BPH

[acrisman]

I’m a 66 year old male that has had BPH since early 2006. I’ve been on Flomax, proscar, finasteride and uraxatrol. The only thing they did for me was lower the libido and normal ejaculation. If ejaculation was accomplished it went into the bladder (retrograde) . In July of 2007 I elected to have the microwave treatment. (TUMT). This takes about 30 minutes and is done in the urologists office. It’s supposed to destroy cells in the prostate which are absorbed by the body thereby shrinking the prostate. This usually takes around 6 months to get the optimum result. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me. I was also informed later that if it was successful it only lasts for 2 years. I switched urologists at that time.
My symptoms have only gotten worse. Although I’m still able to empty the bladder (when I sit) it’s done in dribbles and drops and numerous trips to the bathroom. The new urologist suggested Avodart. Again, a drug that takes from 6-8 months to improve your symptoms. He also suggested taking 160mg of saw palmetto twice daily. I’ve been on that regimen since Sept of 2008. I know it’s only been 2 months but symptoms are getting worse. Sex drive is nil, I’ve only been able to reach ejaculation twice in that period and the (main thing) urination hasn’t improved. Has anyone had any luck with Avodart? Also I’ve read about a treatment called PVP (photoselective vaporization). Sounds similar to the microwave treatment. As I see with most of the posts the TURP procedure seems to be the final choice. I’ve known 4 people that have had the procedure and none are happy with the procedure, recovery or outcome. Thank you in advance.
Al

[mrcoyote]

Al> you've probably read some of my recent posts about my experience with BPH and more recently laser TURP. So, you're getting this from somebody who has been where you are now and knows exactly what you are going through. I had basically the same symptoms. It suddenly got worse after years of Flomax and one night I was completely unable to urinate, which rapidly escalated into a urinary tract infection. And from there, within two weeks, I had the laser TURP. That's how bad it was. My fear for you now is this: you are barely able to urinate. Not good. As you probably know, if the urine is not allowed to leave the bladder completely, you are setting yourself up for a UTI. Then things get bad quickly. If it gets backed up into the kidneys, even worse. Can you wait 8 months? Maybe. Should you?
That's up to you. I don't think the saw palmetto in that dose or any dose is going to do much at this stage, but there's no harm in trying it. You can also try something called Beta-S. Look it up on GOOGLE if you want. It's beta sitosterol, a plant sterol....said to be many many times more powerful than saw palmetto as we know it. I used it for a long time. Anyway, in my humble opinion, TURP may be the only thing that's really going to give you the relief you seek. And laser turp may not be possible if you are taking Avodart. Read my posts to find out why. Of course, you could always go for the gold standard "roto rooter in place of the laser, but it's more bleeding, healing time, and maybe a hospital stay for a bit. I went home a half and hour after the laser treatment. And, I have to tell you, I am very happy with the results. It has been exactly a month, and I am like a 21 year old kid in every respect.
EVERY respect.....this goes for sexually and urologically. No problems and I only wish I had done this earlier. It may be because I had such a skilled doctor, or for whatever reason, but.....we had a long talk about this surgery before I agreed to it, and he himself told me the success rate for this was excellent and I would be happy. And I am. I'm convinced nothing could have ever given me the relief
that the TURP did. If you have more questions, feel free to ask. Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself on this forum, but I'm not giving up! Ha! I'm happy to help others, because I know how it felt
to seek some form of relief.