Anyone dealing with Prostatic Strictures after Radiation therapy?

I am taking 400 mg ibuprofen 3 times a day with food for a one week duration. Ibuprofen is an inflamatory drug.
It can cause constipation so I take Metamucil every day around 5 pm. 2 heaping teaspoons in 10 oz. Of water. Also I have been using virgin olive oil topically for a long time applied into the meatus. I always feel better first thing in the morning and typically as my day wears on the pain and discomfort increases. After 10 weeks intra urethral clobetasol ( steroid) treatment regimen I had considerable relief but as I said earlier it was not curative and the discomfort , soreness and redness is returning. I’m not sure if a urethragram will show anything other than stricture/ scar tissue but I am able to void my bladder completely so whatever stricture is present is not so bad that it prevents flow.
I will need to discuss this with the doc next visit which is not until April. Possibly sooner through the patient portal but not as good communication as in person of course. I have already had 2 cystoscopies over the last year both showing scar tissue so I have been told that scar tissue can cause pain. I’m still a bit puzzled though.

Hi Bob. Very long journey. Had pc robotic October 2019. gene testing 5% chance of reoccurring in 10 years. !6 months later 35 radiation treatments to lower tummy lymph nodes. Lots of bleeding, 40 hyperbaric oxygen chamber sessions to try to stop bleeding. Nope. Total incontinence. I had the AUS 800 installed August 2021. Failed. Fix surgery December 2021 nope. Emergency surgery Feb 2022 after cysto showed stricture in urethra. AUS 800 cuff had eroded into my urethra causing many UTI's. Found urologist in St Paul that specializes in radiation caused strictures. I have radiation cystitis and radiation proctitis. Suprapubic catheter installed Christmas 2022, giving my urethra time to heal before urethroplasty. That was done April 2023. Had both foley and suprapubic catheter for 5 weeks. Now only suprapubic. It gets changed every 4 weeks. Cytso in August to make sure urethra is healing. If it is, suprapubic until maybe December or January , another cysto and if healed we are going to try the AUS800 again. He is hoping for a 50% success rate this time. The only other choice for me is to take out the bladder or make a direct tube to tummy, Ostomy bag forever. Will hope 50% success rate is better choice for now. I always were shorts, I have for years. My leg is exposed all the time. People get used to it. I tell some people I have a leg bag, you have ..... whatever they are using. Cane, crutches, glasses, you name it. This is mine for a while. Night bag at night, Medicare pays for the bags and supplies. The Mayo store has the good stuff. Other places bags don't work as well. I hope my long story helped you. If I can answer anymore questions please let me know, I am very experienced with the catheters, including self catheterizing, many times per day. It becomes you and this is how you live. Nothing too it, Good luck. I am in Rochester.

Hi,

My husband had a prostatectomy in 2013. Cancer returned in 2015 and he received salvage radiotherapy which left him with strictures in 2018. Frankly, there was a discussion of a supra-pubic catheter as a "last resort", however, my husband chose to go the route of self catheterization which he has been doing weekly for 5 years. Outside of this, we have no knowledge of any other alternatives. In fact, he just met with the Mayo Urologists and they haven't made any progress in the past 5 years which is kind of shocking and certainly disappointing. Overall, he said that while it is definitely not something any man wants to do, it's better than the alternative! Best of luck to you and God Bless!

~Carla

Hi Carla,
Thanks for your response. Much appreciated. Not that catheterization is any fun but it seems to be doing the job for your husband. I have a post surgical meeting with my Mayo Doctor coming up and I believe there may be one other procedure other than supra-pubic I need to learn about called urinary diversion. I have been catheterizing every other day to keep things open but I still develop these strictures. I have had 3 surgeries in the last year and my body is starting to have difficulty recovering from anesthesia. Like your husband I really want to avoid the supra-pubic process as it would likely permanently end my ability to urinate naturally if left in for an extended period of time.
Bob

Hi Bob. Very long journey. Had pc robotic October 2019. gene testing 5% chance of reoccurring in 10 years. !6 months later 35 radiation treatments to lower tummy lymph nodes. Lots of bleeding, 40 hyperbaric oxygen chamber sessions to try to stop bleeding. Nope. Total incontinence. I had the AUS 800 installed August 2021. Failed. Fix surgery December 2021 nope. Emergency surgery Feb 2022 after cysto showed stricture in urethra. AUS 800 cuff had eroded into my urethra causing many UTI's. Found urologist in St Paul that specializes in radiation caused strictures. I have radiation cystitis and radiation proctitis. Suprapubic catheter installed Christmas 2022, giving my urethra time to heal before urethroplasty. That was done April 2023. Had both foley and suprapubic catheter for 5 weeks. Now only suprapubic. It gets changed every 4 weeks. Cytso in August to make sure urethra is healing. If it is, suprapubic until maybe December or January , another cysto and if healed we are going to try the AUS800 again. He is hoping for a 50% success rate this time. The only other choice for me is to take out the bladder or make a direct tube to tummy, Ostomy bag forever. Will hope 50% success rate is better choice for now. I always were shorts, I have for years. My leg is exposed all the time. People get used to it. I tell some people I have a leg bag, you have ..... whatever they are using. Cane, crutches, glasses, you name it. This is mine for a while. Night bag at night, Medicare pays for the bags and supplies. The Mayo store has the good stuff. Other places bags don't work as well. I hope my long story helped you. If I can answer anymore questions please let me know, I am very experienced with the catheters, including self catheterizing, many times per day. It becomes you and this is how you live. Nothing too it, Good luck. I am in Rochester.

I am so sorry to hear about those with strictures. I am 3 months post RP and I’m getting tested for a possible stricture caused by the surgery in two weeks. My stream is weak and is broke into two streams when I urinate. I have to sit when I pee to completely evacuate. Not to mention I have a burning sensation most of the time. No UTI’s. I’m fearful of next steps, but I also can’t go on like this. Has anyone had similar symptoms after RP and what course of action worked best.