Is pain better with Artificial Urinary Sphincter (AUS) than catheter?

I plan to have one in February.

I know a lot of people that have had them put in and they say that the surgery is Painful to recover from for a couple of weeks, but then becomes better. Once you’ve healed completely from the surgery, there is no pain involved.

Thank you! I am relieved. My husband is now back home and feeling ok so far!! Best wishes for your total recovery also!!!

I had mine activated in July.
Anything is better than a catheter.

Recovery is uncomfortable for a couple of weeks, but once the swelling etc goes away, it's so worth it.

Thank you for your reply! My husband just said he agrees with you. So far so good w the AUS. I see on this site several people have mentioned pulling the device downward occasionally. The doctor mentioned this briefly but didnt really say how to do it. Is it pretty easy to do this and when should he start?

I asked the surgeon about that when it was activated & he said it's not always necessary.
Apparently, in some guys the device "travels" up inside & can be difficult to use.
It does move a bit sometimes (it's pretty slippery in there) so a gentle pull downwards occasionally is not a bad idea. He just needs to gently grip the side & pull down a tiny bit every so often.

*Edit. Maybe not now. Wait until the scarring has calmed down a bit.

Once again, thanks so much. It is so helpful to hear from someone who has gone through it!!!

@mirsy, how is recovery going from the artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) surgery? How are YOU doing? 🙂

@mirsy Surgeons will install the bulb differently. My first one barely extended out, very hard to squeeze. Doc said keep pulling. I had many problems, leaked all the time even though it was activated. Had bulb switched to other side. Nope. Emergency surgery 6 months after installation to remove it all. Urethroplasty and 13 months with suprapubic catheter for it all to heal. Looked like not installed properly with enough slack so when I pulled it pulled on the cuff that eroded the urethra. New surgeon installed it with plenty of slack. I can grab the tubes and hold on for 2 handed or do it 1 handed. Be careful if you pull on the bulb. I believe you should be able to hold on to the tubes and squeeze. If you can't, be careful on pulling. Not too much pain after activation. Works great, but I leak some when sitting on a hard surface, like a chair or stool. Good luck.

@budisnothome Wow. You went through a lot. Mine isn't exactly water-tight, but I didn't have anything like that. Glad it's all resolved.

@colleenyoung Thank you so much for checking. I am sorry to report things are not going good. I am very worried and sorry he decided to have the procedure. We saw the Urologist yesterday. He is leaving the catheter in until Jan. 6th. Yesterday there was alot of blood in it but the doc said not to worry. A urine sample showed he has some yeast in the urine. Last night he had a fever of 101.8 -started difluconazole per urologist. Also felt a little dizzy off and on. Gave him tylenol to bring fever down. He is sleeping right now and his temp this morning was 100.6. He will take another fluconazole today - wondering if he needs an antibiotic..... I am now thinking "what next" with this AUS? I think it was not a good choice for HIM - maybe fine for others. I am hanging in there and trying to help him as much as I can. Thanks for your support!!!