Improved quality of life following prostate operation: Ian’s story

Ian’s Story

“My flow, was always very weak, you know. I mean, it was a bit of a running joke amongst my mates at football, that whoever stood behind me in the half-time toilet queue was waiting forever for me to finish,” he says. “When it started to affect my sleep, my day-to-day routine, that’s when I knew I needed to do something about it.”

Though Ian he had seen a GP for his urinary issues a few years ago, at the time he hadn’t felt his symptoms were affecting him enough to necessitate needing the operation. While his GP prescribed medication had prescribed provided some relief, he decided he needed to seek further help when his symptoms intensified at a less than ideal time.

“I had a bit of a flare up just before I was going on holiday, which caused me a little bit of a panic. So, once I got back from holiday, I was referred via my private medical insurance to see consultant urologist Mr. Giles Hellawell at The London Clinic, who suggested that it might be time I did have the operation.”

In the UK as many as one third of men over the age of 50 are affected by urinary symptoms; the most common cause of which is benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland which causes problems passing urine, and which can disturb sleep, lead to incontinence, and decrease quality of life.

Being such a common condition, Ian actually knew a number of friends and colleagues who had the same operation. He’s grateful that for him the condition wasn’t cancerous and he was able to get earlier reassurance of this due to the low levels of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) in his blood tests.  

“Obviously, a big worry is whether it’s cancerous or not. For me I was always assured from very early on that that was very unlikely.” 

“My advice for other men is to get any concerns checked early on and get your blood tests done. It’s nothing to be ashamed or concerned about. It’s just another ailment, isn’t it?”

Now speaking a couple of months after his successful operation, Ian reflects on how transformative his experience at The London Clinic was for him. 

His surgery took place in the late afternoon, and by evening, he was back in his room. 

“I actually stayed up all night reading books and doing my quizzes and things. As you can imagine, most blokes aren’t very happy at the prospect of needing a prostate operation, it all seems a bit terrifying. But the reality was I had virtually no pain. Surprisingly to me, even the catheter wasn’t a problem, which was a concern of mine initially.” 

Likening The London Clinic to a five-star hotel, Ian was thrilled with his care team – the nurses, consultants, and the quality of his operation.  

“Everything was first class. The care was professional and comforting, and the food was excellent. I was unhappy at being discharged before 12 o’clock, I wanted them to wait until after lunch!”

The best news is that his follow-up appointment with Mr. Hellawell recently showed significant improvement in Ian’s urinary flow, meaning his treatment is having the desired results.

“It’s amazing how different things are now,” he says “I feel so much better.”