Just Wondering About Prostate Surgery

[Guest guest]

Has he been placed on a course of Proscar (or its generic equivalent) or Avodart yet? These may help avoid the need for surgery, and, better yet, it may have some very early cancer suppression or prevention benefits.

Louis. . .

To: ProstateCancerSupport Sent: Mon, August 2, 2010 8:49:43 PMSubject: Just Wondering About Prostate Surgery

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could offer insight into the "photovoltaic vaporization of the prostate", and surgical removal of prostate tissue. My husband has to have this given his is enlarged and it's really affecting his urination. He's scheduled for surgery later this month, and I'm just a wife trying to get a handle on what we're in for.

Thank you!

Calico

[Guest guest]

mizzes12 wrote:

> Hi, I was wondering if anyone could offer insight into the

> " photovoltaic vaporization of the prostate " , and surgical

> removal of prostate tissue. My husband has to have this given

> his is enlarged and it's really affecting his urination. He's

> scheduled for surgery later this month, and I'm just a wife

> trying to get a handle on what we're in for.

I haven't had this myself and can't give you any personal

information. However, the procedure is also called " green light

laser " vaporization of the prostate. If you search on the words

" green light laser prostate " (without quote) on Google you'll

find a lot of information.

Best of luck.

Alan

[Guest guest]

I just chose between green light laser and TURP, and I chose the latter because it was NOT done as an outpatient procedure and I felt more confident spending a night (turned out to be 2 nights) in the hospital in case something went wrong. A year ago, I had a TUMT which turned out to be a disaster and I wished I'd been in the hospital instead of going back and forth to the Emergency Room. In the interim, I fought the PCa with radiation treatments. Thus far, I'm happy with my choices except for the TUMT. But I suppose the green light laser would have worked equally well, and I probably should have chosen that over the TUMT a year ago. But we'll never know.

Tom 65/PSA 0.1/diagnosed 4/09

Re: Just Wondering About Prostate Surgery

mizzes12 wrote:> Hi, I was wondering if anyone could offer insight into the> "photovoltaic vaporization of the prostate", and surgical> removal of prostate tissue. My husband has to have this given> his is enlarged and it's really affecting his urination. He's> scheduled for surgery later this month, and I'm just a wife> trying to get a handle on what we're in for.I haven't had this myself and can't give you any personalinformation. However, the procedure is also called "green lightlaser" vaporization of the prostate. If you search on the words"green light laser prostate" (without quote) on Google you'llfind a lot of information.Best of luck.Alan

[Guest guest]

Calico:

I can't understand why a dr. would suggest both TURP and green light laser. They should be alternative solutions. Here's a layman's view, and I've had 2 out of the 3:

TUMT. Transurethral microwave thermotherapy. He'd be cooled from one end and microwaved from the other. The microwaves destroy prostate tissue, opening up the urinary channel. I had it a year ago and it did nothing good, but I'm probably the exception to the rule.

TURP. The doctor goes through the penis and carves off tissue from the prostate, again opening the channel. I had this done last week and seem to be improving daily.

Green Light Laser. Doctor goes through the penis with a laser-generating device and carves prostate tissue with the laser beam.

I can't imagine doing more than one of these unless one of them fails to open up the channel sufficiently, as was my case. I certainly wouldn't sign up for two at a time. Each causes enough trauma.

Good luck to your husband (and you),

Tom

Just Wondering About Prostate Surgery

Hi, all, and thank you for your responses.

Husband has been on medication which has successfully reduced the size of his prostate. The doctor was surprised he was still having problems with urination, so he checked him out further. It seems there is still tissue blocking the top of the "area" (there was a better description given than this but I can't remember), and it needs to be vaporized/removed.

The impression I got was the doctor is going to use both green light and a surgical cutting out of the tissue. I'm not sure if this falls within a TURP or a TUMT. I'm pretty sure the doctor said husband would spend the night in the hospital.

Any thoughts or advice are appreciated.

Calico

3d. Re: Just Wondering About Prostate Surgery Posted by: "Tom Lauterback" tkl60123wowway intrspctiv Date: Tue Aug 3, 2010 5:52 am ((PDT))I just chose between green light laser and TURP, and I chose the latter because it was NOT done as an outpatient procedure and I felt more confident spending a night (turned out to be 2 nights) in the hospital in case something went wrong. A year ago, I had a TUMT which turned out to be a disaster and I wished I'd been in the hospital instead of going back and forth to the Emergency Room. In the interim, I fought the PCa with radiation treatments. Thus far, I'm happy with my choices except for the TUMT. But I suppose the green light laser would have worked equally well, and I probably should have chosen that over the TUMT a year ago. But we'll never know.Tom 65/PSA 0.1/diagnosed 4/09

[Guest guest]

Hi, Tom, because the median lobe is enlarged, the doctor says he'll have to use

a surgical instrument (versus Gree Light) to remove that tissue, but will use

Green Light on other areas. I'm assuming he considers that safer given the

median lobe location.

Thank you!

Calico

>

> Calico:

>

> I can't understand why a dr. would suggest both TURP and green light laser.

They should be alternative solutions. Here's a layman's view, and I've had 2 out

of the 3:

>

> TUMT. Transurethral microwave thermotherapy. He'd be cooled from one end and

microwaved from the other. The microwaves destroy prostate tissue, opening up

the urinary channel. I had it a year ago and it did nothing good, but I'm

probably the exception to the rule.

>

> TURP. The doctor goes through the penis and carves off tissue from the

prostate, again opening the channel. I had this done last week and seem to be

improving daily.

>

> Green Light Laser. Doctor goes through the penis with a laser-generating

device and carves prostate tissue with the laser beam.

>

> I can't imagine doing more than one of these unless one of them fails to open

up the channel sufficiently, as was my case. I certainly wouldn't sign up for

two at a time. Each causes enough trauma.

>

> Good luck to your husband (and you),

>

> Tom

> Just Wondering About Prostate Surgery

>

>

>

> Hi, all, and thank you for your responses.

>

> Husband has been on medication which has successfully reduced the size

of his prostate. The doctor was surprised he was still having problems with

urination, so he checked him out further. It seems there is still tissue

blocking the top of the " area " (there was a better description given than this

but I can't remember), and it needs to be vaporized/removed.

>

> The impression I got was the doctor is going to use both green light

and a surgical cutting out of the tissue. I'm not sure if this falls within a

TURP or a TUMT. I'm pretty sure the doctor said husband would spend the night

in the hospital.

>

> Any thoughts or advice are appreciated.

>

> Calico

>

>

>

>

> 3d. Re: Just Wondering About Prostate Surgery

> Posted by: " Tom Lauterback " tkl60123@... intrspctiv

> Date: Tue Aug 3, 2010 5:52 am ((PDT))

>

> I just chose between green light laser and TURP, and I chose the

latter because it was NOT done as an outpatient procedure and I felt more

confident spending a night (turned out to be 2 nights) in the hospital in case

something went wrong. A year ago, I had a TUMT which turned out to be a disaster

and I wished I'd been in the hospital instead of going back and forth to the

Emergency Room. In the interim, I fought the PCa with radiation treatments. Thus

far, I'm happy with my choices except for the TUMT. But I suppose the green

light laser would have worked equally well, and I probably should have chosen

that over the TUMT a year ago. But we'll never know.

>

> Tom 65/PSA 0.1/diagnosed 4/09

>

[Guest guest]

Calico,

I really don't know anything about TURP, Green light laser, or TUMT,

but what your doctor is about to do sounds significant enough that

you might want to consider a second opinion.

It sounds like the doctor knows what he's doing, and I'm not

suggesting there's anything at all wrong with his recommendation,

but I have found that second opinions sometimes help.

If you're not sure whether this is significant enough to

warrant a second opinion, then if you have a family doctor

that you trust, you might ask him if he thinks a second opinion

is a good idea.

Best of luck.

Alan

[Guest guest]

Calico:

I wish I knew. It started a 14-month nightmare of incontinence and impotence. I took months to heal and it resulted in 2 emergency room trips. I complained to the state board of medical licensing and, after taking 6 months to investigate, they reported that the doctor was not guilty of malpractice. I spoke several times to the company that manufactures the equipment used for the TUMT procedure, and they suggested the doctor may have chosen the wrong size catheter, thus possibly causing damage. Other than that, I don't know. It may not have sufficiently opened the urinary channel, I suppose. I've been retaining urine and this getting infections constantly for the past year-plus.

Tom

Just Wondering About Prostate Surgery

Hi, Tom, we were wondering what happened with the TUMT that caused you to have to go to the emergency room. Would you mind telling us about that? Just want to know what to be on the lookout for.

Thank you!

Calico

3d. Re: Just Wondering About Prostate Surgery Posted by: "Tom Lauterback" tkl60123wowway intrspctiv Date: Tue Aug 3, 2010 5:52 am ((PDT))I just chose between green light laser and TURP, and I chose the latter because it was NOT done as an outpatient procedure and I felt more confident spending a night (turned out to be 2 nights) in the hospital in case something went wrong. A year ago, I had a TUMT which turned out to be a disaster and I wished I'd been in the hospital instead of going back and forth to the Emergency Room. In the interim, I fought the PCa with radiation treatments. Thus far, I'm happy with my choices except for the TUMT. But I suppose the green light laser would have worked equally well, and I probably should have chosen that over the TUMT a year ago. But we'll never know.Tom 65/PSA 0.1/diagnosed 4/09

[Guest guest]

Calico:

I have zero medical training, but I don't see why he couldn't do a TURP on the whole thing and be done with it. But he knows a bit more than I do. Good luck!

Tom

Just Wondering About Prostate Surgery> > > > Hi, all, and thank you for your responses.> > Husband has been on medication which has successfully reduced the size of his prostate. The doctor was surprised he was still having problems with urination, so he checked him out further. It seems there is still tissue blocking the top of the "area" (there was a better description given than this but I can't remember), and it needs to be vaporized/removed.> > The impression I got was the doctor is going to use both green light and a surgical cutting out of the tissue. I'm not sure if this falls within a TURP or a TUMT. I'm pretty sure the doctor said husband would spend the night in the hospital.> > Any thoughts or advice are appreciated.> > Calico> > > > > 3d. Re: Just Wondering About Prostate Surgery> Posted by: "Tom Lauterback" tkl60123@... intrspctiv> Date: Tue Aug 3, 2010 5:52 am ((PDT))> > I just chose between green light laser and TURP, and I chose the latter because it was NOT done as an outpatient procedure and I felt more confident spending a night (turned out to be 2 nights) in the hospital in case something went wrong. A year ago, I had a TUMT which turned out to be a disaster and I wished I'd been in the hospital instead of going back and forth to the Emergency Room. In the interim, I fought the PCa with radiation treatments. Thus far, I'm happy with my choices except for the TUMT. But I suppose the green light laser would have worked equally well, and I probably should have chosen that over the TUMT a year ago. But we'll never know.> > Tom 65/PSA 0.1/diagnosed 4/09>

[Guest guest]

Hi, Tom, I'm so very, very sorry about your ordeal! What a lot to weather!We all have to turn our bodies over to the medical types at some point and hope things go right. I so hope things are improving for you, albeit with a lot of bumps and what sounds like a pace that's been painful.Calico

[Guest guest]

I suspect that most of us on this site have learned that we can weather storms we never thought we could. Yes, I've had a couple false starts, but nothing like many of the other members have endured. As the old saying goes, if we all threw our troubles in a pile, each of us would pull ours out first.

Tom

Just Wondering About Prostate Surgery

Hi, Tom, I'm so very, very sorry about your ordeal! What a lot to weather!We all have to turn our bodies over to the medical types at some point and hope things go right. I so hope things are improving for you, albeit with a lot of bumps and what sounds like a pace that's been painful.Calico