AUS Opinions and Issues

Yesterday my uro suggested (strongly) an AUS for my issues. The issues are frequent need to go (more than once an hour while awake) with stress and urge incontinence and leakage (more than 4 pads in a 24 hour period. I'm also going 3 to 4 times a night. What concerned me was his obvious "marketing job", comments like it's an easy surgery, extremely rare to have pain or issues, rarely will you need pads or get up during the night... Yet when I pushed him on what "rarely" meant, he said 85% success with 15% needing pads and getting up 2 times per night. Since I immediately put myself in the 15% that meant to me I'd get up 2 times instead of 3, and I'd still be wearing a pad. I would like to hear from you guys that have had the surgery. Did it work 100% (no pads, normal urinating, a night's sleep) or partially, or not worth it. Thanks!

I also saw the sell attempt, this is one area they make some money I think...However I am very happy with mine.. Had it put in twice because of a Surgery screw up. Second time went great.

I wear two pairs of shorts, one set of briefs to hold the pad tight, another boxer type to tuck in my shirt and provide another layer of protection.

I use one pad 24/7, stay dry each day, do leak a bit at night, the pad catches that.. I do drink a lot of water though.

Your balls get really big post surgery , never knew they could get so big, like a grape fruit.. that is when they hurt..  by six weeks you are ready to get them activated,. and you are ready to go from that moment on.. ,, the next day I stood in a food line for 8 hours.. worked like a charm..

Hope you make a good decison for you..

There are failure rates to pay attention to.. also infection rates.. I got an infection..all had to come out..

NEO

What the other guys said. It is not perfect,a couple of drops here or there, but is was good enought in my case that incontinence is no longer an issue. However as you have probably guessed, the doc's statement about "easy" surgery, easy for him but you should expect some pain and lots of soreness for a couple of weeks. While any uro can put one in, I felt more comfortable with someone who's specialty is incontinence. I think your you odds go up for a good outcome.
Bottom line, it was definately "worth it" in my case and for that matter pretty much everybody that has written about their's on this site.
Like my doc said, it is not as good as your orginal equipment but it's about as good as you will get for the time being.

I agree with last member.  Prior to having the stricture and homan.  I was looking at the sling.

I read enough about it to know that I was borderline - more than 4 pads but wasn't sure about AMS.

The Uro didn't do a work up or anything, he was going to schedule surgery - new guy at group.

God was looking on me, he left and another Uro did Cysto and said I was not a candidate for Sling and

verified it with Cleveland Clinic.

Cleveland installed the AMS after Homan and being stricture and scar tissue free for 6 months.

Dr Montague, at Cleveland, was doing about 6/week AMs + the artificial erector.  He first was hestitant but listening to me and rechecking Cysto while I was watching agreed scar tissue was old and not related to strictures.

Go to someone who has track record or is supervised by expert.   Local Uro wouldn't touch AMS, he installed both sling and AMS in past but stated he only did 1 or 2 per year and he knew his limitations.

Pain isn't bad, at least for me.   They tried giving me Oxy which doesn't work on me and switch to lower grade narcotic.  I was back at work within 2 weeks of install.

On the theme of what tvwohio and Gene said, here's what was done that led to my doc recomending the AMS800 AUS. I first had a sophistocated urodynamics test where a small catheter was placed in my bladder and one in the rectum. Then, via computer control, water was placed in my bladder in varoius amonts and there was lots of pressure data recorded, then to be sure that there was nothing in my bladder that was a problem, a cystoscopy.
So, at the end my doc knew exactly how much pressure it took to leak and how much pressure was to be placed in the cuff. The AUS comes in four different pressure ranges so then my doc used the data to select the proper one and then fill the resevour to the right pressure, no guess work.
So, please don't let somebody recomend or proceed "based on their experince or best guess" , go to an incontinence specialist. If you don't know one, try large university teaching hospital or one of the big name medical centers with big uro department.

Ditto what the others said. Just so it but do it with a doc that does multiple Aus per week and has a proven track record.