Rezum Experience

[ThaiPauly]

On 11/14/2022 at 10:56 AM, xylophone said:

Sorry to hear about your troubles, although I can sympathise because I have been down a similar route over the years, and it's now got to the stage where I can't pass any water, so self catheterisation is both my saviour and my concern.

 

I did go to Bumrungrad hospital to see what they could do but despite the urologist being top-notch, and doing all of the tests he could, the outcome was that the nerves in my bladder had stopped working, and there appeared to be no solution to it (well there is one, but that's another story).

 

Whilst I was at Bumrungrad I did see that they were advertising the Rezum treatment and had all the equipment there to carry it out, so maybe that would be your first port of call, especially as they have your medical records there.

 

This would have been about three months ago or more, so perhaps worth giving it a try??
 

What urologist did you see at Bumrungrad  buddy?

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, ThaiPauly said:

What urologist did you see at Bumrungrad  buddy?

One recommended by Sheryl TP......Dr Charuspong. Excellent urologist, speaks good English and great/caring manner.

[ThaiPauly]

He has operated on me twice.

 

Glad that everything went well for you buddy

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, ThaiPauly said:

He has operated on me twice.

 

Glad that everything went well for you buddy

Well then you are obviously well acquainted with this Dr/urologist, and yes he is good, however as it happens TP, he couldn't do anything for me as regards getting the bladder to start working again, because the nerves don't seem to be functioning inside it, and these are required to operate to get the whole system to work in unison.

 

I have no feeling that my bladder is full or a need to pass water, apart from a "full" feeling somewhere in my lower stomach when it needs emptying, so it's left up to me to decide when and if I pay a visit to a toilet, which is why I take great satisfaction in being able to use a catheter at night before I go to bed, because I know I'm going to get a good nights sleep with an empty bladder!

 

I would dearly love to get the whole lot working again, and was investigating something akin to a little pacemaker (InterStim) which is fitted under the skin and connected by thin wires to the nerves which can stimulate them to get the bladder to empty, however this does involve surgery, and my local urologist here despite seeming keen to try that at one time, is now not so keen at all for some reason?

 

So buddy, I'm in limbo land at the moment and although I did look at rezum and others, it's not the prostate which is playing up, otherwise I would have it done.

 

I hope your situation is improving since we last made contact – – all the very best you TP.

[ThaiPauly]

16 hours ago, xylophone said:

Well then you are obviously well acquainted with this Dr/urologist, and yes he is good, however as it happens TP, he couldn't do anything for me as regards getting the bladder to start working again, because the nerves don't seem to be functioning inside it, and these are required to operate to get the whole system to work in unison.

 

I have no feeling that my bladder is full or a need to pass water, apart from a "full" feeling somewhere in my lower stomach when it needs emptying, so it's left up to me to decide when and if I pay a visit to a toilet, which is why I take great satisfaction in being able to use a catheter at night before I go to bed, because I know I'm going to get a good nights sleep with an empty bladder!

 

I would dearly love to get the whole lot working again, and was investigating something akin to a little pacemaker (InterStim) which is fitted under the skin and connected by thin wires to the nerves which can stimulate them to get the bladder to empty, however this does involve surgery, and my local urologist here despite seeming keen to try that at one time, is now not so keen at all for some reason?

 

So buddy, I'm in limbo land at the moment and although I did look at rezum and others, it's not the prostate which is playing up, otherwise I would have it done.

 

I hope your situation is improving since we last made contact – – all the very best you TP.

I'm sorry to hear this buddy.

You and I certainly seem to be on a constant treadmill with our discomfort and pain.

I find that I have urethral pain almost every day and there really isn't anything to be done.

Charispong rings me once a month just to check up on me but he really doesn't offer any practical advice on how to deal with the constant bladder leakage which requires me to still be wearing diapers 11 months after the last procedure he carried out on me.

 

So it looks like we are in this together long term.

 

Good luck buddy, talk again soon.

TP

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, ThaiPauly said:

I'm sorry to hear this buddy.

You and I certainly seem to be on a constant treadmill with our discomfort and pain.

I find that I have urethral pain almost every day and there really isn't anything to be done.

Charispong rings me once a month just to check up on me but he really doesn't offer any practical advice on how to deal with the constant bladder leakage which requires me to still be wearing diapers 11 months after the last procedure he carried out on me.

 

So it looks like we are in this together long term.

 

Good luck buddy, talk again soon.

TP

Oh, mate, I am so sorry to hear this as I had no idea that you had this bladder leakage problem.

 

So what was the last procedure you had done TP??

 

As the thread is about the Rezum treatment/procedure, I suppose we had better get back on that track shortly. ATB.

[ThaiPauly]

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

Oh, mate, I am so sorry to hear this as I had no idea that you had this bladder leakage problem.

 

So what was the last procedure you had done TP??

 

As the thread is about the Rezum treatment/procedure, I suppose we had better get back on that track shortly. ATB.

Hi X

Because I have a urethral stricture the scar keeps hardening which makes it difficult to pee.

So he has to go in and stretch it so I can pee freely again.

This procedure  costs me around 150,000 including a 2 night stay in hospital.

 

Coming up to the anniversary of my last intervention  I can still pee freely but I get a constant pain.

 

I have pleaded with him to do a uroplasty operation but he says my stricture is not the right kind  to perform it on.

 

So I just have to hope month by month that I can still keep peeing

I have to put up with the pain, but thankfully it's not as bad as when I needed morphine to control it, now I can get by with one Ultracet on the days it's bad.

Talk about bad luck for both if us!!

 

Good luck buddy

[BuddyPish]

OK final update as coming up on 3 months post-Rezum.

I did have a stubborn UTI and went to the hospital for a test and culture.

Can't remember the name of the bug but it's supposed to be vulnerable to Monurol, a staple antibiotic for UTIs.

Didn't work. 

Prescribed another round of the same to be taken for 2 weeks straight this time but I opted for another antibiotic on the list called sitafloxacin.

It's strong but, like its cousin, Ciprofloxacin, it can (and did) have painful side effects on tendons. 

 

Anyway, it seems to have done the trick.

 

My prostate appears to be healing as evidenced by the ever-so occasional sharp twinge in that region that can be quite a shock when you're not expecting it.

If anything, flow has improved especially in the mornings and ejaculatory function remains excellent.

Frequency has declined and urgency is reduced.

 

Only complaint is . . . . after 6 years of no claims, my Thai insurer hit me with a nasty 25% loading on my renewal premium after the cystoscopy (which cost just under 40k).

They hadn't even received the bill for the much more expensive Rezum procedure at the time of the loading so only God knows what next year's premium will bring. ????

 

 

 

 

[xylophone]

14 minutes ago, BuddyPish said:

Prescribed another round of the same to be taken for 2 weeks straight this time but I opted for another antibiotic on the list called sitafloxacin.

It's strong but, like its cousin, Ciprofloxacin, it can (and did) have painful side effects on tendons. 

 

Anyway, it seems to have done the trick.

So pleased to hear that the antibiotic "seems to have done the trick" BuddyPish as I had long-term ciprofloxacin and although it seemed to help initially, I too got tendon pain, and it couldn't cure the prostatitis, but there again that's a different situation to a normal UTI.

 

The main thing is that Rezum seems to have worked for you, and no doubt it will give a lot of cheer to others considering the same procedure, so well done for posting your results. Good man.

[Sheryl]

17 hours ago, BuddyPish said:

 

 

Only complaint is . . . . after 6 years of no claims, my Thai insurer hit me with a nasty 25% loading on my renewal premium after the cystoscopy (which cost just under 40k).

They hadn't even received the bill for the much more expensive Rezum procedure at the time of the loading so only God knows what next year's premium will bring. ????

 

 

 

 

Exactly why I do not recommend Thai insurers. 

[tandor]

On 10/25/2022 at 5:09 PM, BuddyPish said:

OK I'm coming up to the 4 week mark since my Rezum procedure and I thought I'd share an update.

I saw Dr. Suntchai and did the obligatory uroflow test and ultrasound.

Flow was strong straight away and the doctor said the chart was textbook for what they want to see.

The ultrasound showed a PVR of just 40cc which is excellent especially compared to the 560cc I had before I started self-cathing nearly 6 months ago.

I'm pleased.

 

Aside from that, urinary frequency seems to be settling down so, instead of having to relieve myself every hour or so during the 7-10 days after the much-hated Foley catheter was binned, I'm now going 2-3 hours between visits during the day. There is still blood and clots/tissue in my urine but it's not as bloody as it was two weeks ago.

Night time is even better. A couple of times in the last 5 days, I went 4-6 hours without having to wake up.

Urgency can be an issue when it comes because the burning sensation is quite intense and painful when I have to hold it but it's not as bad as it was after the catheter was removed.

 

So far, my quality of life has been much enhanced by this procedure.
I can go out without having to pay mind to where the facilities are and everything in the carnal department is just fine.

I used a great patient forum (www.patient.info) to get people's experiences with Rezum before choosing it but they are mostly from the USA and UK so I couldn't find any from patients in Thailand. There are patient experiences for all the BPH procedures including TURP, HoLEP, Acquablation, PAE etc 

I believe reading up on patient cases provided me with realistic expectations for the procedure so I went in eyes wide open.

There were several people who had prostate sizes and median lobe obstructions similar to mine and their experiences had been overwhelmingly positive so I made a reasonable assumption that I might be ok.
Key thing to remember is that this procedure is NOT going to be suitable for everyone.

There are guys on the forum who had this procedure with massive prostates over 100-150cc and who ended up feeling much worse and determined to rubbish the procedure when, to be honest, they shouldn't have had it in the first place.

 

I think I got lucky but I had a good feeling about Dr. Suntchai.

He seemed keen to reward faith and trust in his capabilities but he also insisted on making sure pre-operative qualifying tests indicated good candidacy.

He laid out all the potential side effects and complications that could result from the procedure.
BNH Hospital is not the plushest when compared to Bumrungrad or Samitivej but having seen the inside of two of their operating theaters, it's clear it spends money on the stuff that really matters like brand new equipment.

Had you or your Virologis discussed/considered a Radical prostatectomy?

[Dan747]

 Thank you for the info. I thought I had a UTI and was on drugs for it from a Thai GP and my bladder hurt worsen with pain and a burning sensation several weeks back. On a trip to visit friends three weeks ago, I finally went into Bangkok Hospital, Sanamchan, Nakhon-Pathorn and saw a Urologist Where they did a urinalysis, blood test/ultrasound. Found I was not voiding all my urine.  I am now on Urief (4mg) twice a day (Solaray Zinc/Now Prostate support) and that seems to be working. Total cost was 6,401 baht at the Bangkok Hospital with 10-day supply of Urief. I will be leaving in March next year for the USA and get a second opinion on what is next. I have already sent my medical records to the VA in Orlando, FL for their review (Not sure I will use them for any procedure like Rezum, etc.) of which due to the holidays I am sure I will not get an answer from my Doctor quick enough. Thanks again. 

[tandor]

On 10/25/2022 at 5:09 PM, BuddyPish said:

OK I'm coming up to the 4 week mark since my Rezum procedure and I thought I'd share an update.

I saw Dr. Suntchai and did the obligatory uroflow test and ultrasound.

Flow was strong straight away and the doctor said the chart was textbook for what they want to see.

The ultrasound showed a PVR of just 40cc which is excellent especially compared to the 560cc I had before I started self-cathing nearly 6 months ago.

I'm pleased.

 

Aside from that, urinary frequency seems to be settling down so, instead of having to relieve myself every hour or so during the 7-10 days after the much-hated Foley catheter was binned, I'm now going 2-3 hours between visits during the day. There is still blood and clots/tissue in my urine but it's not as bloody as it was two weeks ago.

Night time is even better. A couple of times in the last 5 days, I went 4-6 hours without having to wake up.

Urgency can be an issue when it comes because the burning sensation is quite intense and painful when I have to hold it but it's not as bad as it was after the catheter was removed.

 

So far, my quality of life has been much enhanced by this procedure.
I can go out without having to pay mind to where the facilities are and everything in the carnal department is just fine.

I used a great patient forum (www.patient.info) to get people's experiences with Rezum before choosing it but they are mostly from the USA and UK so I couldn't find any from patients in Thailand. There are patient experiences for all the BPH procedures including TURP, HoLEP, Acquablation, PAE etc 

I believe reading up on patient cases provided me with realistic expectations for the procedure so I went in eyes wide open.

There were several people who had prostate sizes and median lobe obstructions similar to mine and their experiences had been overwhelmingly positive so I made a reasonable assumption that I might be ok.
Key thing to remember is that this procedure is NOT going to be suitable for everyone.

There are guys on the forum who had this procedure with massive prostates over 100-150cc and who ended up feeling much worse and determined to rubbish the procedure when, to be honest, they shouldn't have had it in the first place.

 

I think I got lucky but I had a good feeling about Dr. Suntchai.

He seemed keen to reward faith and trust in his capabilities but he also insisted on making sure pre-operative qualifying tests indicated good candidacy.

He laid out all the potential side effects and complications that could result from the procedure.
BNH Hospital is not the plushest when compared to Bumrungrad or Samitivej but having seen the inside of two of their operating theaters, it's clear it spends money on the stuff that really matters like brand new equipment.

I'm looking for an experienced Urologist in Chiang Mai...any ideas?....I have spoken with the one at Lanna Hospital but he has an attitude i cannot relate to. Thanks for any names forthcoming.

[Dan747]

Interesting Video on Treatment of an Enlarged Prostate with effects of Supplements like Saw Palmetto, etc.: 

 

[xylophone]

31 minutes ago, Dan747 said:

Interesting Video on Treatment of an Enlarged Prostate with effects of Supplements like Saw Palmetto, etc.: 

 

Many thanks for posting that clip Dan747, as it supports what I have found out over my years of trying to treat my prostate problems, inasmuch as saw palmetto, stinging nettle and other supposed natural cures didn't work for me, and at one time I thought that Beta Sitosterol was working for me, but thinking back on it, now I'm not so sure!!
 

[JimmyJ]

5 hours ago, tandor said:

I'm looking for an experienced Urologist in Chiang Mai...any ideas?....I have spoken with the one at Lanna Hospital but he has an attitude i cannot relate to. Thanks for any names forthcoming.

I've been using Wittawat  at Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai.

 

 

I'm going to look for another CM Urologist to get a 2nd opinion on some questions I have but have had no issues with Wittawat.

 

Also see the pinned Dr. recommendations at top of the CM subforum.

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by JimmyJ

[Dart12]

On 10/14/2022 at 3:41 PM, BritManToo said:

I use both for 2 years.

Then I was seemingly cured by taking a 1/2 dose of NorfloxStar (200mg, twice a day for 5 days) once a month for 3 months.

 

I'm assuming I was originally misdiagnosed by the Thai hospital.

wait. you were on cordaxa and finasteride...then took Norfloxstar 1 week out of the month for 3 months and then your bladder/prostate problem was gone?

[BuddyPish]

On 12/27/2022 at 4:11 PM, tandor said:

Had you or your Virologis discussed/considered a Radical prostatectomy?

Why would I consider that?

[KannikaP]

On 12/29/2022 at 12:53 PM, Dart12 said:

wait. you were on cordaxa and finasteride...then took Norfloxstar 1 week out of the month for 3 months and then your bladder/prostate problem was gone?

That's what I was wondering about.

[Dart12]

On 10/14/2022 at 3:41 PM, BritManToo said:

I use both for 2 years.

Then I was seemingly cured by taking a 1/2 dose of NorfloxStar (200mg, twice a day for 5 days) once a month for 3 months.

 

I'm assuming I was originally misdiagnosed by the Thai hospital.

would you mind elaborating on this scenario of why or what changed or what was correct prognosis?

and I assume NorfloxStar is Norfloxacin mispelled?  (at least what google is telling me)

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, Dart12 said:

would you mind elaborating on this scenario of why or what changed or what was correct prognosis?

and I assume NorfloxStar is Norfloxacin mispelled?  (at least what google is telling me)

Dr said it was bph, but I noticed when I treated myself for an infected insect bite the symptoms went away for a week or two. 

So I got antibiotics for a uti frmo my pharmacy and the symptoms went away for a month. 

 

Reading that uti/prostate infections best treated long time at low dosage, next month same antibiotic 1/2 dose for 10 days, still a small problem next month so same again.

 

Over the next 2 months reduced doxazocin until none taken. 

 

Can now wee relatively normally for an old guy with no drugs needed. 

[swissie]

My 2 cts worth: Had my Rezum done on Aug 24. Followed by bacterial infection of bladder and urinary tract. Antibiotics and excrutiating pain while urinating for 3 months.

Today I am fine as far as urinating is concerned. But erection very weak and ejaculate consists only of a few drops. Also libido very low.
--------------
Note: If a post operative infection occurs, your "quality of life" will drop to zero for 3 months.

[swissie]

To add: Before Rezum operation my erection and libido were weak. After the operation my erection and libido are even weaker than before. How come?

[ThaiPauly]

9 hours ago, swissie said:

To add: Before Rezum operation my erection and libido were weak. After the operation my erection and libido are even weaker than before. How come?

My sexual functions have never been the same since I had prostrate surgery.

Retrograde orgasms , and I need "medicinal help" for any kind off sexual activity, but intercourse is now out of the question , my erections are too weak.

 

 

[BritManToo]

9 hours ago, swissie said:

My 2 cts worth: Had my Rezum done on Aug 24. Followed by bacterial infection of bladder and urinary tract. Antibiotics and excrutiating pain while urinating for 3 months.

Today I am fine as far as urinating is concerned. But erection very weak and ejaculate consists only of a few drops. Also libido very low.
--------------
Note: If a post operative infection occurs, your "quality of life" will drop to zero for 3 months.

Sorry to hear that, hopefully the rest of your parts will recover soon.

[JimmyJ]

On 1/30/2023 at 3:41 PM, BritManToo said:

Dr said it was bph, but I noticed when I treated myself for an infected insect bite the symptoms went away for a week or two. 

So I got antibiotics for a uti frmo my pharmacy and the symptoms went away for a month. 

 

Reading that uti/prostate infections best treated long time at low dosage, next month same antibiotic 1/2 dose for 10 days, still a small problem next month so same again.

 

Over the next 2 months reduced doxazocin until none taken. 

 

Can now wee relatively normally for an old guy with no drugs needed. 

"So I got antibiotics for a uti frmo my pharmacy and the symptoms went away for a month."

 

Do you recall what antibiotics and the dosages and frequencies?

 

 

"Reading that uti/prostate infections best treated long time at low dosage, next month same antibiotic 1/2 dose for 10 days, still a small problem next month so same again."

 

You took 1 antibiotic for the long time low dosage - this was doxazocin?

 

Same question about dose and frequency.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BritManToo]

50 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

Do you recall what antibiotics and the dosages and frequencies?

Norfloxstar-400 (80bht for 400mg x10)

https://www.bdn.go.th/tp/ebook/qQycZatmpR9gC3q0GT5gMJq0qT5co3uw

I break the tablets in half and take a half morning and evening for 10 days.

But beware it's a Quinolone which some posters have had big problems with.

(I reduce my exercise while taking them to protect my Achilles tenons)

[vandeventer]

On 10/30/2022 at 4:07 PM, BritManToo said:

If you've been using the Firide for 10 years, I' suggest it isn't working.

It doesn't make your prostate disappear, just keeps it at normal size but I wish it would disappear.

[xylophone]

2 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

doxazocin

Doxazosin is not an antibiotic @JimmyJ.

[BuddyPish]

On 2/3/2023 at 12:02 AM, swissie said:

To add: Before Rezum operation my erection and libido were weak. After the operation my erection and libido are even weaker than before. How come?

Apparently, it really does matter where the surgeon injects the steam but I've not heard of erections being adversely affected.

Many men who've had this procedure say it took 6 months before their ejaculate returned to pre-operative levels.

 

Patient.info is a great resource but you need to play with the search term keywords for the best result.

If libido was lacking before, there's no reason why an operation would improve it since libido is mostly psychological, right?
Maybe consider TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) but you should get blood work done first (PSA, testosterone levels etc) 
There are several clinics in Bangkok and Pattaya that offer managed programs but they're not cheap.