Rob,

I had my PVP 14 weeks ago. Prior to the procedure I had
frequency, flow, and urgency problems and would visit the
bathroom about every 20 minutes and get up maybe 8-10
times in the night.  My improvement was immediate for flow
and the urgency started decreasing about 3-4 weeks post
procedure.  About week 9-10 my frequency also started
to decrease and I can now go 2 1/2 to 3 hours without any
problem.  As I understand it, different men respond at different
rates.  I am now 90-95% past my original problems and
expect to be fully normal over the course of the next month
or two.  My Uro told me it would be 6-12 months before
the bladder would return back to normal so I didn't expect
overnight miracles.

My recommendation to anyone with BHP related problems
is to seriously consider the PVP. It has returned me to a
whole person again. In retrospect I can't imagine anyone
considering any other procedure except this one.  And yes,
I had to dump my first Uro who wanted to do a TUNA.
You may have frequency problems now but the longer you
wait the more problems will emerge.  I remember my
original perception about 2 years ago was that I was going
to the bathroom a lot but didn't really understand why back
then.  I thought I was drinking too much pop/coffee at the
time.  Little did I know that these were the first signs of BHP.

Thanks to this group for its support and information.

Lewis.

Rob,
This may be redundant as I not familiar with using these bulletin
boards.
To specifically answer your question about frequency - I had a PVP
procedure on 7/28, earlier this week and life has gotten MUCH better.
I am urinating "properly" now. Reduced frequeny, reduced urgency and
it feels like I am emptying properly. it is pretty early but I am not
getting up at night at all. See the following -

A success story (so far) about the PVP procedure.  I had the procedure
done on Monday the 28th. It was done at 11:30 and I was in my room
about 1:00 with a catheter installed. It was running light pink not
red. The doctor said the catheter could be removed when it was clear
in the tube.

The urine began to clear by early evening but was not totally clear. I
kept badgering the nurses but they were following instructions.  It
was finally clear at about 6:00 on Tuesday morning but the nurses
wanted to wait until 7:00.  At 7:00 the catheter was removed.

I began urinating on my own about 30-40 minutes later. The flow was
better than I have experienced for 5 or 6 years. The doctor had me
fill a succession of jars in order to track the bleeding which was
quite modest.  By about 10: on the third jar it was completely clear.

I checked out at noon and we drove home to Orlando that afternoon. I
went to the office on Tuesday at 7:30 and put in a full day with no
problems. I am not experiencing any problems and am urinating just
fine.

The procedure was done by Dr. Lin at Flagler hospital in St.
Augustine.  His office is not impressive but his credentials look good
and he certainly seems to know what he is doing. The hospital did a
good job.  Since the period encompassing the procedure and
subsequently I have had NO PAIN. Zero, nada, zilch.  Even the
anesthesia was a pleasant surprise. In the past (for some orthopedic
work) I have emerged with a shredded lip and a seriously sore throat.
Now, at least at Flagler, they no longer intubate patients. They have
a device that lies at the back of the throat to accomplish the same
result and it does not require a clamp on the lip to hold it in place.
Progress.

From all my research about TURP the absence of pain and minimal
bleeding is extraordinary though I gather that it is not uncommon with
PVP. The PVP procedure just seemed intuitively superior to the
standard TURP now that the shorter wavelength laser is available. It
is after all just a different tool to accomplish the same end result –
opening a cavity in the prostate around the urethra.

I won't know about retrograde ejaculation for several weeks as I am
under instructions to abstain but the doctor seemed confident that it
"probably" will not be a problem.

So, on a sample of one and with my experience choosing PVP is a
no-brainer. The results so far are only short term but the prognosis
seems positive.  According to Dr. Lin, if the problem recurs it is no
problem to repeat the procedure. My prostate was not real large, about
70-80 cc so I am not at the high end and I got lucky regarding the
distribution of tissue. Dr. Lin told me he is going to do a man with a
200cc prostate that nobody else wants to attempt. I cannot imagine why
anybody would not do this procedure given the alternatives.

Our greatest enemy in this matter is the body of urologists that do
not know how to do this or do not have access to the equipment. I
think it is a lack of willingness to change/learn. My guy did a real
hard sell for TURP and tried to frighten us off seeing anybody about
the green laser.  He even volunteered to use one of the old lasers
even though he had previously spoken disparagingly about the laser
procedure. He got real defensive.

I want to thank all of the people that posted their experiences and
comments. It was a great help.  Perhaps my tale can help somebody
else.

I will post updates as I progress.