Hi,
I am so very glad you reached out. I have learned a lot on this journey, but one thing above all is that everyone's road although similar, seems to be different.
I'll try to give you a brief synopsis of my situation.
Prior to my RP, I had Laser Enucleation in January of 2020. At that point my prostate was 155 grams, and biopsy was negative. It took at least 6 months but my control came back to almost normal with very little to no leaking. I also had the ability to urinate again. I continued to have my PSA checked every 6 months with a low of 4.1 about 3 months after laser surgery until it reached 11.4 in August, 2023.
I think this is important to give you this background only because of the size of my prostate and for the relatively long duration that it was effecting my ability to control when I would urinate. The pivotal point for me is when I changed doctors - truly life altering.
Fast forward to my RP - October, 2023 My doctor told me that this would be difficult because of the size of my prostate and he was right. 3 months of PT with some very skilled people fell short to say the least. I was going through 8-10 full pads a day with ZERO control. About three months in they put me on a urinary clamp that is exactly what it sounds like. This was extremely uncomfortable but did allow me to function daily on some level. It could not be worn at night so I was back to 1-2 pads at night.
My doctor told me the same thing, I needed to heal for at least 6 months and allow my bladder and urethra to heal...It was the longest 6 months of my life. A clean PSA but I was limited in every part of my life.
My doctor, who was a complete Godsend, discussed my situation in a followup and we both decided the AUS was the right path for me because of the severity of my leakage that wasn't getting any better.
The surgery went well and the biggest thing is to let it heal and not be overactive in any way. This was very difficult for me because I am so active.
The six week wait time for activation seemed like another 6 months (back to the clamp). It was also awkward and somewhat uncomfortable as the device settled in to my body.
I will never forget the day I went in to have him activate the device, right after, he showed me how to use it and what to expect, made sure I could urinate and sent me and my wife on our two hour drive home. We made it all the way home and I cannot tell you what a huge win this was. two weeks later, I went for a swim in the neighbors pool, fishing with my two sons and even golfing again. It's been almost 4 moths and I have rejoined humanity.
I'm not sure what the future holds for me and my family, but I do know that I am in the very best hands with the team of doctors I am fortunate enough to have. and I would not have changed a thing with my care so far.
If there are any questions I can answer, please don't hesitate to reach out.
I wish you well and hope the very best for you.
Take care.