Information for patients

The £200 consultancy fee to obtain a second opinion on an enlarged prostate with Mr Stewart at The Yorkshire Clinic was possibly the best investment of my life. I had been advised by 4 consultants that only a TURP or HoLEP procedure would work for me. At the age of 57, I recognised that I only had one chance to make a correct choice. Friends and family have encountered similar issues and chosen pathways which have included TURP, Rezum, HoLEP and GreenLight procedures. They have all taken at least 6 weeks to regain urinary continence with varying degrees of success. All went home with catheters for at minimum of two weeks, two developed UTI’s, and FIT notes were needed for a minimum of 6 weeks in all cases. One gentleman aged 64, after two years, is still partially incontinent and all four have issues with their sexual function. Many others are deferring treatment due to horror stories about the long-term effects of the treatment. I discussed Aquablation with Mr Stewart and went ahead with the procedure. Mr Gordon carried out the operation at The YC and he was brilliant from start to finish. Two days later I was home, catheter free, and fully in control of my bladder and soon discovered no loss in sexual function. I drove on the day of discharge and have started swinging a golf club 5 days post op. I am a first aid trainer and would have had no problem working after leaving hospital. It became apparent to me that the procedure is not promoted by urologists who do not perform the procedure. This may be due, in part, to the fact that long term statistics are not yet available to support the effectiveness of this innovative technique. My GP was unaware of the procedure. Aquablation uses cutting edge technology with robotic precision to remove only necessary parts of the prostate using ultrasound and a water jet. Before making my final decision, I asked myself whether I would prefer to be scalded by steam, have tissue vaporised by laser, be cut with a heat generated wire or sprayed with a robotically controlled heat-free water jet. The answer was straightforward! You only get one chance to make the correct decision, and to enhance your chances of getting it right, I recommend you book an appointment with either Mr Stewart or Mr Gordon at The Yorkshire Clinic. In hindsight, all my friends who have undergone procedures for enlarged prostates wish they had.