Before the Procedure:

You will have many visits with your doctor and tests before surgery:

• Complete physical exam
• Visits with your doctor to make sure medical problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart or lung problems are being treated well

If you are a smoker, you should stop several weeks before the surgery. Your doctor or nurse can help.

Always tell your doctor or nurse what drugs, vitamins, and other supplements you are taking, even ones you bought without a prescription.

During the weeks before your surgery:

• You may be asked to stop taking aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), vitamin E, clopidogrel (Plavix), warfarin (Coumadin), and other drugs like these.
• Ask your doctor which drugs you should still take on the day of your surgery.

On the day of your surgery:

• Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your surgery.
• Take the drugs your doctor told you to take with a small sip of water.
• Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to arrive at the hospital or clinic.

After the Procedure:

You will probably go home the day you have surgery, or the day after. You may still have a catheter in your bladder when you leave the hospital or clinic.

Outlook (Prognosis):

These procedures can usually relieve your symptoms. But you have a higher chance of needing a second surgery in 5 to 10 years than if you have transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).

Some of these less invasive surgeries may cause fewer problems with controlling your urine or sexual performance than the standard TURP. Talk to your doctor.

You may temporarily have:

• Blood in your urine
• Burning with urination
• Need to urinate more often
• Need to urinate suddenly