NEW! Gat Goren, Part 4. Now with PAE and LUTS!

Chumley and Dave,

The FDA approved urolift in Sept. 2013 for bph. I read that it is not suitable for prostates over 100cc or for enlarged median lobes. As it's so new, there's no info I have seen on actual patient outcomes. The procedure uses sutures to open a channel in the prostate if the prostate lateral lobes are compressing the urethra, causing a weak stream or difficulty in urination.

Bob

Chicago Dave said...
Hi Frank!

Thanks for filling us in. I was wondering what was happening with you.

I'm going to keep you company watching the progress our folks make over the next few months and longer. As a hobby, it's almost as exciting as Bonsai gardening.

Hey you lurkers out there: C'mon and post if you're getting either GG or PAE (or other) so we can track your progress!

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Hi Chumley from across the pond!

We'd love to read some first-person accounts about the Urolift procedures and such on this thread. But I don't think we have it over here in the States. (Correct me if I'm wrong, guys.). It probably would need FDA approval first, which can take a while.

good news. simple isv embolization works. my berkshire county urologist could feel my varicocele. my health insurance covered the procedure.eight months later it is a new and better world.

Chicago Dave and all others - I have just searched and found this:

http://www.healthcommunities.com/bph-enlarged-prostate/urolift-system-procedure.shtml

and it says the procedure was approved by FDA.

Bob, I was taking Flomax 0.4mg twice daily and was having much dizziness.
My Doc, for a short while bumped me to 3 per day and I was having Retro often.
I complained.
He changed me to one Flomax per day and 1 Cialis per day.
Flow is about the same, but no Retro.
I don't have ED, and our sex life is about 5 times per week for 30 years of marriage.
I notice I do wake up with morning "issues" since the regimen change that I've not often had for a while. lol.

nosheds said...
Chicago Dave and all others - I have just searched and found this:

http://www.healthcommunities.com/bph-enlarged-prostate/urolift-system-procedure.shtml

and it says the procedure was approved by FDA.

Chigago Dave I thought this was actually pioneered in the USA, maybe I'm wrong, as its only recently come to the UK! As I previously mentioned, the procedure appears to be that good that there is a NHS trail going ahead, with the view that it could be available free on the NHS, if all goes well! Though the TURPS surgeons won't be happy as their quick chop & cut payload would go down!

Anyway reading Nosheds search data, I would say 98% improvement rate means it appears to be one of the best new procedures out there at the moment, with hardly any of the normal after problems i.e ED, retro Ejc etc.

As mentioned if my Urologist gets the green light for me to have it free from his surgeon friend, don't think it will happen, I will probably jump at it! As at this present time I can't afford £7,500.


Would be great if anyone who has had this procedure could enlighten us all.

Hi Chumley!

Our friends Bob and Nosheds called me out on this. They pointed out that Urolift was already approved by the FDA. Once again, I spoke too soon, without researching, and was wrong. Not for the first time.

If what Nosheds says is correct, then the improvement in urine flow seems rather modest to me. I never measured the improvement in urine flow after my own GG procedure, but it was way above 30 percent. Of course, a 30 percent improvement could be very impressive if the urine flow was good to start with. Mine wasn't.

I think you're doing the right thing by trying to talk to patients who have actually undergone the procedure.

Chumley,

The urolift may be a good solution for you. Bear in mind it won't stop the prostate from growing, it's basically pulling your lateral lobes away from your urethra. And if your problems are caused by bladder neck or bladder or an enlarged median lobe, it might not help at all. If it were me I'd want to know if enlarged lateral lobes were causing my problems, and were likely the sole cause, because that is all the urolift will address.

Bearing in mind the prostate grows at about 5% per year I'd also want to know how large my prostate was at present. The urolift apparently can't work for prostates over 100cc because too many clips would be required. Once you get to 6 clips (3 on a side) I read that they tend to interfere with each other's effect. Depending on your age and prostate size this may be a short or a long term solution. Of course that's also the case with turp and other less invasive procedures as well. Good luck and let us know how things progress.

A few years ago a urethral stent device was introduced for bph. It sounded good in theory but turned out to be a disaster as the stent became encased in tissue and required surgery to remove it when it failed.

I read an analysis from a recent urology conference where one of the panel members stated he believed the future solution to bph will be an injectible liquid that kills prostate tissue. That would be a great solution if it worked. For some reason they have been testing injectibles like Nymox 1207, alcohol, freezing agents, and botox for more than a decade but don't seem to be able to get these products accepted for anything other than use in trials.

Bob

Post Edited (Bob_NJ) : 2/6/2014 9:28:34 PM (GMT-7)

[good news. simple isv embolization works. my berkshire county urologist could feel my varicocele. my health insurance covered the procedure.eight months later it is a new and better world. Zoesman]

That's great news Zoesman! Is that Berkshire County in the US? It's been my supposition that Gatt/Goren got into their approach as an outgrowth of their infertility work and that it was an extension of varicocele embolization. My hope was to do exactly what you did…..isv emobilization as the closest affordable alternative.
I Can you tell us a little of your story. How were things before your operation? Did they do embolize both sides?
Thanks!

Hi Nosheds,
I'm not sure what you mean by passing veins. Can you explain please?

Hi Everyone: Aside from PAE and ISV embolization (Gat Goren) sometimes a different modality might work or improve performance of the uro-genital tract. My son came across this new Apple App. People get hemorrhoids which become prolapsed if they exert too much pressure on anal muscles. Same might be said for BPH whereby the bladder neck and surrounding muscles become weak from years of pushing to urinate. I refer to this doctor's observations.

I am the founder of the Aspen Sleep Institute whose purpose was to train clients to have a good night’s sleep every night. Without the use of drugs. One of the problems we encountered primarily in our male patients, but in our female patients as well was waking up frequently to urinate during the sleep period.

My desire was to find a natural way to deal with this destroyer of sleep. My research led me to the discovery of Kegel Exercises; these exercises were designed to rehabilitate a group of muscles called the PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES (PFMs). I discovered that these muscles in women became stretched and weak post pregnancy causing urinary incontinence, collapse of the vaginal walls, loss of sexual arousal, and, bowel incontinence..

I discovered that my female patients all knew about Kegels and did in fact practice them. I also discovered that although they practiced them they did so rather haphazardly. I urged them to give more attention to them and I actually set up a program for them to follow. Those that did had wonderful results and were sleeping through the night without having to urinate.

My male patients were different. First I had to convince them that they did in fact have these pelvic floor muscles, and that these muscles were responsible for the frequent urination (BPH). Secondly it was difficult for them to understand that a woman’s pre and post pregnancy exercise would apply to them. They were clearly embarrassed and humiliated.

Flash forward to present day some 17 years later. Same statistics, 90% of woman knew about Kegels, most were not practicing them as a workout regimen, and 95% of men still were completely ignorant of the value of these exercises. In addition to BPH, weak Pelvic Floor Muscles were responsible for Penis Dribble, Pre-mature Ejaculation, Erectile Dysfunction, Urinary Incontinence and the overall health and function of the prostate and genital urinary system.

I knew that men needed to have their own set of exercises for their Pelvic Floor Muscles, and they needed to have a way to train these muscles in the manner they would train any muscle for maximum results. At that point Prostate Aerobics was born and soon to be followed by this Prostate Aerobic App. This app is your very own personal trainer, designed to remind you when and how to do a daily set with reps. It is our mission to educate men in the importance of having well toned Pelvic Floor Muscles. To spread the word about the importance of Pelvic Floor Muscles we created a video that told a story that needed to be told and a solution to go with the story. To watch and listen to our video go to www.prostateaerobics.com
And tell others about this powerful training.

Chumley: Yep, I downloaded the app and started to do the exercises. If it doesn't improve your BPH it will certainly improve your sex life.... and $2.99 is a lot less expensive than paying $17,000 plus airfare and hotel to fly to Cyprus (previously Israel). One thing I do know, Kegel exercises improve circulation in the pelvic area, bringing nutrition and blood flow, and strengthens the bladder neck muscles.

"The bladder neck is a group of muscles that connect the bladder to the urethra. The muscles constrict to hold urine in your bladder, and relax to release it through your urethra. Urinary problems occur when abnormalities obstruct your bladder neck, and prevent it from opening completely during urination. Men over the age of 50 are more likely to suffer from bladder neck obstruction than any other group."

I have mid lobe protrusion of the prostate into the bladder. I have been disappointed with the progress I have made with the Gat Goren procedure. For $2.99, this app is worth the price.

Hi Martin,

I already watched their video and does appear to look good. It seemed that you had to download onto a Apple phone, as I don't have one, can you just download onto a computer?

And as you say, even if it doesn't work for BHP if it improves your sex life thats good enough for me!

martin victor said...
>>> why havn't any Doctors ever recommended these excercises as it would save the health companys a fortune if they worked!<<<

Chumley: But obstetricians do recommend theses exercises for women especially after they give birth. I think urologists would just rather do a TURP and especially biopsies where dollars flow. BPH can give rise to prostatitis even with a PSA as low as 1.0. Since when are urologists interested in curing people. They prefer drugs, surgery, radiation etc. to treat symptoms rather than something so simple as a kegel exercise.

The app can be downloaded into an Apple computer. It is really pretty neat. The exercises get more difficult as you improve.

Martin, Haven't got an Apple computer, so is there a way can be downloaded to windows PC?