Paul,
You said it well. Most everyone has never heard of an Atificial Urinary Spinchter, AUS, including many in the medical field. People like my PCP, nurses, allergist have never heard of it.
You probably read about
my bad experience on activation day in my previous thread. I was given a model of the AUS after surgery to feel, practice with and read about
until activation day. It took no effort at all to squeeze the controller of the model. But when I was activated then drove home and had to do it myself, I couldn't! I didn't squeeze it hard enough. I had no idea you had to squeeze it much harder.
When we were younger, we all have experienced being "hit in the nuts" and being doubled over in pain. I was fearful if I squeezed it to hard, I would hurt myself. So after trying all day long, I decided at 11:30 P.M. to go to the emergency room and have the AUS deactivated so I could pee. Once the emergency room doctor came in to see me and asked, "So, what is your problem?" He had never heard of an AUS. I had the instructions and the model with me and told him I need him to de-activate it. He read the instructions and said "Well, it doesn't look to hard, do you want me to try?" I said yes, please.
The point is it is hard to explain to someone you hardly know in one sentence what an AUS is. I usually say exactly what you do about
the surgery, it is just a follow up surgery to the first surgery. Not that I am embarrassed because after what we have gone through by now, the many times we have been told to drop our pants and be poked and handled, I don't get embarrassed any more. It is more embarrassing to the other person.
I told family and co-workers but I usually keep it very generic to others.
The biggest tip I can tell you and any others who may decide to have an AUS is to be sure when you leave the doctor's office "Activation Day" that you feel comfortable with how to work it. My surgeon was one of those high volume surgeons who had a office full of patients the day he activated it. He sihiwed me once, patted me on the back and sent me out of the office.
When I went back the second time to activate it, I went to my urologist and he took the time to show me, have me do it several times on my own with an empty bladder so I felt comfortable doing it, and I did it on my day off so if I had any problems, I could go back in later that day to see him, which I didn't have to. He was taught in college by my surgeon and he understood how busy he is and how he was " all over the place" most of the time.
Once you do it a couple of times, you will be fine.
How soon before you can drive? I think it was about
a week later for me. It was slow getting in and out of the car and I sat on a pillow for several weeks.
Bill from Florida
