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Is Artificial Urinary Sphincter for me?

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Posted 3/4/2022 12:53 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you! Very helpful.
Posted 3/4/2022 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you!
Posted 3/4/2022 2:23 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with RobLee. After my RALP, I leaked, but doing the PT exercises really helped over time. It took me 8 months to dry up. Besides helping me with the exercises, the PT helped me mentally by assuring me that things were going to get better and that I was “on track”. Now, over a year out, I find that continuing to do the exercises as part of my overall workout routines helps eliminate the occasional drop or two. Hoping for the best for your brother, Joe.
Posted 3/4/2022 2:28 PM (GMT 0)
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
Posted 3/9/2022 1:37 AM (GMT 0)
Yes Joe, I would have him give it some time. Well, 10 days since my AUS surgery, I had my follow up and doctor said all looks good. Went back to work and struggling to make it 4 hours a day for this week and trying not to overdo it. Can't just sit at home but still really sore and still a little swelling but that has mostly subsided. I think most of the pain is from the incisions in both areas and that is just part of the healing proccess. My activation date is set at April 4th as the doctor feels that I should be healed up enough by then. I have to say that my doctor and people on here have been right on about what I was to expect from the surgery and my recovery continues. Thank you everyone for all your thoughts and keeping my fingers crossed
Posted 3/9/2022 2:55 AM (GMT 0)
Hello All, has anyone got a medic alert bracelet and if so what did you put on it as a message? Thank you
Posted 3/9/2022 8:12 AM (GMT 0)
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
Posted 3/9/2022 2:27 PM (GMT 0)

Jcm60 said...
Hello All, has anyone got a medic alert bracelet and if so what did you put on it as a message? Thank you

Yes, I got one. They are free from Boston Scientific. You can get a metal or a silicone type.

https://www.bostonscientific.com/en-US/patients/about-your-device/male-sling-aus/ID-bracelet-order-form.html

Initially I didn’t get one since I don’t wear or like to wear any jewelry, including a wedding ring but when I got back into motorcycle riding last year, I decided it was a good idea to wear one. I went with the silicone.
Posted 3/9/2022 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Vince, I ordered the silicone one also. Thanks for the information, looked like mine is on the way.
Posted 3/13/2022 5:26 PM (GMT 0)
Can anyone tell me how long the pain in the lower scrotum takes to go away. I am three weeks post surgery and sitting an standing hurts due to pain in that area, with also pain from rubbing on clothes etc when walking.. I know that the incision went all the way to bottom of scrotum and seems to be healing well but just worried that I will get to my April 4th turn on date will come with remaining pain in that area. Swelling has gone down alot but pain may be still internal swelling so just trying to treat it somehow to speed up healing. Thank you
Posted 3/14/2022 12:34 AM (GMT 0)
I had the pain also but forget when it went away. The good news it does go away. With the hair growing back and scar being really sensitive, I got some body oil and just slathered it on as often as I could. For me it helped a lot. The bottom of my scrotum is still sensitive but not painful. Don't despair, it is so worth all the discomfort.
Best,
Nog
Posted 3/14/2022 1:57 AM (GMT 0)

Jcm60 said...
Can anyone tell me how long the pain in the lower scrotum takes to go away.

Earlier on this thread I posted a link to a detailed journal I kept during my healing process:

http://www.codecooker.com/projects_misc/aus/AUS_Report_2019.pdf

That said, the swelling abated after a while but the sensitivity in that area remained for a few months. I would notice it when I would bend over and my clothes would ride up. A doughnut pillow is your friend.
Posted 3/14/2022 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Nog and Vince, I went out yesterday and got some powder and vasaline and may have helped a bit. the Incision is very uncomfortable also which I guess I just need to be patient. At 61 I just have to admit to myself that things just take longer to heal the older I get. Thanks again!
Posted 3/14/2022 5:33 PM (GMT 0)
Jcm60, that’s it. As we get older, everything gets slower. I ran a 5K race yesterday and finished in 27:58 which is about a 9 minute per mile pace. 15-20 years ago I could hold a 7:30 pace. As I am hitting 70 in 2 months, I’m just happy to still be out there.
Posted 3/15/2022 9:46 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Vince, glad you are doing so well. I used to run cross country many years ago and loved it. I only hope that I am as healthy as you when I get there. Gained a little weight over the holidays and through this recovery. Time to start caring more about my health as I love riding my bike and spent alot of time at the gym last few years. Going to give it some more time before I call my surgeon but really difficult to sit at my desk at work. I try the pillow for a while and then have to take it away as can't get comfortable with the pain. Think the lower incision was a little longer then expected and definately in a bad spot. just hoping the pain isn't from the cuff. Doc said that if their was erosion it would cause scrotum to get bigger from internal leakage so I am not experiencing that but sometimes just hurts anyway I sit. Maybe should just work standing up lol. Also, my boss who treats me great thinks i am pushing it too fast by coming back to work on second week and starting third. Just hoping that by April 4th pain will be tolerable to activate and start getting back to normal.
Posted 3/15/2022 10:21 PM (GMT 0)
Another thing Vince, as everytime I read your journal, which I must have read at least 5 times so far, I see something different. As I got the donut pillow after week 1, I see that you sat on it long ways and I had it the wrong way I believe. So now I am trying that and it feels somewhat more comfortable already. I can't believe I didn't try that already and I feel somewhat stupid that I hadn't but maybe this will help. I think I had read it different in another forum which led me the other direction. Thanks again for posting your journal and I am sure I will be reading it again.
Posted 3/16/2022 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
Jcm60, you are welcome. It’s tough figuring out what works to minimize the discomfort since we are all so different. I think that I wrote in my journal that at one point I wondered if it was worth it and I now know, 3 years later, that it was. Another guy I know from this forum has his just after I did and he just had it redone. No question that we don’t want to go back to wearing pads.

BTW, about a month before I had mine installed I ran the half marathon in Pittsburgh. While I tended not to leak that badly while running, wearing a pad during a 13 mile run was uncomfortable. I’d not want to go back to those days.
Posted 4/4/2022 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
Well today was activation day! Doctor said everything looks good. The process was interesting and seemed simple and I am cautiously optimistic. I am really concerned how much pressure it takes to squeeze the pump. It just seems harder than I thought it would be, which i see now why at least for now, I need both hands as it would slide around and possibly out of my grip if I am not holding the tubes. I have now successfully used the pump once in 4 hours since activation. I am guessing the excess pressure needed is due to having to force fluid through the small diameter and length of the tubes, but I may be wrong. Doctor said it would take some patients in using the system but in time I would get it. I am really going to need to try to find an easier way manipulate this pump without pulling out some pliers. Any help with anybody's experience would be appreciated. Thanks
Posted 4/5/2022 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
The pressure operate my pump is minimal between a thumb and forefinger. I mean, it does take some pressure but it is what it is. I push on the pump just below the poppet button. When it's quiet in the bathroom I can hear the fluid "squishing" as it moves from the pump to the balloon.

As for one handed operation, you'll get it. I don't even have to sit my beer down and more. ;-)

The only time I have an issue is when I am out for a long run in our Montana winter. I'll stop on the trail and between the natural way things pull up closer to the body down there and a cold hand, something it takes some digging around to even find the pump.
Posted 4/5/2022 9:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Vince, well pretty much stayed dry all day at work today, so working as advertised. Pretty great after what I have gone through for 15 years post prostate removal. One thing that surprises me is that I only need to squeeze the pump once to release the cuff pressure, as I have heard people needing to squeeze 2 or 3 times. Off coarse only 24 hours in post activation and I just think I need to get a routine as to how to handle the hardware. As I spent 35 years as a auto mechanic prior to my last 10 as a manager, I have pretty good knowledge of mechanical devices, pumps, hydraulics, etc. so when I say that it seems like it takes some extra effort to squeeze the pump, it seems like I could relate it too issues such as restrictions, hose kinking, or stuck valves etc. Since it is working correctly I am just going to say it is what it is until it doesn't work. It is probably just me and this is a new chapter in my life that I need to face head on and move in a positive direction. Went out and bought light depends shields yesterday and didn't change once, pretty amazing!. Can't wait to put on shorts and feel more confident moving forward!
Posted 4/6/2022 2:17 AM (GMT 0)
Jcm60, I agree, it’s a game changer. I only went a year in pads but have no desire to return. I’ve thought about quantifying the amount of pressure needed to deflate the cuff. For me, I usually give 3-5 small squeezes. However, when I’ve been visiting the local brewery and need to go, there is a great feeling of satisfaction when I can give it enough squeezes to go wide open and be done before all the younger guys who were in there when I arrived.

Did they give you the sample pump? Mine is on a key ring and I can use it for show and tell.
Posted 4/6/2022 2:58 AM (GMT 0)
Vince, thank you so much for staying in touch, yea I can't wait to go out and have a few beers myself. Montana much be awesome and have lots of beautiful landscapes and wide open spaces. I have to admit when I was home the first week I binge watched all four seasons of Yellowstone, and I am a fan of Montana now lol. I did get the key ring with the sample pump and I also showed it to people who I feel comfortable with, and they are very supportive. The fact that we are cancer free is a great feeling and i would much rather deal with this then the alternative. The pump on the ring is very easy to squeeze but is not under pressure like the one I actually use. For me pumping it once does allow me to go and I think I am able to empty but I am affraid to pump it too much right now and my doc told me I should be able to pump it once. The fact that it is working is a good thing. Right now my only worry is bursting something or springing a leak from the pressure I need to use to squeeze the pump. Once i am over that it is smooth sailing. I sent an email to boston scientific and will see what they come back with. They may not give me any information and refer me back to my doctor but it is worth a shot for peace of mind.
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