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

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Posted 4/12/2014 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
Bill,

This is great news, thanks for sharing and updating us all with your journey and experience. I am now at the 5 month post RALP stage and would not be surprised if this same thing is not in store for me in the future. Hope it all goes well!
Posted 4/12/2014 7:19 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, peeing in the surf becomes an act of will. Not peeing in the pool becomes an act of won't. Both are valuable.
Posted 4/12/2014 8:21 PM (GMT 0)
Logo, isn't it a great feeling when you pee in a wet suit on a cold day?
I don't wear one much any more down here in So. Florida but back in the day........mmmmmmmm.

Yeah, haven't been in the water lately. I can't even imagine sitting on a surfboard in my condition right now.

Peter, that is why I stayed out of Sonny's pool, didn't want to leave any toxic waste especially for Worried Guy.

Just woke up from a nap, a little sore from my upper incision. Maybe I will get out the frozen peas and place on it.

Bill from Florida cool
Posted 4/12/2014 9:16 PM (GMT 0)
Bill,

Congratulations on making the big decision. I always say that life is too short to live with incontinence. It's good that you were proactive about it, and it's good to hear that you're doing well.

Let us know how you're doing as you recover.

Jonathan
Posted 4/13/2014 1:08 AM (GMT 0)
Glad to hear about your progress, Bill. Hope you're doing even better tomorrow. Now begins the 6-week trudge towards activation. That's the part I'll dread if my uro "encourages" me to go down the AUS path! Well, whatever to reach the land of dryness again, right?

Mike
Posted 4/13/2014 11:34 AM (GMT 0)
Mike,
Lots of swelling down there! Pain is about the same as yesterday. I can see why they don't activate it now, I couldn't find the control button if I wanted to. I hope it is worth it. No pain no gain as they say. I saw a guy in the waiting room with a t shirt on that said that, before my surgery. I had to chuckle to myself.

Everyone says it is well worth it. I will have to wait for 6 weeks to give you a fair recommendation and I will. If it can help another brother end their incontinence I will endorse it. Stay tune, I will continue to report.

I feel like today is BM day. I am a little scared with such pain down there. Taking stool softeners, antibiotics, Cipro. They gave me Cipro through an IV in pre-op. Will report back later.

Bill from Florida cool
Posted 4/13/2014 12:55 PM (GMT 0)
Bill,
Great news. It's all easy street from here.
Hey! While you have the catheter in ask your wife to pick up about 50 ft of Tygon tubing from Lowe's. Tell her is it GFMPH! Put a small loop in it like a toilet bowl trap. Run the other end to the garden or a disliked houseplant and then plug in your catheter. You never have to get up from your chair. No emptying required!
I wanted to run mine down into the sump pump crock but the XX chromosome holder of the family wouldn't let me. She didn't consider a pee-filled tube lying on the floor to be an acceptable home decor accessory. Women!

As I was making breakfast I noticed I was singing "Down on the corner, Out in the street....

Thanks for the earworm!
Jeff
"Bring a nickel, tap your feet....
Posted 4/13/2014 1:14 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Jeff, you always make me smile. yeah

Had any potted meat lately?

Catheter comes out tomorrow, won't have time for Lorna to get to Lowe's. Pain is mostly from the grapefruit swollen "Po Boys". I should be feeling better by tomorrow. Frozen peas laying against the Po Boys right now.

Bill from Florida cool
Posted 4/13/2014 3:59 PM (GMT 0)
Bill, good luck on the BMs - hope they're not too painful for ya! I thought I was lucky right after my DaVinci surgery that I didn't need to use the stool softeners they gave me in case. Never thought I might have to face that eventuality again. This time the incisions are in a different location; so I see how that could be problematic for a guy. Your bag of frozen peas are getting a workout - a good thing for me to remember in case I go through the same procedure later this year! Anyway, big thanks for posting every day on your condition! I'm taking notes for just in case. Hope the pain begins to subside and the boys shrink back to normal size soon!

Mike
Posted 4/13/2014 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah Mike, all this is like reliving recovery from the DaVinci surgery. Catheter in a bucket next to my bed, swollen testicles, bland diet, stool softeners, etc. hope it us all worth it. I couldn't wait any longer for Mother Nature to cure me. I don't know how many Kegels I have done in my life but it was a big portion of my time wasted.

If you are still leaking since 2011, you may need to be proactive about a treatment. Maybe surgeons should just put in an AUS while they have you opened up for the DaVinci so you can heal at the same time and have one SE behind you so you can just concentrate on ED issues after recovery.

Bill from Florida cool
Posted 4/13/2014 6:55 PM (GMT 0)
Yep, Bill, if I had known I'd still be leaking 2 1/2 years after the surgery, I"d have asked my surgeon to hook me up with an AUS during the DaVinci surgery. But I was hopeful I would be like most men and be dry within a year. Over 10 years of BPH should have told me differently - Ma Nature just wasn't going to let me off that easily.

The DaVinci surgery for me actually went pretty well. I wasn't in any pain after the operation and took only one pain pill the evening after the surgery. And I wasn't in pain then - my wife (an RN) said I should have it in my system during the night just in case.

The truth is that I've been putting off the sling/AUS as a last resort ... and now it's come down to the last resort. After I meet with my uro in a couple of weeks, he checks my bladder and we discuss options, I'll have a better idea of what I'm going to do and when. That's why I'm following your progress - to get an idea of what I may be going through in the near future. Thanks for the preview!

Mike
Posted 4/13/2014 8:33 PM (GMT 0)
Mike,
I feel pretty good now, swelling is going down, no BM yet, stomach churning. I just woke up from a nap, felt moisture in my groin area, jumped out of bed, knocked over the bucket with the catheter in it and the bag of peas fell on the floor. I had fallen asleep with the frozen peas between my leg. What I thought was a leaky, disconnected catheter was just melted frozen peas in a bag. What a relief!

I stopped the pain meds, just Tylenol, started Milk of Magnesia. Cath comes out tomorrow, the worst is over I feel. A little pain in the upper incision. My worst fears are over, no pain in the "basement incision".

The adjustable bed is great, helps me get in just the right position especially to sleep. I just tried to sit in a chair and I can now. Yesterday it hurt to sit in a recliner, too hard. I even sat on a memory foam pillow and it hurt. Holding off on solid food until the first BM.

I see you live in the Bay Area, where at. I used to live in San Ramon during the 70's. Still a Raider fan even though they suck.
"Real men wear black!"

Bill from Florida cool
Posted 4/13/2014 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
Mike,
I went about 16 months before I got the sling.
I took data so I was prepared when I made my decision to get the sling. I measured my leakage every day by weighing my pee pads. I also did kegels every chance I got. And I would try stopping the flow while peeing in the shower. (There I said it!)
A good candidate for a sling is someone who leaks less than 200 ml per day and has some residual control (can stop your pee for 3-5 seconds in the shower)
It has been 3 years and I am still happy with my choice.

If you haven't already start taking data today. Buy your wife a nice kitchen scale (and then use it when she's not looking).
I've heard that using the kitchen scale for weighing pee pads is grounds for divorce in 6 states. Be careful.

Jeff
Posted 4/13/2014 9:36 PM (GMT 0)
I know you're going to be glad to get that catheter out tomorrow, Bill. That was the longest 10-day period for me, waiting for that catheter to come out! It was a relief when it was removed but, of course, I didn't know what was yet to come (drip, drip, drip). Hope you didn't freeze any essential equipment when you were defrosting your frozen peas with your legs! smhair

I live in Livermore, just a few miles south and east of San Ramon. I worked at and retired from the Lab in town. Yeah, the Raiders suck right now and, even worse for Raider fans, the 49ers are riding high. A lot of fans in the East Bay are gritting their teeth over that development.

I'm getting my first tooth implant on Tuesday and I'm not looking forward to it. Well, not the tooth itself but my endodontist is screwing a titanium rod into my upper jaw that he'll attach the tooth to in 3 months when my jaw has healed from the trauma. So probably soft foods for the next few days for me. Guess this is the year for body repairs. smilewinkgrin

Mike
Posted 4/13/2014 10:02 PM (GMT 0)
Mike,
I use to work in Dublin so yes I know where Livermore is and the lab.
Is the Pleasanton Hotel still there? Loved that place and prawns.

I used my wife's kitchen scale to weigh my pads and she was mad. nono I had to run to a Bed Bath and Beyond and buy a replacement quickly.

Jeff is happy with his sling, follow his lead if you aren't leaking much. As I said earlier, I went in to see my urologist to discuss a sling and he convinced me to get the AUS instead.

I did feel the control button today. It was hard to do with all the swelling but it is on my right side. I am right handed and I realized yesterday that I didn't tell my doctor I was right handed and I kind of panicked. I guess he noticed me signing something. I wear my watch on my right arm like a lefty even though I am not.

I don't know which is worse, a tooth implant or a catheter! yeah

Bill from Florida cool
Posted 4/14/2014 12:32 AM (GMT 0)
Keep up the great recovery Bill so we can do the Prostate Cancer walk together in Clearwater in Sept.

Karen says hi to Lorna (and you of course)

LupronJim
Posted 4/14/2014 12:38 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Jim

I finally did it!!! Should be in great shape for the Mlles for Men walk, in fact maybe I'll do the 10k instead of the 5k. Hopefully I won't have to change a wet pad during the walk.

Lorna says "Hey" to both of you. (I do also)

Bill from Florida cool
Posted 4/14/2014 2:07 AM (GMT 0)
Jeff, I'm ready with data from my pee pad collecting. I've got 18 months worth of data and am still adding to it. Got it charted in Excel and can give my uro all the data he wants. 10 months of pelvic floor rehab (at my uro's recommendation) got me very little improvement. So, I think it's time to move to the next step, sling or AUS. I hope my uro agrees when we meet on April 23rd!

Mike
Posted 4/14/2014 2:17 AM (GMT 0)
Bill,
Great to see you posting your progress. I feel like an old timer. I have had my mechanical wonder AUS since 2010. I posted my journey back then. Once you finish the healing you will get into a routine with "Willie and the boys" that will feel comfortable. I cam pee faster then the guys next to me and I can just turn it on and off.....way cool.
Good on you and your Uro for taking the leap.
If you want to know how to pee one handed at a urinal with no one noticing send me an email.
Posted 4/14/2014 2:18 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, Bill, the Pleasanton Hotel is still there and is still in business although it's changed hands several times over the years. I haven't eaten there in several years; so I don't know if it's still a good place to eat now.

I bought a kitchen scale to weigh my pads; so my wife wasn't upset with me. She has questioned my sanity for collecting data for so long but once I got into it, it was pretty easy ... even if it seemed a bit excessive (and obsessive). If I ever get dry, I'm going to retire that darned scale to the garbage can.

I would prefer a sling to the AUS but will base my decision on what my uro finds when he peers into my bladder. Until then, I don't know what I'm dealing with.

LOL, glad you got the control button on the "right" side!

Having had only a catheter, I don't know which is worse either but I will have a better idea after Tuesday morning!

Mike
Posted 4/14/2014 2:44 AM (GMT 0)
Mike,
Jeff is the "Data Man" in fact he loves data. When I told him how much I was leaking, he agreed that the sling wouldn't work for me. Of course I also told him to not even try to talk me out of the AUS. He didn't.

If you are having a cystoscopy Tuesday, it is a piece of cake. The hard part was getting out of your pants, sitting on the examing table on a large pad with a paper sheet over you like they use when you have a biopsy. They offer so much privacy don't they. Then the doctor tears a hole in the sheet and pulls "Willie" out from hiding. He put the scope in for about 10 seconds and it was done. It looked like a flashlight, because it kind of is, with a black tube on it. Didn't feel a thing, of course he gave me a shot first. Everything is recorded on to a computer he has in a brief case.

Good luck Tuesday, I am getting my cath out first thing tomorrow.

My uro said he did slings himself but, like my surgery, I wanted someone who has done many. I went to a doctor who TAUGHT both my uro and Dr. Patel who did my DaVinci surgery at the Univ. of Miami. Dr. Patel has done way over more than 6,000 PCa surgeries, more than anyone in the world and the doctor who installed my AUS was there for Dr. Patel's first prostate removal. Dr. Patel referred me to him.

Bill from Florida cool
Posted 4/14/2014 4:12 AM (GMT 0)
Bill, my tooth implant is on Tuesday and my cystoscopy is next week on April 23. Big thanks for the description of what you went through - now I know what the procedure is! I'll post here to let you and others know how it goes on the cystoscopy next week.

Counting the visit I made last Friday to get my ear irrigated to fix a wax impaction, I'm becoming a regular user of the medical system. Before my PCa, the system made money off me from my infrequent visits. The system is now paying me a lot of that money back from my now frequent visits! smilewinkgrin

Mike
Posted 4/14/2014 11:49 AM (GMT 0)
Beothail Mike,
We engineers know "without data, all you have is an opinion."

The AMS site recommends a sling if your leakage is below 200ml per day. I was around 100ml to 150ml if I was careful and would exceed 300ml if I was active and did not empty myself often.
The Uro I selected specialized in the AdVance sling. Here is a typical merit-demerit chart for you.
Merit
AdVance grows into tissue - no service required.
No extra plumbing, pumps or valves required.
The 'boys' don't have company.
Urination process is the way it was your whole life.

Demerits
Surgery is much worse than RP. Three long slits that will leave surgical scars effectively ending your p*rn star career.
Recovery time is 6 weeks to give the sling time to grow in. You need to take it easy. Remember how they told you to get up and walk around after RP? This time they tell you to stay still! Make sure your wife hears and understands this! You won't have to do anything around the house! No gardening, no planting, no lawn mowing. It's a 6 week vacation! Definitely GFMPH!
Results depend upon surgeon. I asked mine to make it tight so I was at zero leak. I pay for no leak by having to take 2 minutes to empty my bladder. I will never again play hockey with the piss ice. I can live with that.
When you are finished, you have to spend about 10 seconds pushing your perineum to empty out the last few drops trapped in your ureter. Be discreet. That action might get you arrested as a sex offender is some states. ;-)

I hope this helps with your discussion next week.
Jeff
Posted 4/14/2014 5:51 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you very much, Jeff! Your info will be invaluable to me when I meet with my uro next week. I would prefer a sling to an AUS because less equipment is involved. But I don't know if that's my best option.

I have good days when I leak only 200ml and bad days (when I'm active) when I leak 500ml. My daily average is about 400ml. The interesting thing is that I can stop my pee and hold it for a few minutes, probably because my pelvic floor is very strong after my rehab last year. It's the constant drip-drip I get when my pelvic floor isn't engaged that adds up. By the way, if a sling were my best option, I would get only the ADvance sling.

I don't know what the specific problem is and won't until my uro peeks inside my bladder next week. But I strongly suspect that my bladder and/or my bladder sphincter were damaged by 10 years of BPH. An 80gm prostate can put a vise grip on any biological parts around it. It may be that my sphincter muscle just can't close completely any longer. So, it may need mechanical help to do its job. Or my bladder may have lost its strength to hold pee back after years of trying to squeeze it into my urethra.

In any case, I hope to know more after next week's appointment. And when I know, I'll post that info here in the forum. That's the great thing about this Healing Well forum for PCa: we can post about our experiences and maybe help other guys going through the same thing.

Mike
Posted 4/14/2014 6:18 PM (GMT 0)
Except for the large, VERY LARGE balls you get from this surgery.. did not know they got that big.. (AUS Humor), wishing you the best.. the 6 weeks goes by fast.. just gotta do it..

When you get past the operational stage, we can talk you through all the stuff they did not tell you.. because they (the doctor) do not have one either.. but it is all good.

I wish mine lasts forever.. they do not.. but we can wish!!

NEO
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