Anyone Here Have Greenlight Pvp

[StenCoil]

I'm 46 and a DL, but I've had some real incontinence issue that have been getting worse. Mostly with bladder spasms (painful), and finally having to get an indwelling cath placed on Xmas day...which ain't really fun. At one point the Uro was talking about a Stent, but that strategy has been replaced with this new Greenlight prostate laser surgery. After they did a cysto they found I have some swelling around the ejac. ducts and a couple of strictures/scar tissue that have to come out.

The geenlight website is all rosey and wonderful, and talks about how recovery is within days or a week or two. My family physician's experience is that recovery is more like weeks or months, and that incontinence and retrograde ejaculation (dry climax) are the most common side effects and complaints.

I asked my wife about the ejaculation issue, and she said the less mess, the better...so OK.

I'm in a diaper or external cath most of the time already, so I can deal with incon...after my experience with NOT being able to pee at all I'll take the incon route any day.

Have any of you guys had this done? Were you happy with it? Would you do it again??

[Angela Bauer]

Greenlight Pvp is a new enough urology procedure long term results are not yet known.

This is similar to the thinking about the robotic prostate cancer surgery 2 or 3 years ago.

My husband Don was already 74 in Feb 2007 when his routine PSA came back elevated. Even then he did not think there was anything wrong with his bladder control or capacity. Fortunately don had regular PSA, because he was immediately referred to a urologist (not the same office as treats me) who did another PSA, confirmed the results, scheduled a surgical biopsy and in June 2007 did a robotic prostate surgery. The good news is Don has subsequently regained his bladder control and the better news is he is cancer free. During this year when Don has spent way more time talking to urologists than I do, he has talked to many patients about Greenlight Pvp. All who have had it are very pleased with the good results and the better than expected return to normal bladder control.

Unless a man under 50 has a family history and risk factors for early onset prostate cancer, most primary care physicians do not order PSA tests. One, they cost helth plans a lot and Two, there is a problem with false-positive PSA, resulting in many unnecessary surgical biopsies. Currently there is an improved version of PSA in final stages of the approval process.

Bottom line is all men need to worry about prostate health, especially cancer. It can be treated if caught early, but is dangerous if not detected in time. This is not the way any sane person wants to die. So, have PSA tests done now, and keep asking for the new, improved version real soon now. Meanwhile, there are many non-cancer conditions causing prostate swelling that respond well to Greenlight Pvp. Be safe.

Also, please remember that although by now most primary care physicians have some understanding of urology, if they had the extra training and became board-certified in urology they would not be primary care physicians. Thus, if you suspect a urology problem, demand a referral to a board-certified urologist.

This goes for women, also. About 1990 a couple of women started residencies in urology. Shortly after that Stanford University Med School began actively recruiting women as urology residents. Today nearly all urology training programs have women residents. Not all urologists specialize in continence. Women who are shy discussing wetting with male physicians should keep asking for female urologists. It turns out a lot of men actually prefer discussing urology problems with female physicians.

[ranger]

Greenlight PVP isn't really all that new. It has been around around 7-8 years. It is an excellent procedure for guys with enlarged prostates that are really vascular. The greenlight laser reacts with the hemoglobin in the blood. It heats the hemoglobin in the blood to a point that it vaporizes the tissue around it. That being said, if your problem is more strictures and scar tissue it may not be the best choice due to the lack of blood in the tissue. There are other lasers which may be a better choice. As for side effects, retrograde ejaculation, urge incontinence, and burning, irritative symptoms are possible. However these can occur in any patient regardless of the procedure, Laser or standard turp. The most important thing is to find a urologist with plenty of experience with the laser. Many of the side effects can come from the laser being fired beyond the bladder neck and hitting the bladder wall, or being fired in front of the prostate and hitting the sphincter muscle. You also need to find out if the doctor will use the Greenlight PV or HPS. The HPS is the newer version and has had more serious complications then the PV.

[BriGuy]

please excuse my off topic question, but what's a good age to start concerning one's self with prostate exams or prostate cancer?

[ranger]

please excuse my off topic question, but what's a good age to start concerning one's self with prostate exams or prostate cancer?

Probably any where 45 and over. Unless you start having symptoms earlier. Waking up several times a night to go, feeling like your bladder never empties all the way, slow stream, hard to go......

If you start with any symptoms see your doctor. He/she will do the ole' finger up the pipe to check if your prostate is enlarged. If so, they will check your psa level to see if it is cancer or just bph.

[StenCoil]

Anyone over age 40 should be checked regularly. If you are male, and live long enough, you will get an enlarged prostate at some point. Like wisdom teeth. Your prostate always grows, and depending on your anatomy and how fast the prostate grows (or, like in my case you get an E. Coli UTI that goes into the prostate) you will either have symptoms or not. Early on they do DRE (Digital Rectal Exams) then after age 50 they will start watching PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) levels - a simple blood test. Most of the drugs out there will delay symptoms, or delay surgery, but there's no real way to "cure" a prostate that is already enlarged. And no, there is no wonder vitamin either...but your free to believe whatever you want on that score. There is a lot of snake oil on the market for prostate cures.

[StenCoil]

Well, I go in tomorrow...I'll report back results after I can get back online....

[Angela Bauer]

You are in the thought of my husband who had prostate surgery in June and myself. Good speed to a good recovery.

Well, I go in tomorrow...I'll report back results after I can get back online....

[StenCoil]

Ugggghhh..So far this has been a nightmare.

Now the procedure itself is fairly quick and painless. I arrived around 11, and was waking up from anesthesia about 1pm, and with some really good pain killer drugs. All of that part was easy. Only after I got un-groggy and got home a few hours later in extreme pain did I notice that the post-op team had totally ignored my red "Allergic to Latex" wrist bands (both wrists) and had fitted me with Latex cath and tubing. It was like everything hips down is on fire. To make a long story short, I had to go back to the hospital so they could swap in a 100% silicone cath, and that caused more bleeding and trauma to the internal wounds...so at the moment I'm not in a really good mood.

That part in the greenlight sales literature about Geenlight being relatively painless hasn't been true for me at all...but it could have been easier if the surgeon had ordered the right cath.

I'm using a cath + diaper at the moment to catch the blood and urine leakage around the cath. The cath will be in a few more days now. So far any attempt at working the sphincter mucsles is very painful, and they said in my case incontinence will follow for several weeks, but I should get some control back in a few months post-op. We'll see.

[SoCalAB]

Sorry to hear about your prostate. I am a member of the high PSA club and know what you are going through. Just last May I had a prostate infection that laid me up for 3 months.

My Dad had a stent put in back in the early 1980's and his recovery time was very short. I recall he was back to work about 1 week after the operation. He did spend time in a catheter but I seem to recall that was before the surgery. I have an enlarged prostate and am scoring a 17 on my PSA. Had a biopsy and no cancer so it looks like I got my dad's larger prostate.

I would probably opt for the greenlight treatment if my urination flow gets stopped.

Hang in there and stay Pampered

SoCalAB

http://socalab.250x.com

I'm 46 and a DL, but I've had some real incontinence issue that have been getting worse. Mostly with bladder spasms (painful), and finally having to get an indwelling cath placed on Xmas day...which ain't really fun. At one point the Uro was talking about a Stent, but that strategy has been replaced with this new Greenlight prostate laser surgery. After they did a cysto they found I have some swelling around the ejac. ducts and a couple of strictures/scar tissue that have to come out.

The geenlight website is all rosey and wonderful, and talks about how recovery is within days or a week or two. My family physician's experience is that recovery is more like weeks or months, and that incontinence and retrograde ejaculation (dry climax) are the most common side effects and complaints.

I asked my wife about the ejaculation issue, and she said the less mess, the better...so OK.

I'm in a diaper or external cath most of the time already, so I can deal with incon...after my experience with NOT being able to pee at all I'll take the incon route any day.

Have any of you guys had this done? Were you happy with it? Would you do it again??

[Don Davis]

Hi SoCalAB! I'm Don from the Sizzles in 1995 and onward, Angela and I have been thinking about you forever. This June I had to have robotic prostate surgery. My Jan 2007 PSA was 5.7 which is bad since for tears my PSA was 3.0-3.1 My uro confirmed the finding, did a surgical biopsy and I had aggressive cancer. I'm 75, so to me the logical approach was robotic surgery.

Of course Angela has her own uro team. We spend a lot of time with uros. This greenlight approach for non-cancer enlarged prostate is to them the best thing since women started training as uros!

What is vital is not delaying treatment for any prostate or any cancer situation.

Don for Angela, too

Sorry to hear about your prostate. I am a member of the high PSA club and know what you are going through. Just last May I had a prostate infection that laid me up for 3 months.

My Dad had a stent put in back in the early 1980's and his recovery time was very short. I recall he was back to work about 1 week after the operation. He did spend time in a catheter but I seem to recall that was before the surgery. I have an enlarged prostate and am scoring a 17 on my PSA. Had a biopsy and no cancer so it looks like I got my dad's larger prostate.

I would probably opt for the greenlight treatment if my urination flow gets stopped.

Hang in there and stay Pampered

SoCalAB

[StenCoil]

Whelp, its been about a month now...and Dang! Its still not any better, really, from when I started out. Saw the Uro, he just shrugs and says "Well, this takes a really long time to heal, come back in 3 months". So urge incontinence, and very painful bladder spasms are normal, plus passing clots and bloody urine are all normal. I had to switch away from cloth dipes back to disposables for a while, on bloody days. The Greenlight TV commercial shows guys who are "Back at work within a couple days". That may be true for some. But most people are fouled up for weeks afterwards, and the surgeons really don't consider any symptom out of ordinary until 3 months post op.

I know Greenlight is better than a regular TURP, but its not like a walk through the park, either.

What is the worst part right now is the painful spasms that happen at the end of the pee...You know, as you go to squeeze it off, the prostate and bladder clamp down like there is no tomorrow - enough to take your breath away. "Grab the Pipe" as they say. The stinging sensation is gradually going away.

It seems like wearing diapers for fun was a long time ago, and really un-relevant now...Its a different situation when you have to wear 24/7. Takes a bit of the erotica / novelty out.

[StenCoil]

Just a quick report on Greenlight 3 months post-op: Still incon + spasms, and painful, really weird ejaculations (orgasm is there, little or no semen, it just feels strange and different - pain comes on after sex), doc says still in the realm of "normal", it is not uncommon for issues to persist 6 months or more. Oh well. And of course every few day there's another bout of clots and bleeding but it is very, very slowly becoming a bit less.

The main point is that if anyone is considering this, and the doc says it'll heal in a week or two, had better take it with a grain of salt. Depending on what gets zapped out it can take much, much longer to heal, as in my case.