Hi everyone, you can call me Ben. I am just 30 but have had cancer twice and wound up in this situation with reduced urinary control. The first time was a sarcoma in the prostate, and I had radiation for it, damaging my urinary sphincter and harming my ability to retain urine. However, it also caused a partial stricture that retained urine. So urination always required pushing, but I didn't have much leakage despite the weak sphincter. Since it had been this way ever since I was 8 years old or so, it seemed very natural to me.

Well the second cancer was a metastatic melanoma, and while undergoing a (successful) surgery to remove a metastasis, I had a traumatic catheterization that tore the urethra. After a urethroplasty, the stricture that retained urine is gone and I am left with just the weakened sphincter. I have been at 1-2 pads but gradually increasing to 2-3 pads over time. PT didn't help. So now I am several years cancer free, but have this urination issue every day.

With all due respect to everyone who has gone through this, most men face this problem in an older age after already getting a chance to enjoy their youth. This is very hard to deal with at my age. I have to go to the office each day, and although my wife is understanding, our intimacy has decreased by about 90%, understandably.

I have been considering the AUS, but it is hard to accept needing such a big intervention, and because my time horizon is hopefully 40-50 years more of life, and I already have radiation damage and a traumatic catheterization and surgery, I worry that my risk of serious side effects is many times higher than the typical recipient.

I'm curious if anyone has any thoughts they can share, and especially how the AUS has worked with intimacy. I'd also be interested to hear if anyone had complications.

Thank you very much,
Ben