I have Urethra Stricture , need some suggestion for the details below .

hello JT465 ,

You recommed to have Urethroplasty . But I am able to pass the urine normally and my reports were fine too (Uroflowmetry Test). I just have trouble passing the tube and that too at last . I just wanted suggestion for that .

And I wanted to know that if  I want to have Urethroplasty , should go to particular hospitals or the procedure is same everywhere .

I am from India .

I recommended urethroplasty because I could not pass urine at all and the pain was excruciating. I consulted a reconstructive urology surgeon in the U.S. and he and I agreed based on my dire case, reconstruction of the urethra via urethroplasty was the best long term solution.

The urologist completed many tests to confirm the presence and length of the bulgar stricture before recommending surgery. His approach was very methodical and comprehensive.

Make sure you're completely forthright with your doctor and read, read, read on your own. Together, as a team, you'll arrive at a solution that will work for you. Good luck my friend.

Thank you sir for your suggestions .

can you please elaborate a bit more on what exactly i need to read and be a team to doctor ?

I mean in my case I just go to the doctor and whatever he suggests I go for it .

Was your pain like a burn and very discomfort like needles pricking you? Did u bleed at times?? did it hurt when u ejaculated??

Was the excruciating pain you were experiencing before your urethroplasty confined to the stricture area in your bulbar urethra or did you feel it elsewhere?

The mechanics of it was that the bladder would fill to capacity so I could feel that and the intensity would increase as minutes and hours passed. Simultaneously I would feel pressure in my penis (my stricture was after my prostate and before the base of my penis); and then the feeling of both the urgency to urinate coupled with the built up pressure in my bladder and penis shaft was excruciating. I never felt the pain in my urethra between the penis and bladder. As only those of us in this forum understand, it's a terribly scary place to be when you cannot pee (rhyme unintended, strictures are no joke).

As you know, with urethral stricture's we commonly do not completely empty our bladders. When the bladder is not completely emptied urinary tract infections (UTIs) are not uncommon. When A person has a UTI the symptoms are cloudy urine, smelly urine, and a stinging feeling when we urinate. UTIs come and UTIs go; the UTI is not a symptom of a stricture it's an indicator that we have a UTI caused by something ( most often, incomplete voiding). So the painful urination is separate from the structure. With that said, yes ejaculation was painful and uncomfortable due to the structure. Some of the semen is able to pass through the stricture but there is a fair amount of pressure and volume that cannot pass through and is backed up into your scrotum which is painful.

what were your early symptoms of the urethral stricture? did you urinate a lot? any discomfort/irritation in the urethra?

i pee almost every 20 mins and have irritation in in my urethra i think it may be a stricture due to my several catheterizations...

please help,

schuyler

Hi JT465,

Glad to hear of your success with urethroplasty.

The probl3m I have is I am 30 years old and about to get married mid next year. I know there are risks involved so I am trying to be cautious in terms of anything which can go wrong. But I am definitely considering it for the near future.

What do you think?

Thanks,

Billy

I completely understand what you're saying, and your concern.  Please read other posts in other forums and you will see that Doctors provide medication after surgery so patients don't get erections while they heal.  No one can predict what will happen in each individual case but my experience has been that I've had several erections since my surgery 3 weeks ago.  Statisticaly you'l be fine.  My advice to you is to select a surgeon that performs urethroplasty operations several times each week if you can.  This is an important surgery and is a lifetime repair, do it right.

With you getting married you need everything in working order.  Do you need it right now or can you wait.  If you can wait do have it done in a few years or until you have to.  This way you have your wife by your side.  When you need it done have a urethroplasty done with the graft this way there is no cutting of the urethra.  They would not the graft from the side of your mouth and open the urethrs where the stricture is and put the craft there.  This way you have no penile length taking away.  If you have a end to end.  You don't know how much they will cut out.  One man on here had it done and his doctor told him that he may have to take a each but when he woke up the doctor told him that he had to take 3 in of the urethra and it kind of mess up his sex life.  Before you have anything done get all the information you can.  Take it ease and good luck  Ken  PS  I have a stricture that is ok right now thank god 

Kenneth1955 has a valid point. I have been married 28 years and have been dealing with this stricture for at least 25. My stricture was 8 cm in length which is just over 3 inches, the doctors performed a buccal mucosa graft (BMG) which did not affect my length at all. Having my wife by my side was without doubt of most value during and after this surgery. Take all of the advice that people offer you and make the best decisions for you and your wife, she will appreciate being involved as you are now joining your life together.

Hello JT   Yes having your wife by your side helps alot.  You should not deal with this alone.  My stricture is checked every 3 to 4 month's to make sure it ok.  Did not even know I have one.  They try to catheter me in the hospital and could not get it in tryed 3 sizes.  My urologist said that they would have never got anything in that size. I have papers from himsaying if I have to have a catheter it can only be a 12Fr or 14Fr coude catheter so it will not mess it up.  Take care all and be careful  Get all the information you can and don't let a doctor cut ANYTHING OFF Ken

Where r u planning to do your urethroplasty? I am in the USA and looking for an appropriate doctor/surgeon.. Do not have insurance just worried about the cost

Not sure how it all works without healthcare insurance.  I have insurance and I know my Urethroplasty cost over $60,000.00  The Buccal Muccosa Graft (BMG) inside the cheek requires one surgeon, the urethroplasty is another separate surgeon, thats two surgeons, two operating room tables, a team of anesthesiologists and about 5 hours in surgery on average.  My stricture was 8cm (over 3 inchs) long and I was in surgery for 9 hours.

Hi,

I am from the UK and thankfully we have the best health care system in the world. We pay taxes through work which contributes to our countries NHS.

For me it won't cost anything unless I go private which I imagine will be a large cost.

Its all what you get used to, Our system may seem confusing due to unfamiliar terminology and we may not be getting a fair assessment because of that. For example, Brits have posted something about going in to "theater", A Yanks 1st thought is that of going to see a theatrical play for an evening of entertainment.

I see the same Urologist every visit and have text messaged him at 9-10 pm and even during an emergency at 2am and get an immediate and personal text message back. My personal doctor (we call a family physician) will see me without an appointment in private office. There are too many variables in the US healthcare system that determine an individuals level (extent) of care. There's no doubt that both the U.S. and U.K. systems offer its citizenry world class healthcare.

Cheers.

Oh, to clarify, my health insurance is also provided through work, the employer pays (about) 2/3 and the employee pays the remains 1/3 through payroll deductions. Of the aforementioned $60,000 bill I anticipate paying $3,000 to $4,000 out of my pocket after the insurance company has paid their coverage amounts.

We certainly don't have a perfect system but I personally don't have any complaints.

How did your surgery go?? Can u give us more details.. And where u had it done? what symptoms did u have before this?

I am really trying to get all information I can I am very worried as my symptoms are really bad and painful

Yeah I totally understand where your coming from. Each country has there own way of dealing with health care.

Either way I hope it doesn't cost you too much but the main thing is I pray for you, myself and all others with this illness to get a long lasting cure/relief from the problems we have all experienced in different forms.

Billy