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Matt,
Good luck with your surgery! Even if they need to do a graft, it won’t be the end of the world (though your mouth will hurt for a few weeks). My surgeon said that men who have a BMG are less likely than end-to-end patients to have painful erections because the urethral length is not shortened.The catheter I woke up with after surgery and lived with for 2 weeks was 16 French. Don’t miss it at all.
Hey guys, had my urethroplasty done Tuesday with Dr. Vanni at the Lahey clinic in Burlington, Mass. Everything went great as they had to take a 3cm graft from inside my cheek to make the patch. I woke up in zero pain, completely out of it but no pain and haven’t had much since. My cheek just feels numb and my incision site just feels uncomfortable.
My night in the hospital was uneventful as they gave me enough pain meds to knock me out for a good night’s sleep. Dr came in @ 6am to remove my JP drain as i put my pillow over my face because I didn’t want to look. Said everything looked great, helped me stand up to get dressed and I was good to go.
Now home, I took the first shower today very gently and feel much better. I very carefully surveyed my privates and I’d say the swelling is only to that of a tangerine, with no bruising.
I’ve been trying to cut back on the oxycodone and my bladder spasms have not been bad either. They routed the catheter up towards my belly button which has made a TREMENDOUS difference in terms of comfort. I barely know it is there. In the past I have always had it routed to the side.Overall this experience has been extremely positive so far. I’ll be checking in again as the weeks progress but wanted to say thank you to ken and everyone who has posted here as well as Dr. Vanni and his chief resident Dr. Faust @ the Lahey clinic. The fact that they do 2-3 of these a week obvious makes them experts. I highly recommend them for not only their skill but their bedside manner as well.
Hi Matt,
Congratulations on being “post op”! Glad to hear your surgery went well. I hope your recovery is smooth and relaxing.I’m about 5 weeks post urethroplasty now and my incision site is feeling and looking a little more healed every day. I took a look down there with the help of a mirror yesterday and it’s holding together well, though my days as a taint model are likely behind me 🙂
I’m itchy as my scrotal hair grows back, but that was to be expected.
Strapped on my athletic supporter and spent most of Saturday working in the garden, and I felt just fine the next day.
Still peeing like a champ.
Healing wishes, all!
Day 9 Since Urethroplasty
Healing going as planned, had to re-up on bladder spasm pills as they’re the only real issue with the recovery. Very little pain at incision site. Still keeping a gauze dressing on it just in case. Feel pretty lucky I haven’t had the swelling down there that some of you other guys have experienced.
Went for a couple walks this week (still chilly here in Northeast) and besides the catheter and leg bag being annoying they were great. Sleeping has been tough, painful nocturnal erections wake me up like clockwork every night @ 230-3am. Although its a small relief to see I still work. Counting down the days until this cath comes out….
Had a quick question about the incision site. Did anyone notice their scar was initially raise up a little bit? Is this just the absorbable sutures? Thanks!
I’m a couple days shy of 8 weeks post op. The incision site feels and looks pretty much healed. I’m noticing I am feeling more spry chasing my kids around the playground — back to my old self. Voiding function is perfect. No straining! No pain! No messy stream! No discharge or bleeding! Just a nice straight fast stream on demand. Sex is just fine, and I’m not feeling self conscious about my incision anymore now that it’s healed up pretty well. When I see my doctor in a few weeks the only thing I think I’ll have to ask about is loss of sensation in the skin (numbness) on a 1-2cm strip just along the midline from the incision site, up the scrotum and about halfway up the shaft. I have no sensation there, though thankfully the numbness doesn’t extend all the way to the glans. I’m guessing that some nerves were affected by the surgery and my question will be whether I can expect full sensation to return. Did any of you experience this symptom, and if so did it resolve?
Luke — It sounds like things are very positive for you. I certainly had/have the numbness you speak of (4 months post). However, the affected area has decreased, so I have more feeling than initially. As it seems to continually get better, my assumption is that, for the most part, i should get all feeling back there.
Glad things are going well!
I went in for my 8-week followup today. My doctor said that the numbness will improve as the nerves that were cut regrow. I did a uroflowmetry test and the picture tells the whole story. In 4 months, I’ll go back for a urethroscopy so that he can see the repair and gauge if there is any risk of recurrence. But for now, he’s happy and I’m happy.
Hey all,
It’s been four-and-a-half months since my urethroplasty with buccal mucosa graft. I’m pleased to report that everything seems to be going well! I had mentioned the skin numbness in the lower portion of the shaft and scrotum, and as I had been assured, sensation is returning. That part is still less sensitive than the upper part of the shaft and the glans, but I can feel it again. My urine stream is easy, straight, and strong. Erectile function is fine and ejaculation is normal. The incision area can get a little superficially sore after periods of sitting down, but I attribute that to healing and the regrowth of the nerves in the area. I no longer think about the patch of my cheek where the buccal mucosa was harvested, though I can feel the scar with my tongue if I try. Two months until my next followup visit, where the surgeon will perform a urethroscopy to check the healing inside the urethra.
Keep healing well, everyone… and to those with stricture considering the surgery: find an experienced surgeon and get it done!
L.
My husband went for his follow up appointment yesterday and the dr did a retrograde urtethrogram. There were no leaks and everything looked great, so his foley was taken out. He said that he was a little scared to urinate at first, but everything came out great. He says that it’s hard to believe after all these years he can finally urinate without any burning sensation. His left testicle is still numb, but his dr said that hopefully it will go away. He said that there’s a lot of nerves there so I’m hoping this will get better for him. He goes back to the dr in 1 week and hopefully his suprapubic catheter will then be removed. He was in surgery for 7 hours. His stricture was 18cm long.
Odiez – so glad that everything worked out for your husband. I am one year out from a 9 cm stricture done with a BMG from one side of my mouth.
I agree that the numbness is nerve related. I am much more sensitive down there than I was before.
It does get better. Much better. Just slow.
All the best to him and you.Chris-
So glad to hear that you are 1 year after surgery and doing well. My husband went to see the doctor today and had his suprapubic catheter taken out today as his uroflow was great! My husband is still concerned about his mouth as it has healed where they harvested the skin, but it is tight and the part that meets the old skin is raised. Just wondering if you experienced this? He asked the doctor if this will get better and he said that time will tell. Also wondering if you had any testicular numbness? Thanks for your responses they are greatly appreciated.I saw my surgeon today for my scheduled check-up 6 months after my surgery. In order to check that the surgical repair was intact, he performed a urethroscopy (basically a cystoscopy that doesn’t go all the way into the bladder). It was much less uncomfortable than my pre-urethroplasty cystoscopies, which resulted in the scope ramming up against the stricture. The result? The repair looks as it should, and I don’t have to come back for one year. I’m happy about that.
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