My Greenlight laser surgery: I almost look forward to going to the toilet now! Sixty-year-old from Burton describes his experience of the procedure

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“Looking back, I never had would be considered a good flow. During the time it took for me to pass urine, three other blokes would come and go. It got to a point where I felt increasingly self-conscious about it and it put me off going out.

My Dad had the same problem. He ended up having the traditional operation, the TURP (trans-urethral resection of the prostate) and was told after surgery that the main problem was that his bladder neck was much smaller than normal. I remember thinking at the time, I wonder if I have the same thing.

It is one of those problems that you do tend to put up with because it isn’t life-threatening and you get used to it. For me, it was a conversation with a customer that made the difference. He had been for GreenLight laser surgery with Mr Alan Doherty and said it was the best money he had ever spent and that the procedure itself was a breeze.

I went to see my GP and explained I was considering the procedure. The GP said he thought my prostate was slightly enlarged and referred me to Mr Doherty. I was convinced by the GreenLight laser approach: medication didn’t appeal to me at all and from conversations I’ve had with other men, didn’t seem to be very effective.

Equally, from the experience of men I know who have had the TURP, that seemed a very tough operation with a long period of recovery. Even after surgery, some of them had problems like incontinence, so I didn’t want to have the TURP.

I saw Mr Doherty, had an ultrasound and booked in for my Greenlight laser surgery in September (2017). It was the first time in my life that I’d come into hospital and had a general anaesthetic. All the staff were very friendly and good in terms of putting me at ease.

Immediately after surgery, you do need to be prepared for there to be some blood and debris in your urine in the first few days and even into the first few weeks, but this is normal and expected; it is nothing to worry about. I was a bit sore in my ‘undercarriage’ and this lasted for about four to five days.

But really, in the scheme of things, it is fair to say it was a breeze. I run my own business as an electrical contractor and went back to work, light duties only, within four to five days.

In terms of the results, I almost look forward to going to the toilet! That might seem like a funny thing to say, but after so many years of feeling socially awkward and having to take so long, it is wonderful to be able to just pop in and out of the toilet like any other bloke.

I can understand why some men put up with the symptoms of an enlarged prostate for a long time. It can be hard working out the different treatments and there are no guarantees. But for me, this was 100 per cent the right decision and it also made a lot of sense for me to get this problem sorted out while I am young and fit, not waiting, spending years on medication then having a procedure when I’m older.”

 

 


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