Are you happy with your Artificial Urinary Sphincter?

@bikeman Yes, my strategy entails
- taking it off at night, which is a time when leaking is minimal.
- not over-tightening the clamp. I don’t aim for 100% effectiveness. I’m content to let some leaking and using one Tena Maximum Protection pad a day. Tightness can be tested by voiding with the clamp on. If you push and nothing dribbles out it’s probably too tight. Experiment.
- Insure the high spot on the bottom of the clamp is centered on the urethra.
- Change the position/location of the clamp with every void.
- On the off chance there is some chaffing I use a skin cream.
- Try different brands to see which fits best. Ill-fitting clamps can be ineffective and irritating. After trying 5 brands, I use Weisner.

@jeffmarc Yes, reports of ulcers are concerning. Constant scrutiny is important.

I’m sorry to hear it gets painful after a few hours. I tried a half dozen different clamps, I used some that were ill-fitting or poorly designed and had to be over-tightened to be effective. They hurt like hell. By wearing it 2 hours a day you are likely using more pads than by dialing back the tightness and accepting a little leakage throughout the day. See my comment to @bikeman. Hope it will help some.

@lsk1000
At the most, I’ve never used more than two pads a day. I don’t leak at all when I’m in bed at night. I do leak constantly if I’m standing up, And some when I’m sitting. It’s been six years since I started having Incontinence problem. It’s gotten worse over time. I only use the clamp three times a week when I go to the gym, And Saturday night when I go dancing with my wife. I time it and use it only for a maximum of two hours.

The Weisner clamp has 3 different silicone rubber pads you can switch out based on penis thickness. It can also be tightened up to four different levels, so it allows a lot of variety.

They do say to loosen it every two hours to urinate and prevent urinary tract infections, and also move it to a different location with that is done.

Thanks for your reply. The whole thing doesnt sound as easy as I'd hoped. We see the urologist in a week. I'm not sure if he will find my husband strong enough to go through this procedure.

Thanks for your reply. Glad to hear it has really improved your quality of life. My husband is 80 and has heart failure and several other health issues so I am worried the procedure could be too much for him. I am also worried about the fact that the foley catheter has been in for over 2 mos now. Will his bladder be able to function properly after that long w a catheter?

@mirsy
They do a cystoscopy before they will install the AUS to see if the urethra can handle it.

They are picky about having heart issues, Some doctors don’t like to put someone under for surgery if they have to worry about that.

If the specialist is recommending one, that's a good sign that it'll still be worth doing even with other health issues.
One other thing to consider is dexterity. As long as he can reach down & press the pump when needed. But I'm sure the doc checked that his hands & fingers move ok.

@peterj116 His dexterity is fine. The urologist only saw him once and I'm not sure if he read his complete medical file. He did say "Do you want me to fix this for you?" - LOL! Thanks for your reply. You have all been so supportive on this site!