A patient explains why he chose Rezūm and the “life-changing” improvement it achieved.

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Rezūm is a major new treatment for the enlarged prostate. A BPC patient explains why he chose Rezūm and the “life-changing” improvement it achieved.

I wasn’t someone who needed to get up for the toilet several times at night. What happened to me occurred very quickly in a matter of months: I became unable to pass urine from a standing position. I had to sit down, try to relax and my flow would be very slow. I was only 49 at the time.

I was put onto tablets for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH, an enlarged prostate) and I found they worked well but if I missed a single dose, the symptoms would rapidly return. I started to become quite paranoid about having a sufficient supply of the medication. I would check daily to ensure I wasn’t about to run out and even worked out if there were any holidays or bank holidays that would affect me. After two years of taking medication and feeling quite anxious and dependent on it, I started to research alternatives.

I considered GreenLight laser surgery, but it didn’t appeal for two reasons. Retrograde ejaculation is a known side-effect of laser surgery and even though we are not planning more children, I didn’t want to have such an altered sexual function at a relatively young age. Rezūm appealed to me being less invasive than laser surgery and the logic of using steam to reduce surplus prostate tissue made sense.

My PSA was quite high for my age and with a recent rise, I arranged a biopsy at the Birmingham Prostate Clinic. Looking back, because of my high PSA, I had been preparing for the worst, imagining how I would tell my family I had prostate cancer at the age of 50. I was so convinced it would be bad news that when I was told I had no traces of cancer in my prostate, I sat in the car for a long time, trying to process that I was okay. It was at this point, I decided to book to have Rezūm in January (2019).

Immediately after the procedure, I was not in any pain. But subsequently, I found the catheter very painful and uncomfortable. I wore the catheter for five days. I would describe the first three to four weeks after surgery as fairly tough; I felt I had been knocked around a bit. It was not only the Rezūm but also the prostate biopsy shortly before that.

My urinary flow improved gradually after surgery, but then at about four weeks, very suddenly and almost miraculously, it transformed very rapidly. It was like a blockage in a tube had been removed. The results of my flow rate test best demonstrate the impact: before having Rezūm, it took me two minutes and 40 seconds to empty my bladder. At four weeks after the procedure, it took 45 seconds. It was a life-changing improvement.

I also found that at four weeks I felt much better and my body had recovered. I did continue to pass blood for up to two months after Rezūm and I also noticed a reduced amount of ejaculate (the volume continues to be lower than before surgery).

From my personal experience, I would say – be prepared to feel poorly and a bit knocked about after the procedure (in my case, it lasted about three weeks). When the improvement came at about three to four weeks, it was sudden and unbelievable. I didn’t want to be dependent on tablets for the rest of my life or have any major effects on sexual function at the age of 51. For me, Rezūm was definitely the right choice; it was a complete solution and one I would highly recommend.”


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