AMS 800

 Have since been 100% incontinant using a leg bag and condom cath system. I could not use pads since I would go through them like water al day long.

I will have the implant activated this next Wed (Nov 24,2010) and am anxious because I hope it all work well. I am hoping I can activate it fairly easily.

I am looking for others that have it and just want to connect..

Neoman (I have a NEOBLADDER instead of a normal bladder)

I have enjoyed having the AMS 800 for 28 months.  My leakage was as bad as yours, I think, 'cause I had to change out my big pads every 2 hrs or so.  But unless the cuff of the AUS is placed differently due to your type cancer, you should be fine.  I do wear the smallest panti liner made each day because of tiny drips, but it's sure much better than what I had to put up with.  I wish you success with your new AMS 800, and believe it will be successful.

Gene214

Its been 21 months for me since the AMS800 was installed.  I, too, was a hopeless case of incontinence after RRP.  I  am living a rather normal life now as the artificial sphnicter is working at a 100% level with no leaks except when it is pressured by a violent cough.  I do not wear any pads of any kind.  As an aside for when you are activated I found it very helpful to have a little $2.97 digital timer in the bathroom because I am an impatient guy and the 2 minute wait for the automatic close of the sphnicter was difficult for me and my constantly checking my watch.  I just relax now until the beeper sounds.  It doesn't seem like much but when considering several times per day for the voiding activity  it began to grate on my nerves.  Good luck to you Neoman...hope it turns out ok for you.

Salty

As Knotreel said, I have a couple of threads posted that trace my journey. links to both are in my profile below. Let me know if you have any trouble accessing them.

I had my AUS activated the last week of August. All has gone well. As some of you know, I first had a Virtue sling implanted that did not work. After my RP I was a constant leaker during the day but pretty dry at night. Dreaded the thought of an AUS so went for the sling instead. It did not work at all for me. Looking back I should have gone straight to the AUS. It's really no big deal to get used to using the thing and I can claim dryness with only a little residual leaking because I do not have patience to wait the 2 minutes some of you describe. I still work an office job and travel a lot so am an impatient dude.

My bladder does not seem to hold a lot. I usually urinate every 2-3 hours. At most I may pee 200 ml or so but normally it's more like 100 ml. I am one of the impatient ones and never wait as long as two minutes after emptying the bladder.....more like 20-30 seconds. Because of that I leak a few residual drops so I wear a light panty liner that will last all day. Even when I play golf I can easily go a full nine holes without leaking enought to fill that light liner.

For the first few weeks I would always go in a stall and drop my pants around my ankles to pee. Otherwise I would tend to sprinkle all over the place and needed to use two hands to activate the AUS.

Now I discovered that I can take Willie out just by opening the zipper. I then run one hand down inside my pants between the pants and briefs. I then grab the AUS bulb with one hand through the briefs and activate it with one or two short squeezes. I hold Willie with the other hand so I can always point with accuracy. This lets me go in a normal urinal and no one even notices that I am activating an AUS. I find that I can empty with only a very slignt activation/squeeze of the bulb. I am done in a few seconds. I will wait a few more seconds, I guess only 10-30 seconds and shake out a few drops.

Good luck with your activation and do post a thread telling us about your experience. I really find that tips and tricks we all learn are really helpful....even thought we are all a little different.

Worried Guy said...
Guys,

I'm going to keep my eye on this thread.
I'm at 16 months and my incontinence had leveled off at 120 -150 ml per day. That's 4-5 oz of pee in my pants every day. I have regulated my fluid intake and drink only when I know I will be sitting and will be close to the bathroom in one hour.
I just drove 440 miles in 8 hours stopping only twice along the way. But, I drank only 8 oz all day. Not good.
On 12/7 I will visit the incontinence specialist and see what he recommends. He's a sling guy so I'm guessing he will recommend a sling.

Jeff (the leaking one)

Jeff,

The Advance Sling works if you have the right set of conditions. While I don't know about the rest of your situation, I can tell you that the 120-150ml level is considered an acceptable level for good results. Among the other conditions is the absence of significant scaring on the sphincter and the ability to control urine flow midstream. The good news is that if the sling does not work for you, the AMS800 is still an option. I have the Advance Sling and couldn't be more pleased.

Post Edited (knotreel) : 11/24/2010 3:01:07 PM (GMT-7)