same
pelvic-floor muscle controls the bladder, this exercise will restore
the muscle strength I need in order to say goodbye to Depends.
On
the biofeedback monitor two horizontal lines run across the
screen; one showing how tightly I contract the one muscle which
controls both the bladder and the rectum, and the other
showing how badly I was cheating by tightening my stomach
muscles. During the past three months my stomach muscles became
very strong, but my pelvic-floor muscle is weak from lack of
use. Lying there and watching what my efforts produced on the
monitor was like a great game, but it really demonstrated what I have
to learn to do. Much of the time when the nurse told me to tighten up
the pelvic-floor muscle, the line showing my stomach muscle
tension shot up. She had me keep a hand on my stomach in order to
monitor was I was doing.
If
you are
having the same problem come to Oahu, lie on the beach between
sessions, and we will get together!(Nov 2003)
Al
I
am 51 and had a TURP op in
July 2003. There were some
complications
due to my having Prostatitus which had gone undetected. This
resulted
in excessive bleeding, I needed two blood transfusions. Straight
away
after the catheter was removed my flow was terrific, a great
relief. A
month later however, I was unhappy that I still had a nasty urgency
problem that was not there before. I was advised to do pelvic
floor
exercises and this sorted it out. It seems that these "pulling
up"
exercises are very important, although I had not been told to do
this.
Now four months later everything is perfect. My recovery took
longer
than I expected but it has been complete. It is great to be able
to
lead a normal life again.(Dec 2003)
Chris
I STRONGLY suggest that anyone
who needs a TURP
consider a "Greenlight PVP"
instead. It is a new laser
approach to remove the offending prostate material. The PVP has similiar clinical
endpoints, or results, but with less morbidity. Many
patients go home the same day without a catheter. The recovery
period is shorter. The procedure is FDA approved and
Medicare covered. More than 11,000 PVP's will be provided in
2003. All Urologic communities may not have endorsed
PVP yet and some insurance
may not yet provide coverage, but fight for
it.
I investigated both.
To me there was only one choice - the PVP. (Dec
2003)
Dennis(Ed Note: see FAQ's and
Links
for more on PVP)
Hi, My name is Tom and was diagnosed with BPH over 15 years
ago. I procrastinated and took herbs and proscar (which made me feel
like a zombie) and went to flowmax. When the bladder infections
and the other symptoms got unbearable I finally found a urologist who
agreed to do
PVP on my
trophy size prostrate. It takes one minute per estimated gram of
prostrate material to complete the procedure. Mine took 90
minutes which during the procedure he accidentally lasered my inner
thigh about 3 inches long. Prior to the procedure I was told that I
shouldn't have any negatives like
retrograde ejaculation etc. The recovery was painless with
minimal bleeding for about a week. Passed two huge wads of thick
blood and some small scabs and that was it. However after two
months the flow started to slow again. I had partial
retrograde ejaculation and the
urologist was talking redo already. It is almost 5 months now and I
still feel like I'm recovering to some degree. I have complete
retro ejaculation now and alot of
dribbling at the end of urination. I'm not a happy camper but I
was told that because of the large size 150 gram I was Lucky to find a
doctor to do it because it is labor intensive. I had two bladder
infections after the procedure but have had no recurrences for the last
three months. I will take a PSA test next month. I hope this was
helpful to anyone with similar circumstances who is contemplating
PVP.
(Mar 2004)
Tom
Hello and
thank you for this opportunity. Five and s half weeks ago (Jan.21st,2004) I had a TURP: there was no pain or
discomfort before, during or after the surgery. I did have
an embedded catherer for over a month prior to the procedure,and am glad to
be rid of it. Therefore I have been without sex since the end of November. I have
not seen any blood or clotting in weeks and despite having been tired and somewhat
listless after the surgery, I have had little discomfort. e.g.
Sitting for long periods of time is the only thing that made me reach for a Tylenol. I just turned 69
years old---but---I have been blessed with an active sex life and still maintained
(modestly) prodigious erections. Yes,I do use Viagra. This past
week my lady love (who resides in California,and who I freqently visit with) had our first
attempts at phone sex, (no Viagra of course) and it was NOT good. Previous to this
past December I have been able to masturbate with a substantial
erection. This has not been the case this past week----I did begin to feel the sensation
of ejaculation,but apparently the sperm did it`s retro thing and immediately my
penis collapsed. This has never been the case. Is there something
wrong? Am I expecting too much,too soon? I will be meeting
my Lady in
Florida this Thursday, and I can tell you that I am more than a little trepeditious,even though I
know she will be very understanding. Is a lot of this in my head? I will appreciate
any advice you may be able to offer. Thank you very much.
Joe
First
I'd like to thank you for providing a place where
a guy can get
some straight answers involving the turp.
Yesterday was 3 weeks
to the
day when I had my
turp and
since I was having very little blood I
decided to test the water to see if I could get an erection.
Maybe it's
still too early because I had a dredfull experience when I tried
this.
Not only did I not get an erection, I experienced tremendous pain in
the area of my urethra, all the way from the tip to the area under my
testicles. I was under the impression that no sex meant no
ejaculation, now I would guess that would mean no attempted
erections. All I can say is I am having a bad experience with
this
attempt and I would advise anyone who had the
turp to wait
the entire
prescribed period before making any attempt to try this. I can
imagine
that any guy who has the turp
would
be very curious to know if he still
has a functioning sexual organ. Don't be tempted like I was to
experiment, you may end up with a terrible pain.(May 2004)
Ray
I
showed the emails on this site to
an 86-year-old friend of mine who recently underwent a successful TURP procedure, and after
reading the comments of others, he asked me to relate his own
experiences.
Over
20 years, Gordon developed an
extreme reduction of urine flow. The bladder did not empty completely,
and the frequency of urination increased. He was put on Flomax and
Terazosin, and in December of 2002 he had a TherMatrx procedure --
which is microwave thermotherapy and is approved and paid for by
Medicare. There was no improvement.
In
April of 2004, Gordon underwent a TURP
operation, spending three
days in the hospital. He was catheterized for 24 hours. At first, when
he urinated there was a lot of blood and clotting, but it diminished to
zero over a period of eight weeks. For several weeks, there was
some discomfort in the form of a constant desire to urinate even after
having just done so.
Now, three months
after the TURP, Gordon reports:
a: Ease
in starting and finishing urination.
b: All discomfort
gone
c: Once in a while
(not daily) he may lose one drop of urine when
coughing or sneezing.
He
no longer takes any prostate
medications.
When
I asked Gordon to summarize his
experience, he said: "I am very pleased with the results and would
recommend TURP to anyone with an enlarged
prostate."(August
2004)
Scott
Your website is
extremely helpful. i had a turp
procedure and the only
thing you have not discussed is bleeding. Its been 12 days
since surgery and blood still appears when i urinate. also
stinging is a problem. any experience on why and when these
symptoms will stop?
(April 2005)
(Ed Note: Actually voiding
of
blood and tissue is mentioned several places: FAQ's, Tips)
My turp was in
December. By March I had regressed to my former state with
spasms, leakage, and pain. With LipatorLA I now control
most of the spasms and dribbling. However, the pain of urination
is almost more than I can stand. It is not a burning sensation but
rather like an electrical shock that goes all the way down to my finger
tips. I go back to the surgeon in the morning. At this point I am
sorry that I ever had the surgery.
(May 2005)
Charles
Been about 4 years since my T.U.R.P.
and while the procedure itself was uneventful..overnite in hospital,
catheter for 5 days while on the couch with no problems since..My
complaint would be with the quality of ones sex life...Erection is not
a problem but the uncontrolable urine emissions during sex is a tad
embarassing and am not enthused about the retro grade ejaculation...Am
now 67 and in looking back I think I would suggest anyone facing this
procedure give serious thought, do alot of research and definetly more
than one medical opinion...While the procedure cured the prostate
problem quality of a sex life afterwards is also to be considered...(May 2005)
Cha00em
Hi,
my name is Rob,
and had a TURP in October 2004.
Things are just great when urinating, extra great flow and bladder
empties completely. But as the months passed the uncanny
feeling of ejuculation shooting backwards into the bladder and not out
the penis is and has become very dull and not as exciting in pleasure
and feeling.
I masturbate frequently as I don't have a female companion and find it
an embarrising situation with them as most don't understand or don't
really want to understand.
I have no problem with getting an erection, in fact since the
operations I have got a lot harder and sustain for a longer period tahn
before.
The only problem now is that I would like to be able to ejaculate as a
normal male and more acceptable to others.
I was wondering if there was another opp that could be performed to re
adjust the procedure to enable a normal ejeculation?
(June 2005)
(Ed Note and Response: I do
not normally print my responses to email, but I think Rob's question is
so very important and he has expressed it so well that I thought the
full context was necessary)
I AM NOT IN THE MEDICAL
PROFESSION AND ALL
COMMENTS SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR
REPLACE THE NEED TO CONTACT A VALID MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
I think that what you are dealing with is normal, but also mostly a
mental one, not a physical issue. Almost all men who have a
TURP operation ejaculate into their
bladder as the valve that would normally close at your bladder to
direct sperm out your penis is destroyed in the operation. Whether it
can be repaired/replaced I do not know. But I suppose in this day
and age of rapidly advancing medical science, anything is possible.
However, I would beg that you consider that what you are dealing with
here is more an attitude than a physical problem. I too
have the same situation since my TURP,
and I too experienced an actual increase in sexual ability/desire after
having it, but I did not have the issues you are dealing with -- in
fact, quite the opposite.
You see, when my doctor told me about the impending change to my
ejaculation, I was glad it would happen. Why, because I think all
my life, no matter what the women "said" they were doing to avoid
pregnancy, I was never sure it was true and/or would work, and that
worry always took alittle of the experience away from me. I
no longer have to worry about that, as so little sperm now finds its
way out. I am not embarrassed that I don't ejaculate -- I
actually brag about it, and I have not found a woman who is not glad
about this also. And this especially comes into play for
women when you are taking about oral sex!
The women are less worried they will get pregnant, no matter what they
are already doing, it is less messy for both, but especially for them,
and much less likely they will get any kind of infection from your
fluids. I looked at it, and still do, as a "win-win"
situation.
I am not trying to minimize your concern, as I actually understand how
this can be construed as being a "masculine" issue, and I have no doubt
it can mentally affect performance and experience. But I am
saying, why allow that, when you can just as easily look at the good
things it does for you?!
I have always believed that sex is mostly "mental" anyway, and getting
older only reinforces that belief. So if that be true, then you
are in control of your own sexual experience, be it via masturbation or
with a partner.
Hope this helps.
(webmaster)
I want to tell you how much I appreciate your web site. It was
so helpful to me, especially the TIPS page and the
testimonials, in making my decision concerning TURP. I am not in
the medical field and this is just my personal experience. I am 61
years old and was diagnosed with BPH about 10 years
ago. I have been through the biopsy procedure twice because of elevated
readings in my PSA and have taken Flomax for a number of years.
The
Flomax helped some for a while, but over time became
ineffective. Last year 2005 my doctor recommended the TURP procedure
telling me that although there were other procedures TURP was "the
Gold Standard" of prostate operations.
In Nov. 05, went into the hospital at 6:00am, but had to
wait for 2 hours because I drank a cup of coffee! They were serious
about "nothing by mouth after midnight". I was taken to a holding
room where an IV was inserted and a drug administered that made me
feel woozy. I elected to receive the spinal (good
choice).
As I lay there I began to loose feelings in my feet and after
awhile I could not move my feet. (Weird feeling) I was then taken
into the OR placed on a table with my legs lifted up. The
anesthetist stood by my shoulder during the entire time making sure
that I was comfortable. The surgeon told be everything that he did
and at one point turned a monitor so I could see what he was
doing! AWESOME. After about an hour I was taken
into recovery where I was monitored until the feeling began
to come back into my feet and legs. After about 1/2 hour I was returned
to a regular room. I realized at this point that I had a NEW member, a
catheter. Let me just say EVERYTHING you read about the
catheter being bad is true. I was kept over night and the next
morning the surgeon came and checked me out and removed the
catheter.
Pain like you have never felt, but only for a moment. I was told that I
was to urinate three times in a bottle so the nurses could monitor the
color (red, lighter red and not too red) for next couple of hours. Hold
on when you urinate the first few times because it is
baaaad!
When I got home I took the medicine, pain pills and slowly
but surely got better. The pain and bleeding went away after a few
days, but returned because I got in a hurry to do some lifting. Plan on
a good month of no heavy lifting.
The over all results have been nothing short of amazing. I
sleep through the night. WONDERFUL. I can drive a hundred miles without
having to stop and look for a restroom. I have had no
additional problem with my sex life and the dry run that some have
reported never has happened.
All in all, if the doctor feels that you are a candidate for
TURP, go with it. (May 2006)
David (email withheld upon request)
I would
appreciate it if you don't use my email address on the page, but I
wanted to add my experiencewith this T.U.R.P.
procedure.
I am in my late 50's. After many years of having aweak
stream, dribbling and all of the associated nuisances from BPH
(including night waking to go to
the bathroom a few times) I finally had the TURP
procedure done just 6 days ago. In the hospital, I stayed
overnight and the urologist came in the next
morning and removed the catheter. That was probablythe most
uncomfortable part of this whole procedure. Immediately after the
removal, I felt like I had to
go, but there wasn't anything coming out yet. The nurse told me to
relax and wait awhile. When I did, I was able to go.
To my surprise,
I was able to pee like a kid again! It burned a little and had some
blood in it, but it went okay. In the few days I have been
home, the amount of blood in the flow has
decreased to almost nothing and there is still some burning, but I have
not needed any pain medications to control it as the burning is slight.
I hope this healing continues.
I now feel when I empty my bladder and can pee full force! It's great.
In other words, the TURP was sucessful in
my case. I won't know about the long range effects for a few
weeks yet, as I am still in 'healing' mode, but I think if short term
recovery is any reflection on the longer range, I will be much better
off.
Remember to find a urologist you trust. Ask questions.
Don't rely on hearsay. As in any procedure, relax. Only a
very small percentage of men who have this
procedure have problems afterwards. I have two friends who have
had thos done as well as two family members.
All have had great success without any problems. (August 2006)
Verne (email withheld
upon request)
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