OK, so here is an update for me since my March 2018 surgery and post-op experiences I noted through May 2017.
So, unfortunately, my fears were realized and my stream continued to get slower and slower. I had pretty much resigned myself to accepting that my surgery had been a complete failure when I returned for a follow up visit with my surgeon in September.
We did a flow test at the SEPT appointment. I don’t know what the flow rate was but it was extremely slow, almost pre-surgery slow. My surgeon asked if I had a few minutes for him to take a look and I said sure. He then proceeded to dilate and stretch the heck out of my urethra. I was squirming on the table and it was not a fun experience to say the least. When he was finished, he said “scar tissue” had returned and I would need to go home with a catheter for a few days because of the extent of the dilation he had just completed. This surprised me and was demoralizing because the last thing I expected on this routine follow up appointment was to be sent home with a catheter.
A few days later I returned to the surgeon and had the catheter removed. Flow was incredible. At this appointment the surgeon said that he would like me to try intermittent self-catherization as a way to keep my stricture open. He cautioned that the success rate wasn’t great but that he thought it was my best option for now.
I was skeptical and frankly a little freaked out by the idea of inserting a catheter into myself. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a go and began self-cathing once a day back in September. Fast forward to now and my flow remains great. I’m cautiously optimistic but am happy I’ve been able to maintain a great flow for over 4 months since things seemed so bleak before the Sept 2017 appointment.
Anybody else have experience or success (or failure) from post-op self-catherization?