Today marks exactly one year since I had my urethroplasty – the surgery to fix a urethral stricture (which is a blockage of the urethra by scar tissue such that it is impossible, or nearly so, to pee).
365 days since that day, I remain completely fixed! My “water pressure” is excellent (last checked a month ago and certified above average for a male of ANY age:)). Once someone makes it to the 6-month stage and still have great flow, you’re said to have a 95+ percent chance of remaining fixed for the rest of your life. At the one year point, it’s basically certain. I am very grateful to have received such excellent care and had such an experienced surgeon (works in the VA).
There are several different kinds of surgery to fix a urethral stricture. But the kind I had – an “end-to-end anastomosis” urethroplasty – is now considered the gold standard of repair procedures. But it took awhile to get to the stage where the docs even knew they COULD do that surgery on me. They had to know the location and size of the stricture, and that’s very hard to do. Heck, even to get a correct diagnosis is hard. Why? Because it’s not uncommon for men, especially men over 40, to develop enlarged prostates. And the symptoms of that are – you guessed it – difficulty urinating. So people jump to conclusions and just assume the enlarged prostate is the diagnosis.
I had been taking medication to treat an enlarged prostate for over a year before it finally was determined that I had a stricture. Once that was fixed, it turned out I NEVER had an enlarged prostate at all! But it took a lot of pain and frustration in the ER on the day I woke up and could not pee at all. the nurses just simply couldn’t imagine that my problem was something other than the prostate. So with that as their assumption, they just kept trying to shove a catheter “up there” over and over and over, all the while shouting at me to relax. Their assumption as to why they couldn’t get the catheter inserted was that I was clamping down. After 3 different nurses, and eventually a urologist, tried. They decided (the urology folks, NOT the ER folks) I might have a stricture.
If you’re wondering – Yes, I did write and extensive explanation of this problem to the hospital. Hopefully that will benefit future stricture patients, as rare as they may be.
Anyway, I wanted to write a post to commemorate the 1-year anniversary of my surgery. I am feeling great and my water pressure, as I mentioned, is so above average that the urology docs always threaten to steal my flow-test print-out to pin to their own office walls so they could tell folks it was theirs:).
That is wonderful news Ken! Sounds like you are at the end of your path just as I am starting mine! I have a BMG Urethroplasty scheduled for the 22nd, and have all kinds of questions. Sadly your forum has never approved me or sent me a password.
Cheers
Justin
Justin,
Thanks! And good luck with your BMG! I do apologize for the flipping forum problem. I have tried to get it to work and it just seems not to. Most of the conversations have actually happened on the comments – like this. So for the time being, we’re stuck with that. I’ll see if I can take another look at it.
Ken
So I suppose my questions would be as follows:
1. Is getting in and out of beds/chairs/and cars difficult? If so for how long?
2. With the incision located where it is, Is it difficult to keep clean?
3. Is sitting for long periods of time just awful? When should I ditch the donut pillow?
4. the VRUG without a catheter in place was just awful! Is the follow up one bad?
If you could answer any of these for me I would be most appreciative!
Cheers
Justin
Justin,
Let me make sure how your procedure will be done to see if my answers will be relevant for you. Will you be having a perineal approach (as opposed to a 2-stage)? It sounds like it, but I’d like to make sure. That’s what I had, though not with a graft. So my experiences will help me answer your questions.
Thanks!
Ken
Hey Ken,
No mine is just a standard BMG, not a 2 stage. the surgery will be from the perineum approach.
Thanks again
justin
Thanks Justin,
OK. Let’s take these one-by-one. And I make the standard disclaimer that I am not a medical professional. Also, my results may not be your results. I can only tell you what I experienced. So here goes:
1. Is getting in and out of beds/chairs/and cars difficult? If so for how long?
Not really. Just had to take it slow. The donut pillow helped a LOT.
2. With the incision located where it is, Is it difficult to keep clean?
Not at all. You’ll want to ask your specific doc, of course. But it was a matter of gently dabbing with a wash cloth with soap and water. Then dabbing it dry. I found it helpful to have a small hand-held mirror so I could bend over and inspect the site:-P.
3. Is sitting for long periods of time just awful? When should I ditch the donut pillow?
I found it helpful to lay back in my recliner (on the donut pillow) so all my weight was not going straight down onto the area. In the car, I did something similar (my wife drove for those first few weeks) – just put the seat-back down a bit so I was laying back some. I think it’s relatively safe to say that you should get off the donut pillow as soon as you can. When I asked my doctor several weeks after the surgery why I was having scrotal pain, he said I should not have been using the donut pillow after the removal of the catheter, because that allows the testicles to be unsupported. The advice I got was to sit on a soft pillow (maybe 2). In hindsight, I should have done that after 2 weeks. One other problem I had was the hemorrhoid thing. I felt a “pressure” up my rear end when I sat without a donut pillow, and I thought that meant there was still lots of swelling. Eventually a nurse said it sounded more like hemorrhoids than post-surgical swelling, especially months after the surgery. So I got Prep H and after a couple of days, that “full” feeling was gone. I tell you what. I wish someone had told me THAT before my surgery. It would have made my recovery a lot better. So my advice is to get off the donut pillow right after they remove the catheter. BTW, by far the best donut pillow was the inflatable ones you can get at CVS or Walgreens. The one they gave me at the hospital was shyte, and popped after just a day or two. And speaking of that…
4. The VRUG without a catheter in place was just awful! Is the follow up one bad?
Mine was fabulous! No pain at all. You will already have the catheter in place. So there is no need to stick anything up your willy:-P. You just lay on your side under the x-ray machine. Then they unhook your catheter from its bag and hold the end up, putting a large funnel into it. Then they just start pouring the contrast fluid into the catheter. You tell them when you feel like you REALLY have to go, like you can’t hold it anymore. Then they pull the catheter out. That felt funny but did not hurt, and it was almost instantaneous. They had me aim into a plastic bed-bottle while still on my side. It took a couple of seconds because I was not used to peeing this way, having had a catheter on for the prior 6 months. But after about 3 tense seconds, out it came fast and hard:). The doc watched the screen and the urine (for blood) to ensure the repair was a water-tight seal, and that was that!
I really hope that helps!
Good luck!
Ken
I HAD URETHROPLATY A WEEK AGO, I HAVE SOME BLEEDING OUT OF
MY PENIS AND SOME BAD SCROTAL AND OTHER SWELLING, IS THIS NORMAL?
, I NOW HAVE MY ORIGIONAL SUPRAPUBIC, AND A NEW PENIS CATHETOR, HOW MUCH SWELLING AND BLOOD IS ACCPTABLE?
Hi Mike. The scrotal swelling can be quite alarming. Keeping in mind that I am not a medical professional, I can only report what happened to me and pass on what others report. the first week, there was a LOT of swelling and bruising in the scrotum. And it looked twisted and misshapen. It seemed hard to believe it would all go back to normal after several weeks, but it did. The emphasis was on the word SEVERAL. I think it was a month before things started looking normal again. And it was almost a year before it started FEELING normal. As for the blood from the penis, I did not have any of that. You should at least call and ask your doctors’ office and ask about it as soon as possible. They might want to see you sooner if they think it isn’t normal. I hope that helps. Get well soon!
Hi, sorry to get into this comment, I did not know how to leave a new comment on your post, Ken is 2018, I wanted to know how are you doing, my father has gone through this problem for more than 20 years, he has had dilatations, urethrotomies (twice) but just seemed to work for a while, now we are looking for new options, and it came over the table this one urethroplasty, but I haven’t been able to find a website that tells me what dorctor are the best on this matter. I hope you are doing excellent and well, that would be my question> Can you help me to find a good , qualified doctor to perform this complex surgery on my dad?
Wishing you the best!
I had my urethroplasty about 4 moths ago, and I’m still recovering, however my urine flow is amazing. In my case the surgery was via my perineum and let me tell you it’s been very uncomfortable. The first 2 months I relied on my wife to help me out of bed and even to shower. I still use a donut to sit, as i started working 2 months after surgery. It’s been a tough road i still have lots of pain and swelling in my scrotum. Had my last check up about 1 month back and the doctor said that all should subside within 6-8 months. Well see how it goes…
Thanks for the report, Jay. That sounds very like my experience. It took me about 11 months before the scrotum/testicles started to feel normal again. Finding out that was not uncommon really helped me with my expectation management. I hope it does that for you too. You’ll almost certainly be singing a different tune come April.
I cannot tell you how much this website has been a relief! Thank you so much! I have been dealing with this for most of my adult life, and I’m finally ready to take the plunge! I really hope I don’t have to much pain after the fact. The Doctor I am seeing is Dr. Steven B. Brandes, and he does like 75 of these a year. So i feel as if I’m in good hands! Hope to put this in the rear view as soon as possible! The only other question I had is should I wear a jock strap/briefs or my usual boxer briefs?
Thanks again
Justin
Thanks for your kind words! I hope things go as well as possible. Good question about the underwear. After I had my catheter out for good, and complained about the lingering scrotal pain weeks after that, two different doctors recommended a jock strap or tight jockey shorts. It’s supposed to be the best way to speed healing along. I started doing that probably a bit late in the game. It certainly makes it a bit more uncomfortable, but if it speeds healing, it would be worth it. Make sure you ask your doctor about it.
Cheers!
Ken
Well it’s done! My mouth hurts a little. When I first woke up the real pain was in the perineum, but that went rather quick. Catheter is fine. What’s is really bugging me is my penis keeps trying to flex. Ouch!
Oh wow, congrats! Yeah, I had heard that for some guys, the mouth is the thing that hurts the most after a BMG. I’m glad your perineal pain isn’t bugging you! I had pretty high pain the first night. I realized the next day that it was largely due to the huge wad of gauze and the tight underpants they had down there for pressure on the area. But it sounds like you’re in better shape than I was.
The catheter is a pain. Other than it being uncomfortable where it goes in, I also was getting some aspiration in the bladder (where the bladder wall gets sucked up against the holes in the end of the catheter). It would happen periodically, especially at night. It isn’t anything to really worry about. But it is a bit painful – like a little pinch. Hopefully you won’t get that. I had had a catheter stuck in my bladder for 6 months prior to that, so that may have had something to do with it.
Anyway, best of luck with your recovery!
Ken
Day three. The perineum has a constant dull ache. Mouth is still swollen, but I’ll manage. Haven’t used a prostate pillow. Just a giant feather pillow. The bruising isn’t to bad. The real pain is with the catheter! Ugh… 18 days to go.
Hey Ken,
I was just curious. Did you have like a reddish brown mucus In the front of your underpants where the catheter rested? I called the doctor and he said it was normal, but I’m curious if anyone else experienced anything like that.
Hi Justin. Um. Yeah. LOL. It’s not necessarily a thing you bring up at dinner parties or anything:-P, but we’re already on a site dedicated to urinary catheters, so… Here’s what happens. As I’m sure you are painfully (literally) aware, men get multiple erections at night while they sleep. When you have a healing wound inside there, and a rubber tube pressing all around it, you get a bit of blood all mixed around with the mucosa that normally lives in your urethra. Each time you get an erection, several inches of the catheter that normally are outside your penis go inside. Then when things go back to normal, it comes back out, each time bringing some of that mucosa with a bit of blood mixed in. It dries a bit at the far end as it accumulates. And of course, gets on your underwear.
So yes. It’s totally normal and nothing at all to worry about. I used to wash that section of the catheter off with an alcohol swab every morning and then put a bit of bacitracin ointment on that section of the catheter. It sort of lubricates it, which helps, and also may (remember – not a medical professional) aid in healing.
Does that help?
Ken
Well the catheter has been out for 8 days. I feel great! Strong flow and everything! But, I have random pains in my scrotum and the tip of my penis. Is this normal?
Thanks JB
That’s great Justin! Oh yes, the pains in the scrotum – for some guys – last for quite a long time. I still get them 13 months later, though very minor now. Some guys don’t get it at all. It seems to be hit-and-miss, but from what I have discovered from other guys, especially this thread: https://www.medhelp.org/posts/Urology/Recently-had-a-Urethroplasty-done/show/1680722, it can last up to a year. One of my urologists said “it could take up to a year,” and that’s consistent with my experience and that of several other guys on that forum. Not sure about the tip of the penis as much, but that’s where a lot of the discomfort of having a transurethral catheter concentrates itself. So that is not at all surprising. One thing I have learned during all this stuff is that the privates can be extremely sensitive and slow to heal from trauma. There are lots of nerve endings in lots of places down there. At the end of the day though, see what your doctor(s) have to say about the pain. You need to make sure it isn’t something specific. Several times after my surgery, I had them examine me – even going so far as to get a scrotal ultrasound. There was nothing unusual. It was just nerves still being all pissed off after being beaten up. I hope that helps.
Hey Ken,
Thank you so much for all your responses. You have been a great help in all of this, and I just want to thank you, and your wonderful site! So it’s been about two weeks since catheter removal, and I’ve noticed that my stream sometimes sprays.. Like changing the hose setting to jet instead of stream. It also has seemed to deintesify? Normal out maybe?
Thanks JB
Thanks Justin! I’m so glad I could be of some help. Not sure about the spraying. I occasionally have that now – just did it yesterday, I think. It was only for a second or two – until I stopped and started a couple of times. Then it was back to normal. I think this was just due to sitting down too long in my office chair. My intensity did reduce over time. In my article about the uroflowmetry test (https://livingwithacatheter.com/results-uroflowmetery-test/), “superflow” is the high-end flow usually only seen after “deobstructive procedures” (reference is an article linked on my post from the National Institute of Health). So the presumption is that things will go back to normal from the superflow level. But as with anything else, you should definitely ask your doc about this. I didn’t see either of these things this soon after the catheter removal. But every guy is different. Hopefully this is all just a part of the healing.
I can’t believe I just found this website! I have had a urethral stricture for over 3 years and wish I had read this a long time ago. I have had 3 procedures in the doctor’s office to stretch out the stricture and then I had two in the operating room that were supposed to cure it. After each procedure I had a catheter for 1 or 2 weeks. The last time I went to the doctor because my stream was getting worse he was out of town so I saw his partner who told me that these procedures wouldn’t work anymore. I saw a specialist in strictures in Philadelphia and he spent a long time drawing pictures and explaining the options. Even the office staff was able to answer questions that I forgot to ask the doctor (he has done hundreds of these so I wasn’t an “experiment” like at my regular doctor). I was worried because it was major surgery but I did not want to have the stretching procedure again especially if it wasn’t going to work. I had my surgery 3 weeks ago and the catheter was removed on Friday. I haven’t peed like this since I was a teenager! Thank you so much for making this website, I hope it helps more people get to specialists. Mine was Dr. Figler and it was the best thing that I have done. I will write updates in the future like you have done to let everyone know what the recovery is like.
Jeef,
Thanks so much for your comment and story! That’s AWESOME! So I assume you ended up having urethroplasty? Do you mind my asking what kind?
Cheers!
Ken
I did have a urethroplasty. The Doctor used tissue from my mouth and made an incision below my scrotum. He wanted to just “cut out” the scar tissue but he said it was too long and would caused problems if he did that so I’m glad he didn’t. I was worried about the mouth surgery but it is not that bad.
I have ducked in and out of this website quite a bit in the last two years. Long story short, could not whiz, just horrible. Diagnosed with stricture, urethroplasty was the treatment. I had mine in April of 2014 — according to my physician my problem may have been caused when I was severely injured in my youth, and the catheter was not put in a a particularly smooth fashion.
In any event,had the surgery in April 2014, and by the end of May I have been whizzing to beat the band. I am 63 years old and have absolutely not been able to whiz like this for almost 40 years. I was lucky as when the surgeon saw the situation up close he determined I did not need a graft. He was able to weld the damaged spot together, I am not sure how but I can tell you —– IT WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LAHEY HOSPITAL THANK YOU!!
I am a very Thankful, Grateful Man, my surgeon basically saved my life. I needed a hip replacement but they will NOT do it with urological complications due to the risk of infections at the replacement site. As I said mine was done in April and on June 30th I had my hip replaced at Mass General Hospital. I could NOT BE HAPPIER with my experience with urological surgery.
Paulie, thanks so much for your story! I love it when someone’s life is changed THAT much for the better. Best of luck moving forward!
And thanks again!!
Cheers:)
Ken
Hello again,
Jeff it sounds like our stories are quite similar. Good luck and I wish you a speedy recovery. I am currently about a month and a half into recovery and am still experiencing pains in the scrotal and perineum area a month and a half later. Is this normal? Some of the pain is a dull ache and some is pretty sharp. Should I be concerned?
Thanks JB
4 weeks into recovery after ETE Anastomotic Uroplasty. I was in the hospital for two days following surgery. I had a foley catheter for 3 weeks. The day the foley was removed I had an xray with a die contrast to see the health and size of the urethra, big improvement. My urine flow is strong but my erections are no where to be found. Strangely enough mr dr prescribed cialis right away, the day the catheter was removed.
My concern is that even with cialis my erections are extremely short in both size and duration.
This thread and others have provided me with way more information about the recovery process than any doctor that I talked to. Thank you everyone for your contributions.
If you don’t mind, those that are recovered. Please share your erection progress along your journey. My concern has shifted from peeing to having a healthy sex life, like I had before the surgery. Hoping to have both in my future, strong healthy urination & erections.
Best wishes of recovery and success to all!
Hi Jason. thanks for your story! And congrats on getting through the repair. I did a lot of reading from all over the web in order to try and concentrate information on this site, and there is surprisingly little information about sex and erections post-urethroplasty other than to say “don’t try sex for at least a month or so after the surgery,” and just a few various stories about how long it takes to get back the ability to have full erections. I am betting that not a lot of folks like to say much about their sex life in public. I get that. My own story is that it took a couple of months before I able to “get back to normal.” Some of the stories about there talk of it taking several months to a year, the common theme being that it DOES typically improve with time. But the amount of time varies pretty widely. I don’t know if the length is the same, as I never measured before the surgery:). But it seems the same:-P. I hope that helps!
Best of luck!
Ken
Thank you Ken. Your reply does help. I will continue to be patient.
You’re quite welcome!
Quick update on my erectile situation that I posted about back on October 8th 2104. My erectile situation continued to improve very little over time and then it seemed that overnight things returned to normal. No more tightness with erections and full erections as well as sex drive seemed to just happen one day. That all started about a week ago.
I did and do continue to take one Cialis 5mg tab on a daily basis. I was told by the doctor that it helps with blood flow and good blood flow brings about better recovery etc…
So basically anyone in my shoes there’s hope for full recovery just have patience. Took me roughly 6 months to get back to “normal” and my flow even continued to get better over time as well.
Best wishes and great success to all.
That’s awesome! Thanks so much for reporting back with that great news:).
Cheers!
Ken
During surgery care must be taken during dissection. Retract the muscle onto the Lonestar using the hooks. Case must taken during dissection of the bulbospongiosus muscle so that it does not become macerated in
order to preserve ejaculatory function.
XII. Surgical Procedures: Augmented Anastamotic Urethroplasty with Buc… https://www.urologymatch.com/book/export/html/1824
4
This would be my guess as to why there is reduced erection and ejaculation. I’m not sure if that can be repaired or if the muscle restores.
Per Wiki: In males Bulbospongiosus contributes to erection, ejaculation, and the feelings of orgasm.
Thanks Jay!
Thank you Jay. This is very informative and it looks like the area and muscle can be exercised with the pelvic floor muscles.
I will be certain to post my status if & when there’s improvement.
Hello Ken,
Thank you for a great site with all this information and of course sharing your story.
I am a 26 year old guy from Sweden who’ve suffered from pains and poor flow since I was 13 years old. Loads of doctors told me I was healthy and that it was something I had to live with until recently when one urologist took me seriously and I went in to have a cystoscope examination. They found I had a stricture that was rather aggressive and a week later (yesterday) I went in for surgery. I had a simple urethrostomy and when I woke up my doctor looked at me like it was really bad and told me that the stricture was 3cm long. I was of course sent home a couple of hours later with some painkillers, antibiotiks and a catheter on for about a week for the urethra to heal as good as possible.
I understand this procedure has a low success rate, that 4 out of 10 with a 2cm stricture has it back within a year. As mine was so long I am counting on that I will some day in the future have to do the open urethroplasty.
I’m of course very mixed up about this. I feel happy to finally have answers and that my problems weren’t normal but it is heartbreaking that it is classed a life long condition that needs to be monitered and the fact that the open urethroplasty sounds rather scary.
Anyway, I’ve found a lot of comfort by reading your posts. Thank you very much!
You are very welcome! I am sorry to hear about your situation, but I think that things may not be as bad as they seem. I am not a medical professional, but my research and experience tells me you really should not have had a procedure done without them doing more exploratory procedures to determine the location and length of your stricture. And I personally believe it is not a wise decision for them to have done a urethrotomy on you at such a young age – knowing the odds of long-term success. Urethroplasty is the best long-term repair. So though it is likely (though not guaranteed!) that you will need another procedure, if it is urethroplasty, then you have every reason to believe it will be a long-term fix! It need not be a life-long condition. I hope that helps!
Ken
Hi Guys,
Firstly, thanks for this site Ken – it’s a great resource.
I was born with hypospadias and had surgery in the early 1960s (I’m in my mid 50s now). I’m not exactly sure what they did, but we suspect that they used a piece of skin off my leg to manufacture a urethra. Anyway, I turned out to be an incredibly hairy guy (which wouldn’t have been obvious when I was 3 years old 🙂 ). Consequently, I’ve had a lifetime of strictures, reduced flow, pain and infections.
In the mid 2000s I started having dilation procedures and urethrotomies to clear the path but these procedures started becoming so frequent that I decided to surrender to the inevitable and go for the full reconstruction.
My stricture is very long, (from the bulbar urethra to the tip, pretty much) so I’ve had the full end to end reconstruction. I had the first stage of the Buccal Mucosa Graft procedure, where they removed my entire old urethra and transplanted the interior of both cheeks (and a little bit under my bottom lip) into the gap. The plan is to wait 6 months for all that to heal and then roll it up into a tube and hopefully I should be back to normal.
It was originally just going to be two procedures, but there was a complication where the first graft didn’t completely take and some scar tissue formed and started causing another stricture. I finished the repair surgery for that complication 5 weeks ago and so far, so good.
Anyway the point of all this background is that in each of these two procedures thus far, I’ve had a suprapubic catheter in place for 4-5 weeks. The one I’ve got in at the moment comes out hopefully on Tuesday.
The thing I find with the catheter is that if I attempt anything resembling a reasonable walk, I get some bleeding into the leg bag. I’m sure it’s not pulling from the leg bag, I just think it’s friction on the entry point of the cathether into the wall of my abdomen. I’m interested to know if any of you other guys have had that problem?
I wear loose track pants. I’ve tried looser underwear and firmer underwear to see if either helps but they don’t seem to. I’m wondering if it would help to tape the catheter tube to my stomach. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Dave
Hi Dave. Wow, you’ve sure been through a lot! I’m glad there is something here on the site that can help. I got bleeding into the leg bag only a few times, and it was always due to there having been a recent procedure involving something inside the bladder. Assuming you have the typical Foley, the drainage eyes are on the opposite end of the balloon than holds the cath inside the bladder. That drainage eye is the only path to the interior of your catheter. And because it is on the opposite (far) side of the balloon, the only way blood can get into the bag is if it was in your bladder at some point. So I don’t think it could be coming from friction on the entry point into the wall of your abdomen unless it is on one of the couple of days following the insertion (or replacement) of the catheter, or some other procedure where instruments were used in the urinary tract somewhere. One other possibility I can think of is if the balloon falls away from the bladder wall, allowing the tip of the catheter to poke into or lay near your bladder wall. The suction caused by the drainage eye can aspirate parts of your bladder wall into it, which usually feels like a pinch inside there. That could cause a bit of trauma and bleeding in the bladder as well. One thing I would do periodically is SLOWLY and carefully pull my tube out of the insertion point, away from my body. If the balloon had fallen into the bladder, away from the wall, this would pull it back into place with the balloon where it is supposed to be. You’ll know when it’s there because you won’t be able to pull any more of the tube out of the hole. Then I’d use an alcohol swab to clean off the part of the tube that had been inside, and use medical paper tape and – yes – tape it to my belly. This was in addition to having the GRIP-LOK securement sticker on my leg, which secures/anchors the tube, preventing it from going too far down (when leg bag gets full) OR too far up, if the balloon wants to fall back into the bladder, It’s a balancing act of trying not to put too much tension in either direction, but having enough to keep it secure.
I did get slight bleeding sometimes from the insertion point/abdominal wall. But that didn’t go into the bag. It came out around the outside of the tube. That’s why you’re supposed to have a dressing in that area pretty much all the time (except when you’re showering).
As usual, you should definitely ask your doctor about this, as I am not a medical professional (official disclaimer:)).
I hope this helps!
Ken
Thanks Ken.
I definitely have a Foley catheter. I’m wondering if the movement of my clothes against the entry point when I’m walking is subtly pulling the balloon against the interior of my bladder. (This is assuming that I’m visualising this correctly). My hypothesis is that the friction of the balloon just behind the entry point (on the inside) is causing the irritation and therefore the bleeding into the bladder, which then infuses into the urine going into the leg bag.
Just to be clear, we’re not talking about a lot of blood – it’s just that I can see that the bag contents get slightly pink after a walk.
I think the above pulling scenario is more likely than the balloon going further in, since I put a mark (using a non-toxic permanent marker!) exactly two centimetres away from the entry point just to monitor whether it was moving in and out at all. I did that the day I got out of hospital and it’s remain completely constant.
To be completely honest, I’m a bit too scared to try to (even very gently) see if I can ease it out anyway, since any movement of it feels quite sensitive.
I have an elasticised cath-strap on my leg, which is reasonably effective. The product you call GRIP-LOK, I’m assuming is an adhesive one? The product we have here (I’m in Australia) is called Flexi-Track. I’ve tried that a few times, but you really only get one chance to get it in the right position. I find with the elastic strap that I can set it in position then walk around the house a bit to find the best position and relative tightness with the leg bag straps and the cath-strap itself. Then I tape it to my thigh before I leave the house since, (as others on this site have mentioned), the elastic ones slide down your leg as you walk if they’re not fixed.
I spoke to my doctor’s urology nurse this morning and we’re due to do a trial void and take the whole thing out tomorrow morning anyway, which will be a relief! However, since I have to do this all again in about April/May (stage 3), I’d like to be ready.
During my stage 3, the doctor will roll my skin grafts back up into a tube again. He says that he’ll construct this around a catheter as a kind of splint. That catheter won’t be doing any drainage and will be taken out about a week after the operation. I’ll have a supra-pubic put in at the same time for actual drainage, which I’ll need to have in for 4-5 weeks again.
Hopefully by about June next year, I’ll feel fully human again 🙂
I’m keen to keep monitoring this site in between times, in case I can offer some words of encouragement to other guys who have to go through this or similar procedures. I can’t tell you what a relief it’s been to find a great forum like this.
Thanks again for the tips.
Dave.
Dave, thanks for the update. It’s obviously not possible to completely divine what is happening in the bladder. But as it comes after physical exercise, it’s safe to say that SOMETHING on the inside is getting irritated and bleeding into your bladder occasionally. You may be right about the balloon rubbing at the entry point and causing some of that blood to bleed “backwards” into the bladder. And it may be that the movement is causing part of the wall to move over the tip. any number of things could be going on.
It’s good to know you have regular contact with the staff and a plan. It’s a VERY long journey to be sure. And yours is the most involved and lengthy one of anyone I’ve talked to. I wish you good luck with everything! Keep us posted!
Ken
Hi all,
Unfortunately my journey just got even longer. My last skin graft, whilst generally successful, has shrunk more than expected. (The surgeon told me that they normally allow for up to 30% shrinkage of my particular type of graft, but mine has shrunk more). Consequently, my flow is starting to constrict again.
So it looks like I will have another graft surgery in February, although we are still working out the details. The hard bit is now where on my body to use as a donor site for the graft. We’ve used all the buccal mucosa in my mouth for the first operation. We’ve used my left hip for the second op. We could use my right hip, but the shrinkage from my left hip donor site seems to have been more than my buccal mucosa, so I think the doctor’s isn’t convinced this is a good choice.
Since I’m such a hairy guy, there are really few other places where I don’t have any hair. I think my wrists are the next site to try.
So I’m facing another 16/17 days in hospital, plus 4/5 weeks with a suprapubic catheter. *Sigh.
Anyway, I don’t have a choice, so I guess the best I can do is try to get fit before the next round in February.
Dave
Aw man, I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m thinking good thoughts for you! One source for urethral grafts, ironically, is the penis. I know that sounds horrific (at least it does to me), but is it something you doc has mentioned?
Again – sending positive and healthy thoughts your way. Best of luck to you in this!
Hang in there!
Ken
Hi Ken,
I wanted to echo other people’s thanks for the work that you have put in to collect such an excellent resource of information. I’m 30 years old from the UK and had a perineum BMG Urethroplasty on Nov 28th following an unsuccessful urethotomy – for the most part the procedure went very well. The most painful part was the resulting wound in my cheek which, for reasons unknown, caused a large hematoma about the size of a softball to form (think of lobsided Buzz Light Year and you’re about there!)
In terms of my procedure everything went well. Over the first 7 days there have been very few complications, I have used co-codamol (tylonol and coedine) to reduce pain and used a velcro elasto-strap wrapped twice around the catheter at thigh level, to reduce pulling whilst cautiously sauntering around like John Wayne.
My nocturnal erections returned around day 3. Unfortunately, these stirrings were, and remain, eye-wateringly painful at the point of insertion. That said, I have recently found that I can reduce the pain by making sure that pipes and penis line up in as straight a line as possible, detaching all leg straps overnight. Without any sideways pressure to the urethral opening the pain is greatly reduced. I don’t know if this has been said elsewhere but I have also read that a dab of lube can also be used to help the pipe pass back and forth more easily during the night.
I can’t wait for my catheter removal which booked this Friday, it can’t come soon enough!
Once again, thank you for your info. Hopefully something that I have shared might help others.
All the best,
Alex
Thanks Alex. I’m so glad this could be helpful to folks! And congrats on your procedure. Yes, the lube at the insertion point helps. I used a bacitracin ointment, which has antimicrobial medicine in it. I’m sorry to hear about your cheek though. Wow! Hope that gets better soon. And those elastic things are terrible (in my opinion)! I found out I could buy the Grip-LOK stickers that hold fast to the leg, and REALLY secure. No more John Wayne walking. But at this point, it sounds like you’ll be done with the cath before you could get one in time to be useful. So just continue to be careful.
Thanks for sharing your story, and good luck with recovery!!
Ken
The John Wayne reference is hilarious! I’m sure I’ll be chuckling about it for days.
Levity is always a valuable contribution 🙂
Thanks
Dave
Ken,
First off thanks for all the information you took the time to share. This has been an invaluable site as I go through my recovery process. I am in the 4th week of recovery and things are going well. I may have overlooked it but I haven’t seen you or any other men talk about the sensitive subject of “sex” after this procedure. My doctor told me no activity for 4 weeks after, but I’m looking for insight on what to expect or maybe recommendations on what may help once I cross that threshold. I have the lingering pain you talked about and I’m wondering if this impacted performance in any way for you? Also wanted to know if anyone had experienced tightness or pain when getting an erection several weeks after this procedure?
Thanks,
KC
Hi KC. So glad you could find some help here! And congrats on being done with the surgery. To answer your question – the sex thing seems to be very dependent on the individual. From what I saw on the forums elsewhere, most guys are fine after a month or two. Some said they had a bit of trouble getting or maintaining an erection at first, but that things went back to normal eventually. How soon was also pretty dependent on the person. The amount of urethra that was cut out might also affect things too. For me, things work as they did prior to the surgery. As for the other question, I did not remember experiencing any tightness or pain when getting an erection. There is scrotal pain still, at times, but that’s usually after the fact, not during.
Thanks again for sharing your experience. I hope that helps a little bit more.
Happy Holidays!
Ken
Hey Ken
I just had my second follow up for my BMG urethroplasty in November. The Doctor on duty made me do a flow test and then scanned my bladder which was empty, but the part that scared me was the flow test results…. 14.9. She acted as if that was great, but shouldn’t that be higher? Did you notice reduced flow/ pressure this far in to your procedure? Is this just healing?
Thanks as always!
Justin – oddly enough, there are times when the flow pressure seems reduced. There are normal reasons for that to fluctuate somewhat. Anything in the normal range though should not be any reason to be scared. The normal range for men “varies from 10 milliliters a second to 21 milliliters a second” (from Healthline – https://www.healthline.com/health/uroflowmetry#Results5). For me, reasons for reduced flow include what kind of surface I’ve been sitting on, how long I’ve been sitting, how much water I’ve been drinking, etc. There are other reasons of course. And as a reminder for folks who may be reading this – I am not a medical professional:-P.
As my wife is always telling me – don’t borrow trouble:). Take the win.
Glad to hear things are “normal” for you this long after the surgery!
Happy New Year.
Ken
When people speak about flow rates, do they mean peak or average?
I am a 35 y/o man and I have been diagnosed with about a 4 cm urethral stricture in my penile urethra a little over a year ago. At the time of initial diagnosis, the urologist did a dilation, which helped for maybe 3 weeks. Since then, I have been following up with a urethral stricture specialist every 6 months for a flow test and PVR. He doesn’t seem to think it is time to do a urethroplasty, but just wants to keep monitoring.
My most recent reflow showed peak rates of 22, and an average rate of about 8. Again, the doctor said it was “very good,” but I was just wondering when you mention that normalrates are 10 to 21, is that peak or average?
By the way, thank you for wonderful website.
Sean,
Thanks for your kind words! I was talking about peak flow. Sorry about the confusion there. See this study – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2808647/ where the mean peak flow rates for Group I (median age 31) was 22.5 ± 9.2. Average flow rates for these adult males are around 13 13.05 ± 6.12. I wonder why your doc thinks you don’t need urethroplasty. Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones who can get by with urethrotomy, or doesn’t mind dilating every few weeks. Either way, good luck!
Ken,
Thank you for your reply.
I had a long conversation with the doctor about a possible urethroplasty. Initially, i developed symptoms about 15 months ago, quite suddenly [low flow, urgency, frequency , vague pelvic discomfort]. Initially, they diagnosed me with prostatitis, and I did a course of antibiotics and alpha blockers, with really no response. Finally, the local urologist did a cystoscope, and found a 4 cm penile stricture, that I am guessing resulted from an injury about 20 years ago! He wound up dilating me right then and there.
Well, the dilation only provided relief for about 3 weeks, and the symptism returned worse than ever. That is when I sough consultation with a surgeon who specializes in urethral reconstruction. In the mean time, I started acupuncture for symptomatic relief.
By the time Is aw the surgeon about a month or so later, he acute discomfort had improved somewhat. My peak flow rates were about 22 and pvr was 0. So the surgeon essentially said, “we should keep an eye on it.” We have done that with a visit every 6 months. The peak flow and PVR have remained essentially the same.
So here is his logic, as I understand it per our discussions:
On one hand, I am doing relatively well in terms of my urine flow. Have not taken any meds, except occassional ibuprofen when discomofrt gets really bad [about once a month], and have not needed any dilations or urethrotomy.
On the other hand, I would likely need a BMG urethroplasty, given the length and location of my stricture. BMG urethroplasties dont apparently have quite the same success rates as end to end [about 55-75% success at 15 years depending on the study, with even really late deteriorations possible.] Also, he is not sure how much of an imprivement over my current peak flow rate a urethroplasty would necessarily provide.
So he just doesnt think that right now the benefits would outweigh the risks. He certainly does not want me to ever have another dilation or urethrotomy, but just wants to wait and see, basically.
I do trust him, and his logic makes sense to me. At the same time, it is also frustrating, because I keep wondering what tomorrow holds!
Just wanted to share the story and answer your question. AS i go through allt he uncertainty, your website hs been a great resource. So also looking forward to contributing to it and joining some discussions, if that is allowed/ok.
Finally, a question for otehrs who may be on the site: what were your peak flow rates before a urethroplasty was considered? and what are they post surgery?
Thanks!
Thanks Sean. That makes sense. If you are able to “go” and not have any real problems (other than that pain you mentioned), waiting is probably not going to hurt you. Good luck! And yes, please do share everything you feel comfortable sharing! Every data point helps.
Cheers!
Ken
Hello,
I have undergone bmg urethroplasty 3 days ago, the two stage procedure, for an anterior stricture ~ 4 cm in length. After reading all the comments here and on other sites i must say that i was a bit worried about the recovery. Surgery went well, the doctor removed a big chunk of bm from my right cheek to replace the the affected area. In the recovery room i didn’t experience any real pain, not in the penis or in the mouth. The sensation was more like discomfort in the mouth but nothing to do with pain. Next morning the doctor let me go home and i will have to return after 7 days to remove the catheter. I spent the first day home mostly in bed, drinking liquids, watching tv and sleeping. Sleeping is the hardest part because of nocturnal erections and
that is the only time when i experienced some kind of pain. In the second day i was feeling much better, went outside for a 1hr walk and did a bit office work. Today i’m feeling much better overall, my inner cheek is healing fast and i can drink and eat almost normally. I want to resume work and to spend some time outside. Even if i’m only three days after the 1st stage procedure, i feel very optimistic and confident about the final outcome.
Wow, Maseco. That’s fabulous! Thanks for adding your story. It’s good to get as many folks telling the “good” stories as the bad. Sometimes, people only feel moved to write if things were bad. And as you noted, when you see more bad than good, it can be scary.
Thanks so much, and congrats on what sounds like a smooth procedure and good luck moving forward!
Cheers!
Ken
Yesterday i had my catheter removed. The site of the surgery didn’t look very nice but after one day i can already see it’s healing and the inner cheek is almost completely healed. I’m back to work and to my usual activities. Urinary flow is better than ever. I experienced a bit of pain again in the nocturnal erections.
Awesome! Thanks for the report. It’s incredible to have the catheter out sin’t it? Love to hear those success stories:).
Good luck moving forward.
Ken
Feeling great without the catheter and with an incredible urine flow. I’m not all done with the catheter because probably in the 2nd stage i’ll have a bigger one inserted for a longer period of time. Thanks for the info i found here and support.
You’re welcome, Maseco! Glad to hear things are currently doing well. Good luck with your next stage!
Cheers,
Ken
Hello again,
Well it’s seems that I’ll be going under the indwelling knife again. My BMG urethroplasty hgas failed (mind you I can still urinate fairly well.) My flow rate was at 12 ml per second. It’s supposed to be at a 20+. So I have to go get a urethotomy and a steroid shot to fix it. The Doctor said the procedure has a 90%-95% success rate. Though he said the BMG urethroplasy had an 85% success rate… I’m feeling pretty glum. Anyone have a success story for me?
JB
Aw man, I’m sorry to hear that! I don’t have any “urethrotomy-to-repair-BMG” stories. But it sounds to me like it is definitely better than going through another urethroplasty. It should be relatively quick. Just trying to reveal some silver linings here.
Best of luck, JB!
Hi.
By the way. such a great website and source of information and experiances.
I had my Urethralplasty 11 days ago and everything seems to be goin to plan. a fair amount of pain in the scrotum but from what ive learnt for this thread its quite normal. One thing thats really bugging me is the pain from my night time erections.
My question is this. Have you all experiance really quite painful erection at night?, and if so, Any handy hints on dulling or stopping the pain/erections.
Thanks for any help.
Hi James. Thanks for your kind words. And congrats on your surgery! Do you still have a catheter in? Erections weren’t painful for me after I was catheter-free.
Cheers,
Ken
Thanks Ken.
Yes i do still have my catheter in. So I guess ill just have to stick it out for another 10 days and hopefully no more pain. I also still have a fair amount of swelling after 11 days. does that seem normal to you?
swelling in my scrotum i mean to say
James – oh yeah. That does not surprise me at all. I was still swollen at that time for sure. As far as the pain with the erections – you might try (reminding folks who don’t already know that I am not a medical professional) putting vaseline or an ointment-based bacitracin on the part of the catheter that goes into and out of the tip of the penis multiple times per day and night. That might help lubricate things and feel a little less painful. Also, make sure you clean it off daily, because it tends to collect muscosa from your urethra, which dries and can be painful if pulled in and out.
Hope that helps.
Ken
Thanks Mate/
All The Best
Hi Ken and everybody else,
I’ve been a long time lurker on this site. Reading everybody’s stories has been extremely comforting, this site is a god-send. I was diagnosed with a bulbar urethral stricture 2 years ago after several years of weak/prolonged urine flow. I woke up one morning unable to pee at all. My GP diagnosed me with acute prostatitis and had me on antibiotics for over a month before I scheduled an appointment with the urologist. The urologist found my stricture with the cystoscope and VCUG. I underwent a Urethrotomy, had a catheter in for 5 days and was able to pee incredibly afterwards. But the success was short-lived. My weak flow returned and I decided to undergo a urethroplasty. I had the buccal mucosa bulbar urethroplasty to repair my 4 cm stricture 5 days ago. My pain is manageable with mostly Advil now. I have some swelling and soreness in my mouth, scrotum, and incision site (perineum). My mouth becomes more swollen each day, does anybody know when things start to get better? My scrotum is also numb, is this normal? I’ve been mostly laying in bed since surgery instead of using my donut inflatable. The donut is sort of uncomfortable and I don’t want to risk any complications with healing because I’m sitting wrong so for now I lay down/ sit reclined. Any tips for using the donut pillow without putting undo stress on my incision site?
Thank you so much for this site and everybody’s contributions, it has helped me immensely!
Gus
Gus,
Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m so glad this site has been a help to you. And congrats on your urethroplasty! I cannot speak to the mouth issue, except to echo what I’ve read – that some folks find that to be the most painful part of the whole thing. The increased swelling sounds to me like something you should contact your doctor about pretty quickly, if only to be on the safe side. If anyone else reading this has more knowledge on the mouth thing, please chime in. Regarding the numbness in the scrotum – yes, this is pretty normal. I had it. There are lots of nerves that get messed with during this operation. So lots of nerve related stuff happens – pins-and-needles sensation, numbness, etc. This part can take a very long time to return to normal, though it quickly moves into the category of “irritating” rather than “debilitating.” And it does eventually (up to a year for some folks…like me) go back to normal. About the donut – you’re doing it right. In order to keep the pressure off the incision site, try to lean back on the donut so that the weight is more near your tailbone than straight down. I used mine in a recliner most of the time. And my wife drove me around for the first few weeks, so I could recline the passenger seat. I ended up using my donut pillow too much for too long and ended up with giant hemorrhoids (not to put to fine a point on it:-P). So as soon as you can, try to make the transition to a soft pillow rather than the donut.
Thanks again for sharing your story. And good luck with your recovery!
Ken
Thanks for your quick and helpful reply Ken! I’m glad to hear the numbness is normal. I can’t wait to get this catheter out, I have to have it for 3 weeks. Is that pretty standard?
Gus,
You’re welcome. Yeah, I had mine for 2 weeks after the surgery. It’s pretty normal. After 10 days or so I think it becomes a matter of your doctor’s availability, maybe. That was the issue with my surgeon. They may want to make extra sure that things are healed up solid. Hang in there!
Ken
So are you still in good shape since your urethroplasty? Just would like to know the long-term success. Can I expect if successful to be cured for life?
Thanks again,
Kyle
Gus. Yup:). Had the catheter out in August of 2013 and I’m doing greqt:). Surgeon said if I was still doing well after the 2nd flow test, which was 6 months after the cath removal, the odds of a lifetime cure were 95%.
Cheers!
Ken
Hey All,
Just wanted to provide an update. My mouth pain is completely gone and everything is healed in my lower lip (where the graft was removed). If you are having a BMG bulbar urethroplasty know that your mouth will hurt for ~10 days. The pain in the mouth will peak at 1 week post op and will be excruciating. I drank magic mouth wash at least a dozen times a day to numb my harvest site allowing me to eat in small bites. My scrotal pain is getting better as well and generally is very low (from 1 to 10), I’d put it at about a 2 on a day to day basis. I get my catheter out this Thursday 16Apr15, this is a long time coming and cannot wait to be able to pee normal for the first time in as long as I can remember. Thank you all for the support through your comments especially you Ken, this site is truly a gift from God. To be continued..
Best,
Gus
Thanks so much for that feedback, Gus! So glad this site cold be of help. I’m sorry to hear you had so much pain. that’s a long time for the mouth to be sore! But it sounds like it’s all going to be behind you soon. Best of luck on the upcoming removal!! And yes, let us know how it goes.
Cheers!
Ken
Hi Ken,
UPDATE: Last Thursday I got filled up through the catheter and was then allowed to void in a urinal. It was by far the most amazing feeling I’ve ever experienced. My measurable flow rate is approximately 30 mL/sec up from my pre-op flow rate of 4 mL/sec. Feeling great though, still am very cautious about sitting down and have yet to sit straight up right. When did you start sitting upright (not leaning back)? My doctor doesn’t give me straight answers, just saying things like “be careful what you do..”. And if you are an exerciser, when did you start to exercise at the level before surgery? One more question, when did you start driving? I’m now just about 4 weeks post op and feeling great though, just getting anxious to completely start living like I had before surgery without having to worry about damaging my new urethra. Thanks for the support Ken!
-Gus
That’s great, Gus!! Congrats:). It took me about 4 months before I could sit up straight:-P. But as I said in my posts, I spent too long on myh donut pillow and was not aware that one of the “feelings” I had down there that made it uncomfortable to sit upright was NOT, as I thought, swelling from the surgery. It was, in fact, hemorrhoids! And I kept making them worse by continuing to use the donut pillow. As soon as I got a great big tube of Preparation H, it took about 3 days before I was able to sit up straight. That’s one area I definitely hope people can learn from my example what NOT to do:-). I’m led to understand it should have only taken about 3 weeks or less.
Thanks again for sharing your story. And good luck moving forward!
Ken
Hey all,
Had my urethrotomy to repair my BMG urethroplasty. Took the cath out Saturday, and have had sraying urine ever since. I just want a normal urinary track. I’m getting very fatigued with all of this. We’ll see what happens.
Justin – I’m sorry to hear about that. Hopefully things will get better soon!
Good luck!
Ken
That must be frustrating, Justin but it seems like you’ve made it through the worst part and maintained a great outlook! I suspect compared to everything else, resolving the spraying will be a cake walk. You’re an inspiration to many!
I am so glad I found this site! However I am a women and I have a urethral stricture! It took 3 years of going to diffrent docs to findout my problem!! In the past 2 years I have had 21 dilations and it is not staying open!! So I am looking for more answers! ! Urethroplasty sounds great at this point to get relief!! I live in Georgia so if anyone knows a great doctor near please let me know ! Also how has the surgery been for everyone a year later and has any women that have read this site got urethroplasty done!!
Hi Holly. Thanks for writing in! Yes, it completely baffles me that in this decade, doctors and nurses are still so unaware of this condition. I actually don’t think we have had any females writing in:-P. So I’m glad you are taking the time.
If anyone else here knows of any good urethroplasty surgeons in Georgia, who do you recommend? If nobody here has that info yet, in order to find a doctor in Georgia with the right experience, I have had decent luck typing “urethroplasty surgeon Georgia” or similar into Google. Then once you get some results, you can dig a bit deeper into each listed name.
Good luck moving forward! Now that you know what the best fix is, you are definitely on the right track and will be very happy with the result, I feel confident. I am a year and a half post-urethroplasty and am doing great. We see similar stories here all the time!
Thanks again, and keep us updated!
Cheers,
Ken
Ken thank you so much!! Yes if anyone knows of any doctors in GA please let me know!!! This is such a blessing finding this site!!I will definitely google and research and see what I can find!
You’re welcome Holly!
Ken
Good Morning Ken,
Thank you, thank you, thank you! What a wonderful site. Over the past 2 months, I have read every word on your website and I feel so much better informed and prepared for my upcoming urethroplasty next Friday, 6/12/15.
My surgeon will be Dr R Corey O’Connor @ Froedtert in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has a partner who is also experienced in the procedure, Dr Michael Guralnick.
MY STRICTURE TIMELINE:
1. Diagnosed by Dr John Roberts (Oshkosh, WI) early 1966
2. Treatment was stretching with a metal tool every 6 months between 1966 – 1975
3. Between 1975 to 1978, stretching was more frequent, including every 4 to 6 weeks by 1978, all by Dr John Roberts.
4. In 1978, saw Dr Joseph DiMartini in Monroe, WI, who performed a DVIU with a cold knife
5. Dr DiMartini re-did the procedure in 1979
6. In 1987, saw Dr John D Wegenke, UW Health, Madison, who performed a DVIU with a cold knife.
7. In 1994, Dr Wegenke performed the same procedure
8. In 2001, Dr Wegenke performed the same procedure
9. July 9, 2008, saw Dr Eric J Lawatsch (Theda Clark, Neenah), who performed a DVIU and cut with a Laser
10. March 23, 2015 saw Dr Lawatsch who ordered a retrograde urethrogram on 4/1. Then referred to Dr O’Connor or Dr Guralnick in Milwaukee.
As you can see, I have lived with this stricture for amost 50 years. I was consistently getting by with the DVIU incising every 7 years since 1980. However, when I visited Dr Lawatsch on 3/23/15, he was reluctant to repeat the procedure. In his words, the risks associated with that procedure no longer out weigh the rewards. In his opinion, it was time to go for “the fix.” That is when I found your website Ken, and what a relief to have all of this knowledge prior to my visit with Dr O’Connor in Milwaukee.
The length of my urethral stricture is 2.5 cm, and it located at the perineum. As stated in many places on this website, your surgeon will have an initial plan, but he/she will not know exactly how they will proceed until they get to the stricture. Dr O’Connor is thinking that he will perform BOTH end to end and a buccal mucosa graft. He is hoping the tissue is in good enough condition to first shorten the length of the stricture by performing end to end, and then go with the buccal mucosa graft to widen the remaining scarred area.
I will have two catheters. The urethral catheter and a suprapubic catheter. I asked why, and his answer was, “If the goal is to keep your pants up, I would use both a belt and a pair of suspenders.” In other words, since the goal is to keep the bladder empty while everything heals, he is going to make sure there are no complications, particularly when the urethral catheter is removed (the suprapubic catheter will remain in 1 week longer than the urethral catheter). I found his answer comforting. He explained that the suprapubic catheter will be the main catheter during my healing, and the urethral catheter will be “capped off,” but of course remain in for healing of the surgically repaired area.
I will share my experiences post surgery. Thank you again Ken for creating such an awesome and informative website.
Ned,
You’re very welcome! I’m so glad the site was a help to you:-). Thank YOU for sharing so much incredible information, which will in turn be helpful to someone else who may be getting repeat urethrotomies, which we now know to be only temporary relief.
It sounds like you are now in good hands. good luck with the surgery, and yes. Please keep us informed of your results and progress.
Thanks again and best wishes!
Ken
Thank you, Ken. Next month will be your two year anniversary, so two quick questions if I may. (1) Is your flow still strong, and (2) are you experiencing any after effects?
You’re right! I hadn’t thought about that. to answer your questions, in order – yes and no:-). the flow doesn’t seem to be like the firehose it was right after everything was done and clear. I would say it’s “normal” now. But there aren’t any after effects. It’s like it never happened:).
Ken
Music to my ears. Congratulations & Thank you!!
Thanks. And you’re welcome:).
UPDATE: I had my procedure Friday morning. When I awoke, I was pleasantly surprised to have my mouth untouched.
Dr O’Connor said my 2.5 cm stricture was at the high end of the scale for end to end, but it was his opinion that anastomosis would give me the best chance.
Ken, thanks to your post on the perineal approach I do understand the trauma that area goes through but I wasn’t prepared for this much swelling.
You did write that there’s tons of swelling & another area on your site compared the scrotum to fruit sizes. Mine is like a small grapefruit & purple (very bruised). Any light you can shine on this? It’s only been 48 hours but this much bruising & swelling looks like it will never leave.
Hi Ned. Congrats on getting it done! And yeah, things will look quite swollen for several days. This surgery completely reset my expectations for how long things take to heal – from “days-to-weeks” up into the “weeks-to-months” category. When my doctor said not to be surprised to still be feeling pain even a year after the surgery, I actually felt better that things were taking so long – that it wasn’t abnormal.
Still, whenever I was concerned, I would call the urology office and put in a telephone consult at the very least. Sometimes I made an appointment to see a doctor just to make sure there was nothing to worry about. I think you should do the same. Some guy like me on teh internet can say anything he likes:-P. But you’ll only truly be reassured when your own doctor tells you what’s what.
Good luck! And thanks for the update:).
Ken
UPDATE (6/24/2015): Today was my first follow up exam since anastomosis urethroplasty on 6/12. Doc says all looks good, and I’m scheduled for a VCUG on Monday, 6/29. He fully expects that the two ends of the urethra will have fully sealed and healed together, and of course I can’t wait for Monday so that I will be catheter free.
In my last post, which was just 2 days after the procedure, my concern was the amount of swelling. The swelling took care of itself by day 8. No, the swelling is not all gone, but my experience was that on day 8 the amount of reduction was significant and it continues to reduce. There is still tenderness and bruising, but nothing at all like the first five days.
I was able to sit upright in my home office chair on a large soft pillow on day 10. Today at the doctor’s office, I was able to sit on a hard chair in the exam room with no pillow. Granted, we are talking about sitting only 10 minutes at a time, but what a big improvement.
I will share the 4 things my surgeon reminded me of on day 1 post op when he discharged me from the hospital.
The catheter is your lifeline. Do not get it hooked on anything. Be careful!
Support your scrotum. Do not let it hang.
Use neosporin liberally on the tip of your penis. Do not let it get sore.
Avoid getting constipated.
My experience: The first 5 days post op were not pleasant, but after that it got better day by day. Ken you are so right; This is a slow process, but the body does heal. Regarding #1 above, I was (and still am) very cautious to make sure I know where that catheter is before I move. Regarding #2, I cannot thank you enough Ken for all of the postings regarding your experiences of scrotum pain. It is so important to support the scrotum immediately after surgery (and trust me, that feels counter intuitive). When the swelling goes down (day 8 for me, and it continues to go down), the amount of weight is greatly reduced. However, had I not supported the scrotum immediately on post op day 1 (walking in the hospital), I know from reading Ken’s posts that I would be in that same condition of scrotum pain. I have very little scrotum pain today. It is tender. I tried to “let it hang” (if you will) during that first hospital walk, because that did feel better for the moment rather than having those “tightie whities” pull against such a sore spot. But Ken, your words echoed in my head, and I pulled up the underpants they had dressed me in; I am SO THANKFUL you posted your experience. Regarding #3, I detest catheters as much as anyone. I never had one for longer than 3 days prior to this procedure. The neosporin is a life saver, because urethral catheters are an irritant, and in those first 5 days of recovery the last thing I needed was to be more irritated. Regarding #4, my first bowel movement was on day 7. Again, thank you Ken for this forum which allowed me to know ahead of time that the 7th day is not that unusual. I had tried to “ween” myself of the pain medication, because I knew barbiturates bind a person up. I could not fully ween from the pain medication until day 6, so I was “bound up.” I had taken 3 stool softener pills per day (and continue to), but that wasn’t good enough. That first BM is not fun; A word to the wise, take your time and do not force it. The next morning (day 8), upon getting up I took three 6-oz glasses of prune juice, waited 1 hour, took one 6-oz glass of apple juice, waited another hour, took another 6-oz glass of apple juice, and then just waited. That makes for a mild laxitive. Three hours later I had a fairly pleasant experience. I told my surgeon that I had used this method, and he said, “That sounds excellent.” I wish his office had provided that guidance, but whatever. Since day 9, I continue to drink just one 6-oz glass of prune juice each evening before I go to bed, and that has been enough to keep things moving without any straining.
I also drank at least two quarts of water everyday, and I continue to do that.
In summary, Ken your blog is truly a godsend. I feel I’m way ahead of the curve on my recovery road simply because I was way more prepared than my surgeon (or any surgeon) had prepared me.
I’m so glad things are going well, Ned! And thanks for your kind words. It means a lot to me knowing I could help other people by sharing what I learned when I went through it.
I hope things continue to go well. Good luck and thanks again!
Ken
Hey Ned, those are wise words about the constipation. When I was in hospital, I was starting to panic that I hadn’t had a bowel movement for 7 days. The nurses didn’t seem fazed, but I was getting concerned. They were giving me lactulose (which doesn’t seem to work very effectively for me) but then they started giving me movicol. (I’m in Australia – I’m not sure what it’s called elsewhere). It’s a white powder that you mix with a glass of water. On day 8, I started have movements which were gentle but ended up being very frequent. I was having three movements a day!
For me, there’s also a psychological factor. Since I had wounds in my perineal area, I really didn’t want to put any strain around the area AT ALL, and I think that made me fearful about having a bowel movement which bound me up even more.
One of the nurses told me that it really is OK to not be having movements. As long as you’re producing gas, that’s a sign that the bowels are working OK and they will sort themselves out in time. She said that if you’re not farting, that’s a danger sign that needs immediate attention.
UPDATE: So, Bad news, and good news.
First the bad. I had my pericatheter RUG this morning. Essentially, the urethral catheter remains in, while a small tube is inserted along side of it about 1 inch into the opening of the penis. The contrast is then injected with a syringe while x-rays are taken to see if there is any extravasation (leaking). Unfortunately for me, one side had not healed completely, and the x-ray clearly showed a “4th of July” type of dispersion on the bottom side of the urethra where the two ends were joined together during my 6/12 urethroplasty.
Now the good news. My surgeon says this is not that uncommon, and the urethra simply needs more time to heal. The rest of my exam shows everything on the outside is healing nicely, swelling is way down, and there is no pain. In fact, there is very little scrotal pain, and I am able to sit upright on a pillow or padded chair for an hour at a time.
Next step: I will see my surgeon again on July 15 for another pericatheter RUG. He fully expects to see complete healing at that time, and if that is the case, the catheter will come out.
Sorry to hear things aren’t healed up yet. But as you say, the good news sounds like you won’t need to start over. July 15th is nothing, really, in the grand scheme. Good luck on the 15th!
Cheers!
Ken
UPDATE: First, Happy 2nd Anniversary Ken of your surgery.
Today was my follow up appointment following my 6/29 check up. I had my second pericatheter RUG this morning.
And …………………. The good news is that x-rays showed the leak had sealed itself since my last visit 16 days ago.
The fluoroscopy department sent me back to my surgeon’s office. With a big grin, Dr O’Connor said, “Well, pretty good picture this morning. I’m sure you’re going to be sad that I have to remove that catheter.”
The catheter was first used to fill my bladder with distilled water, and then a uroflow was performed. I scored a 26. After 33 days of having a catheter, it sure felt weird and scary to pee for the first time. However, there was no pain, and 26 sure beats the “3” that I scored prior to surgery.
My next check up will be in two weeks. Dr O’Connor just wants to make sure everything is continuing to heal well, and also wants to have a second uroflow. There is still plenty of healing to do. Most of the swelling is gone, however the area is sore and tender. I believe the worst is behind me, and I’m looking forward to keeping a decent flow rate over the next year to prove to myself that the stricture is not coming back this time.
Ned – congrats! And thanks for the update. It’s great to hear the good news from folks going through this – and it’s terrific for folks just starting their journey to see how others are getting along.
Good luck with your next check up and let us know how you go from here.
Cheers!
Ken
Hi Guys, I have a question about a voiding cystourethrogram.
Update: Since my last post (December 2014), I had the third skin graft op after the failure of the buccal mucosa graft. I had this third graft in February 2015. They ended up doing a perineal flap urethrostomy. Basically, they make a flap in the perineum and connect it to the remaining urethra. It was a gruelling 12 days in hospital, plus some fairly complicated healing since they needed to excavate a trench all the way back to the perineum this time, which meant that my scrotum is sort of separated.
I’ve been urinating out of a temporary place in my perineum since then. It’s inconvenient, since I have to sit down and I always need to clean up with wet wipes since it goes everywhere, but it’s manageable. I’ve been using incontinence pads, which are obviously helpful to manage any spillage, but on the other hand, they cause some irritation when I stand up and sit down frequently. Also, the pad sort of gets screwed up after a few hours at work and gets stuck in the “trench”. I usually have to sneak off to the dunny (that’s australian slang for “the john” 🙂 ) and readjust several times a day.
I realise all this sounds a bit grim, but honestly I’m better now than I have been for years in unexpected ways. Since I’m now pushing out a peak flow of about 25ml/s (against my 4ml/s pre-op), I can sleep all night without having to get up to urinate. Getting a good night’s sleep for the first time in my adult life has been life-changing!
Also, I feel that there’s some hope finally. Things got pretty bleak last year after the multiple failed grafts, but since Feb I’ve been back at work part-time and I can do an upper-body workout at the gym, so in many respects I’m feeling pretty good.
Now, the next (and hopefully final) phase is about to start.
The doc is going to roll it all back up into a tube in late August. He will construct it around a spigoted catheter (just as a splint – I’ll have a suprapubic for actually voiding). He says that the splint will be in for two weeks.
Then I will have a voiding cystourethrogram. If all goes well, they’ll remove the suprapubic 2 weeks after that and I’ll be able to get on with my life!!!!
I have a question about the cystourethrogram. He said that they will inject a coloured dye-like substance through the suprapubic. Then they’ll clamp that off and I’ll void through my new urethra while they take x-rays. Has anyone had one of these? How did it go? It is painful? How do they do the x-ray? Do you lie down for it or stand up? How does the x-ray device attach to your penis? I’m a bit worried that I won’t be able to “perform” with this device attached to me and with people I don’t know watching on! Does anyone have any advice? I’ve seen references to the “up-down-a-gram” in this forum (but I can’t find that reference now) and I’m wondering if that’s the same thing?
Gotta thank you again for the fantastic resource, Ken.
Dave.
Dave,
Thanks for your post. Wow! Yes it does sound grim. But I’m glad things are looking up:). To answer your question about the voiding cystourethrogram – it was not (for me, anyway) painful in the slightest! It felt weird to pee the “normal” way, for sure. But it didn’t hurt at all. they just fill you up until you tell them that you can’t hold it any longer. Then they tell you to let loose and pee into a jug as you lay sort of sideways on a table. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! By the way, I’m a pain weenie. So when I say it didn’t hurt, it REALLY didn’t hurt. I hope that helps. good luck moving forward!
Ken
Excellent explanation, Ken.
Dave, the, “up-down-a-gram,” you are asking about is whether the contrast is coming from the bladder (that’s the down), or whether the contrast is coming from a 1 inch long small catheter that is inserted in the tip of the penis along side of the main urethral catheter, and then injected upward toward the bladder without removing the main urethral catheter (that’s the “up”). When the flow of the contrast is “up”, the procedure is referred to as “retrograde” because the flow is going in the opposite direction of your normal urine flow. When the flow of the contrast is “down,” the procedure is reffered to as a “voiding” procedure, because you are literally voiding from your bladder, and the flow is in the usual direction of your normal urine flow.
I asked these questions of my surgeon because I could not understand why Ken’s experience was to “void,” but my experience was “retrograde.” It turns out that it is just certain professionals prefer to test the newly repaired urethra without taking out the main urethral catheter. That was my surgeon’s preference, and in my case it turned out to be a good thing. My first retrograde pericatheter urethrogram, which was 17 days after the operation, showed that the repair was still leaking (they call it extravasation). If he had decided that the urethrogram would have been a “voiding” urethrogram, he would have removed the catheter after first injecting the contrast into my bladder through the urethral catheter (I did not have a suprapubic), and then I would have voided. Since my repaired area was leaking, he would have had to put the urethral catheter back in, risking possible damage of that newly repaired area. He said that is why he prefers to use the pericatheter retrograde method.
So, whether it’s a voiding or a retrograde procedure, they are both usually done while lying down on the table (I had one years ago where I stood, and the x-ray machine was mounted on a wall bracket). The x-ray machine is not attached to you in any way. It is mounted on brackets usually over head of the table so they can put it in the position to capture the best pictures. As Ken described, the voiding method is not painful. The retrograde procedure is not painful either, but it feels “weird” because the fluid is flowing backwards and they are controlling the speed of the flow since they are injecting the contrast with a syringe, as opposed to you “peeing” or “voiding.” Hope that helps put you at ease.
You have gone through so much more than most. This part will be easy for you.
I return this Wednesday (7/29) for a follow up uroflow and PVR (Post Void Residual). I know both will go well. However, I discovered that I now have ED (no erection possible). I never had an erection during the days following the surgery when the catheter was in, and have not had any since the catheter was removed. The reading I have done tells me that between 32% to 48% of those who had a bulbar stricture repaired via “end to end,” will find they cannot get an erection. I’m one of those. The studies also say that normal function usually returns in about 6 months. I’m hoping I’m one of the lucky ones. I will learn more when I discuss this with my surgeon. I’m only at week 6 of recovery, so if anyone out there is reading this and had an ED experience, I would sure like to hear how it went.
Thank you, Ken, for this wonderful forum. None of us can thank you enough.
Best wishes to you, Dave.
Thanks for that info, Ned! And thanks for your kind comment. I’m so glad this is helpful to so many folks!
Cheers,
Ken
Hello Ned,
I had an end to end bulbar urethroplasty and I’m kind of in the same boat as you with the erections. I was wondering if you had an update on the situation. Did things to back to normal, as they were before the surgery. It would be great to hear how your experience went as I am very nervous as to whether I will return to normal.
Thanks Ken and Ned for your explanations.
Well here we are 7 months after my last post. My final repair was successful! On a good day, I am now pushing out a fully manly 25 ml/s peak flow :). It’s not as good as a 25 year old, but it’s enough for me!
I ended up finding the voiding cystourethrogram pretty traumatic, but it was for psychological reasons, not because it was remotely physically painful. It triggered some very powerful memories of childhood operations, and I actually found it *incredibly* difficult to void in front of the radiographer, plus her assistant nurse, plus the junior trainee (who was fascinated, since she’d never attended one of these VCUGs before). I ended up having to ask the latter two to leave the room, which they were very gracious and understanding about.
I have been through 11 operations in 16 months plus a lifetime of various small procedures but finally the surgeries seem to be over. I have one more planned cystoscopy in late February 2016 just to make sure everything’s cool, but so far it feels pretty good. I recently did an audit of my medical records and I have been anaesthetised 31 times in my life. (Once was for having my tonsils out, and once for my wisdom teeth, but 29 operations on my private parts is still serious enough!)
My flow is fairly inconsistent from one urination to the next, but I’ve realised that that’s how it is for most men, but they just don’t really pay that much attention to it. Given my history, I’ve attached a huge amount of significance to that, but now I have more perspective on it, I’m more relaxed about it.
The downside of where I’ve ended up is that I have to wear some form on incontinence pad for the rest of my life. Whereas a normal urethra has some elasticity and normally squeezes itself empty as the flow from the bladder decreases, the doc says that my urethra is more like a garden hose now, in that even though the flow has stopped, the skin is not elastic and there will always be some remainder which will dribble out. Because my urethral skin has been constructed from a mix of the interior of my cheeks, plus my left and right hips (the only hairless donor sites on my body), it is not elastic and does not empty fully. I found the incontinence pads really irritating. They might be OK if you’re an older guy who’s not doing so much activity (I’m 54 years old, not 84), but it doesn’t work for me, since I go to the gym, I swim, I like to go camping/hiking, etc. I’ve devised a trick of wearing 2 pairs of underwear and having a 10cm x 10cm gauze pad in between. I carry a spare pair of underwear, some spare gauze and a ziplock bag in my laptop bag just in case I have an “emergency” during the day. I have used it a few times, but I’ve generally been OK. This is *way* more comfortable than the incontinence pads which feel like having a cardboard box folded up in your shorts!
I went back to work properly in November 2015, although not full time – I’ve converted to four days per week. I think this is mostly about psychological recovery more than anything else.
In the interests of full and frank disclosure, I have had some psychological problems becoming sexually active again. My partner is incredibly understanding, but nevertheless I still find it very difficult to be physically intimate without having surgical flashbacks. I guess this will be an ongoing project.
I’ve come to realise that my own journey has been a bit more complex than some other guys here (and I don’t mean to trivialise anyone else’s experience), and I hope that my being blunt about the details hasn’t scared anyone from seeking help.
Ken, I just can’t thank you enough for providing such an honest and open forum about this stuff. I feel as if being able to drop the occasional progress report in here has been incredibly helpful to me.
Thanks all you guys.
Regards, Dave.
Thanks for the update, Dave! Glad to hear things are better for you. I had not heard about the issue of reduced elasticity from the use of significant graft tissue causing dribbling. Thanks for sharing that! I’m glad this site has been of help to you:). Best of luck moving forward!
Ken
UPDATE: Today marks 2 weeks that I have been without a catheter after having the urethral catheter for 33 days post op. My surgeon scheduled both a follow up uroflow and a PVR (Post Void Residual) for today to make sure things appear to be working as well as the first minute that the catheter was removed.
I received only good news today! The uroflow showed a continued strong stream, and the PVR showed that I am emptying my bladder. As a result of those findings, he doesn’t want to see me until 7 months from now. At that time, the same two tests will be repeated. That will mark 9 months since the anastomosis urethroplasty procedure. My surgeon says if the numbers look good at that point, odds are the stricture will stay away. He asked that I call prior to 7 months if anything should change, such as stream slowing dramatically, increased pain, etc.
I asked about the sudden ED (erectile dysfunction) that I mentioned in my 7/28 post above. I’ll share with you the information I received. Ken, this will certainly not surprise you. He said the area is full of delicate nerves, blood supply lines, etc, and that the healing is slow. Six months to a year to get function back is not all that uncommon, depending on how your body reacted to your surgery. The key there is the word your. As much as we are all the same, we are also all different. And let’s face it, our surgeons are different, and the trauma inflicted during this delicate and intricate procedure can also be different. So, I will be patient, and let time work its magic.
What is especially surprising to me is that I am completely pain free. I can sit as long as I want, even on hard surfaces, exercise normally, run, jump and whatever. It’s not quite 7 weeks post op, so I am feeling very good about that. I know there has to be others who have experienced this ED thing, so if you are reading this, please reply and share your experience so others can also learn. I will update as my ED improves, or I will also update months down the road if it does not improve.
And for those reading this because you have been advised to have this procedure, I say don’t be afraid to elect to be cured of your stricture. Continue to read this website, and learn all that you can. Knowledge is power, and that is the only way to conquer fear. Take it from a guy who had a stricture at age 15, and then spent the last 49 years living with it. It is so FANTASTIC to be rid of it. This website gave me the knowledge and courage to make the right decision.
HAPPY HEALING & BEST WISHES TO ALL!!
Ned – Thanks soooo much for your update! It’s incredible to hear your story and I’m so happy for you. And thanks for encouraging others with your experiences and advice. I’m glad this site could be a help to you. It was the whole reason I started it.
Go forth and be stricture-free!:).
Cheers,
Ken
Man that is awesome, I’m hoping to get my “nothing but good news” day soon!
Congrats! I’m also experiencing ED, I had my surgery 5 weeks ago and have gotten 3 erections all of which have woke me up. I cannot get mine to stand to attention on my own or with my wife’s help; but I’m hoping down the road that changes.
-Mark
Mark,
If you have any ability at all, then the chances are really good that it will improve over the next months. It does go rather gradually, but should get there. Things are back to normal for me:).
Best of luck.
Kem
Good to hear, I’ll be sure and give some updates as the weeks/months go by.
Thank you,
Mark
Sure Shaun. I’m doing it now. I’m answering this to let you know. Then I’ll delete this.
One of my readers wanted to share his story while maintaining privacy. So I’ll post what he said here, minus his name, etc.
“Hi Ken and all,
Kudos for the website and all the experiences shared. It really helpful for this otherwise less known issue.
About me I am a 34 year old and have lived with the stricture for close to 5 years. The only other health problem I have is a impaired glucose response, otherwise known as Pre-diabetes.
Initially it started with blood spots on my underwear and the need to push hard to empty my bladder. There was no pain. I met a urologist, who suggested it might be because of inflamed prostates and I was put on rounds of antibiotic one after another, but the condition only worsened.
An year later, I was really getting worried so the Doctor decided to put in a scope to check if there was something wrong, and the stricture was discovered.
Doctor suggested Urethrotomy as a solution and suggested me to get it done ASAP. So Dec 2012 I had my urethrotomy done, followed with a week urinary catheter, the flow came back but there was a burning sensation whenever i passed urine, i discounted it as a side effect of the operation. Within 3 weeks i realized that the problem was back. Urologist suggested this to be done a second time. Was under the knife again on Feb 2013, followed by 2 weeks of Catheter. Even this time the respite was only for few week. The doctor put me on self catheteriazation to contain the situation . This was really an unpleasant experience. However I lived with it, later I found that the catheter was finding resistance to go in and the process was becoming painful.
I decided to consult the doctors again, and met a few of them, I was suprised to know that the success rate for urethrotomy was very low. After getting my stricture length and all other test, I was advised to go for Anastomotic Urethroplasty
On 16 July 2015, I got the Urethroplasty done. The experiences shared here helped me to cope with the post op symptoms. Similar to everyone, I had pain for few days, fortunately I can sit upright, without the donut pillow. Was on probiotics from day 1 so I was able to pass motion on day 3 (though it soiled the bandages). Doctors advised to keep the wound clean and covered for first 5 days and later just apply the medicine. Nocturnal erection is still giving me troubled sleep, but I found it helpful to use a wet wipe, eased the erection and the pain.
I am due for a review next week. Hoping for a full recovery :)”
Hello people,
I want to check with you about the urine flow once the catheter was removed after anastomotic urethroplasty.
Is the flow one stream or does is spread and split towards the end.
I am facing slight burning sensation and splitting of urine stream towards the end. Has anyone faced this before.
Appreciate if anyone can share their experience!
Regards,
Shaun
Hi Shaun. It should not split the stream, normally. Though that does happen to most people once in a while, even if you’ve never had a stricture. And though I didn’t have any pain AFTER everything was removed, some people might. I’ would say that if it doesn’t go away within a few days, tell your doctor about it. I hope that helps.
Cheers,
Ken
Hi Shaun,
As you may remember from my posts above, I had anastomotic urethroplasty on 6/12/2015. My catheter was removed very recently (7/15/2015). The catheter had been in for 33 days.
My ride home was 2 hours, and I was pretty much sitting up the whole time. When I got home I tried to pee, and I could barely go at all (even though my bladder was telling me I REALLY had to go). I waited until bed time, and then I was able to go, but the stream was very slow, it split, and it spattered all over. I also experienced a burning sensation. When I woke up the next morning, it was much better. It took another 2 or 3 days to get back to what it felt like when he first took out the catheter in the office.
I had a 2 week follow up on 7/30 (see post above). I misspoke in the 7/15 post saying my uroflow was 26. I found out during my 7/30 follow up visit that I had looked on the wrong place of the report. It was actually a reading of 15 mL/sec peak, and 10 mL/sec average. Per my surgeon, that still is normal for a 64 year old male. I then told him about my experience on 7/15 when I got home. He said that due to the trauma of the catheter inside during the healing process, it was normal to experience burning, weak stream, split stream and even spattering in all directions.
I agree with Ken. If the burning doesn’t go away within a few days, give your doctor’s office a call. My experience was that the stronger stream came back, and the burning went away in 2 or 3 days. Surgically, you certainly went through more than I did and more than most people do, so I can imagine that time for healing is your friend. However, as Ken has stated so many times, none of us are professional medical people. We are just average folks who can share what we felt during our experience.
Wising You a Happy Healing!
Ned
Great work Ken.You did excellent work by sharing your experiences with us.I Just wanted to know that are there any problems with erection issues etc after urethroplasty. Is it possible to have normal sex life after surgery.And when one can resume sexual activities after surgery.
Sameer,
It is possible to have a normal sex life after urethroplasty – yes. there may be some erection issues for a few months. But things should return to normal eventually unless something unusual occurred. If it doesn’t, you should ask your doctor about it for sure.
Hope that helps.
Ken
Hello ,
I have sticture and already done DVIU three times in Past 5 Years ,
my Doctor said its time for Uroplasty ,
I am very scare , as he said it may effect your SEX Life , and I may be not become Father of a Kid ,
So my question is :
1. How was your sex life after Uroplasty
2. Are you Father of Kid after uroplasty
Please help , I am very confused and nervous
Thanks
John
John,
Thanks for writing. Yeah, DVIUs are notorious for not lasting. So good call by your doctor about the urethroplasty. Did he/she REALLY say you might not have any children? Because there is no evidence for that (urethroplasty leading to inability to have children) at all! IF someone else knows of any clinical evidence for that, please post here. But to my knowledge, that is completely false. Now there COULD be an effect on your sex life, at least temporarily. But usually after several months, that goes back to normal. It’s pretty rare for you to lose sexual function. But depending on the size of your stricture, there may be some shortening on the erect penis (again, not usually though, since the urethral is VERY stretchy), or possible a slight bend in one direction or the other. But that usually has no affect on your ability to have children at all!
It’s a pretty scary thing to have to wear a catheter and go through any surgery. But urethroplasty has a very high chance of fixing your problem for good! So you should look forward to never having to have the DVIU done again:). Plus, there is every reason to believe that after a few months, your sex life should be back to normal.
I hope that helps.
Ken
Hello Ken,
Thank you very much for your reply ,
1. Do you think it may be problem with Producing SPERM after uroplasty which cause not able to become father ?
By the way , I am from INDIA
I have heard about Ayurvedic treatment called “Uttarbasti” URL : https://www.cureurethralstricture.com/ which is not required any surgery and CURE the stricture. Do any one have experience for this treatment,
Can I go for this treatment ???
NOTE : I am not able POST into your FORUM section , Message says ” Registration currently not allowed”
Thanks
John
Hello Ken,
Thank you very much for your reply ,
1. Do you think it may be problem with Producing SPERM after uroplasty which cause not able to become father ?
By the way , I am from INDIA
I have heard about Ayurvedic treatment called “Uttarbasti” URL : https://www.cureurethralstricture.com/ which is not required any surgery and CURE the stricture. Do any one have experience for this treatment,
Can I go for this treatment ???
NOTE : I am not able POST into your FORUM section , Message says ” Registration currently not allowed”
Thanks
John
John,
You mean you, personally, have a sperm-count issue? Because there is no evidence that I am aware of for urethroplasty having anything whatsoever to do with sperm production. So if you ALSO suffer from a sperm-count problem, then I would say that for you, yes that might be the issue with having trouble fathering a child.
As regards Uttar Basti treatment, my advice would be “why not give it a try?” It’s minimally invasive and only takes 10-15 minutes or so. It might not be a bad thing to try before moving on to urethroplasty. However, there is not a lot of sound, clinical evidence for its efficacy. I found one study with one subject. That isn’t enough evidence to pronounce it effective. But you don’t really have anything to lose unless it’s terribly expensive. So give it a try. Why not? I don’t think it can do you any harm.
Thanks for the forum message. I’ll look into that.
Cheers!
Ken
John,
Can you try registering for the forum again? I changed a setting that should solve the problem.
Cheers!
Ken
Hi John,
Please share you experience with uttarbasti, was the treatment effective.
Thanks
Hi Ken,
After Uroplasty,
1. Within how much days you will be able go to Office ??
2. Within how much days you will be able drive a bike ??
3. Are you living NORMAL life after Uroplasty , Do you need to do Compromise anything for your body or LIFE OR SEX Life .??
by the way thanks for correction for forums registration
Thanks
John,
Hi Ken
After uroplasty
1. How was your normal life , Did you compromise for any thing for your Body,
2. within how much days you were able to Resume Normal Life , like going to Office , Ridding a bike ?
3. Did you keep Leg Urine Bag after uroplasty , IF yes for how much days ???
Thanks
Raj
Hi Raj,
to answer your questions in order:
1. Back to normal. Better than normal, actually, since it had been a long time since I peed normally.
2. Normal life is actually many questions. I didn’t ride a bike for at least 6 months. but then, I’m not a bike rider. Going to the office was within 3 weeks.
3. I only had to have the leg urine bag for 10 days after my urethroplasty. After that, no more catheter and no more bag!
Hope that helps.
Ken
Ken ,
I am 33 Years Old , and I am father of 2 kids.
I have already did IVU three times before . but it was not successful.
I consulted Urologist today :
1. He did not recommend for Uroplasty because it may Result in Erection problem after uroplasty which will be BIG problem in SEX life . and uroplasty can be done after age of 50 Years.
2. He also suggested “Stem Cell” Surgery or Therapy for stricture.
I request you Ken , please advise on above two concerns.
I am very scared.
Thank you.
Hi Quris,
Keeping in mind that I am not a medical professional – I think you should get a 2nd opinion. Urethroplasty does not usually result in erection problems that will last your lifetime. Maybe several months. On the other hand, urethroplasty has a high probability of permanently fixing your urinary problems.
I hope that helps.
Ken
Thanks Ken :
Do you have more Idea about : “Stem Cell” Surgery or Therapy for stricture.
1. How its Success Rate
2. any Pros and Cons of it
Thank you..
I have not found much on it by doing some Google searching other than some studies currently being run. I think what the doctor is referring to is something pretty new called Buccal Epithelium Expanded & encapsulated in Scaffold – Hybrid Approach to
Urethral Stricture (BEES-HAUS). It is still urethroplasty, but instead of taking a large graft from inside your cheek (if needed), which is large and usually causes people trouble in healing in the cheek, they take a very small sample from inside the cheek just to get the cells, and then they grow a graft. Then they do the urethroplasty and use the grown graft to ease the stretch/tension on the repaired urethra. From what I can find it’s still pretty new and is likely to be more expensive, though I have no data on that. I hope that helps.
Ken
Hi Ken, have been an onlooker on this ur site before I had my uroplasty surgery and I must confess, ur site has been really helpful. I did my surgery 3 weeks ago and I still have the Catheter on. My question are
1.did u have the urge to urinate when u have a catheter on?
2. Is burning sensation normal?
3. Was there pus in ur penis when then catheter was on?
Hi Ajayi. Congrats on your surgery!
to answer your questions:
1. With a bag attached, it happened once to me and I was confused. But it turned out the tube had gotten twisted and blocked, so my bladder filled up. But normally I did not feel the urge when the catheter was in with a bag attached. It DID happen a lot when I just put a cap on the end of the catheter tube instead of a bag, something my doctor said I should not have done AFTER the surgery.
2. I don’t know where the burning sensation is you mention. But there sure was a lot of pain in the scrotum and place where they cut. The area around the end of the penis where the tube goes in can get very tender. And it does hurt at times.
3. Related to the above, the tube slides in and out of the tip of the penis all the time, so sticky stuff from inside gets on it and comes out, etc. That isn’t puss. It’s just the moist stuff from inside. You should wash this off every morning. If you ARE having puss, that is not normal and you should talk to your doctor as soon as possible.
I hope that helps.
Good luck!
Ken
Yes u are right, anytime I uses a spigot to block the Catheter, that’s when I have the urge to urinate but if I am using a bag, I don’t feel the urge. And I don’t think what’s coming out of my penis is pus I think it’s what u describe. I really appreciate u. Thanks a lot and I wish people having this same problem can learn from this site
You’re welcome! So glad it helped. Thanks for the kind words!
Ken
(I sent this in a message but I just realize how to make a post) I recently had a urethroplasty(on june 24th 2016), it was the a 3-4 cm bulbar stricture and required a graft from the inside of my cheek. I went to the ER a week after my operation because I was in alot of pain. Turns out I had a skin infection, a yeast infection, and a bacterial infection. So I was give an IV of antibiotics, some morphine, and a prescription on sulfameth antibiotics for a week. After I finish that I noticed some of the pain coming pack, and the hospital sends me a letter saying they cultured my urine and it turned out to be an anti-biotic-resistant strain of Ecoli. They issued me another week of Ciproflaxacin this time, which i took right up until the day before my catheter removal. My catheter was removed about 2 weeks ago, and while feeling tremendously better and the results being very promising so far, I still feel generally malaise. I was wondering if you experienced anything like this, and if it is a symptom of the surgery itself, or in relation to the gratuitous amount of antibiotics I had been given. I still need to sleep about 10-12 hours a day, and get awful bouts of nausea, although the nausea has been easing up with probiotics and awful tasting all natural greek yogurt (not sure if it’s placebo or not). I couldn’t find a way to post on the forum, if you could instruct me on a way to make this post public to benefit the community as a whole please let me know. I had 2 urethrotomy’s, and a dilation before and this site is what convinced me for the urethroplasty. It is a great service you have done for the whole urethral stricture community, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that it is greatly appreciated.
Taylor. Thanks for your kind words! To answer your question – no, I did not experience anything like what you describe. But then I did not have the graft from the cheek. Nor did I get the infections you got. It sounds like you had quite the battle with those. I’m glad you’re more in the recover phase now.
About the nausea and malaise, I did have some of that, but not so much after 2 weeks. I think the antibiotics you were on may well have contributed to that. Also, about feeling so tired – I have experienced that even weeks after a surgery where I had general anesthesia. Of course there is no way for me to know the cause of your feeling, I can say that having so much trauma to your system as you get in a surgery like yours can affect your body for many weeks. It does sound like you are on your way to getting back to normal. But as with anything, if you have any questions I urge you to ask you doctor or nurses about it, since I am not a medical professional.
Best of luck to you now that the catheter is out!!
Ken
Thanks for the reply Ken, all the infection has cleared, and most of nausea has dissipated as well. My fatigue is pretty close to normal, and it gets better every single day. I’m crossing my fingers for a success, and am crossing my fingers to hit that 6 month mark without it reoccurring.
(Here’s some info from my personal experience For anyone else with this procedure who has also had alot of nausea, I have confirmed that it was the antibiotics itself that caused most of it. While you may be able to get a better, prescription anti-nausea medication, I found that the over the counter anti-nausea “Nauzene” chewables helped quite a bit. They by no means cured the nausea, but really helped the extreme bouts of it that I would get. I also found that the leg-bag made my symptoms and discomfort alot worse, but you also don’t want to carry your night bag around all day in public either. So first of all, do not attempt jeans, I tried this and it made things alot worse, sweats will be your best friend. I would wear a pair of basketball shorts underneath the sweats and hang/pin the night bag to the pocket of the basketball shorts underneath my sweats. If your sweats are baggy enough, you cannot see any signs of the bag, and was able to do a variety of things like this with alot more comfort then using the leg bag. The leg bag does not typically have any kind of anti-reflux (urine going back into the bladder) mechanism, and caused me quite a bit of discomfort. As for cleaning your catheters, follow the instructions online, the method I found to be best/easiest was to change/clean them in the shower. Make sure you use alot of soap before you touch anything, and flush the inside of the bags with vinegar. As Ken has stated many times, the foam donut is much better then the rubber inflatable, and can be a life-saver in these operations. I did not have a recliner like Ken did, but I did have a really nice office chair that I would use with the foam donut. I would have the catheter (night-bag) tubing come out the top of my shorts/sweats and hang it on the bottom of my chair (I used the lever that adjusts the chair height to hang it on). I’m not a big TV watcher, so I would use a lid from a large plastic storage bin as a desk of sorts, and put my wireless mouse and keyboard on it so I could lean back comfortably. I thought being bored would be awful for a month, as I had 3 smaller non-invasive procedures before, but found that after the urethroplasty 75% of my day was sleeping. I cannot stress how important fluids are with this procedure. I’ve never been good at drinking water, and despite the sodium/sugar content ,I found it alot easier to stock up on Gatorade. You can feel the difference when you are not drinking enough fluid, the dull bladder pain gets more prominent. This probably isn’t doctor recommended, but I always save one pain-pill for the removal of the catheter, although alot of people say the removal is just uncomfortable, to me it has always been pretty painful.
After the catheter removal:
I was rather ill for a little while after my catheter removal, but every day gets a little better. I found probiotcs extremely helpful with the nausea. When purchasing probiotics, do your research, alot of them will not work, will be dead by the time you take them. I don’t want to market anything here, but if anyone is curious I can tell you the ones I took .Just make sure the bacteria is guaranteed at expiration date, not at manufacture, and that you get a wide variety of bacteria strains. In addition to this, get some greek yogurt (to me its just awful but I eat it like medicine) with a live and active cultures seal. Testicle pain is apparently the norm after the procedure for awhile, and I still get small bouts of throbbing 2.5 months post op, but its very mild at this point. The best thing for me has been this forum, I encourage you to read through all of it, as it seems the internet material on this procedure is very limited. I wanted to post this to just kind of contribute my experience, and the things I found to help. I’ll check this occasionally, and if y’all have any questions for me please let me know. If anyone in the DFW area is looking for a urethroplasty specialist, I know there are only two in DFW that are known. The one I went to is in Arlington, at USMD hospital, and his name is Geoffrey Nuss. I’m not advertising him in anyway, but I read alot of people on here were having trouble finding specialist, and Ken’s surgeon was only for the VA. Well if anyone has any questions for me, feel free to ask, I’ll be checking on here occasionally, and Ken of course who has been really responsive and supportive of this entire community.
Thanks for your comment, Taylor! So glad things are looking and feeling better for you. I also appreciate your helpful suggestions for others. Amen to the not wearing jeans thing unless you absolutely have to, and even then, double check frequently that there is enough slack under there. On the whole washing the bag thing – I should point out that there is no evidence one way or another about UTI prevention. I always rinsed mine, but never used vinegar or soap or anything. HOWEVER, since the one time I did get a UTI was when I let my catheter dangle in the shower, I NEVER did that again, even though science suggested it should not have mattered. For me it just was hedging my bets, and it wasn’t that hard. I also tried to limit how long I ever let my catheter be open to the air – something else that the data suggest shouldn’t matter. It made me feel better so I did it. I think folks need to choose their own level of comfort here. There are a lot of folks online who have elaborate cleansing procedures posted, and they use their lack of UTIs as evidence that it works. But the actual data indicate they wouldn’t have gotten a UTI anyway. But like I said, this is your body, so folks should do what they feel comfortable with.
Again, thanks so much for your post. Best of luck moving forward!
Cheers,
Ken
Hi Ken
We are not able to Register in to Forum error “User registration is currently not allowed.”
Can you please see ????
John,
So sorry about that. I’ll look into it. Thanks for letting me know.
Ken
John, Can you try again?
Ken
Hey quick question. It’s been awhile since my surgery now, about 5 months I think. I’m not sure if its my kidneys, but it sure feels like the kidney pain I’d get before my surgerys/operations; definitely coming from where my kidneys actually are. They throb pretty bad from time to time, is this normal, or is this anything you guys have had an issue with?
Back in March I had my first stage buccal mucosa urethroplasty. For those less than familiar with the procedure, tissue was taken from my mouth (a lot of tissue) to create a new urethra.
My existing urethra which was full of scar tissue and structures from previous surgeries was removed and the new tissue was laid flat over the front surface area.
To be honest, my mouth was much more painful than the actual area of the surgery.
On Tuesday I am going for a second stage surgery to close the surgical area. If you are wondering, since last March my penis has not had a urethra, I’ve been going through an opening at the base of the penis.
For the surgery on Tuesday I will have a supra pubic catheter coming directly from my bladder. I had one of these for multiple surgeries as a child. I’m a little worried about it but I know that that fear is irrational.
I would appreciate hearing from people who have had the two-stage buccal mucosa urethroplasty and hearing about their experiences with the second stage of the operation.
Best of luck on the 2nd stage! Boy that 2-stage surgery is a tough row to hoe. I was fortunate to only have the single stage, so I can’t offer any specific advice. Of course I CAN say that of all the stuff I went through, having the SP catheter was the least of it:). I thought it was great. So hopefully this will al be over soon and you’ll have everything fully operational again.
Let us know!
Ken
I’d just like to thank Ken and others on this and other blogs for sharing their knowledge and experience. I’m 6 days post end-to-end anastomosis and the info I have received from you all has helped so much. I felt prepared mentally and it allowed me to have everything I needed in place to aid my recovery. 6 days on from surgery and I feel good. The catheter will remain for another 2 weeks, but thats such a short amount of time compared to a lifetime of healthy urination.
As others have done, I just want to share what I have learnt so far post op.
Mental preparation is key: you are doing this to be stricture free. When you wake from surgery that diseased part of your urethra will be out of your body — in a surgical bin somewhere. For most of us it’s probably the first time in 20 years we’re free of it.
Perspective: it’s easy to be down about this disease, the surgery and recovery. It isn’t a walk in the park but we all have a lot to be thankful for.
Preparation: thank you to everyone who shares tips. Without you I wouldn’t have purged Amazon for the following essentials. They really do help.
– 15″ donut cushion
– 7.5×7.5 non woven swabs. For wound drying and lining of boxers.
– womens sanitary pads. For over the swab.
– shaving mirror. To stand over and check wound.
– paracetamol
– 21 x 2 litre bottles of quality Spring water. You need to drink a lot!
– DUS 10 urinalysis sticks to check urine daily for changes/UTIs
– a grabber for picking items off floor
– a 1 month subscription to all the movies, sports channels you can access.
– cotton wool
– non perfumed soap
– disinfectant wipes for cleaning end of catheter
– hand towels
– face wipes (great when in hosp to freshen up)
– baggy jogging bottoms
– a selection of boxer shorts with varying tightness. Experiment.
I’ve also found diet is important to aid digestion and feed yourself for recovery. For me that’s been consistently a: high fibre breakfast, vegetable soap and wholemeal sandwich, brown rice/white fish/veg.
If anyone has any questions about the first week post surgery I’d be happy to answer them.
Paul
Thanks so much for your post, Paul! So glad we could be of some help. You have such a positive outlook. Good luck gtting through the next 2 weeks and getting your catheter out!
Cheers,
Ken
Thanks Ken,
Catheter came out today. They didn’t do a vcug which I thought was unusual based on others experiences. I presume after 3 weeks they expect no healing issues.
Flow is excellent.
I feel fortunate that I have no testicle pain, only some numbness in places.
The only issue seems to be tightness in the urethra which is preventing a full erection. It reaches 90 degrees and then the tightness and pain kicks in. Did you experience something similar and did it loosen up over time?
Congrats Paul!
I did experience something similar and things did go back to normal over time. That one did take a few months though. Just need more practice maybe:-).
Cheers!
Ken
Hey Ken, Rob here. I’m 2 days post end-to-end and feeling good, no pain. But… I am constipated (eating right and taking measures) and anxious about how straining to go may hurt the surgical site…
Thanks for the awesome blog.
Hi Rob. Congrats! The constipation thing is totally normal. I just had a sugery for a broken foot a few weeks ago and it took me a week to finally poop properly. You’ll get there.
Cheers,
Ken
Thanks, oh, and I tried to register in the forums to provide updates on my progress, but got caught in a weird password reset loop with no ability to actually create a password from a link. My username is popcorn35mm
– Rob
Hi Rob. So sorry about that. Let me try to change your password. I’ll send you an email to let you know what it is.
Ken
Hey everyone. Could you help me out? I put together a VERY short survey tor subscribers on this site to help me understand how I can help folks with their catheter problems better. It would really be a help to me if you could take just a couple of minutes (seriously 🙂 ) to do this survey. If you can do this, just click here to go to the survey. Thanks so much!!
Ken
Hi Ken ,
I am suffering stricture ,
My question is : Some time Sperm is not come outside Penis and it remains inside with pain and burning in Urethra area .
Why it remains inside ??
Is it Normal that Sperm remain inside , Does if effect to Bladder or Urethra or any other organ.
Thank you..
Roy,
That is called “retrograde ejaculation.” It just means that the semen can’t get past the stricture, which makes sense because a stricture is a blockage. The semen then backs up into the bladder.
Do you have plans to have the stricture fixed? That may be the only way to avoid the retrograde ejaculation. I had that problem too, before my surgery. The surgery fixed it.
I don’t believe it damages anything. And yes, it fairly common when you have a stricture.
Hope that helps.
Ken
Hi Ken! I have read through your site before and in spite of being a woman with recurrent urethral strictures, I have found the information very helpful. Thank you! There is very scant information around on a female experience with urethral stricture. I have now had multiple dilatations and underwent my 2nd urethroplasty (with vaginal flap) in October; the first one never seemed to be completely successful (but the surgeon had said he didn’t want to be too aggressive, so it might take two surgeries). Now, I am three months out from surgery #2 and not feeling too bad but with persistent PVR of up to 350 ml and a poor stream and significant urinary frequency. Both the surgeon and I are hesitant to pursue another dilatation as they only seem to help temporarily, but I am a bit frustrated. Do you think I just need more time for healing? I feel unconvinced that the tincture of time will make things better, but I am not known for my patience. Also, the first urethroplasty, he firmly said no “straddling activities” such as biking for 6 months (I am an avid cyclist, but I was obedient); now three months out from the second surgery, he says “go for it!”…I am not sure about that advice but haven’t been able to find a lot different on-line to support or contradict the suggestion?? Any input? Thanks again.
Hi Lynette,
Just to check the box, I need to remind you that I’m not a medical professional. My personal opinion, based on my own experience and those of dozens of others on this site alone, is that if you are not peeing with flow at least normal AFTER you’ve had urethroplasty AND all catheters removed, then I would think something isn’t right. Most folks report super flow (like WOW!) the day the catheter comes out post-surgery. Then over a period of several months, things usually return to a more normal flow. but unless a new stricture is in play, or the surgery didn’t fully succeed, flow doesn’t usually go below normal. Urethroplasty is reported as a 90+ percent success rate. So it’s possible you were one of the 10% from one surgery. But after 2, it seems either your particular circumstance, or your surgery isn’t typical for some reason. Is it possible there is another stricture in there they didn’t see while scoping? I think your suspicion that tincture of time is not how this works is correct. I hope that helps! Is there another doctor you can see to run a full scope along the urethra and see a) if the stricture at the surgery site has recurred, or b) if there is/are other stricture(s).
Thanks for the thoughts,Ken. I completely realize you are not a medical profession (I am, but this is not my area of specialty), so I just appreciate reading your experience and any insight that I might gain. Thanks again for your prompt response and suggestions. I hope that your recovery remains 100%!
Had urethroplasty 12/20/17 at UC Davis. Went back on 1/8/18 for a follow up where they injected a dye in there up to prostate. The less than one centimeter structure was gone with no leakage into the surrounding areas. Went right to the urologist Dr Jennifer Rothschild,who said it would be fine to take out catheter . She told me to take it easy ( no work) till end of January. I can pee mile now. I see where some stay with a cath for four or more weeks . Wonder why not me? Anyway no bleeding no pain urinating jusy some pain sitting still around back of scrotum. Simple task like driving and walking , doing dishes and stuff but no serious work or running or sex till after end of January according to Dr. The only pain pill I took was a single pill for two hour drive home. None after that. Hoping the best for all out there will keep everyone posted
Thanks for posting. Isn’t it great how well you can pee afterward? It’s not something people think about very often. That pain in the scrotum can last quite awhile. But it sounds like you’re well on your way back to normal. Best of luck!
Hello All,
I was hoping someone could tell me if they have had similar symptoms as I have and what, if any surgery they have had?
I have been diagnosed with a 2.5cm bulbar stricture, I have a normal urine flow but experience pain at the stricture site and down the shaft of my penis. My Uro wants to preform a urethroplasty but I’m sceptical that this will fix the pain that I feel.
Thanks
James
James – oh yes! When I had my stricture, once it got to about 1 cm, I had a LOT of pain every time I peed. And yes, urethroplasty fixed that problem. I say “trust your Uro on this!”
Hello Ken ,
Do you idea about FILIFORM URETHRAL DILATOR Catherors which have small long tip and Blue color
http://www.indovasive.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Filiform_Urethral_Dilator.pdf
do you recommnded for Self Catherization. ??
Thanks
Hello Ken ,
Do you have idea about FILIFORM URETHRAL DILATOR Catherors which have small long tip and Blue color
http://www.indovasive.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Filiform_Urethral_Dilator.pdf
do you recommnded for Self Catherization. ??
do you know why it is not widely used for Self Catherization ??
Thanks
Hi Ken, this is an amazing site and thank you for posting such useful and informative information!
I’ve been living with a stricture for the past 27 yrs (I’m 43 now) and I’ve been dilated 7 times in that period.. no DVIUs yet but my new Urologist (first one retired) suggested it. I’ve always had burning when I pee and a little blood. I had a recent physical and everything came back clear… prostate, kidneys, electrolytes, etc. (thank God).
I’m quite nervous considering the recurrence rate after DIVUs and the potential to make it worse (cutting causing more scar tissue). I was recently dilated with a 20f dilator which, I think, is not bad. My questions are:
1 . How many DVIUs did you have prior to the plasty?
2. How soon after each did the stricture recur?
3. Did you do any self-dilations before the plasty as a long term option?
4. Do you know of any issues with incontinence risk after plasty?
Thanks Ken!
Hi Ajju. I never had a DVIU. As soon as I was diagnosed with stricture, they scoped me to confirm on the same day. After that, the urology team immediately scheduled me for urethroplasty because of its high rate of effectiveness. I also never did dilations. The day they scoped me, they inserted a suprapubic catheter to allow bladder rest, relieve any pressure on the stricture through the constant pushing of the bladder, and to allow the stricture to “scar down” as the doc put it. That lasted almost 6 months. Then they did the surgery. In the end it was more cost-effective for everyone by not having to conduct multiple procedures and dealing with low-odds treatments. I had no incontinence and the risk is low, post urethroplasty.
I hope that helps!
Hello Ken ,
Are you from CANDA ?
I am suffering from Urethral Structure, and I am from INDIA.
There is ” Drug Coated Ballon Dilator ” available in CANADA for long term releif in Urethral Sticure . ( http://urotronic.com)
I have alredy asked to the Company urotronic.com but thay said you need to ask to Doctor or Physican in Canada ,
I request you to please ask him what will be Cost of this device .
Can you Please try to contact your Uroligst and ask him if this device available in Canada and if he has started treatment of using it for Urethral Stricture Patients .
Please have a look this link http://urotronic.com/try/
Thanks ,
Raj
I’m not from Canada, Raj. I’m in the US.
Hi Ken,
I am suffering from Urethral Structure, and I am from INDIA.
There is ” Drug Coated Ballon Dilator ” available in CANADA for long term releif in Urethral Sticure .
I have alredy asked to the Company urotronic.com but thay said you need to ask to Doctor or Physican in Canada ,
I request you to please ask him what will be Cost of this device .
Can you Please try to contact your Uroligst and ask him if this device available in Canada and if he has started treatment of using it for Urethral Stricture Patients .
Please have a look this link http://urotronic.com/try/
Thanks ,
Raj
Hi Ken,
I’m thankful for this resource just as I’m sure everyone else who has to have this surgery and who has a stricture feels as well. I’ve been reading your posts and am scheduling the surgery hopefully within a month. My doctor has said he will be doing end to end surgery, and I was curious, since you had this surgery, have you had any recurrences as of now, or has it continued to be a success.
Thank you,
david
No recurrences. 6+ years later and I’m peeing normally :-). good luck on your surgery!
Can you recommend me a physician who can do the urethroplasty Surgery in United States? Since I have urethral stricture in area located in bulbar annular stricture.
I think that would need to come from folks who have recently had a urethroplasty. And of course, it depends on where in the US you are. Try a search in Google – “urethroplasty surgeons in US” for a start. Then if you find one near you, maybe do a bit of searching about that doctor to see if patients recommend him or not.
Hello All,
If you can come to India , then there is treatment available for Stricture ,
They will take some Cells from your Cheeks and Injects in to Stricture Area .
More information and contact details can be found :
https://www.regrow.in/uregrow-for-urethral-stricture
Hope this will help.
Im very nervous 4 months after my operation through my perinum area surgery worked very well on flow side but in other side I develop erectile dysfunction i tried cialis helped little bite but I can’t maintain full erection for intercourse so its failed
Any one get same issue please help
I’m sorry to hear that, Joby. Did you go back to Urology and ask them about it? It might not be permanent. I’ve heard that for some, it takes many more months or a year to get back to full, or at least enough. Best of luck!
I reach multiple time to urology office they just keeping on reassuring me only it will take time up to year but it long long long to wait one year to have normal love
how are you doing now for me same exprinces now 5 mth post operation im suffring from erectile dysfunction which seem it will take long time maybe 1 year
my flow still great
I do have a slight reduction in total firmness now compared to before. But doctors say it isn’t related to the urethroplasty. It was fine for years after.