Hi Chris, Jonah has not visited this site for some time, however, this is " just me " Jonah and I corresponded for quite some time after our surgeries. It was a big help going through this with someone else to compare notes with.
Just as you I had to use a catheter to completely empty my bladder. My stream was very weak , intermittent, and unpredictable. From July until the last part of October, I experienced acute retention, resulting in 2 trips to the ER.
I was prescribed Flowmax which helped for a while but it eventually was useless.
As anyone, I was concerned about Retro, loss of erections, etc.
I will speak for myself.
As I look back, My worries were for nothing.
Flomax and my enlarged prostate had already reduced my ejaculation to basically a dribble. No more shooting.
My erections were good but not like a 20 year old.
I had reached a point where I was counting the days until my surgery.
I had surgery In Indianapolis, by Dr Lingeman.
Having an experienced surgeon is vital ! Do your homework.
The first positive I experienced from surgery was the dramatic difference in urinating. For the first time in years, it worked very well!
You can read through my posts from the past.
As for sex, my erections actually seemed to improve.
I held off from sex longer than necessary. I wanted to be healed up. There was no pain involved with my first orgasm.
I must admit, the first one was not all that, if you know what I mean. At the time, I did not have anyone to relate to about what to expect for my first orgasm. I considered it a medical matter.
As I stated in my earlier post I took matters in my own hands so to speak. My wife was very supportive of me, but I wanted to have full control in case of any pain. There was no pain.
My first orgasm my ejaculation was not retrograde. From there on they were. I find very little difference in the sensations between pre or post surgery.
Sex is still pleasurable. It helps to have a good wife!
One thing noticeable, lubricants may be advisable. There will not be near as much if any natural from you.
Kegals will help with bladder control and orgasm quality.
Entering into this with an optimist outlook is important.
I am going on 5 years post surgery and do not regret it .
Holes was such a positive experience for me I feel I need to give back. That is why I still check this site out from time to time. I will check back on you to see how you are doing.
All the best
just me
just me
exercises?
Yes I have retrograde ejaculation. When surgery is done on the prostate , the Bladderneck sphincter is no longer able to close as normal. The sperm and semen take the path of least resistance, back in the bladder.
There are videos of actual holep surgery on YouTube. If you are considering Holep I recommend you inform yourself as much as possible. I like to know what is going to happen, some don't.
I was fully prepared for my surgery. I watched the videos, talked to my Drs (all 4 of them). I asked them anything I wanted to know. They are not embarrassed,I refused to be.
It seems many are concerned about it. I don't find much difference in sensation. The only real difference is nothing comes out. You still feel everything like before.
With retrograde, you will be sterile, no big deal for me , I've already had a vasectomy years ago. I'm 62 years old ! I don't want anymore kids! I can't keep up with my grandkids! Besides, my wife has gone through menopause. Sex is now just for fun! With no concerns.
Seriously, If you are considering Holep and it is recommended by your Dr. You have already been screened for cancer. Your biggest concern is behind you.
Be Thankful you have made it this far. Don't let the fact you have retrograde ejaculation concern you.
Just me
At about noon on Thursday, the next day, I was discharged. I am able to pee much more strongly than before, and the bleeding in my urine stopped after about a week. I am still incontinent and must wear a pad. I believe I am beginning to control the incontinence somewhat, but I understand it could take weeks or maybe months before I will not need to wear a pad. My main reason for having the surgery was the three extremely painful episodes of urinary retention I experienced in the past two years, with the last two occurring last year a few months apart. I obtained relief only at the local hospital ER with the insertion of a catheter, which I wore for about ten days after each episode.
Dr. Lingeman assured me I will no longer have such urinary retention episodes thanks to the surgery. My prostate was about 90 grams, which I believe is about 3 times normal size.
Other than the incontinence, I feel good and experience no pain from my prostate/bladder on urination or any other time. I am 79 years old.
I chose HoLEP after researching the various surgical options. I chose it because it seemed the least invasive, seemed to have the fastest recovery with very low probability of problem recurrence, and because I was very impressed with the reputation of Dr. Lingeman who has performed over 2000 HoLEPs and is the best qualified surgeon in the world for this procedure. I was not disappointed. I am very satisfied with Dr. Lingeman and was treated well at Indiana's Methodist Hospital.
I had surgery almost five years ago. I have very minor, and I mean minor. I still wear a pad, it is a very small inconvenience compared to completely shutting down, self cathing, and possible kidney damage.
Do I have small leaks? Yes very small. Do I regret my decision to have surgery? Not for a minute.
As we age, this issue does not go away,and only gets worse.
If you decide to proceed with surgery choose an experienced Dr. just me
Frankly, I was amazed at just how smoothly everything went. My surgery began at around 10am, I was in the hospital that day and overnight, and within about 26 hours from having checked in, I was on my way out after having had urinated twice (a requirement for being released). Once I got back to the hotel, I was whizzing like a racehorse! Bleeding was very minimal and only lasted maybe a couple of days; I expected it to recur, but it never did. After about a year of having to cath, I was amazed at the quickness of recovery and return to urinating normally. (Actually, I now urinate so strongly that I don't stand at the urinal for much time at all.) And the best part of it all was, there was virtually NO pain associated with the surgery or recovery. The most pain I've felt throughout the process was the little sting of the IV in my arm!
Now that I've had this procedure done (my only surgery), I can without any doubt recommend it wholeheartedly. I could've had the ordinary TURP procedure done locally, but to me, now that I've researched the various options and have done the HoLep, I have to say it's well worth the travel costs to have the HoLep procedure done. Laser surgery vs. traditonal surgery? ..No comparison! I'm not likely to ever have to have anything else done regarding my prostate. The University of Indiana is a complete research facility, so they were able to complete a full biopsy within 2 days and call me back with the results. Dr. Lingeman is every bit the professional you'd expect if you've read much at all about him and the HoLep surgery. Now, after about 6 weeks since surgery, I still do leak, but just a very little bit now (not ever very much), and that's only when I need to exert (such as needing to pass gas, mainly). But that's getting better week after week too.
I might add one other thing: In reading over the reviews, there were a couple of instances of a few problems after the surgery noted, but I wonder if it might be a situation of not following the doctor's orders, such as not lifting heavy objects within a couple of weeks after surgery, or maybe not taking antibiotics as prescribed (which was about a week before surgery and a week afterwards). Again, I'm in reasonably good health and too, I do exactly as the doctor instructs me to do. I'm fortunate with having good health, but I also count my blessings that I was able to find Dr. Lingeman and then to be able to schedule my procedure with him and his staff. (My local urologist studied under Dr. Lingeman, who is apparently a top expert in urology in general.)
I would recommend HoLep and Dr. Lingeman (or a doctor trained by him) 100%, without hesitation.
Hope this helps.
I believe the HoLEP procedure was well worth it as I have no pain on urination nor do I have any problem with urinary retention (my main reason for having the surgery, as urinary retention, that is inability to pee, is very painful and requires a trip to the ER and a catheter insertion for relief). Dr. Lingeman assured me I will never have a problem with urinary retention after my surgery. Given his expertise, I trust his statement.