Status 5-Weeks After End-to-End

[Ken Theriot]

I just put up a post – https://livingwithacatheter.com/5-week-post-urethroplasty-status/ – with my status at 5 weeks post-urethroplasty. Things are better, but still moving very slowly. I have been able to sit for short periods on a regular pillow, as opposed to my donut-pillow. This has allowed me to drive also – my first driving outing since the surgery;).

Ken

[Chris]

Ken,
If your incision is like mine, you are going to start noticing a pretty good improvement with the “pins and needles” sensation. I was noticing that feeling too and then started to see the sutures coming to the surface.
I was thinking that having those sutures in there is like having a thorn in your skin – very irritating.
The other news item that I have for you is that I seemed to have picked up a fungal infection, most likely due to the quantities of antibiotics that I was taking. It looks like I have knocked it out and it did not get to the incision area. Never a dull moment.
Hope you are doing well. Remember today is better than yesterday.
Take care.

[Ken Theriot]

Thanks for that update, Chris. I did notice a pokey-bit or two a few weeks ago. I think those ones were the ends, and had been poking out the whole time. Those seem to be gone. But I hadn’t thought of the possibility of sutures breaking down and causing new ends to poke me with. I am not familiar with the properties dissolving stitches for the skin (as opposed to ones that stay inside the body like the ones used on the urethra itself). I’m not even sure there is a difference, though it would seem a bad idea to have stiff and sharp bits inside the body, especially around the urethra, where irritation and scarring was the problem to begin with.

This would be an excellent topic of research. But if you’ve had suture bits coming to the surface, and I’m going through that as well, it would explain the type of surface pain I was talking about.

I also, though, still have quite a bit of swelling deeper inside. I felt that when I was driving on Tuesday (sitting on a pillow).

BTW, I have decided to back off on the driving and doing anything else right now that involves putting my full weight on the incision site, even while leaning back, and even while sitting on a pillow. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of pain while I do those things. But in the late afternoon and evenings, the pain is significantly worse. So I’m just going back to the donut for another week or more.

Thanks again for the update.

Ken

[Chris]

It will get better…really. I had some discomfort driving too. My truck is a stick, not really the best for the condition I am in but. The problem I am having is that there is no real bad pain with this. It is more about sensations that I have not ever really felt before. Like when you are talking about the evenings, I was feeling the same way. The discomfort would really kick my butt in the evening.
For the first time today, I have noticed the last spot of swelling under the incision going down, it seems anyway. I haven’t checked it tonight.
Today is my 8th week from the surgery. I am having a hard time remembering what it was to have that catheter in for 23 days.
Hope you are doing well.

[Ken Theriot]

Sounds like things are gong well, Chris. Thanks! I scoff at your 28 days;). But I know what you mean. I am starting to get used to not having a catheter, even though I had one for 6 months. I still sometimes reach down to “clear” it out of the way when going to the bathroom and especially at night while in bed. But I have stopped automatically lifting up the bottom of my shorts when I go in to pee;).

I’m trying something new right now, as far as sitting down. My wife had a kneeling chair in her office/room, and suggested I try that (with the donut for now), and it’s working pretty well. Time will tell. I’ve only been sitting here for about 5 minutes;).

The chair looks like this: Office Star Black Ergonomically Designed Knee Chair

Anyway, thanks again for the updates. I’m looking forward to week 8:)!

Ken

[Chris]

Oh yeah! I got one of those chairs too. I was tired of standing while I ate with my wife and son.
Works really well for me. I am going to take it in to the office once I get going. Hope you have good luck with it too.

We were discussing how the stream seems slower once there is some discomfort previously…I had that yesterday. Was a long day for me. I have been starting to lift my son (25 lbs…whoa!) and i think caught up with me a bit. It is really hard to go slow when I am starting to feel better each day.

[misterstricture]

6 weeks post catheter, lost sexual function suddenly two days ago and can not get an erection. Also urinary flow is very poor back to prior operation. At a total loss of understanding what is going on with me when stricture was 2.5 cm and had end to end and post operation x ray looked great. Shooting back pains are back and tons of gas buildup in my body. Any suggestions?

[Ken Theriot]

mrstricture,

I’m sorry to hear about that. Definitely go to your doctor soonest! Obviously I cannot diagnose anyone since I am not a medical professional. And as always, my advise for anything unexpected like your situation is to talk to your doctor.

One thing you said makes me wonder. You said your stricture was 2.5 centimeters and that your surgery was end-to-end. Was your end-to-end supplemented by a buccal graft (or any graft?) In this study, which only addresses bulbar strictures, BTW, so may not apply to you if your stricture was elsewhere, (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684365/), check page 2. It says that if a stricture is 2-3 cm in length, “Some authors have expressed concern that bridging such long defects could lead to chordee and sexual dysfunction and have advocated the use of buccal mucosa substitution urethroplasty for bulbar urethral strictures >2 cm in length.” But despite that, the success rate of end-to-end is still pretty high, even for strictures >2 cm (about 87%), but is not as high as <2 cm (90+%).

From what I've been reading (clinical studies only - not just someone's opinion), sexual dysfunction is not considered "unsuccessful" if the patient can pee normally after the surgery. However, since you are saying your flow is back to what it was pre-surgery, it sounds like you may be one of the unlucky % of people for whom end-to-end was not successful.

But like I said earlier, you definitely should see your doctor about this.

I was also interested to hear that you are having gastric difficulties. I have also been having tummy-trouble since the surgery. Obviously this could be anything NOT related to urethroplasty, especially with only 2 of us reporting it. But it would be interesting to hear if anyone else has had gastric trouble post-surgery, even 6 weeks after it (which is where I am).

We'd all be interested to hear how things go for you, and wish you the best! Let us know what your doctor says!

Good luck!

KEn

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