It's baaaccck ... Stricture!

Having gained no more control over urine after 6 months, yesterday I began bleeding again, repeating a condition I had previously.  I called my new urologist in Dallas, could not see him, but new guy on their block saw me. 

Urinalysis showed an infection.  He feels the Stricture I had dialated two months ago is back.  He indicated the best hope I had left after 6 months and after going back in to remove the stricture again would be artificial sphincter.  I'm to go back Monday for probe so he can "look see" to if the stricture is really back.  He thinks it is. Of course, he's not my urologist, but the only one I could see yesterday.  I have appointment with my real urologist in a couple of weeks. 

After that visit yesterday I was so disheartened.  I know it's been asked already by kw, but no one has answered as yet to my knowledge.  "Has anyone had experience with the artificial sphincter?"  I know how it works, but I hate to give up to another surgery and to putting something in my body that's a mechanical device... subject to failure.  So... has anybody out there had this device implanted?  How long? 

Gene

Gene ~ KW ~ Berb ..... There's got to be someone out there we can talk to.  I'll be back on the 25th.  I'm going to send an e-mail now to our urologist to see if there's a patient who would be willing to talk with us here on the forum. Maybe others could do the same... The one contact I was able to make... (sister) of gentleman who has the sling... see posting below.... Take care friend and continue to stay close!! You are in our thoughts and prayers. In Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy Partial excerpt from thread started by: Berb (Direct Link ~ just click on the title below and a new window will open!   Reminder … click on the REFRESH icon once you get there) Incontinence - Artificial Sphincters and Slings   I just got off the phone with a friend..... her 75 year old brother has the sling... He says "It was a life saver".... he's back working in the school cafeteria but must remember not to lift anything over 10lbs... or he leaks. He had a surgical procedure done (she's not sure what it was... but didn't work)... then he had the clamp which caused him a lot of pain.... and the sling was the last attempt ~ and it's working great!!!! He is very hard of hearing and would not be able to converse over the phone. I thought I'd share this with you....

Gene:

Another link you might try with contact numbers that could be helpful.

http://www.bladder-control-forum.com/cgi-bin/forum/topic_show.pl?tid=108#301

Good luck on your search.

DutchESS

It's baaakkk... Not!

Dr. did the systascope today.  The Stricture is not back!!!

I almost came off the table with that thing still sticking in me when he told me that.  All I had was a bad bladder infection.  Moreover, he said the "muscle" looks pretty good.  I don't know what muscle he was talking about & I was so excited I forgot to ask him... but I guess he was talking about the external sphincter???

Anyway, soon I will start biofeedback.  I'm not giving up regaining control untill literally all hope is gone.  I don't think I'm there yet.  So it's back to Dr. Kegal.

Actually, I think I had gained some control but it was so little spread out over 6 months that I didn't notice.  But when I began bleeding from the infection, I also began leaking a lot more... a lot more.  So maybe I was gaining some before all of this. 

Gene