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Urethral stricture my story

Posted , 5 users are following.

darren45854
darren45854

Hi, I am a 44 year old man who has had trouble with a urethral stricture all my life. The consensus is I was born with it. I was circumcised as a boy and had a urethroplasty at 17 years old which lasted only a few years before having a repair urethroplasty. My stricture is near the bladder entrance ( much to my relief) but still meant having 2 catheters in and 2 drains. The second operation gave me a good 10 years relief but then symptoms began to return. I suffer a lot of UTI,s which have always given me horrible cystitis like problems. A few years back I had a stricture dilation which only lasted a year or so but was a quick fix for relief. Last year I had a cyscoptomy? But again my flow rate is getting worse and now I am unsure what the next step will be. I also have type 2 diabetics which really doesent help the situation. I feel the embaresment of constantly going to the toilet and spending ages trying to strain emptying my bladder. Then unless I am careful I get a lot of dribbling which also isn't great. I guess I am looking for anyone else out there with similar problems

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • mwashbu
    mwashbu darren45854

    Posted

    Hi Darren-

    I can relate to your story as I'm a 57 year-old with a urethral stricture that had a buccal mucosal urethroplasy a little over 2 years ago. I'm also a type 1 diabetic. My stricture probably was a result of decades of bicycling. So far, so good as far as the relief offered by the urethroplasty. I have noted some slight slowing in flow but feel that I'm not yet close to a repair urethroplasty. I was wondering if self-cathing might improve your situation. My A1c scores over the past couple years have been in the 5.9-6.1% range, which I'm sure helps prevent additional symptoms. How have your A1c scores been? Higher than optimal sugar output in your urine might be contributing to the UTIs, as are seen with drugs like Jardiance and others. I wish you the best.   Mark

  • glenn77
    glenn77 darren45854

    Posted

    My case is somewhat similar.  My stricture(s) was created by a botched Greenlight procedure for TURP in 2016.  A second and third urologist called it a complex stricture at the external sphincter, which also left me highly incontinent.   After a dilation, a urethrotomy and a second urethrotomy, I had an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) implant.  So far, so good.  I think it may because the area of the stricture(s) stays under pressure except for the short time when I urinate and then the bladder refills.

    Once of the doctors I saw was Joel Gelman at UC Irvine.  He is totally dedicated to treatment of male urinary reconstruction.  Because of my age, nearly 80, I decided against urethroplasty.  For you, you may want to check with him.

  • osakadan
    osakadan darren45854

    Posted

    Sorry to hear Darren. I can imagine the frustration.

    I'm 53 and had my first problems when I was 28. I have had numerous occurrences of being completely blocked and needing to be catheterized as an emergency. When they couldn't catheterize me they have had to go through my abdomen. The first few times no one realized it was a stricture and thought it was prostatis or something.

    Fast forward to about 5 years ago and they found the real cause. In that time I have had 2 urethrotomys that have failed. And for a few years have been getting monthly dilation at the hospital. Finally, this Christmas I will be having a Urethroplasty. If this fails ..........

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