Skip to main content

Surgery

Pee In Morse Code - My Enlarged Prostate & Me

by Tally on December 21, 2009

Enlarged prostate - BPH showing the urinary tractAnother blogger who had prostate problems found this site and gave me a link back. Thanks! But that is not why I am writing.

I had a HoLAP procedure on my enlarged prostate.The other blogger had a green laser treatment of his prostate. He wrote a chronicle of his prostate problems. He starts with a description of why he calls his blog Pee In Morse Code.  He describes his prostate surgery with the Green Light PVP procedure. He also describes his recovery and the health of his prostate as the years go by. For anyone considering treatment for BPH, his blog is a must read.

I must say that his experience was much different than mine. He had lots of post-surgery pain and blood clots. After my HoLap procedure, there was virtually no pain, but I still had a Foley catheter. He also had lots of urinary tract irritation and, apparently, the medications he was prescribed offered little relief. The irritation was most likely due to the green light laser inserted through his urethra.

Read more . . .
Tags:

Results of my prostate surgery

by Tally on November 20, 2009

I had my laser (HoLAP) surgery 15 months ago for my enlarged prostate after I was diagnosed with acute bacterial BPH.  A lot has happened to my body in those 15 months. As told elsewhere on the site, my foreskin restoration is progressing. Now it is time to report on the state of my prostate.

My immediate recovery from surgery was uneventful. There was very little lingering pain. When I urinated, my stream was mostly normal colored. But, there were a few times the first few days when small blood clots came out with my urine. Five days after my HoLAP prostate surgery I had the surgery catheter removed. I have been urinating on my own ever since.

Read more . . .
Tags:

Prostate surgery

by Tally on August 19, 2008

As noted in my last blog, I was scheduled for prostate surgery. I was told to be at the hospital at 1:30 that afternoon. The surgery was as an outpatient and I was supposed to be able to go home in a few hours. I could eat and drink only up until midnight the night before. I got to the hospital nervous and hungry. Thirsty, too.

The surgery was to start at 4:30 that afternoon. Talking to the check-in nurse, I found out that my urologist had several patients before me that he was operating on. I was to be the last. I hoped he was not going to be too tired. But, I thought, he should have lots of practice by the time he gets to me. My wife and I waited in the waiting room for about an hour before they called us back.

Read more . . .
Tags:

Getting ready for prostate surgery

by Tally on August 10, 2008

My urologist gave me the options for fixing my BPH: surgery or drugs, and he did not thing the drugs were a good option.  My prostate was 50 grams and myurethra was almost completely blocked. Antibiotics were no help in opening up my urethra. So, if I wanted to use drugs like Avodart or Proscar, I would have to wear the catheter for several months until the prostate shrunk enough. Ugh. That was not a good option.

Then there is surgery. I asked about the less invasive laser treatments, such as the green laser. My urologist said those laser treatments would require me to continue wearing the catheter until my prostate shrunk enough from the laser treat. He said that the laser destroyed the inside of the prostate and that the prostate would collapse on itself, making my urethral opening larger. But, that takes time.

My doctor's first choice was TURP - trans-urethral resection of prostate. TURP requires an overnight hospital stay. It also has a 2 to 4 month recovery period.

The other option was HoLAP - Holmium Laser Ablation of the Prostate. My urologist was not too optimistic about HoLAP, considering the size of my prostate. At 50 grams he said I was on the high end of the range for it.

Read more . . .
Tags: