Somebody recently asked, in the comments section of another post, what questions to ask his doctor prior to his upcoming urethroplasty to fix a stricture of the urethra. I’ve had a long time to think about what I would have been better off knowing if I’d been more prepared for my own surgery almost one year ago (I’m doing great, BTW:)).
First of all, I had to verify with him that he was having the same type of urethroplasty as I had – end-to-end anastomosis. This is performed by approaching the urethra NOT from the penis, but from the perineum (area between the back of the scrotum and the anus). The surgeon cuts up through the soft tissue to access the area of the urethra containing the scar tissue that makes up the stricture. The it’s just a matter of cutting that section of the urethra/tube, and then sewing the two healthy ends together.
He was scheduled for the end-to-end, so I gave him a few questions to ask that would give him the answers I either wish I had or found useful because I DID.
First I suggested he ask about how he should sit down after the surgery. I was sent hoe with a an inflatable donut-shaped pillow. And that helped me sit with less pain, especially if I was lying back in my recliner chair. But I used that donut pillow for too long. Nobody told me that I SHOULDN’T use it, or that at least I should not use it for very long. I ended up extending the pain because things were hanging down in the center of the pillow that would have been much better off supported by sitting on a standard soft cushion. Then the longer I wore it, I felt a painful pressure up my rear end. I assumed it was swelling from the surgery, but it was – as hard as this was to believe – an extreme hemorrhoid problem.
Also, it would be a good idea to find out from the surgeon how long the healing should take. Be prepared for it to be a really long time My doc told me it could be up to a year before all the pain was gone. He was right. It will have been one year next week since my surgery, and I still have some minor residual pain in the scrotal area. Nothing major. Just a bit irritating at times.
Also, you will have a transurethral catheter after the surgery (the kind that goes up the penis) for about 2 weeks. Ask you doctor(s) if you can get a securement device to stick on your leg to support the cath tube. I used the GRIP-LOK. These will protect you from pulls/tugs on the catheter, as well as maintaining the proper tension/slack between where it exits the body and attaches to your leg. You can get them for $9.95 apiece at the link in the picture to the left.
I highly recommend NOT using the standard non-stick strap, which wraps around your leg and simply stays there with some velcro on this stretchy band. It doesn’t stay up when you walk. It slides down your leg and allows the leg bag to pull the catheter tube down, pulling on the catheter and causing pain and potential damage to the urethra or bladder.
I hope this advice is helpful.
Your site and Forum are awesome; but can’t get registered.
Thanks William. So are you trying to register for the forum?
Ken
I was just wondering where I could go to get the Duette . I have been having some trouble during the night.
In the daytime I go ( many times ) but at least ,I go a little. I don’t want to start with the foley if there is something better. I purchased some catherters and have used a couple at home already. I thouth if I drained my bladder at bedtime I could sleep longer, ha. But it didn’t work , I still wake about every one & half or 2 hours. One of those times is always a little rough. Dribble!!!! William
Whats a forum ??
Ken,
Your website is a mine of invaluable information! You’ve provided an information resource that anyone, whether patient or caregiver can easily understand and apply to ensure better, safer outcomes for anyone having to use or help someone with a catheter.
Thank you for taking the time to post the information and keep the site up to date.
Cheers
Debra
Thanks Debra!
I’m a 23 year old male who is going in for a BMG urethroplasty in about a month. I’v been extremely nervous about it all and I still am. This Web site helps out so much to know I’m not alone and to see all the success stories and updates really helps me out. I can’t even begin to explain how nervous I am but this site has helped me understand what I’m facing. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Jeremy! I’m so glad it’s helping. Yes, it can definitely be scary, and it takes a long time. But there is definitely every reason to believe that everything will be alright. Good luck with your surgery! Let us know how it goes. And don’t hesitate to ask if you have a question. I’m not a medical professional (gotta keep saying that so it’s clear to everyone), but I will try my best to provide fact-based answers. It’s always best to get official advice from your docs and nurses and PAs. But I have lots of informed opinions – as do a lot of folks who have posted here. I may not be able to get to every comment every day. But I’ll do my best.
Again, good luck!
Ken
hey all,
I have been reading some literature on RUG/VCUG testing. It seems as if the conventional”ballloon” method is more painful, and less successful, than the “clamp” method, Curious to know what type of “up-down-o-gram” the folks on this forum had, and what their experiences were. The surgeon who has been following me does the balloon method, and I wonder if I should request if he can do the clamp method when I see him for follow up in June.
Sean,
I had a few of these and as I recall, they did not ever put balloon in. The retrograde was typically done with a blunt syringe type thing that barely entered the tip of the penis but formed a seal. It didn’t hurt, it just felt weird to have to fluid shot up. For the “up-down-a-gram,” there was no contrast fluid. They did direct visualization through a scope. The bottom part was obviously a camera scope up the penis. The top-down scope went through my suprapubic “hole,” down through the bladder and into the urethra. I had the advantage at that point of already having the SP tube. So they just used the existing path by removing my sp tube and putting the scope in there.
Not sure if that helped any.
Cheers!
Ken
Hi, great site. I have spent hours searching the internet. To the point the wife was like STOP your just driving yourself crazy lol. I am 44 and have apparently have a stricture located in the bulbar area. Ever since I can remember I have always had a rather weak stream and would take a long time to empty. Never really thought much about it always thought that is just the way I go. I would hear my sons going and would be like what the hell why can’t I do that? Well in January of this year (2015) I woke up one morning and had a real hard time going and would have to sit down (couldn’t go standing) for several minutes and push to get even the slightest relief. Went to the E.R and the doctor says “prostate infection” and gives me a ultrasound to make sure bladder was OK and prescription for antibiotic,flomax and one for pain that turned urine orange. Went home and was back in E.R 3 hours later. While there went pretty good and assumed the flomax was starting to work so they said go see a Urology specialist. Did I mention this was all on my birthday LMAO. Ok went to the doc and he says prostate infection. Gives me scripts and off I go. Went one month on antibiotics with zero improvement. Most miserable month of my life. Woke up one Saturday morning and could not go at all. Talk about scary….. wife was at work kids home and I am just going out of my mind paceing back and forth buckled over would go up to the bathroom back downstairs then back up. Went to the doctors the nurse tried to insert catheter but to no avail. Way to painful. So the doctor decides to do a scope and doesn’t get very far before he says oh there’s the smoking gun you have a stricture does an ultrasound and I have 600 ml in the bladder. Emergency surgery at four o’clock he says. It isn’t a noon now. So I go home and at 1:00 I couldn’t take it anymore I called the doc and told them I am going to the E.R now. Got there and the nurses were great. They felt so bad for me.lol hooked me up to the good stuff to relieve the pain while we waited for the surgeon. Half hour later I was knocked out and in surgery.they were going to go in and cut the scar and place a cath. Well that didn’t happen!!! They said the scar is to thick to fix and just dialated me and installed cath. Had the cathater out one week later and had never peed like that that first pee sent me out of the bathroom laughing so hard the family was like what is so funny? Tip for people youwill need to step back from the commode lol. Well we decided that uretheoplasty was the only permanent fix. They said I could get dilated when needed and/or self catheterization. That is not for me!!! Open surgery it is.
So went to see surgeon at Duke Hospital in Raleigh on 4/7. (2 hours away). Had retrograde urethogram at 11 saw the doc at 2. He is doing the urethoplasty on 4/15. Very nervous and happy at the same time. It will be amazing to be normal. It has been a crazy few months.
Eric – Thanks soooo much for your story! And I’m glad this site was helpful to you. Did your wife agree it was NOT a waste of time after all:-). Your story is very similar to mine. It’s so frustrating when the first thing – and ONLY thing, it seems – the docs do is assume prostate. I had that dx for over a year before the day I woke up and couldn’t pee. And the ER nurses tried forcing a catheter up and….well, the story is on the site. I get shivers thinking about it. But you seem to be on the right track now. Your reaction after peeing without an obstruction for the first time was exactly like mine. I jumped back about 3 feet and started laughing.
Good luck on your surgery next week!
Ken
Well it is now five days after having my bulbar uretheoplasty. I had them do a vasectomy while they were in that area and I was out like a sleeping baby.lol I felt that would be a good time to do it so I did not have to go through it awake. Doctor said it wasa text book procedure. Very little bleeding and straight forward. Was a little scared because doc said there was a chance he would have to steal some tissue. Whew! Waking up from surgery was tough I think. I don’t remember much but I guess I was in recovery room for over two hours and was dry heaving. I remember waking up and did not know which way the truck went that hit me! They said normal recovery time was around an hour. I spent the night in the hospital due to living two hours away. The hospital stay sucked. Very uncomfortable. I had leg bags on that would inflate every few minutes and the damn bed would reposition also every few minutes. Just as I would fall asleep the bed would move.finally at around four AM I talked the nurse into unplugging the damn thing. The mattress went flat but at least I fell asleep for awhile. Staff was very nice. Only had an issue with one of the nurse’s because she did not speak very good English and I was getting very annoyed. Oh and breakfast sucked. I was sent home with oxycodone, antibiotic and anti spasm meds. The ride home was pretty good.(didn’t have to stop to pee) lmao. The next day after arriving home I got a severe tooth ache/ infection that required a emergency trip to the dentist yea! He could not do anything for me besides prescribe me penicillin due to being fresh out of open surgery. So now I am taking two antibiotics and my mouth is solo freaking sore and dry from all the meds I think. Finally had a BM on day five. I was very nervous about that. I was taking a softener, milk of magnesia and eating as much fiber and fruit as possible. And when it hit man did it hit. Took about two bites of food from chili’s and wow run forest run.lol. don’t really feel to much pain more of a discomfort.from the surgery. My tooth on the other hand was very painful. The oxycodone wouldn’t even touch it. I have an appointment next week to hopefully get the cath out. Sleeping is kind of a pain in the ass. I will post updates as things change. I hope this is a one and done fix. I can’t wait to pee normal. PEEce out.lol
Eric,
Thanks for the update! Wow, bad timing on the tooth thing. Sorry to hear about that. Good luck in the next several days!
Cheers!
Ken
Well I have an appointment this Tuesday for my follow up. I am praying that they can leave the cath out kinda nervous. But I feel better everyday so I think it will be good. I must say that in the mornings I feel great but by bedtime my lower abs hurt still and I feel pressure in the penis and strangely enough my Bellay button feels like it is stretching very uncomfortable. I am not sure why but it all goes away by morning. Been going 2 on a regular basis and I am not nervous about it to much anymore. The first time took five days after surgery.I can’t wait to get the tube out. I think life will be much better. Being home for three to six weeks sucks. I don’t think I can watch anymore TV. Lol I will also say if you have a stricture……get this procedure done. ITS NOT THAT BAD. I had mine at Duke regional hospital in Raleigh, N.C my surgeon was Dr.Aaron Lentz.
Thanks for the update, Eric! And the area+doctor reference along with your recommendation. That is hugely helpful for others. Hang in there until Tuesday! Glad you’re feeling better everyday and I hope everything goes well at your appointment.
Thanks again, and good luck!
Ken
Had appt. Today and catheter is GONE.yay. had a void test and all looks good no leaks. Test was easier than I expected. Laid on table they drip contrast through catheter until I felt like my bladder was going to explode. Lol not that bad really. Taking images all the whole or was filling. Once full they drained the balloon and pulled out catheter tilted table up and I urinated as they took pictures. All looked good so no more catheter. Still two to three weeks before I can go back to work or any strenuous activity. Got home and pissed like race horse after two hour ride home. AWSOME.
That’s great, Eric! Feels great doesn’t it? Thanks so much for sharing your situation with us! Good luck moving forward.
Cheers,
Ken
Hey Eric,
I have an urethroplasty with possible buccal graft scheduled for this Wednesday. Had a few questions for you. How are you now 4 years after? Were you prescribed any medication to help with NOT getting erections while sleeping? I have had a catheter before and this is very painful from what I remember. You recommend wearing regular underwear with loose fitting sweatpants? No butt ring or use butt ring? Are you still pissing like a race horse? Looking forward to getting it done, but a bit nervous about the recovery. Took a month off from work. Cather will be in for up to 3 weeks is my understanding. After that, were you good to go?
Hi Eric. I didn’t get medication to reduce erections in the night. It wasn’t a problem for me though. I didn’t have any additional pain due to nocturnal erections. I did have a “butt ring” pillow for the first few weeks after. But it turned out I used it too much. I ended up giving myself a massive problem with hemorrhoids. I felt a pressure up my butt and assumed it was still swelling form the surgery. So don’t let yourself stay on the butt ring for more than 1-2 weeks. I’m not pissing like a racehorse anymore. I’ve gone back to “normal” flow, which is expected. I would have been good to go much earlier if I hadn’t continued to sit on that butt ring :-P. So the time you have taken off should be enough. Hope that helps. Best of luck tomorrow!
Hi there,
I have been told that I will be needing a 2 part Buccal mucosa urethroplasty within the next 2 month.
Apparently as a child I had BXO and it had spread to my urethra causing years of troubles.
Has anybody out there had this surgery and came out of the other side?
I am not so scared for the surgery and thanks to this site, I have been able to answer a few questions.
I just have more about healing process,
How can they leave you open for 6 months?
Do you have much use, between then and being sewn up? Sexually and non
It is just too much for me to comprehend and some solace would be amazing!!
I hope to hear from someone soon x
Hey Tom! I see you finally got through. Excellent. Hopefully there will be some folks here with more answers than I on the 2-part urethroplasty.
Cheers!
Ken
My situation was very similar to Eric’s except I was in the emergency room on Christmas morning, three tries with the nurses then they had to call a urologist in. I ruined his Christmas and he told me about it. Not much empathy there. Mine was not that good that year either.
Now I get to do it all over again, at 67 if it lasts 30 years I will be happy.
I definitely know the feeling of nurses trying to shove it in and not even considering the possibility of a stricture.
Good luck Cliff!
Ken
Hi
In relation to the two stage Urethroplasty – please see this attached video which is very instructional. It is a scene from a famous programme here in UK.
https://vimeo.com/112170364
I have just had a one stage BMG (about 3.5cm) Urethroplasty which was carried out by the surgeon in this video. I have found this website very useful in my recovery. All has gone well so far and the catheter is due out in 10 days so fingers crossed it will be smooth sailing till then.
Thanks Gavin!
Ken
Hi,
So my story is similar to others who have already posted, but wanted to share. In Feb of 2014 I woke up in the middle of the night with a strong urge to urinate. As others have mentioned, sitting down helped. Went back to bed, short time later felt this odd “churning” going on in the nether region and a strong urge to go, again, but this time NOTHING CAME OUT. So it’s 4am, I have to pee, nothing is coming out, and I realize I need to go to the ER. Hospital fortunately was just down the road, a little embarrassing having to tell the woman behind the counter that “I’m here because I can’t pee.”
So in my makeshift ER space, a Dr. sees me briefly and they send over a nurse to insert a catheter. Had never seen one before in my life, let alone imagined one going in THERE. I just sighed, lay back, and let her go to work. Well, she couldn’t get it in. Multiple failed attempts. My first experience with a catheter and it was not going well. So they called in an on-call urologist, who took forever. I don’t know how I survived. I think while waiting I was able to urinate very small amounts with small bits of bloody pieces coming out. Fantastic … Urologist finally arrives with a briefcase full of instruments, introduces himself as the local plumber, ha ha, and proceeds to insert all these strange wires into me, a procedure I now understand to be dilation. It was an uncomfortable experience, no anesthesia, just a lot of discomfort and kinda painful and weird, but it worked! After dilating, he got a big thick catheter in there and sent me home. I found a permanent urologist at a better hospital. Their staff took out the catheter (that was a new experience, too) and wow, I had never experienced pee like that before, coming out so fast. It had always taken me forever, like at a public urinal I’d be going and THREE PEOPLE would come and go beside me before I was done. Just thought that was how it was for me (as others have pointed out). Stream was always weak. Now I know why.
So after the cath came out, the urologist had me come in for a retrograde urethrogram, where the stuck a small nozzle (from what I remember) into my penis and inserted I guess some contrast dye in order to visualize the stricture. So the diagnosis came back as a short stricture in the bulbo urethral area. Urologist also did a cystoscopy maybe a week after that. That was sort of interesting. They squirted all this numbing gel into the penis and then the Dr. comes over with a black snake-like flexible instrument, the cystocope I guess, with a camera and a shiny headlight, and literally just drops it into the penis and since I’d been dilated and cathetered, it went in with little trouble and he could show me the stricture area on a monitor.
Fast forward to Feb 2016, my flow rate had reduced considerably over the past two years. Knowing what was in store for me, I made an appointment to see the urologist who confirmed with the flow meter machines that it was not good. I went in a week later for a cystoscopy and he couldn’t get the camera in to where the stricture was so he asked if I wanted to make an appointment for a dilation with anesthesia or if I just wanted to do the dilation right then and there without anesthesia so I said it’s fine, just go ahead and do what you have to do. I had handled it in the ER two years before so I could handle it again. It was definitely uncomfortable and painful. Not excruciating pain by any means. But just very uncomfortable with brief moments of moderate to intense pain as each dilation was performed. I have to admit I got a little pale and felt like I was going to pass out, but I didn’t. He stuck a 24 fr catheter into me and sent me home. I couldn’t work the first couple days but I did go into work on day 3, to the shock of a friend of mine. Having the catheter in is a real hassle, I have to say, but life can go on despite its presence. The same day it was put in, I went out to see a movie. I wish I could walk normally with it in, but it’s just uncomfortable to take long strides so I have to walk A LOT slower.
Well, the cath came out a few days ago, flow is amazing again, and the urologist showed me how to insert one myself. That didn’t go well. I couldn’t do it. Girlfriend, God bless her, is dying to get her hands on one of the caths they sent me home with to insert it for me. She draws blood for a living in a lab so I guess inserting things into the body is up her alley.
Very long story, sorry … but to end it, I guess I need a urethroplasty. Urologist said he’ll refer me to a specialist. Not looking forward to it, but I guess since I was recently dilated I have plenty of time now to research all of this, which is how I came across this fantastic blog. Thanks for creating such a good resource.
Thanks for sharing that, Rob! Yes it does sound really familiar. And yes, it does sound like you need urethroplasty. Dilation, as you have found, is quite temporary and needs to be repeated regularly. I doubt yo want to go through that the rest of your life. Urethroplasty will fix it permanently (well, there is a 90% chance that it will – I’d take those odds. Well, I did!:)).
Anyway, best of luck. And let us know how it goes!
Cheers,
Ken
Hi there,
Sorry for the following story being perhaps lengthy, but the devil is in the detail.
around 18 months ago, I started not being able to pee normally. Now I never had a particularly strong stream, but I didnt have any issues peeing, great bladder control and no pain or anything, but this sudden inability to pee for more than a few seconds at a time had me worried. I went to the docs (by the way im in the UK and 24 years old) and she prescribed me some antibiotics believing it to be a UTI. This did nothing to help the situation and then eventually I suffered acute urinary retention. I went to the local ER (A&E here in England) and they spent most of the night trying to get a catheter in me, as well as doing an on the spot Cystoscopy to see what was going on. They admitted me to the ward, and prepped me for surgery to get the catheter in whilst I was asleep, however just before going in to theatre a genius urology consultant said she could do it, and used a guide wire to feed a catheter through the stricture and in to my bladder. I was retaining 1500ml of urine so you can imagine the pain.
Two days later and they take the catheter out, and I have a Urethrogram and it all comes back ok.
6 months later the retention occurs again, very suddenly and without warning. Back to the ER I go and this time they get the catheter in no problem. The consultant performed a dilation up to 18Fr and left me with a catheter in for 5 days this time, and suggested having a dilatation under general anaesthetic so they could really stretch it out.
August of 2015 I have the dilatation and another cystoscopy under general, and they come back saying I have a 4cm stricture about 3 cm away from my bladder (luckily not within my penis) and that the dilatation should be good for around 2 years and I would just have to have it repeated when and if it was necessary. This lasted 6 weeks and I could feel myself retaining urine again, so I return and the consultant says that they want to put me forward for a Urethroplasty under the consult of a Professor Mundy, one of the leading Urologists in the world in reconstructive male urology. I had a follow up a few weeks later with a uriflow test which showed I wasnt in need of yet another dilatation so they booked me in for the urethroplasty. Between now and then I didnt have any problems passing urine which was a relief.
I am now 2 days post op having had my procedure on friday (19th Feb) and just wanted to say how much of a fantastic resource this site has been with relating to what I am experiencing post operation. You may also to be able to help me with what to expect. My scrotum is fairly swollen, but there has been no blood or discharge from anywhere around the incision, from around the catheter or in the leg bag, which I think is a good thing. My mouth is swollen and tight, but getting better all the time. I’m still waiting on my first bowel movement post op and thats getting uncomfortable, but it’ll come soon I feel. How long before the swelling starts to go down roughly? I have my donut cushion which is a life saver.
Anyways thanks for reading.
Cas (London, England)
Hi Cas,
Sorry it took so long for me to reply. Email troublesL-P. Thanks so much for your story! And I’m glad the site has been a help to you.
It does take quite a long time for the scrotum to heal up and the selling to go down. Most of that swelling should be gone within 2 weeks. but there will still be strange sensations and pain there for many more weeks and probably months. The pain some times takes 10 or 11 months to completely vanish. It helped me a lot just to know that other guys had to wait that long – that it was normal.
I hope that helps. Best of luck!
Ken
Hi Ken,
Thanks for your reply. I am now almost three weeks post-op and the catheter came out at around the 2 and half week mark a few days ago.
The Urethrogram results looked good and watertight. One thing I’m experiencing now, is not so much a “firehose” stream, but a gentle stream which is however effortless (unlike before). I believe this to being down to having a sensitive bladder still and my bladder telling me I need to pee before its actually full. Im hoping this will get better with time, and with a fuller bladder, I will have a better stream pressure. Does this experience sound familiar and normal? (I understand you’re not a medical professional, but you have the experience of many others’ stories to draw from)
Thanks Again
Cas
So I just went in for surgery to open my flow. During surgery doctor called wife and told her that he couldn’t get through and had to put a super catheter in my Blatter . So now I’m playing the waiting game to see a specialist at UCSF. They are recommending me to have a eurthroplasty surgery. I’m nerves and scared as this is the 3rd time I’m going in to get fixed.
Any recommendations
Sam,
I’m assuming the first 2 times, your fix was not urethroplasty. That’s almost certainly why those fixes didn’t last. But you should not be too scared. Urethroplasty is likely to be the last time you need to be fixed because the odds are 90% that it will last the rest of your life.
So though it is scary to go through ANY surgery, you should know that the outlook is extremely positive and you will almost certainly be back to normal when you heal up from it.
Hope that helps.
Ken
Just wanted to let folks know that Grip-Lok catheter holders are now available to buy one at a time if you want! They cost $5.69 apiece. If you want to grab some, CLICK HERE. This has been a long time coming!
Dear Ken,
Really happy from all my heart that you passed this hell and everyone else!
I have read most of what u shared… Thank you for all the effort you are making for someone like me to find answers and know that im not alone in this @#$%.
Regardless of my story that most of us share the same.. im a 34 years old male, have strictures of 4 – 6cms in the penis that i never knew about til feb/2016. i may need you and others to comment on this, since i am new to this.. my questions are below knowing that ur not a dr, or most of the people here but u passed this and i need your opinions:
1. since i remember my whole life i was peeing in a weak flow, one day on febreury this year i felt something moved inside my penis and blocked the way,,,, they wanted to know whats there so they decided to do endoscopy (which didnt pass) so they entered a catheter for one week and when they removed it i went to pee and a little tiny stone when out with the strong stream that i never had,, so since the day they took out the catheter until today i still feel pain, sometimes blood, something stinging feeling there from time to time, bad pain when i get hard i even wake up at night. is this common after a catheterization ? i had uti tests and it shows that i have an infection by the high number of white blood cells, and no bacteria showen after the culture … my dr says its by the unhealthy urethra that i have !! but i always had strictures in my whole life !!! is this common after a catheterization any thoughts guys????
2. any thoughts of how much it would cost roughly if i decide to do the surgery in the USA without any type of insurance? just numbers so i know where im standing !
3. any sexual dysfunctionality may occur after the surgery in a while ?
Thank you Ken and everyone shared his story and info.
I.Sharif
Hi I.Sharif,
Sorry to hear about the problems. It definitely is not normal to have pain like this after removing a catheter. Maybe the stone caused a cut inside? This could lead to another stricture, one that hurts. Mine hurt quite a lot. I think sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t.
As for the cost, I cannot say. The military/Veterans Affairs insurance I had took care of mine. But I imagine it would be very expensive in the US. Someone else here had theirs done in France. It might be worth checking the price there?
I hope that helps. Good luck!
Ken
Hi ken, thank you and all for all your comments, I’m a 31 year old male from Chicago who is having the urethroplasty done this coming wednesday the 23rd lucky me! I’m super nervous and scared at the same time, I’ve first had urunary retention in 2011 and was rushed in the ER, they inserted a catheter for a few days and then took it out and i seemed to urine fine, doc says well if you have any more problems you will need surgery in future, didn’t really say why or how but yea. Fast forward I’ve had a few instances where i couldn’t pass urine at all, every time i had to force it out to get a couple dribbles. this past june i went mountain biking in wisconsin and it was a very hot day i had a hydration pack which i kept refilling and i drank about 3 gallons of water mixed with nuun (electrolyte) tabs, i know whenever i drink a lot of fluids or drink fast i have problems, its like my bladder can’t process it fast enough, so i remember stopping multiple times gotten the urge to urinate and having a hard time, had to push hard to get a little out, the following morning is where it all led to this. i was getting an urge every 5 min, i was squeezing and forcing out so much that my penis was hurting like 10 being highest pain like it was getting cut off. i went to the ER and they had a hard time inserting catheter 3 times, so they had only one option with my bladder still being full as it was barely emptied from all the fluids night before, so suprapubic cath was insterted had no choice, to this day i till have a suprapubic in since june, the doc said its a process, whatever they have me come in for its 4-6 weeks, like after having supra public put in then i had to wait 6 weeks before they did the camera thing where they put in to measure the stricture then wait another 6 weeks to have the plasty done chichis this week, so yea this has been very frustrating endive been depressed gained about 35 lbs since this all started july. So this wednesday is the urethro plasty my stricture is about 2.5cm or 2cm which doc said its borderline, option 1 pasty alone or option 2 bucco thing where they take a part of my inside cheek and form it into tissue and after that it’ll be another 6 weeks they said then they will have to form a tunnel and construct it. So in all Wish me luck guys and i really hope for option 1 where they just cut from both ends P.S i apologize for the bad grammar and wording i may have caused
Adam,
sorry for the late reply – moved to a new host and email not coming through. Anyway – your situation sounds eerily similar to mine! As I write this, you have had your surgery 2 days ago. So when you are feeling up to it, can you update us on how it went.
Cheers!
Ken
I’m a 22 year old male who will be getting a ureotrhoplasty to fix a stricture I have had since the 2nd grade. Im not going to be getting the operation until june when I’m out of school to allow me time to recover, and this site has been great so I know what to expect post surgery. I’m posting though because I have some questions about everybody’s strictures before the surgery. One thing I noticed on my cysto when my urologist discovered the structure is that behind the structure the lining of my urethra appeared torn up and white, with what look like flaps of skin waving around, almost like seaweed underwater. My urologist who specializes in the urethra and reconstruction of it didn’t seem to concerned by this so I’m just wondering if anybody else saw something similar on their cysto’s? Also what was everyone’s pain like with the structure? I’m going to see my urologist again on Monday but my penis actually hurts right now without peeing, and also I’m having pain in my lower abdomen. I’m just wondering if anyone else experiences things like this before their operation? I’ll be using this site a lot more in the coming months before my surgery and so glad I discovered it. Thanks!
Hi Brandon,
I’m glad you’re finding the site useful. That’s why I started it! As for your questions – what things look like in a scope, especially upstream of the stricture (they couldn’t even GET a scope past my stricture to see upstream:-P), my advice would be to follow your doctor’s lead. If he/she isn’t concerned, then you probably don’t need to be either. HOWEVER, if you have the tiniest doubt or worry, you should not hesitate to call and ask your doctor’s office. At first, I felt like I was “bugging” them. But this is your body. Nobody will care about it like you do, and certainly nobody else have to live in it:). About the pain, it’s hard to say what kinds of pain are normal prior to the surgery, though I will say I had pain in strange places sometimes. Yes, penis hurt often before the catheter went in (I had a suprapubic one for several months before my surgery). And when I did pee, I would get strong pain in the abdomen and in the regions around my pelvis. But again, if you are ever concerned, you should ask.
Best of luck moving forward!
Ken
I just discovered this site and have learned a lot. I had radiation treatments (both external beam radiation and radioactive seeds) 19 years ago for prostate cancer. Still no signs of a recurrence of the cancer, but I’ve had problems with urinary frequency over the years and a few weeks ago couldn’t urinate at all and had to go to the emergency room to have a catheter inserted (nurse couldn’t get it in, but doc was finally able to). Foley catheter was left in for a week and when I went to an urologist he looked inside with a scope, said I had obvious radiation damage and suggested urethroplasty. He didn’t say how long the stricture is, but after reading many of the posts here I’m wondering if they could use my foreskin as a graft source rather than my cheeks. Seems like an obvious source to me, but haven’t seen it mentioned. Meanwhile I was able to urinate for a couple of weeks without catherization, but now I have to self-catherize three times a day which is getting me down.
Hi Dennis. I have seen some information on penile tissue for grafts. But buccal tissue is usually preferred due to the “surgical handling characteristics, hairlessness, compatibility in a wet environment, and its early in-growth and graft survival.” that is from a post here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193738/
If you have a short enough stricture though, you may not need a graft after all. I hope that helps.
Ken
Thanks, Ken. Went to my local urologist today and since I’ve been having so much trouble inserting do-it-yourself catheters we agreed on his doing suprapubic surgery next week. Meanwhile I’ve made an appointment with a reconstructive surgeon (Dr. Steven Brandes) in New York City next Monday. I hope he can do pre-urethroplasty tests then before I have the suprapubic surgery. Would appreciate any advice on what I should anticipate and what I could do to prepare, if only mentally. Finally, would I be able to drive a friend to a birthday luncheon on the day after my suprapubic surgery or will I have to limit my activities for a while?
Thanks again,
Dennis
Hi Dennis. I think I can say with a fair amount of confidence that having the SPC put in was about the least painful and bothersome thing that happened to me in the entire process. You’ll want to make sure that you are not on pain medication or anything before driving. And make sure they show you how to change bags to the leg bag from the bedside bag (which is large, so you carry it around:-P). If I had to drive somewhere the day after getting the SPC, I could have. Also, I recommend wearing loose pants, like sweats, when wearing the leg bag. I tried wearing jeans and the first time the tube came off the bag and I made a rally big mess on the floor of my friend’s house:-P. So be careful to keep all the bits together!
As for what to expect, I can only say what happened with me. They wheeled me into the procedure room after putting in the IV. They shaved the area “down there,” which stung a bit when they put on the betadyne afterward. But right then, the anesthesiologist pushed in the fentanyl and the pain went away:). It took what seemed to be about 10 minutes to put in the catheter. And that was it.
I hope that helps.
Ken
Hi Ken, I was glad to hear you recovered fully after your urethroplasty, it’s amazing.
I am similarly almost surely dealing with a stricture (according to my urologist) and am about to undergo a cystoscopy in 3 weeks, and I have a few questions that I’d be glad if you can take the time to answer them.
My urologist said most strictures are either the bulbar or penile urethra. He said bulbar strictures have very good long term outcomes when treated, unlike penile strictures that tend to recur. Now, I’m worried whether or not my stricture is at the penile urethra.
I would be glad if you could tell me which of these symptoms you had, so I can have a better knowledge about my stricture until the cystoscopy. I know you had a bulbar urethral stricture (the easily treated kind), so please answer if you experienced these symptoms:
1. The urge to urinate now originates mostly from the penis itself, and not from the bladder. It just feels as if some urine is stuck there. Randomly throughout the day, I will feel like some urine is being expelled into my penis, almost going out (never does, though), and then it will be stuck there until I urinate.
2. After urinating, it will feel like some urine is still left stuck in the penis itself. Like a few drops came almost all the way out, but stayed in.
3. I feel pain above the penis, in the lower stomach / crotch that comes and goes intermittently. It feels like some sort of weight being pressed into the place.
4. I sometimes feel intermittent stinging pain inside my penis without any prior warning during the day.
5. When urinating, I sometimes feel the urine doesn’t go in a straight line inside the penis, instead it goes through “obstacles” until it gets out. It goes slowly inside the penis itself.
6. I’ve had a catheter once after an appendecitis surgery in 2015 (the suspected cause of the stricture), and when an ER nurse pulled it out quickly, I shouted from the pain (the pain lasted a few seconds and was quite strong). I’ve heard the catheter coming out shouldn’t hurt like this, and this could mean they forgot to deflate the balloon, which caused damage as it came out. Did you also have strong pain for a few seconds after your urethral catheters were pulled out?
Did you have some of these symptoms? If so, how many of them?
Thanks,
-Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Here are my answers:
1. I didn’t have this symptom.
2. I didn’t have this symptom.
3. I DID have this, big time.
4. I don’t remember having this symptom.
5. I didn’t have this symptom.
6. I only ever had a urethral catheter pulled out (while conscious), and that was after my surgery while testing for leaks with the contrast. that didn’t hurt at all. While it is possible that the balloon not being fully deflated could cause pain, it isn’t likely that it was still fully inflated. It would have been much too large to fit through the urethra, which is the whole point.
I hope that helps shed some light.
Ken
I was undergone urethroplasty operation on 3 rd may 2018 . On 13 june cathetor was removed. After this operation my urine flow is very good. But after finishing the urine flow for that time some pain is there. Please give advice.
Hi Anil. Congrats on getting the surgery done! I’m sorry to hear you’re having pain. Many of us had different kinds of pain in different areas after the surgery, while recovering. So there are too many possibilities without knowing what kind of pain and where (on your body) you are feeling it. Also, it is always best to ask your doctor or nurse about pain to know for sure. I am not a doctor or nurse. I’m happy to give you my opinion if I think it might help. But you really should ask a medical professional. I hope you feel better soon!
Hello Anil ,
1. Do you have end-to-end to UroPlasty or Grafed Uroplasty ( some Skin taken from mouth and stick into Urethra)
have you done your treatment from INDIA ?
Please reply .
Thanks
Raj ,
Anil – Raj is asking if you had your surgery in India? Also, was it an end-to-end with graft? Thanks!
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
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 Raj. I am not in touch with any uroolgists any longer, since my urethroplasty was 5 years ago. But if you are suffering with urethral stricture, dilation is not the best treatment. You’ll have to do it for the rest of your life or until you get a urethroplasty. Is the surgery not an option for you?
Hi Eric
I just had my urethroplasty surgery 1 week ago, and slowly recovering, I am on a catheter now. After my surgery, I felt that my Doctor did not explain well to me the potential side effects about Urethroplasty i.e penile shortening, ED etc. My testicles are also swollen and numb, have reduced om size in the last week but numbness still remains. How well so other urologists explain to patients on surgical procedures and potential complications?
Thank you
Seko
Hi, apologies for the mistake, me message was for Ken and not Eric, thank you.
Seko
Hi Eric. I don’t think penile shortening is something most men experience with urethroplasty, unless the surgeon did not use a graft for a long stricture in an end-to-end. But you’re right about doctors not seeming to understand the duration of the pain and numbness in the testicles. That was one reason for this site. I told the doctors in my urology clinic. But I don’t know how much good that did. Yes, it’s frustrating. I hope things go well for you as you recover!
Thank you Ken, your answer helps, my doctor did not use grafting but my stricture was 2cm, end to end was done.