TURP Procedure Gives Patient 'Immediate Results'

As Story, Wyoming, resident 64-year-old John Matejov got older, he increasingly had difficulty emptying his bladder. Figuring it was just something that goes along with aging, John continued to live with the ailment that is commonly caused by an enlarged prostate, and is quite common as men his age. But when he heard about a procedure that could help, he decided to look into it further.

“I was getting up three to four times a night,” John said. “It felt like I was spending my whole life peeing and nobody wants to do that.”

That led him to Dr. Attila Barabas at the Campbell County Medical Group (CCMG) Urology clinic. A board certified urologist in Gillette for more than seven years, Dr. Barabas treats men and women for everything from kidney stones and urinary incontinence, to vasectomies and erectile dysfunction, to the enlarged prostrate that brought John to seek his help.

Symptoms of enlarged prostate can include: 

• Difficulty starting urination
• Frequent urination
• Urgency to urinate
• A feeling of not being able to empty the bladder
• A urinary stream that starts and stops
• Straining to urinate
• Continued dribbling of urine
• Returning to urinate again minutes after finishing

“A lot of people do suffer with these ailments,” Dr. Barabas said. “And there’s treatment that can be a huge benefit and improve the quality of life.”

For many patients, ailments that slowly occur over a long period of time can be something easily labeled as just something you have to deal with as you get older. And while it’s not always easy to have a conversation with a doctor or nurse about some of the ailments Dr. Barabas treats, having them properly addressed can drastically improve a patient’s life.

While not the most comfortable health issue to discuss with doctors and nurses, John said Dr. Barabas and his staff made him feel at ease with the transurethral resection of the prostate, or TURP, procedure and the conversations around treatment and post-operation care.

“Our goal is to provide the highest possible care for our patients,” Dr. Barabas said. “It can make a big difference in their quality of life.”

“It’s very humbling,” John said. “You leave your dignity at the door. They made this uncomfortable, undignified procedure more than bearable. You don’t feel like a problem, you feel like a person with a problem they want to help you with.”

Since having the procedure done, John has had positive results and said he feels like he’s enjoying his life more.

“I got almost immediate results,” John said. “It gave me my sleep back. If you want to change your life, get your sleep back, have it done.”

You can schedule an appointment with Dr. Barabas at 307.688.3636. Find the CCMG Urology Clinic on the south side of Campbell County Memorial Hospital, 501 S. Burma Avenue in Gillette, Wyoming. Learn more at www.cchwyo.org/urology.

Article written by Kim Phagan-Hansel, Wyoming freelance writer