Prostate Problems

[trevnhil]

Hi all. For many years now I have been seeing the doctors at the General Hospital because of High PSA readings. This week I had a 'procedure' with a camera, which shows how enlarged my prostate is..
I have to go back to the hospital on Tuesday and I am 99% certain that they want me to have the operation to remove all, or much of the Prostate.

So, I am in a dilemma. There is only me at home and my trusty dog Max.. Good friends in our village have said they will look after my dog for me..

But I want as much information as I can get about the operation and aftercare..

I have some savings and now may well be the time to use them.. Maybe it will be better to go private..
Maybe there is such a thing as keyhole surgery..
It seems one of the major problems I would have is that there is no one to look after me when I am sent back home.. I have read that what I am allowed to do when I return home is very restricted..

So, I am after as much information as possible..

If you want to PM me that would be fine.. But 'going public' may well help other people as well

[Lincoln]

Hi Trev, sorry to hear this. I also HAD Prostate cancer and went through the same procedures that you have had. I also had a Biopsy done to conferm. My treatment was BRACHYTHERAPY (spelling) where thet injected a load of radioactive minute seeds into the prostate. This destroyed the cancer completely. Not sure if you can have this treatment or not. I flew to Athens to get it done. This was over 10 years ago.

[trevnhil]

Thanks for the reply Lincoln. As far as I know it is not Cancerous but just a very enlarged Prostate.
I had a biopsy a few years ago and all the samples came back clear for cancer
My biggest problem is managing when I am released from hospital. This is why I am trying to find a less invasive way to have the prostate or part of it removed.
I am wanting to know the least invasive way, and who can do it. Maybe there is a private doctor who I can contact

[Yogi]

Trev - I had a similar problem a few years ago. I had an operation called a TURP to remove a lot of my prostate, there is loads of information on it with google. Mine was done privately, under general anaesthetic with one night in hospital. Apart from being a bit tender for a few days, I don’t recall being restricted much. Hope this helps

[trevnhil]

Hi Yogi.. Yes that does help.. A Lot. Can you tell me how they gained access to the prostate to remove a lot of it. Also who did it and where ??
Do send a PM if you would rather

[WHL]

Sorry to hear about your problems, years ago my wife needed an op , the same Dr did the op in the larnaca general, it cost us about 2 grand, having it done in his private clinic would of cost more then double that
it might be possible for you to go into a care home for a period of time until you recover.

[trevnhil]

Thanks WHL for the suggestion. But of course there would be care home charges as well.
But it is early days. I just want as much information as I can get

[Yioula]

Sorry to hear of your health problems Trev. My friends husband had the TURP procedure but unfortunately that was in the U.K.
The procedure for him has been successful for him and that was over 5 years ago

[galexinda]

Best wait until Tuesday and you get the results at PGH. Take a list of detailed questions to ask the doctor and discuss the options then.
That way you will have a better indication how long the recovery process is and what it entails.

Instead of having the procedure at PGH and if you are on GESY, perhaps explore other clinics / hospitals in the GESY system in Paphos when you know the results? Many of the doctors who formerly offered private treatment are now on GESY and it would cost a fraction of the cost of going privately.

[Lincoln]

Hi Trev. If on GESY or not contact Dr Economides at the Blue Cross Hosp. He is a consultant Urologist and General surgeon. He has all the modern technical equipment and gives proper advice as well. Good Luck Trev.

[El tel]

You appear to have benign prostrate enlargement , five years ago I had the TURPS operation and they trimmed my prostate , it was done on the NHS and I spent one night in hospital . It is regarded as a routine operation and has been used for well over 50 years . I had no side effects and apart from stopping me going to the gym for a few weeks I was back to normal within days and required no follow up or after care .

Terry

[Miloman]

Hi Trev, I can not agree with Lincoln -- very bad experience.
Mike

[trevnhil]

Well, fellow members. Many thanks for all the replies.. I can now look at the different alternatives before deciding on what course of action to take. I certainly don't want to be rushed into a decision

Thanks again.

[jeba]

One alternative which hasn't been mentioned yet is embolisation. You might want to ask your urologist whether that's something to consider. The principle of the procedure is that a catheter is inserted into the femoral artery and pushed forward (under x-ray control) into the artery which supplies blood to the prostate gland. Once at the correct position, some miniscule vesicles (so-called microspheres, forgot which material they're made of) will be injected which will partially block the capillary system, diminishing blood supply to the prostate tissue enough to make it shrink. In Germany at least, it's done by radiologists rather than urologists.

[trevnhil]

There are radiologists here that may do that but I am not sure there are any in Paphos.
But I have a lot of suggestions to go through both on here and on FaceBook

[JimX]

Trev, sorry to hear you are suffering or maybe not, I had a TURP procedue a few years ago, it faild for me I still need to go for a ''P'' three or four times a night, but my Prostate is a lot smaller now as is my bank balance, So for me 5K down the drain, I truly hope you have more success, mine was done at the Anveligismos Pivate hospital, when you had to pay, you will have a bag and a tube for a couple of weeks, at least I could sleep most night when it was fitted, I was only in the Hospital for two days and nights.Came out lighter in a few ways, all the very best mate....

Never herd of JEBAs procedure but maybe worth cheking out.

https://www.google.com/search?q=TURP+PR ... s-wiz-serp

[MacManiac]

Good luck with all of this. People in our area (Polis) use a small number of English-trained nurses who provide post-operative care. There is also a company which provides a similar service. Whether they offer services in your area is not known. If you would like details, please pm me,