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Posted 1/12/2011 9:49 PM (GMT 0)
I really don't know where this post belongs but I have had prostate cancer and eventually had an artificial sphincter  installed at Mayo clinic in Rochester, Mn.  All has gone well for over a year but about three months ago I could nor urinate,  I went to ER and they could not insert a catheter so they called a urologist and the operated to open the necck of the bladder.  about three months later the same thing happened and urologist inserted a catheter by starting with a small one and working to a larger one.  The treatment I was told by local urologist was to self cathrize my self two to three times a week.  I went back to Mayo and the treatment they prescibed was to self catherize once a day for six months and then once a week for the rest of my life.  Has anyone had this and what was done for it.  The treatment seems worse than the diseae and I need help.  Would appreciate you help. I am having a great problem doing this

Dutchv

Posted 1/12/2011 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like you got some terrible advice, and from the Mayo yet. Their solution would be totally unacceptable to me. I went through a 2 year period of hell after my open surgery. I had 6 operations to re-open the bladder neck, 2 emergency dialations, and spent a total of 1 1/2 years on both foley and suprapubic catheters. I was not considered a good candidate for self-cath, some can handle it, some can't. My uro never suggested that I do that. I kept getting scarring issues that would close back up the opening sometimes in less than a month. In the end, salvage radiation that went very wrong, totally did in my bladder and bladder neck, and thus I had to have urostomy operation this past September. Now I pee through a stoma for the rest of my life.

You need to find a new doctor and get a new opinion. Plus, when people have to self cath, they usually have to do it 4-6 times a day, depending on their bladder size and input. Never heard of anyone being asked to do it once a day for 6 months, then once a week for life? Something is not right about this advice.

David in SC
Posted 1/12/2011 11:26 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Purgatory
Thank you for answering my post. The reasoning for catherizing each day is to keep the neck of the bladder open not to pee. I would think they could put a stent or something similar to keep it open. Sorry you had so much trouble but hope you are able to function OK. Again, thanks for the advice.
Dutchv
Posted 1/13/2011 12:29 AM (GMT 0)
Dutch, I went through 21 catheters during that time. Something I hope I will be able to forget one day. The trouble with a stent there, it would work perfect at first, but they tend to in-bed themselves, according to my surgeon, and then when they have to "cut" them out, it usually leaves the patient totally incontinent. My guy was very much against stents, even though it would be an easy solution on the surface. Hope yours can be resolved soon, for your sake.

David
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