Gentlemen:

Having benefited from reading this newsgroup the last couple of weeks, I
will endeavor to contribute to it.

On the evening of March 1, I suffered a sudden onset of high fever and
intense muscle and body pains.  By afternoon of the next day I had more than
normal urine retention, and by late that night I was in near total
retention.  (I am 64 years of age and have had a diminishing stream for
maybe 5 - 7 years.)  This resulted in a desperate early morning trip to an
urgent care center in SW metro Denver, only to be told they had no male
catheters.  So on to the ER where I finally obtained relief.

I wore a Foley catheter and bag for a week until appointment with urologist.
Managed in the interim to get antibiotic (Levaquin) from uro since fever and
pain were still present.  (Culture ultimately showed some bladder
infection.)  I suspected that my troubles originated with an infection which
was either in the prostate, or affecting the prostate, but my uro pretty
much dissed that with 'prostate infections are rare'.  (By the way Levaquin
is a strong broad spectrum antibiotic, but it has such disagreeable side
effects, such as weird headache, that I wouldn't recommend it if there is
any alternative.)  Total retention for perhaps eighteen hours was just about
unbearable, and I never want to experience that again.  I requested
(demanded)  a catheter and instructions so I can self-cathetize if needed.
It is not that hard; I have a couple simple (French?) catheters, not the
Foley with the bulb that inflates on the end inside the bladder to hold it
in place.  Anyone in similar circumstances may want to consider this.

Subsequent cystoscopy showed ureter compressed bilaterally and blocked by
enlarged prostate.  Also, there was a little cone projection back into the
bladder at the point where bladder,ureter, and prostate are in close
proximity.  My uro offered TURP and microwave ablation (TUMT) as possible
therapies.  Afterward we discovered this newsgroup and PVP, which seems to
me at this point to be a preferable alternative that just makes a lot of
sense.

A retired uro friend didn't know much about PVP but was adamant that if this
was the chosen therapy, it should be performed by a doctor who does lots of
these procedures.  (My current uro indicated he could do the PVP but
wouldn't say how many he had done.)

According to what I have learned, PVP was pioneered by Dr Reza Malek at Mayo
Clinic, Rochester .  I have contacted Mayo Clinic Urology in Rochester
(507-284-2511), and they were most pleasant and helpful.  Apparently Dr
Malek is no longer at Mayo, but he trained Drs Lance Mynderse and Torrence
Wilson, who do about 150 PVPs per year, and that is increasing.

Closer to home, Denver Urology is reported to do lots of PVPs, so I am
planning to talk to them, but Mayo is still a possibility.  My question to
you readers is: Does anyone have any PVP experience with Denver Urology or
any others in the area?

My thanks in advance to any responders.  You will need to remove SPAMOUT
from my address to reach me privately.  I am encouraged by the experiences
reported by Allen, Myron, and others in this newsgroup.

Charles