Probably doesn’t belong here but if in case anyone is facing this problem…
Yesterday, as a present for my 54th birthday, I went to a urologist. She listened to all my questions. The exam took over an hour. The bottom line is she feels I need a Green Light laser procedure. I’ve adjusted my diet, I’ve used beta-sitosterol for over a year, I’m dealing with the side effects that the beta-sit caused, and now I’m back to peeing 2-3 times a night.
She didn’t do blood work but recommended I go to my regular doctor for that. One of the side effects of beta-sit is I’m constantly cold. She recommends a thyroid profile and I want another PSA. 18 months ago it was 0.3.
Researching green light I found dozens of unhappy patients. One friend had it four years ago. He says for the first couple years it was great, then gradually the flow got smaller, he was put on Flomax and that helped but only for a year and now he’s contemplating another green light. The doc gave him a do-it-yourself catheter package in case of emergency.
It bothers me that the procedure doesn’t address the root cause of BPH. Gat and Gornish in Israel has published results of their procedures to remove incompetent internal spermatic veins. Doing that removes the congestion and returns prostate testosterone levels back to normal. The uroligist doesn’t know of anyone in the U.S. who’s doing the procedure.
The thing is, Gat’s procedure takes two hours and you’re out the door. The only anesthesia required is ice! By doing it you remove excess testosterone from the prostate which prevents prostate cancer from developing. My dad and grandad each had prostate cancer. Grandad died at age 80 while doing a tune-up on his pickup. Dad’s prostate was removed several years ago. No cancer return but now, age 75, he has to wear pads.
So my decision is whether to have the green light or not. If I have it, eventually I’ll need it again. Should I hope the Gat procedure becomes more main-stream by then? It doesn’t cure established cancer, it just prevents it from developing. As an experimental procedure, I’m assuming my insurance wouldn’t cover it, or the travel costs.
I’d welcome any input,
kevin