04 Jul Local Mike Frost has his say about ‘Step changing treatment’
Mike Frost, a freelance life coach from South Woodham Ferrers, is calling for a step changing treatment for an enlarged prostate to be available on the NHS in Essex.
For Mike had to sort a dilemma of his own earlier this year when medication was no longer effective in treating his symptoms of an enlarged prostate and yet he was scared of the alternatives he knew of.
The condition – known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and which affects 40% of men over the age of 50 – causes an urgent and frequent need to pass water.
For Mike, it meant needing to use the toilet every three-quarters of an hour, waking several times throughout the night and having to take a bottle in his car to relieve himself if he was caught short on longer journeys.
Up until late last year the drug tamsulosin had largely held Mike’s symptoms at bay for the eight years since his diagnosis. But it was becoming less effective and during pre-operative checks to sort an inguinal hernia, blood was found in his urine.
Mike, married and aged 72, was in a spin. He had heard all about the risks of impotence and incontinence which can be caused by surgery from friends who had shared their personal “nightmare stories” with him.
He wanted to avoid the possibility of such serious consequences for a condition which was not life threatening, although massively inconvenient. And yet left untreated BPH can lead to painful complications.
It was then that it was suggested he considered the NICE approved UroLift, a minimally invasive day case procedure which does not have the same risks as other treatments. It is becoming more widely available on the NHS with 18 hospitals currently offering it.
After making enquiries Mike decided that he would have the UroLift procedure. “I was attracted by the advantages of UroLift being far less invasive, potentially equally successful and offering a comparatively better recovery,” says Mike.
Because UroLift is not currently available on the NHS in Essex – although talks are underway to change this – Mike paid privately for the procedure at the Springfield Hospital in Chelmsford at the beginning of May.
The results have been so good that Mike recommends the procedure to other men with BPH and believes it should be available on the NHS throughout the country.
After a few days of slight discomfort and a bit of bleeding the benefits were already apparent. He can now wait two or three hours before needing the toilet, wakes less during the night, has a stronger urine flow and no longer has to take a midday nap.
“It really has been great. What sound like small changes can actually make such a difference to your quality of life. I never realised before that I was needing to nap during the day because I was so tired from rising frequently throughout the night,” says Mike.
“Based on my personal experience so shortly after the procedure, I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending the UroLift system to deal with the symptoms of BPH in suitable patients,” he says.
– For more information visit www.urolift.co.uk
