Steve has received hundreds of questions from real people like you. Review Steve’s answers to the most popular questions.
In my personal experience, there was some pain and discomfort, but it went away quickly. In fact, I had a hernia repaired at the same time that I had my AUS (artificial urinary sphincter) implanted, and for me, the hernia repair was significantly more painful than the AUS surgery recovery.
No, the device wasn’t difficult for me to learn how to use. It is simple for me to operate on a regular basis.
It’s critical to see a urologist who specializes in prosthetics because this is a very complicated area of medicine. If your current urologist specializes in prosthetics (which is rare) then you are set. If not, I recommend finding a specialist near you by entering your ZIP code.
Yes, get the implant. Seriously, I get it as I was wearing several diapers a day and it was beyond embarrassing. I stopped being social. I found myself not wanting to go to public events and I became depressed and isolated. The good thing is there is hope and treatment with the AMS 800™ AUS can restore your dignity, confidence and self-esteem!
My understanding is that most men will have some level of incontinence after surgery —
that’s normal. But if after several months (say six to nine months) of healing, core exercises, losing weight as needed, etc., if you are still leaking then you should let your doctor know. One of the challenges is that your doctor’s number one priority is to save your life by eradicating your cancer. Side effects such as urinary incontinence may not be one of his or her primary concerns which is why you should then seek out a specialist who focuses on bladder leakage.
This is very frustrating. Often, when I talk at educational events with my doctor, we see men who start to have significant urinary incontinence nine months to a year “after” radiation. The radiation damaged the urinary sphincter. I know this firsthand as I had little to no leakage after my prostate was removed but about nine months after radiation, I began to have significant urinary incontinence. Again, the good news is that there is a treatment option for this sort of incontinence caused by prostate cancer treatment.
This is perhaps the most difficult part of it all — “one thing after another.” I completely understand…this is where the psychological part of the battle can be a challenge. I still go through hard times, and it really is like a roller coaster. But the good thing to know is that there are many, many good days ahead once you fix your incontinence! I am very happy I sought treatment.
In my experience, the surgery for the artificial sphincter was a lot less painful than my prostatectomy; the recovery was a lot easier.
Yes! I am not a doctor, but I accompany one when he talks about ED and incontinence solutions. And so while I don’t have the ED implant, I do know from listening to him that both can be treated together. Remembering that every person and circumstance is unique, be sure to ask your specialist about having both treatment options done at the same time. Or, if two separate appointments for the procedures are recommended, find out how much time should be scheduled in between each surgery.
Triwest paid 100% for my procedure.