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"The Sling" - Is it effective, or just another procedure... :-(

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Prostate Cancer
INCONTINENT - Did you THINK of a SLING - Did it help
NO - I refused, because of reports.. - 0.0% - 0 votes
NO - I was told it would not help - 0.0% - 0 votes
Yes - and it fixed the leak - 100.0% - 1 votes
Yes - and it MAY have helped - 0.0% - 0 votes
Yes - and it made no practical difference - 0.0% - 0 votes
Yes - and it made things worse - 0.0% - 0 votes
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Posted 12/17/2013 11:12 AM (GMT 0)
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A friend has had increasing incontinence, after his RP.
He has been sent back for re-education by a Physio, to get the Pelvic Floor Exercises right.
The UDoc was keen to suggest "The Sling"..

He is naturally hesitant to have another invasive procedure, as each one seems to introduce more issues..

Now - I only know two men who had the procedure and both said that it made no detectable difference.

Have I only spoken to the two failures, and all others have had great success, nono

What is the practical benefits of "The Sling"... If any..!

Have you had it done, and did it help with incontinence..

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience..
..
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Posted 12/19/2013 11:02 AM (GMT 0)
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Is it the case, that the SLiNG is useless..

No one has voted...

so do I interpret such, as nono a big negative..
..
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Posted 12/19/2013 2:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hmmm. I don't have a sling... yet. But I do know people who have them and are happy with them in various degrees. There is generally a GFMPH gathering in the fall. The guy who hosts it, Jeff the "WorriedGuy", has a sling and it works well for him. He described his sling as "maybe a bit on the tight side" and admits that it makes him urinate slowly, but it has kept him dry now for years after quite a long time in diapers.
Posted 12/19/2013 3:10 PM (GMT 0)
As strange as this may sound - my incontinence started when I did my first pelvic floor exercises. I'm almost dry on the days I don't exercise!
Posted 12/19/2013 4:41 PM (GMT 0)
PSA3.7,

Not strange at all. You leak when your sphincter gets tired -- probably mostly later in the day, for a guess -- and days when you exercise it it gets tireder sooner and you leak more. Over time, as the muscle gets stronger your exercises will make you leak less overall. It's like exercising your arms -- over time it makes you more able to lift heavy things but right after you work out, when your arms are sore, you may struggle just to lift your arms over your head, much less lift a heavy object.
Posted 12/20/2013 12:23 AM (GMT 0)
The sling works really well for a lot of men. And while it doesn't work 100% for everyone, I certainly wouldn't say it was "useless." If you search the threads, you'll see a lot of reports about how effective the sling has been for many men.

In my case, it didn't entirely solve my problem, but it triggered a significant improvement. If I had it to do over again, I would.

Incontinence is maddening. It's the one side effect of PCa treatment that's a real life-changer. I say life is too short to live with it any longer than you need to, and I'd encourage anyone who hasn't improved a year after surgery to look into it.
Posted 12/20/2013 3:05 AM (GMT 0)
The Advance sling worked 100% for me even thought the surgeon warned me that I may leak a bit after it's insertion. Mine was put in a bit too tight so I have to put a little upward pressure on my perinium to pee however this is no inconvenience at all. I had a rough 3-4 week recovery period after surgery but consider it worthwhile because of the dramatic change it has made in my life and activities.

Ron

Posted 12/20/2013 3:11 AM (GMT 0)

After ten years of "drippage" following open prostate surgery in 2003, and using an average of 2.3 Depends Pads per day thereafter, I finally decided to find out if I would be suited for a sling.  Upon arriving at the surgeon's office and upon his evaluation of my file, he said he would recommend either the AMS AdVance Sling or the AMS 800 Urinary Sphincter but only after he did a cystoscopy.  He showed me on the monitor where my sphincter was very slightly damaged in surgery and said than no amount of Kegels would ever solve the problem.  He did the artificial urinary sphincter surgery last February 8.  And since the activation I've had very little "drippage", always when I'm sitting on the edge of a chair or in a position where the seat contacts the sphincter cuff.   So, my point  is that the thousands of Kegels I did during the first few years post surgery were causing me more problems that good. I do still wear a Poise mini-pad which is seldom stained.  And when it is stained it's because I haven't milked the last drops out of the urethra following the automatic closing of the cuff following urination.  tpelle

Age 82 now; 72 at time of RPS; 81 at time of AUS Inst

Gleason prior to Surgery 4+3

PSA prior to Surgery 3.6

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