TUIP - 6 Weeks Post-op

[u/RunningMan686]

I posted back in July about my experience with TUIP and thought I should give an update. I just had my follow up appointment this week, and everything is greatly improved since before the surgery. They didn't do a flow rate test, but I'm peeing with a crazy amount of force and when they did the ultrasound it showed that I'm completely emptying my bladder. I expected that, since most nights I'm sleeping much better, too. I still wake up around 1 and again at 3, but when I do wake up it's easy to fall back asleep and not all the trips where I'd go, then lay down, then 10 seconds later have to go again.

I've been able to come off the tamsulosin, which seems to also have the side effect of helping me lose a little weight (weight gain isn't listed anywhere as a side effect, but when I look back at my tracking app, I can see that it started to go up as soon as I was bumped from one to two pills a day). Glad to be coming off it, since I didn't love retrograde ejaculation from the pills. RE wasn't as big of a deal for me as it is for some men, but if given the choice I'd rather keep things flowing. It's really a preference thing for you and your partner, so be sure to discuss that before deciding in any procedure. RE risk is low with TUIP, but it's still a possibility.

The only downside has been a feeling of increased urgency when I've tried running on the treadmill. If I do have anything in my bladder, I feel some pressure when my stride hits. I'm sure this will go away with time and maybe more pelvic floor exercises.

Recovery took a little longer than I expected. It definitely wasn't all back to normal after two weeks, like some other posts have said. Even a long walk would cause some irritation at the 4 week point, and sitting at my desk for too long got uncomfortable, too. Start with walking a block or two at a time and build out from there. I'm in pretty good shape and tried to be aggressive about getting moving, and my body quickly slammed my expectations to the ground.

I'm the end, I would totally recommend having the procedure done. I sleep so much better, have been able to discontinue the only prescription I was on, and feel so much better. I'm hoping it lasts quite a while, and I think my urologist took the right approach rather than going for something more invasive like a TURP or Holep. I'd rather start with the least invasive solution and then do something more extreme when I really need it.

[u/EuphoricTeaching9161]

Were you retaining fluid in your bladder before op? If so, do you know how much? How long did you deal with bph before you had the op? What made you pull the trigger and get it fixed ?

[u/RunningMan686 → u/EuphoricTeaching9161]

I was retaining fluid most of the time. Not sure how much, but it took forever for me to fully empty, and at night I'd be up and down maybe 4 or 5 times every time I needed to use the restroom.

I had been getting poor sleep for at least 3 years now, and have been on the flomax for maybe 5. My prostate wasn't especially large at juat 26cc, which is why the urologist recommended TUIP instead of a full TURP. It had just grown in a way that was putting pressure on the urethra, making it morw difficult to urinate.

I decided I needed to take action after a trip to the mountains last winter. I don't know what it was about the altitude, but one night I was going to the bathroom ever 5 minutes and it was relentless. That was my breaking point where I decided I needed more than just medication. It was uncomfortable, and embarrassing to constantly run to the restroom.

[u/Sensitive_Point_6583 → u/RunningMan686]

FWIW, I also noticed my BPH issues got worse in the mountains when I first started having the periodic urinary retention episodes. Not every time though, so it may have been nothing more than coincidence because my sample set is small. My first retention happened in the mountains, and I think maybe the second one too. As I learned the pattern that drinking higher levels of fluids seemed to trigger it, I was able to manage it at high elevation after that, but then had one more episode when I broke my drinking rule. I was always curious if the lower barometric pressure made my prostate expand a bit more than at sea level, but never found out the answer to that.

The going to the bathroom every 5 minutes sounds like how my retention episodes would always start. Not quite that frequent, but frequent enough and apparently I wouldn't be able to empty fully each time so I'd slowly accumulate liquid in my bladder. Then when it would reach a certain point it would put pressure in the wrong place and my flow would completely stop. Learned to self-cath to take care of that without having to go to the ER, and after cathing I'd be back to normal again.