Urethral reconstruction surgery
Posted , 5 users are following.
I just found this website and I hope it will calm me down before my surgery next week. I had prostate cancer in 2000 and had it removed. All was well for about 8 years. My PSA numbers started to rise and was given two months of radiation. That worked great except it caused scar tissue damage on my urethra. My urologist has done 10 of these surgeries and assures me that all will be ok. He said he might have to make a incision in my stomach to get to my bladder to move it down a bit. He also told me that I will be completly incontenant after this surgery and that in 6 months he will go back in and install a valve so I can control my peeing. I do appreciate reading all the discussions on this surgery and anymore advice helps
0 likes, 20 replies
hunter1031 ken41731
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ken41731 hunter1031
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Thanks for the reply. They will not have to do a graft from my cheek. The doc says that the blocked section is away from the bladder enough that he won't have to take any skin from my cheek. My urologist is hard to catch in his office. He has been traveling all of the globe performing sugeries and giving lectures. Look him up, his name is Dr. Kurt McCammon. I feel very confident with him doing the surgery.
hunter1031 ken41731
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Im glad you have a good one , that's huge. So post surgery- how long will you have the foley ? Or will it be SP ?
ken41731 hunter1031
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hunter1031 ken41731
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I also had three weeks , it's a tough road but as you know , it's the only option for us. These surgeries carry high success rates, I had my follow up a few weeks ago and the cystoscopy showed excellent results. Flow is great and I don't go back for a year now . Is your incision perineal ? (Between testicles and anus) or on the shaft ?
ken41731 hunter1031
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Yes, perineal. Plus if he has to move my bladder down I'll another one in the stomach.
hunter1031 ken41731
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ken41731 hunter1031
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ken41731 hunter1031
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hunter1031 ken41731
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Funny your having that issue , I was by far, less than satisfied with my stream following catheter removal . As you , my urethrogram showed a perfect urethra. I could find no one to relate , my doctor said that it could be from swelling in the penis, also because I took a lot of the bladder spasm pills during my three weeks, that my bladder was still working on getting back to normal. I can't remember exactly , but I want to say by two weeks all issues worked them selves out and my stream was good. I just had my three month post op follow up , and my average ml/per second was 20. Which is good. If you think it could be possible swelling or something way , don't worry so much . But of course, consult with your doc.
ken41731 hunter1031
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WilburMcG ken41731
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Hello Ken,
Not much I can add to help you at this point, but going to follow this discussion in case I can share my experiences with others.
I'm 2 weeks behind Ken in having a urethral reconstruction procedure performed and in the middle of my recovery. I'm wearing a foley catheter and getting by OK. I had a short, tight urethral stricture that was removed after having it enlarged 3 times over the course of 30 years.
My incision was perineal although I wasn't expecting the length of the incision. I thought it would be a small incision right at the perineum but apparently more room was needed to get the job done, so I have a couple curved incisions on each side of my anus branching off the perineum. Not a huge deal.
How was pain management during your 3 week recovery wearing the foley? I was only given a week's worth of percocet and some valium (I did not take the valium once at home) along with antibiotics. I have switched to alternating between ibuprofin (600 to 800mg) and acetaminophen (1000mg) which helps and any discomfort is very tolerable. I'm still trying to figure out whether the ibuprofen is more helpful or the acetaminophen. That said, I'm not struggling with pain.
ken41731 WilburMcG
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I am 4 weeks out from surgery now and still a lot of discomfort. Foley was removed a week ago and I have days with a good stream and days that seem to be just a spray. Still can not sit flat for more than a few minutes. Been using a memory foam pilliow to sit on. My incision is just like yours. Most of the swelling has gone out of the twins but still quite soar.
WilburMcG ken41731
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Ken, how is your discomfort now? Better I hope?
I too have now reached the 4 week post-surgery mark, foley removed a week ago which improved my mobility and comfort considerably. But I still cannot sit well and don't like it when I do. It's hard to tell what is hurting....incisions? Scrotum? Repair site?
My scrotum is still very sore which I just find odd. The doc told me he had to stretch it to stabilize things during surgery, so I get it that it was sore. But to be so sore after a whole just strikes me as odd. He was not concerned when we spoke last week so I guess it is ok. That is part of my discomfort when I sit but still feels like something else...must be some inside soreness. I say that because my incisions are not sore at all when I gently touch them while bathing. Yet that is what feels sore when I sit.
All in all I'm doing better, stream is good. I might have a lingering UTI. He gave me 5 days of antibiotics when he removed the foley as they saw yeast in my urine. But I continue to feel some urgency and tingling issues. I would try one of those home UTI test kits but they do not appear to test for yeast.
ken41731 WilburMcG
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WilburMcG ken41731
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Good luck Tuesday. Hopefully the foley comes out for good.
i am wondering if I should be doing something (ice?) or taking an anti-inflammatory to help this scrotum pain go away. I no longer have any swelling so I stopped all pain meds since it is tolerable. But it is still moderately debilitating since I can't return to most of desired outdoor activities, do yard work or take the dog for long walks.
mwashbu WilburMcG
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Hi Wilbur-
I'm almost at the 4 month post-surgery point and am surprised by the amount of pain that you're still having. I'd suggest either standard foam donut support or support made from epople with coccyx pain (e.g.,Kall Care). I also had testicular pain but the bruising and pain largely subsided by a week after surgery. I remember reading on this forum prior to my surgery is that one patient was inadvertently extending the painful period by not providing emough scotal support when sitting or standing. I've always been a "briefs guy" so that may have helped. I had a rather long perineal incision and the major pain I had more than a week after surgery was related to the incision. I hope that naproxen or ibuprofen will help you out. My only post-op complaint is that my stream has slowed down since the surgery. I'll find out in a couple weeks how things look by cystoscopy and if the flow rate will stabilize.