For the first time in probably eight years, I am padless this afternoon! After my RRP surgery nearly ten years ago, I recovered continence pretty quickly. Over time and with further treatments, that changed--first with afternoon incontinence and eventually to being a 24/7 pad user with my daily number of pads increasing.
I've known for a while about the availability of artificial urinary sphincters, but I was not eager for another surgery. Then last summer I was forced into gallbladder surgery. I tolerated that well and recovered quickly, and that was the impetus I needed to screw up my courage to pursue an AUS. I started the process in the fall and got sign-off by October. I scheduled the surgery for late February right after I returned from a vacation. The surgery was uneventful. The post-operative swelling and pain were worse than I expected, but the recovery went well, and I did not get any infections. That had been one of my big concerns given the locations of the incisions.
Today I returned to my surgeon's office for a checkup and activation. I wore a pad home, and when I got here it was completely dry. Dry! So I've gone the past couple of hours without a pad. Honestly, after all this time, it's a bit of an odd feeling. But it's also exhilarating. So now I'll go order a split seat for my bike and look forward to resuming biking in a couple of weeks.
For anyone considering the surgery, I have no reservation in recommending my surgeon, Dr. Arthur Burnett, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland.
First post-ADT followup. So far so good ... but it's early
Chemo with Docetaxel - side effects
Neutropenic fever landed me in the hospital after 1st Taxotere infusion
PSMA scan results at PSA 0.12
