Artficial Urinary Sphincter installed Friday 4/11 Activated, now dry!!!!

dkob131 said...
Juhno: My activation was April 22nd and I'm having the same exact issues as you, I've heard of guys going out and playing golf the day of their activation but not me. My scrotal incision is still sore and the the device makes things a little uncomfortable too but I have to say being dry again is fantastic.

I am beginning to feel better every day.

How hard is your button to push, mine seems to be pretty hard.

Have you deactivated and then reactivated, I'm a little leery of that stuff but it is amazing the way this thing works.

Good Luck





David

David,
If you're having the same exact issues as mine, then I think these are just normal and part of the healing process. Sometimes it's kinda hard to press the magic button but it's only a very minute obstacle. No, I haven't deactivated and reactivated my AUS cuz there's no reason to. Last week, I started playing table tennis again and all my incisions were very cooperative, no pain whatsoever.

:)Juno

The controller appears to be laying on the bottom of my scrotum with the bottom of the controller facing out. So it seems to be in a location that will be able to reach easily.

Bill from Florida

David,
Yes, I can feel the button, it is facing up. And if I move to it's left, I can feel the 2 tubes leaving the controller to the cuff and the ballon. It has been like that since the swelling has gone down.
In fact I can make out the shape of the controller now so hopefully I will know exactly where to squeeze to pee.

Bill from Florida

Hi Neo, still wearing my "Neo-wear" to work. The stomach incision feels better but the lower incision still bothers me.

I get activated 2 weeks from today. It has been a long 22 months. I am ready to get dry. My leaking now is back to how it was before the AUS was installed, 3 wet pads a day, sometimes 4. Looks like I will have to buy one more supply of heavy pads before activation and then just a light pad daily.

Bill from Florida

Knotreel,

I was told by my doctor the day I scheduled my surgery for the AUS that I needed to wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace. It was to state that I have a AUS implanted and not to use a catheter in an emergency. This would signal the medical personnel that the AUS needed to be deactivated first.

I wear a "dog tag" medic alert necklace giving my name and phone number, my wife's info and the doctor's office number and the statement that I have an artificial urinary sphincter. "Do Not Use A Catheter". It also gives the date it was installed.

I have heard about deactivating occasionally but the doctor hasn't told me yet if he wants me to. That is one of my questions for him the day it gets activated.

Bill from Florida

Yeah, David that happens to me sometimes too. I think sometimes the surface, usually padded, deflates the cuff some and then when I move or shift around I can get a good sized spurt. It has to be some type of deflation involved as it is not too possible for me to "spurt" otherwise. You are right, things can happen.

Welcome aboard Biker56! Thanks for checking out my thread.
I will help get you your own thread so everyone can welcome you.

It has been 6 weeks ago today, almost to the minute, as I type this post, that I had the AUS installed. I would have been activated this week but my doctor was at a large urologist convention in Orlando this week.

The pain in my stomach has just about gone away. The lower incision is another matter. I always feel a slight pain down there and sitting is still an issue from time to time. The AUS has become obvious to me in my scrotum. Sometimes I can actually see the outline of it. There are 2 tubes that come out of the controller and go to the ballon and the cuff around the urethra. I can feel the tubes. They are located very close to my body so they can go off and do their thing when called upon. That leaves the bottom part of the controller. It is located near the bottom of the scrotum which should make it easy to squeeze when needed

This coming Tuesday is the big day! I have an appointment first thing in the morning. I am both excited and apprehensive to see my doctor. The though of having to change the way I urinate for the rest of my life has created some anxiety. But over the last 22 months, a lot of things have changed in my life that will never be the same and I have accepted it.

The purpose of this thread is to try to help bring awareness to all the guys out there that are still dealing with incontinence that there are solutions such as slings and the AUS to help your QOL.

Before I forget, I would like to thank all the members that have helped me with my decision. I was continuing on with my leaking, accepting the consequences of my choice of treatment for PCa for over 1 1/2 years. After reading some posts, I realized that maybe additional surgery would correct what was done. Other guys had AUS's and slings and were not leaking any more. I knew all this before but was not READY YET, to take this big step.

Eventually I had had enough and became willing to go back to the urologist my surgeon, Dr. Patel, had recommended in my area that does all types of surgeries for both men and women in Bladder Control. His name is Dr. Angelo Gousse. He taught both my personal urologist and Dr. Patel at the Univ. of Miami.

Why go to the student when I could have the teacher help me with my incontinence.

A few more days and my life is going to change, AGAIN!

Bill from Florida

Thank you Libi, for stopping your important laundry detail to make a post on my thread. Hopefully your man will not need to follow my path a year or so from now.

Bill from Florida

biker56,
looks like you have been dealing with this a long time. I only lasted about 10 months before I got evaluated for the Sling or AUS. The AUS is still the "gold standard", they say, but the sling would should be considered if you are a candidate for that. If you have not consulted an incontinence specialist yet, that would be a good first step. If you don't leak too badly then the sling may work better with the biking, however the AUS shouldn't be a big issue for that either, that is depending on seat design. Big Mac has reported a lot more pain than most of the other, including me, seem to have experienced, so that may not be an issue for you, based on experiences of some of us with the implant. When I was at 4-5 weeks awaiting the day it was to be activated there was no pain or soreness from the AUS or the IPP which was done at the same time. As far as accidental deflations, that seems to happen fairly often but this usually doesn't allow much more than a little spurt now and then. Two things can happen to cause this, sitting on the urethral cuff ( the inflatable band around your uthethra) or some pressure applied to the pump in your scrotum which could open the cuff a little. In either case, the pressurized reservoir will refill the cuff automatically fairly quickly (less than a minute). I like my AUS a lot, and would get it fixed asap if it ever broke.
Big Mac,
Well finally,!!!! good luck and don't be apprehensive. they asked me to drop my drawers and asked if I was ready, my word (yes) was still ringing in my ear and it was done. Then I was told to drink a lot of water and take a walk around and come back to see if I could pee. After about 10 minutes I was sure I could feel pee leaking out and went to the restroom expecting to find massive wetness. No, I was dry. So, it will be a good day you will remember. If I were you and if you knew how to lock it open again, I would just give that little pump bulb a quick and forceful squeeze and feel that little pop. No, don't listen to me,,,, just wait a couple of more days, but on the other hand..........

Hey Mel,
I hope you and Cheryl are having a great time. I will be heading to Charleston at the end of next week with my new AUS. I should be a pro at it by then. It will be nice to not have to pack a bag of pads with me in my suitcase.

Knotreel,
I am a real pro at dropping my drawers after the past 2 years. This time I will be HAPPY to drop them and get this AUS activated finally.

I created a thread for Biker56 to welcome him to HW since this was his very first post. You might make a post on it. No one else has yet.
.
Titlewave,
Thanks for your support and best wishes. How is your husband? I read on another thread that he had a lot of problems with catheters. I couldn't tell by the post how long ago that was.

Bill from Florida

Hey BigMac, it's almost time! Hoping it is a happy day for you, bet it will be!
Bill

I work in retail so I have been working all weekend. Hopefully this is my last "wet" weekend. I have been real busy with customers and have to duck into the restroom to change pads when I can. Sometimes I can be with a customer for 2 hours straight. The longer I am on my feet the wetter the pad. Tuesday can't come quick enough.

Beth,
I will definitely post how the activation went and the first day without pads. As I said earlier, I had to wait a little longer for activation because my doctor and many urologist were having a yearly convention up in Orlando this past week, the week I should have had my activation.
Good luck to your DH.

When I was at GFMPH Florida in March, Forum Moderator 142 gave me a box of very thin Depends pads. I told him they wouldn't last me an hour, I couldn't use them. He said, no these are for after your AUS gets activated. So I will wear them the first week for sure. Thanks 142! I understand from some of the pros that you may need a thin pad per day, just in case.

BillyBob,
I am hoping it will be a happy day. Thanks for taking the time to post.

Bill from Florida

Bill

Well, the big day is nigh.

Thinking about you and hoping/expecting a resounding success!

Mel