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Considering an Artificial Urinary Sphincter (AUS): Need advice
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (57)Comment receiving replies
@soli
I was off work for 2 weeks afterwards. It was a bit different for me, cause I had the AUS implanted 9 months after my prostatectomy.
They normally wait 12 months, to see if incontinence gets better.
But in my case, it was obvious after 9 months that it wasn't going to.
Recovery-wise... lots of rest, manageable pain, thanks to lots of pills.
After a shower, dry your bits with a hair dryer on warm, cause it's still too painful to touch with a towel.
You're still incontinent for 6 weeks after surgery, cause you have to wait for everything to heal.
So still on the pads for 6 weeks.
Then you're back to the urologist, he activates the device & you're pretty much good to go.
Like everything else, everyone's experience is different.
I still had problems with leaking for quite a while, but pills for an overactive bladder sorted that out.
I found using the device very easy from the start.
Recovering from any surgery is no fun, but this one was worth it in the end.
I've gone from 7 pads a day to zero.
Replies to "@soli I was off work for 2 weeks afterwards. It was a bit different for me,..."
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@peterj116
Thank you. It was very helpful to learn from your experience about the recovery process after the AUS implant.
One thing that caught my attention was your mention of having problems with leakage for quite a while (I assume after the AUS was activated) due to an overactive bladder, which was eventually “sorted out with pills.” That really caught my attention because I also suffer from incontinence following my prostate surgery a year ago, as well as overactive bladder.
My OAB is not new—I have had it for decades, and unfortunately, it has not responded to all sorts of medications, PTNS, or Botox. The only treatment I have not tried is InterStim.
So, I am wondering how much an AUS would help in my case if I don't address the OAB issue at some point. It sounds like the AUS can address the sphincter-related leakage, but I wonder whether my longstanding OAB could still cause significant urgency and leakage even with the AUS.