I had a very bad stricture which I lived with untill I was 27. Low flow rate, urine infections but it was after a very painfull prostatitis episode that I went to the docs.
I was told a urethroplasty was the best cure, where the damaged urethra is removed and replaced by a skin graft. But it is quite long procedure and as my doctor put it 'not for the faint hearted' but it has a high success rate.
In the end I had a urethrotomy where the scar tissue that caused the stricture is cut open. I have to self-catheterise ever so often to keep the stricture from closing up. Two years after the urethrotomy and I have no problems and no evident stricture. But I am one of the lucky ones (so far), for many a urethrotomy is a short term solution. Urethroplasty is concidered the best long term fix.
What treatment have you been offered so far?
Last edited by JM792; 01-16-2013 at 02:39 PM.
Reason: spelling
Uretheraplasty is no big deal-takes around 2 hours under general and is around 95% successful.My op was 9 days ago and,to date,I have had 6 paracetamol for the pain-the surgeon puts a 24hr pain block into your coccyx area after which pain is negligible considering the wound size (around 4 inches).Stay in hospital is 2-5 days and back to work after 2-3 weeks depending on your job-you will have a Catheter fitted which is uncomfortable but you get used to it-this is taken out about 3 weeks post op.
Uretheraplasty is no big deal-takes around 2 hours under general and is around 95% successful.My op was 9 days ago and,to date,I have had 6 paracetamol for the pain-the surgeon puts a 24hr pain block into your coccyx area after which pain is negligible considering the wound size (around 4 inches).Stay in hospital is 2-5 days and back to work after 2-3 weeks depending on your job-you will have a Catheter fitted which is uncomfortable but you get used to it-this is taken out about 3 weeks post op.
Hi Bruno,
I'm headed in next week for urethroplasty. Wondering if you can help me out with any suggestions? Have you noticed any side effects? My doc said I might notice a new bend in the penis that wasn't there before (when erect) - did this happen with you? Any erection problems?
I'm getting pretty nervous as the day draws closer...
There's no need to worry about the operation-its uncomfortable but not painfull-the stitches stay in for a couple of months before dissolving-you will also have a catheter and leg bag for 3 weeks after the op.I still have my catheter in so its early days but I am getting erections in my sleep-again its uncomfortable when you wake up so they subside.The procedure can alter the length and shape of your penis-this depends on the amount of urethera removed and its length to begin with(varies from person to person)but the majority of side effects are not permanent.Good luck and dont panic.
Thank you for responding. Your posts have certainly been a little more reassuring than many that I have read. I believe my stricture is approx. 1.5 cm in length in the bulbus area just south of the sphinctor muscle area. Is this consistent with your stricture? I'd be interested to hear how your recovery progresses if you have the time to make a future posts - especially how things go once your cathetor is removed.
I believe that the further away from the base of your penis-the less likely the op is to have any effect on erections.Your stricture sounds quite long,in your case if the urethera is not long enough to enable the stricture to be removed easily then a slice of skin will be taken,most likely from the inside of your mouth,to make a new "extension" .My catheter is due to be removed on the 11th of this month-I have had 2 longish term catheters removed before so I know what to expect-I'm not worried-its more embarrasing than painfull.I will,of course,pass on my experience the same evening.Dont believe horror stories that people write,they just want to appear brave,the procedure is not painfull and the worst thing will be the boredom of laying in bed for a couple of days.
Catheter came out today-took less than 3 seconds and was about 1 out of 10 on the pain scale-sharp burning sensation thats all.The procedure then is to pass water 3 times and then a scan is done on the ward to make sure that your bladder is emptying-you might save yourself some time by taking something to drink rather than hospital water.No bleeding/blood on passing water and no pain but use a pad after the procedure (they supplied me with 2) because your muscles may be a little weak if your catheter has been in for a while.You will most likely need to use the toilet more frequently on day one because the slight lack of sensation can cause an accident.Time to empty my bladder is now just under 4 seconds!!!
Glad to hear it went well for you. Did you have a suprapubic catheter (I do)?
I'm back home now after my urethroplasty and 4 days in hospital. Like you said, it wasn't all that bad. Some serious bruising and swelling, but I've experienced much worse pain. Now, the morning erections are the worst part. My catheters come out on the Feb. 28th - can't wait as I'm already sick of the catheter. The doc did an end to end procedure. The stricture was < 1 cm. I can't wait to get back to a normal ******* life after about 7 years of straining and discomfort.
Anyway, I appreciate the replies and if anything else comes up that you feel is worth sharing please do!!
My Catheter was thru the urethera and not like yours-I dont know how they fix the hole in your bladder with the type that you have.As for getting back to normal its certainly a big difference-I now need to "hold back" rather than push to urinate and the flow is so strong I get recoil!!
Just had a urethroplasty performed on the 12th, was released on the 14th. Stricture was unfortunately longer than originally thought (8cm) and was in the Bulbar region. They used buccal skin graft, still have some pain and numbness feels swollen.
How long did you guys have to deal with the swelling/numb feeling in your cheek? When did it fully heal?
Pretty much been sitting in an upright position in bed or in a recliner all day, is this what you guys had to do? Still nervous about sitting the wrong way.
I had an end-to-end procedure done so I can't comment on the cheek/graft.
I was only really told that I should try to sit back on my tail bone. I'm now about 2 weeks since my surgery. Swelling was around for just over a week I'd say. I still have a little bruising and some discomfort (like a slight burning sensation) around the stiched areas.
I had an end-to-end procedure done so I can't comment on the cheek/graft.
I was only really told that I should try to sit back on my tail bone. I'm now about 2 weeks since my surgery. Swelling was around for just over a week I'd say. I still have a little bruising and some discomfort (like a slight burning sensation) around the stiched areas.
Good luck with the healing process! I know I'm counting down the days till the 3 week mark so I can get the catheter(s) out.
