Rezum experience

[xylophone]

13 hours ago, Klong Song said:

Hi xylophone, I think iTind is available in Thailand now as well. I’m going to see my urologist in a couple of weeks and will ask him about this procedure as well.

Great to hear and feedback most welcome......good luck.

 

On 8/10/2022 at 6:40 PM, thailand49 said:

But curious if so many males have this common problem prior to Rezum what procedures were doctors doing in Thailand? 

Well if it is the prostate causing urine retention, then the gold standard operation for this is a TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate) which has been around since just after the turn of the 1900s (or thereabouts), however it is not without its potential problems and I quote: – "three common complications following a TURP? Infection. Loss of erections. Painful or difficult urination. Retrograde ejaculation (when ejaculate goes into the bladder and not out the penis)".

 

This is not to say that all of these complications arise at once, but one or more of them are possible. Having said that, new techniques and more skilled operatives have ensured that the TURP is no longer the only option for an enlarged prostate, as there are other options, which have already been mentioned.

 

In addition, the Green Light Laser and Holmium laser treatments are also available for the TURP operation, and cause less bleeding and potential side-effects.

[ThaiPauly]

On 8/12/2022 at 10:13 AM, xylophone said:

 

: – "three common complications following a TURP? Infection. Loss of erections. Painful or difficult urination. Retrograde ejaculation (when ejaculate goes into the bladder and not out the penis)".

 

 

 

 

As you know mate, in some very unlucky people they do and continue to cause problems 3 years after the operation and I now have to accept that I have these issues for life.

I have had 6 cystascopes one of which caused a urethral stricture and I now have that for life. They try and lessen the pain by stretching the urethra. The pain was so bad that I was taking  morphine  I got off it by using methadone and am now only taking OTC  meds, but I have pain most days , I try and get through without taking them but it's difficult. I also have to permanently wear a diaper as my pee constantly leaks, this leads to frequent UTI's

The procedures work for a while then the scar tissue hardens and needs redoing.

 

It would be difficult for me to recommend  a TURP procedure to anybody  it can ruin your life if it goes wrong or you have an incompetent surgeon.

But how do you know your surgeon is competent? That's a tough question?

 

This of course is just my personal experience  and I have plenty of friends who have had a TURP and are perfectly fine.

 

But a stricture can be caused by any rigid contraption being inserted onto your penis, so just be aware of that.

[xylophone]

2 hours ago, ThaiPauly said:

As you know mate, in some very unlucky people they do and continue to cause problems 3 years after the operation and I now have to accept that I have these issues for life.

I have had 6 cystascopes one of which caused a urethral stricture and I now have that for life. They try and lessen the pain by stretching the urethra. The pain was so bad that I was taking  morphine  I got off it by using methadone and am now only taking OTC  meds, but I have pain most days , I try and get through without taking them but it's difficult. I also have to permanently wear a diaper as my pee constantly leaks, this leads to frequent UTI's

The procedures work for a while then the scar tissue hardens and needs redoing.

 

It would be difficult for me to recommend  a TURP procedure to anybody  it can ruin your life if it goes wrong or you have an incompetent surgeon.

But how do you know your surgeon is competent? That's a tough question?

 

This of course is just my personal experience  and I have plenty of friends who have had a TURP and are perfectly fine.

 

But a stricture can be caused by any rigid contraption being inserted onto your penis, so just be aware of that.

Hi again ThaiPauly,

I remember our conversations via PM's, however I thought that you had just about overcome all of the early problems you had, however it seems I was wrong, and for that I truly sympathise with you.

 

There was a poster who had the Rezum treatment, which wasn't that effective early on, so perhaps I'm getting him confused with you – – SORRY about that.

 

It sounds like you have been through a nightmare and are still in it, and as you say, one has to be extremely unlucky to end up in this situation, however at least you have put some balance in that by saying that you have plenty of friends who had a TURP, and who are perfectly fine.

 

It would appear that the skill of your urologist/surgeon was sadly lacking, and I seem to recall that you had these procedures done here in Thailand, however for the record/for what it's worth, I had my TURP done at one of the top hospitals in Melbourne, and that has never been plain sailing ever since I had it done, and I have continued with urological problems ever since, and indeed am now using a catheter on a daily basis.

 

All the above is the reason that I have suggested on other posts that men with enlarged prostate problems that are causing urine retention/restriction should investigate procedures like iTind and Urolift before they consider a TURP.

 

I did read an article short while ago which was discussing something similar to the above and the author (a urologist as I recall) actually said something along the lines of, "although the TURP is still considered the gold standard, there are other newer and less invasive procedures coming available and these should be investigated first".

 

All the very best to you TP and thanks for sharing your experience with other posters.

 

PS. As regards your UTIs, because I was getting them with the situation I am in (using a catheter daily) I researched and discovered Hiprex tablets, which act as a urinary anti-infective medicine which is used to prevent urinary tract infections.  I take them twice daily and so far they have worked very well, and they can be bought online, and I buy mine from Australia and sometimes NZ, and have them shipped here.

[Klong Song]

I want to give an update concerning what I learned (or didn’t learn) about iTind at my public hospital.  When I enquired about it with my urologist he didn’t understand and had me spell the word. That still didn’t ring a bell with him so I said it is a procedure whereby they insert basically a stent then remove it after a week. The word stent did it for him and he told me that the hospital didn’t offer that procedure and that it was used mostly for people that, for whatever reason, couldn’t have surgery. He then offered to refer me to the doctor that does Rezum. 
 

The fact that he wasn’t very familiar with iTind made me lose some confidence in this urologist who has otherwise been as good or better than my experience with my urologist at a private hospital. 
 

At this point I can still live with my symptoms so I don’t think I will be making a move in the near future.

[GarryP]

On 8/10/2022 at 10:34 AM, Klong Song said:

So true and since the procedure has only been available in Thailand since January 2022 I would guess not many doctors have extensive experience unless they have been practicing in another country. 

Actually since September 2021 when it was approved by the Thai FDA. I had the treatment in October 2021. 

[GarryP]

On 8/10/2022 at 10:45 AM, Thingamabob said:

Thr problem with Rezum is that, even if it works well, it will need to be repeated every 4/5 years. 

Sorry, that is just not true. Yes, for some men their condition started to worsen again after 3 to 4 years, but that is the minority. The problem is that the treatment only was only approved in 2015 so historical data only goes back 5 or 6 years. Hence the window of data that is available. However, according to numerous studies most Rezum patients did not need to be retreated or to go back on meds at 5 years. Hopefully those patients will now be at 7 years and not need to retreatment.  

[GarryP]

On 8/10/2022 at 11:42 AM, StevieAus said:

I don’t know if this procedure is considered expensive in Thailand because it’s relatively new but I think you will find many others are not.

I recently saw a specialist at a private hospital,  the total fee which included an X Ray and blood test was the equivalent of 35 UK pounds, all wrapped up within less than two hours.

It is expensive because it is new and competition is still low. But as more hospitals start providing the treatment the costs are likely to drop due to competition.  I recall the cost for the delivery device (needle injection thing) was about USD 1,300 (@53,000), so once the cost of the machine has been recovered, the recurring equipment cost will be limited to the delivery device.

[GarryP]

On 8/10/2022 at 11:46 AM, jonbeen said:

Read up on some extended reviews,basically useless

Yeah, so useless it is now available under the NHS in the UK and the Australian equivalent. There are numerous studies by independent organizations that have found it to be a cost effective treatment for BPH. Obviously, it is not suitable for everyone.