Brian Nakamura

Brian Nakamura has been in city management for the last 25 years and thought his health problems were related to the stress of his job. When he moved from Arkansas to Texas to take a position as a faculty member at the Bush School of Public Service and Administration, he hoped it would improve his quality of life.

While in Arkansas, his physician was checking his levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) regularly. However, his level seemed to be increasing and causing concern. Tests revealed that his level was at 10 when it should be around three or four. His doctor performed a series of exams and confirmed he didn’t have cancer, but cancer was in his family history, so he continued with annual testing to stay on top of his health.

When he moved to College Station, he looked to find a urologist that could continue to help him monitor his health and found Dr. Kathy Ravanbakhsh. Dr. Ravanbakhsh is the medical director for the Urology Department at St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital in Bryan, Texas. She started him on two medications to relieve his symptoms related to BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia.

When the medications weren’t showing much improvement about a year into taking them, Brian visited the emergency room because he was having difficulty urinating. The ER physician recommended he follow up with Dr. Ravanbakhsh again.

At this visit, Dr. Ravanbakhsh suggested that Brian might be a good candidate for the UroLift® System. This procedure is ideal for patients with BPH, which occurs when the prostate becomes enlarged due to its continuous growth throughout a man’s life. The enlarged prostate presses on the urethra, and the wall of the bladder thickens, both of which can cause a variety of uncomfortable symptoms, including:

• Difficulty urinating
• Painful urination
• Frequent urination
• Slow urination
• Blood in the urine
• Incontinence
  
  

The procedure was outpatient and took less than a day. Following the procedure, Brian went home almost immediately, and his recovery was quick and painless. He came off of his medications soon after and even saw improvements, such as being able to travel on long car rides and going back to cycling long distances. He felt like he was back to his old self. His advice for anyone experiencing BPH symptoms or considering the UroLift System is just to do it. If you are a candidate, there are so many positives. It takes so much worry off your mind, and a huge burden is also lifted from your spouse. It was such a relief emotionally and mentally not to have to worry about urges or flow issues anymore.

Brian is grateful for Dr. Ravanbakhsh’s honesty and support throughout the process. The procedure delivered as promised, and his quality of life has improved so much since then. He tells all of his friends in similar stages of their lives to consider the UroLift System, assuring them of its successful outcome and his improved quality of life.

If you would like to learn more about the UroLift System or make an appointment with Dr. Ravanbakhsh, visit st-joseph.org/services/urology/urolift.