Urethroplasty patient experiences/updates

[smartman715]

Dear All,

I've recently joined medhelp looking for some insight into patient experiences regarding their urethroplasties.  I've noticed that many on medhelp have had this procedure done and would really appreciate some feedback.  I've been diagnosed with a 1-2 cm stricture (urologist says retrograde urethrogram isn't 100% accurate in predicting lenght of stricture) in the bulbar portion.  Now i'm scheduled for a possible urethroplasty (probably anastomotic) in december and would like to learn about how patients who've had this procedure done are doing.  My questions are:

How did you feel immediately after the procedure?  Pain, discomfort

How long were you bed bound after the procedure?

How cumbersome was having the catheter placed for 2-3 weeks?

How long did it take you to return to normal life activities?

How is your urine flow NOW compared to prior to surgery AND compared to just after surgery?  Any dribbling, any other issues?

How is your sexual function NOW(e.g. penile sensitivity, ejaculation speed, retrograde/stasis of semen)?  Did anyone have any sexual dysfunction that slowly resolved?

If you've had the anastomotic urethroplasty (where the diseased portion is excised and the remaining portions joined), have you ever felt any tension in your penis during an erection?

In what area of the country did you have the procedure done? ( you don't have to answer this, I'm in the nyc area and am getting it done there)



I know i've asked a ton of questions but I'm just anxious about this procedure.  I'm sure most of you can understand the anxiety.  I've never had any procedure done before.

If you don't feel comfortable answering here, feel free to send me a private message.  I eagerly await all responses.

Thanks and God Bless!!

[Polishleo]

I recently had a uroplasty surgery. The reason for the surgery was because I was born with a hypospadios. Its when the urethra did not form all the way to the top of the penis the way a normal penis should be. Do to that aspect of the hypospadios at the age of 31 a structure formed in my urethra. There were actually 2 of them. I Had a systoscopy done. They open the urethra and cut the structures. Their were many complications at that point. The skin became tender and after 1 week I was pering out of 2 holes in my penis and my regular penis hole too. That freaked me out. I then went to a different doctor by the name of Richard Santucci in Detroit Michigan. This guy is literally the best in the country. I got the uroplasty reconstructive surgery.I had the surgery on February 16 2016. Its now April 9 2016. My penis does not hurt anymore during an erection. My wife is still waiting from the ok from the doctor before we have sex again. But me myself I'm ready to bang yesterday. The first part of the surgery is a buccal graft where a part of the inner cheek in your mouth is put on your penis to act like a brand new urethra. also second stage johansenwas done in that process. Then the final surgery was them wrapping the penis back together.  erections are the thing that hurts the most after the first month or so. Then after about 2 months you shouldn't feel any pains when getting hard. I have to add that right after the super pubic tube and penile catheter were removed not all of the urine came out of my penis. I sort of Had to squeeze the penis from the bottom to the top for my pnis to empty the urine. It is getting better now tho after the next 4 week's. I did try to masterbate twice and both times The seman did not come out right away. The surgery was a success to me. I have to add that during the first part of the buccal graft surgery I got my wife pregnant with our third child. Our first girl. So, my advice to anyone out their that had some of the same problems I had like problems urinating or hypospadious look no further then getting this surgery done. If you can. I recommend this doctor Santucci. Urologist specialist of reconstructive surgery on the penis. Good luck to all. Take care. And God bless everyone.

[Kman28]

Did you mean you had a 2 stage urethroplasty surgery with doctor santucci? If so how long was the penis left open before he closed it up? I'm looking at seeing dr. Santucci myself. Does it take a long time to schedule an appointment with him?

[Jp315]

I've been dealing with strictures for the past 38 years. Since a teen I've had four operations where they go in, cut the stricture open to get the flow going again. I had a catheter twice, 2005 and 2015. Had same procedure but no catheter before that, 1982 and 1986.  Just had the urethroplasty done in March '17. Procedure took six hours as the previous surgeries had created a lot of scar tissue that had to be removed when he did the urethroplasty. I had a SP catheter for five weeks, then they did the procedure and I had both the SP and a foley for three weeks. Then the SP was removed a week after the foley. Catheters weren't awful, some spasming when I first got the SP, drink a lot of water and avoid tea and pop. Worse part of the SP was not being able to get the site wet for five weeks. After the foley was removed (3 weeks after the urethroplasty) and they measured my urine flow I was off the charts with success. I felt like I was blowing the toilet right off the wall and I worry about splashback on my pants when I use a urinal. Four weeks later still off the charts. Orgasms are "tight" feeling and things work, just more dribble than shoot. It feels weird but manageable. Worth it. I'm told things will loosen up. The worse part of the procedure was the graft site, they took 6 cm from inside of my mouth. It took a couple of weeks for that to calm down - lots of bland, soft food. I lost 10 pounds. Now it's healed up and everything is fine, I do have a scar that is slowly going down in size every day. I wish I had this surgery done sooner. It has been a life changer for me.

[johnjax]

Hello ALL ,

I am from INDIA.
I hope you have great Relief after uroplasty surgery.
I have stricture , and I already did IVU (Visual Internal Urethrotomy) using Endoscopy Three times in  6 Years , As stricture was recurred every after 2 Years in last 6 years
My doctor said : its time for uroplasty as sticure recurred again and again in 6 years 3 times.
I wanted to Know :
1. After uroplasty surgery how was your  SEX life as my doctor said It may be have some problem in SPERM because of this you will not able to become FATHER of a kid.
2. Did you face any problem in “Erectile dysfunction” and “loss of penile sensation” and “changes in ejaculation, and decrease in intensity of orgasm”
3. I have also heard about AYURVEDIC treatment named “UttarBasti” , Did anyone have experience about this Ayurvedic treatment ??

My humble request you all to please share your experience

Thanks

[Kapilkaushik]

Brother i am also from india can you tell me finally what u decided as your option for treatment ..I too have a same problem like yours..i ll be highle thankful if you help me in this.

[JianLee]

I am a 18-year-old Malaysian~I propose that you can undergo the.urethroplasty surgery which is more efficient but it can only maintain between 5 years to 10 years because it is not original.I underwent the urethroplasty surgery 5 years ago when I was 12-years-old.The main cause for my urethral stricture was the catheter insertion while I underwent an emergency surgery.By now,it comes back.

[Vince460]

Interesting comments...I had my urethraplasty 18 days ago and the catheter is due to come out on the 30th. I have been surprised how well I have felt. After 24hrs in hospital I was discharged and survived on pretty much NO painkillers Except for one before bed, but that was more precaution.
Eating was no joy but not the pain I expected.
Wearing a catheter is annoying and if the bag slips down the leg at all then the sensation of the tube moving is not nice.

My one concern which I would like your thoughts on - I had blood in my urine for just over a week which was expected. Then urine was blood free but just recently the blood seems to be more frequent? Is something failing with the graft? Is it normal for the blood to come and go? Is it something to do with how the catheter is sitting because I noticed since I changed the bag and strap on my leg, I haven't got it to sit quite as comfortably as the 1st week.

Another interesting thing I have noticed, if I get the sensation to pee while standing then I find it difficult to pee and it can sting and is often followed by blood - is it just because I am trying not to pee because it is unnatural to want to pee when not near the toilet? If I am lying down or sitting then the bag fills up without me even noticing...

[Ryanurethro]

How are you getting on 4 months on?

[brandonclone1]

Hello all. I've had my SPC for a couple weeks and recently starting passing blood and urine through my penis instead of the bag. I felt a constant stinging overnight and it made me sweat, and the next day was almost unbearable, as if there was a clot stuck in my urethra (which was already irritated from the stricture). I went to the ER because my urologist was away and he instructed them to change out my tube. The idiot nurse failed to put in my IV twice and left the room so the practioner went ahead and removed my tube without any pain management. This hurt more than anything I've ever felt in my life, and they inserted the new tube and flushed it a few times. I was gagging and crying from how badly my bladder was spasming and how the fluid was trying to pass through my already irritated urethra. They apologized and immediately put me on morphine but I will never forget the feeling I had in my bladder from that. My urethroplasty is in a few days, and if any of you have a SPC tube that needs to be changed, for the love of god do not let them skip your pain meds. It was almost cruel how she gave up on my IV like that!

[Camemt]

I'm scheduled for an urethroplasty in 2 weeks.. Ive read pretty much every single comment so I more or less know what to expect.
Only thing I didn't read anywhere was that my doc is going to use my foreskin as opposed to the inner lip skin to connect my urethra. My choice though. Any suggestions? I'm nervous about my meat shrinking in lenght. My doc didn't tell me about some of the sides that you all speak of.
Thanks all for your feedback regarding your experience  

[SickFruck]

So when they "graft" in the borrow tissue for your urythra the hope for success lays In that borrowed tissues ability to adapt and take over the blood flow. Basically it needs to have blood vessels as closely related to the blood vessels in the urythra. I had my procedure done and have a foreskin as well. I was informed by my surgeon there is a better chance of the graft being a success using the skin from the inside of the cheek due to the blood vessels being most similar to the urythras. My surgery was a success. Finally being tube free is like Christmas morning. - something to look forward to

[thorneybash]

Just had a Urethroplasty without the graft from my check left hospital on the 14th April 2015. This is a quick guide noticed the bruising just as I left hospital asked the doctor he said that was common that's a joke my willie and balls went black and the bruising looked like they used my willie for knocking nails in so don't panic about that.The catheter is a horrible tool I am getting blood and gunk coming out of my eye off willie which sticks to my pants which is soooo painful so don't panic about that.In the catheter you will get small blood clots in the tubing which makes your wee look really dark but just keep drinking plenty of water and just flush it all out as long as it's only now and then and not constant so don't worry about that.It bleedy hurts 6th day now still bits of blood still feels like horse kicked me in balls but make sure you take pain killers I got some tramadol and codeine just paracetamol is not enough. And don't worry when you get a erections in the morning they bleedy hurt so don't worry about that.PS don't listen to people saying that your penis is small and you can't get a erections all rubbish if you read this rubbish you will start thinking this so let it settle down then get out there and give it some proper banging all the best people keep smiling.

[Ryanurethro]

How are you 1 year on? I've just had mine 3 days ago!

[Kapilkaushik]

Please tell me ykir current condition as i have to go through urethroplasty soon

[Innuendo91]

Also my doc recommended using vacuum erector device to stretch the penis as it helps a lot to stretch the urethra. You may do it two months after surgery (15 minutes, twice a day). In some cases penile extender may be used, but you should do it very carefully not to damage the urethra (better to consult your doc).

[Innuendo91]

Hi all! I'm from Russia and had urethroplasty done about 5 years ago when I was 30 (the urethra was badly injured by a catheter in Moscow). I had a long stricture about 15 cm from bulbar section to penile included.
I underwent the surgery on march 2010. In fact, the doctor decided on a combined method - the penile urethra was mended by penile graft and the bulbar urethra by buccal graft. I went to Israel for that and met a very trained and experienced doc. He is a professor and the Head of Urology Department in Jerusalem Clinic. His name is Professor Ofer Z Shenfeld. By this time he's done over 1000 urethroplasties and though he confessed that every case is quite complicated, no matter, whether a patient had a short stricture or a long one, I should say that he did an excellent job regarding my case (though now in five years after I have a small restricture about 1 cm in the bulbar part).

Right after the surgery that had lasted about 9 hours I had no much pain anywhere, but in my mouth. I was taken home on the 5th day. I should say that the most annoying thing was the night erections and orgasm with the sperm leaking out while the catheter was in - I couldn't sleep at nights.
The numbness in the scrotum didn't trouble me much. After I was relieved from the two catheters I started urinating very well, but one thing I was worried about is my penile length - in fact it was half length while erected as compared to the length before the surgery. But be sure, that in several months you'll have exactly the same length as you used to have before (the doc also said that end-to-end may shorten the length for the rest of life, but oral graft urethroplasty is most unlikely to affect the length). At least, in my case. Everything came back - the length, the angle. The quality of my sexual life is the same as compared to it before the op. By the way, my girfriend is now pregnant, so it doesn't affect fertility. But one thing I miss very much - the sperm only leaks out when I have orgasm. Still I got used to it. Now I'm scheduled for another urethroplasty to fix my small restricture in the bulbar urethra, but not afraid of it as I trust my professor and know him to be very efficient.
He also said before the op that these kind of surgeries should not affect your phisycal erections for better or for worse, at least in case of anterior urethroplasty.

Hope, I somehow helped you sharing my experience.
Be well.

[SickFruck]

Hate to ask this but my surgeon, nor could the internet provide me with an answer to my question. I was wondering how soon after getting the catheter removed can I masterbate. I had urythroplasty where skin from my cheek was not needed. My urythra was only stretched the distance. Any advice on when I can masterbate or have sex?

[JianLee]

I am a 18-year-old Malaysian.My circumstances is same with you~the night erection make me could not sleep at all while the catheter is in~I underwent the urethrotomy and will get out the catheter next week.The main cause against my urethral structure was the catheter insertion while I underwent an emergency surgery.By that times,I was a 12-year-old boy and underwent the urethroplasty surgery.By now,it comes back.May I ask that how you care for your renal system?

[Ahmedd]

Hey guys.. Seriously need your inputs for my queries. Im 27 yrs old. I had anastomatic Uro plasty 2 months before. After 5 weeks of surgery I tried mastrubation..and got normal erecton..but my erected size reduced by 1 inch..n ejaculation force got reduced..
So I did mastrbn 3 to4 times hardly in tht month becoz I m waiting fr complete recovery..

Now it's worrying me a lot tht m facing ED now, no morning erections, m facing very hard time in getting erection.
Need yo guys experiences on ED.. Whether u faced this, if yes..its got better by time ..n how long it took to get normal sex life..
Thanks in advance.. Appreciate your inputs

[nate429]

Hi i had sex to early after my urethraplasty i had sex the day after i got my superpubic catheter out and i cant get erections and my penis also is very sensitive at all anymore. The reason i had sex so early is because i was really high on painkillers and misunderstood what my nurse said and it was 4 months ago this happened and i thought it was something that would get better but it hasnt (ive been masturbating once a day hoping it would get better.) Im not really sure what to do if i wait will it get back to normal and i will get erections???

[cmr27]

This is such a helpful thread, many thanks. I'm 44. I had a urethrotomy eight years ago and just underwent my first dilatation, which looks like will be a $9k failure. My urine flow is better but there is still spraying and the high frequency of urination -- my biggest problem -- hasn't reduced. I'm wondering if I should go right into another urethrotomy or just do urethroplasty. The stricture is apparently 2mm, which I guess qualifies as small. I'm not sure of location. Some questions for anyone who can help:

1.) How many urethrotomies did people have before they did a urethroplasty? What was the diminishing return with each successive one? When did you throw in the towel and just do the full surgery? What do you recommend? My health is good.

2.) Did successive urethrotomies create complications? I've read that scaring can be an issue but am inclined to keep doing the procedure as long as possible provided it buys me a decent chunk of time.

3.) Any recommendations or advice with self-cathaterization? I'm now signed on to do this process weekly for the rest of my life presuming I don't opt for urethroplasty.

I really appreciate everyone posting here. This is not an easy subject to broach with people, obviously, and doctors can talk about this faster than what my brain can absorb.

  

[stuman]

I under went a urethoplasty buccal muccosa in aug 2012 first stage in uk. Was told id have second within 6minths hiwever due to me going on holiday i never yet had my second stage. In march this year after intercourse with my girlfriend i bled and went into retention again and my probs have comeback. In last 3months i have had number of episodes of uncontrollabe bleedin and now my surgeon has fitted me with a SPC pos long term and told me i unable to have my second stage till i been clear of bleeding for atleast 4months.  Although i am a minority of where it has failed and ashamed of what i look like i dont wish i never had it. Although my girlfriend is supportive she wont sleep with me till i sorted as she feels guilty for the bleeding. However saying that today is fathers day and i have just found out by text this morning my girlfriend sent me saying HAPPY FATHERS DAY. Well i never in my life thought id ever hear those words cos of previous cancer cells but today is happiest day off my life and i thanking the urethoplasty for it. So all you people out there no matter what you face it is worth the risk. I hope one day i can make my girlfriend happy like she has me

[gladiatos]

Hi uroretronow,

I had my op in June 2011, so far, everything is functioning mostly normal after the operation.

2 key differences though, I tend to dribble a little after peeing and as such, i avoid light colored underwear, also if I ejaculate too frequently in a short span of time, the subsequent ones tend to hurt (once every 2 days seems to be the most before it starts to hurt, and i would have to abstain for a few days to recover)

Other than that, everything seems to function pretty well, I do have some retrograde ejaculation, but it is minor. I've notice that I release less semen compared to before the op, but it is not by much, and I doubt it affects my fertility.

[gg300]

Hi.  Best of luck with your op.

The small bore catheter for the urethrogram isn't too bad - they numbed the area with a swab.  Its uncomfortable but not painful.  To prevent the dye running back out they put a clamp on the outside of the penis - again this is uncomfortable but not too painful.  Its not a long procedure and its good to know that everything is watertight.  Afterwords, I got both the urethral and suprapubic catheters removed.

As for the erections, dysfunction was never a problem for me.  Infact, I got them regularly which caused me a lot of discomfort for about a month.  They are painless now and I am now fully functioning again in that respect.  

I never had any problem with back flow upon ejaculation, either before or after the procedure.  I would think that the op will sort this out for you but I'm no doctor so worth double checking.

Hope this helps. Again, best of luck.  Hope all goes well.

[uroretronow]

*I meant 2.5mo, but at any rate, I'd still appreciate info. Thx.

[uroretronow]

Hi gg300, it is three and a half months since your procedure almost, and I am going under for the same thing in three weeks. Is that smaller catheter they injected the dye in your urethral graft painful going in, or was that an anesthetized  procedure as well?

Also, now that its been a few months, if ya don't mind my curiosity, are you able to achieve a semi-normal erection? More curious, do you have retrograde or normal ejaculation? I am worried about the possibility I'll continue to send them retrograde, as I do now, even after I have the graft. Please let me know.

[schav]

I am a 26 year old who had a bulbar urethroplasty in December 2012. Everything is working fine: erections, urine flow and it healed really good. I did not have a graft inserted though. Only a short stretch (1cm) was removed. The only problem I'm having is that I cannot ejaculate. I am really worried as I don't have any kids yet and would like to start soon. Should I be worried or is this normal for this type of procedure? Thanks

[JacobxD93]

Hey slrray254! I myself had a urethroplasty done back in January of 2012. So far the surgery has been a complete success for me. However, this surgery does come with some possible side effects. After my surgery my penis has shortened, along with not being able to use my penile muscle during an errection. Now nearly a year later I am just barely able to use these muscles. My Urologist had told me the muscle could possibly be permanentlt damaged. So this surgert does come with a pretty long recovery time frame.

My flow after getting the cathedar removed after the 3 weeks was extremely strong. It eventually faded out to becomming a "normal" flow once again.

Not going to lie, I was a bit scared to urinate for the first time after the cathedar was removed. But it all went smoothly, and no problems had/have occured since it was removed.

My best wishes for a quick a speed recovery go out to you.

[slrray524]

Hello Timtalton,

I just recently had urethroplasty on 11/28/12.  I have been dealing with strictures for well over 25 years.  This has been a very frustrating problem to deal with.  I had a piece of tissue from the inside of my mouth used to help fix the stricture.  I really didn't have too much pain down below.  I have had more discomfort inside my mouth.  It is getting better every single day.  It's a little uncomfortable wearing this cathedar for 3 weeks. I can't wait for it to come off. I pray everyday that my surgery is going to be successful. In a couple of days I am going back to get the dye test to see if my surgery is healing.  Can you let me know how you have been doing since your surgery back in 2010?

Is your flow still normal?

Any post problems since your cathedar has been removed?

I have tried to contact via email several other patients with similar issues.  Nobody has responded back with updates.  Anything you can do to share your updates with me would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

[slrray524]

Hello Flowing Freely,

I just recently had urethroplasty on 11/28/12.  I have been dealing with strictures for well over 25 years.  This has been a very frustrating problem to deal with.  I had a piece of tissue from the inside of my mouth used to help fix the stricture.  I really didn't have too much pain down below.  I have had more discomfort inside my mouth.  It is getting better every single day.  It's a little uncomfortable wearing this cathedar for 3 weeks. I can't wait for it to come off. I pray everyday that my surgery is going to be successful. In a couple of days I am going back to get the dye test to see if my surgery is healing.  Can you let me know how you have been doing since your surgery back in 2011?

Is your flow still normal?

Any post problems since your cathedar has been removed?

I have tried to contact via email several other patients with similar issues.  Nobody has responded back with updates.  Anything you can do to share your updates with me would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

[gg300]

Got a conclusive answer to my question from a senior urology doctor - the spiggot should not be removed and the urine will not be a problem for such a short period of time.

I hear that I've to get a pericatheter urethrogram in a couple of weeks - having Googled this it appears that an additional small bore catheter is inserted a few cms into the penis and dye injected under pressure to check for leaks - yikes, another catheter?  Is there any more room in there?  If no leaks, then they will remove the urethral and sp catheters.

Has anybody undergone this procedure and if so what was your experience like?

[gg300]

I've just had the op for a bulbar urethral stricture.  Got an abdominal (sp) catheter draining the bladder and a urethral catheter which is blocked off and supports the buccal mucosa graft.  

I'm fine with the management of the abdmonial catheter that drains but am unclear, even after medical advice, whether its worth changing the stopper on the urethral catheter?  This would release any pooled urine but could increase the risk of infection.

I can see that either option poses a risk but would be interested in your views.

[flowing_free]

Gentleman, I'm 36 yrs old.  9 weeks post-op.  Flow is great!  Erections...still getting used too.  Intercourse... i tried it tonight and could not ejaculate - WTH!  I've read some other posts and they have helped.  BOTTOM LINE:  I'd do this again.  I've been dealing with strictures for 20 years now.  I guess i just need to give it some more time.  Good luck to you all.