Incontinence after surgery and radiation

[jhartdo]

Do any of you have experience with your surgical treatment for incontinence such as the sling or the inflatable device?

[Tall_Allen]

If you put artificial urinary sphincter in the search bar you will see what experience is. Slings don't work nearly as well.

[London441]

I have a artificial sphincter and love it, especially compared to incontinence. I

I’m not a man who gave into the AUS easily, but after a while it became clear it was best option for me..

It works very well, super easy to use. Some won’t get it because it may need revision or replacement, typically in 7-15 years, but if you’ve been incontinent long enough that is not likely to dissuade you.

I was advised against the sling, which is not effective for severe cases.

I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

[RS265]

I had an AMS800 implant in June 2016 and the experience has been totally positive. I mountan bike 1000's of miles year and fully expected that to force a revision by now.

There has been minor degradation and I now experience some post urination leakage. Annoying, but manageable and its over within two minutes.

( If riding is your thing then I recommend a saddle like the Selle SMP "Hell" which is cut out and minimises pressure on key areas.)

I travel globally a lot and always pack a Weisner clamp in my carry-on as a backup should I experience a total failure.

The AMS800 definitely set me free. The worst part of operation was the shaving rash from the clumsy razor work.

[Engraver68]

I have artificial utinary device fitted 9 years ago, life changer! Can manage with 1 pad a day for the odd dribble

[Miket218]

My strong advice is to steer clear of the sling. It was a huge mistake for me. You will lose an inch or more of penile length. My sling was a failure. I had to have an AUS implanted. It works well. Wish I had gone that route to begin with. Good luck.

[kaptank]

I had a radical prostatectomy which, unbeknownst to me for a very long time, had used permanent (not dissolving) sutures in the re-connection of urethra. Radiation followed. Absolute incontinence followed. A sling followed. Avoid this. Your urologiost is just experimenting on you. It took several years trying to find a urologist able to diagnose this and address it. The sphincter was stuffed. Laser surgery cleared the sutures and scar tissue but no viable muscle remained. Believe me, complete incontinence is no joke. The artificial sphincter brought it under a relatively good degree of control. I still need pads but I can get around. Mine is an extreme case, most users find the change life changing. My artificial sphincter failed after 10 years (and I realised how dependent I was on it). A replacement is possible. It depends on the state of the urethra. (there is limited real estate there to place the implant and any place already implanted and failed is out.) In my case, it was possible and maybe a chance of another when failure occurs in about another 10 years time. For those of a mind, it is possible to get a penile implant at the same time. Get a surgeon with lots of experience in doing both together. It works well but doesn't help the psychology that goes with castration. One tip on handling severe incontinence is to use an external catheter which is basically a condom with a tip that clips to a tube to a bag on one leg. Suppliers of ordinary internal catheters or large pharmacys sell them. For when pads don't cut it.

[Timberjack69]

I head incontinence after prostate removal. With robotic surgery. I had a sling fitted which improved things but I found uncomfortable and after almost a year had it replaced with an inflatable sphincter. I found it much better. I still require a small pad once a day but only minor leakage after having had almost total incontinence originally. Hope this helps.

[Bobbylee]

I had AUS…..worked great for 18 months then failed and I had to have it removed. I was told7 to 10 years. Very disappointed