Question for those with an AUS

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It’s been 3 weeks since activating my AUS and it’s been remarkable in improving my quality of life. I am happily wearing regular underwear again (with a pad) to cover coughing and sneezing as well as other straining activities. The one thing I am not satisfied with so far is a small amount of urine will frequently leak when I sit down. Not a lot mind you but a little bit. It’s got me anxious to sit as it’s annoying. Anyone else experience this? I’m probably being greedy but I was wondering if this was common. I have a couple weeks until I go for my post operative visit and I will ask my surgeon.

 

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Congratulations on the successful part of your surgery! I hope you get the kinks worked out as you desire.

 

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My understanding is that the surgeon has to walk a fine line when placing the cuff around the urethra.
Too loose and you leak in certain situations, too tight and you risk erosion and bigger issues.
Where did you have your AUS implanted?

BTW my RP was much much worse than the AUS .

 

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Give yourself a good 90 seconds to void. Go to the bathroom just before you sit down especially on a hard surface and do a good Kegal just before you sit down.

 

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I was experiencing the same thing. The least little pressure would cause the urine to pass through the cuff. One year later they put a smaller cuff in. I had to go to another hospital to have it done. The original Dr. who did the procedure said there was nothing wrong with the cuff and the unit. 2 other Doctors said the cuff was too big. So I had the procedure done again and all is well.

 

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I guess that's where experience comes in.

 

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Thanks to all for the feedback. It’s great that there is all this experience out there to tap into. I will be discussing with surgeon at my post activation visit. As I said overall and compared with what I had been dealing with post RP I’m in a far far better place.

 

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Mine has been activated for 7 weeks. I’ve had four leaking events in that time, each when sitting or moving around in a sitting position. My doctor said that certain positions may “deform the cuff” allowing leakage until the cuff reforms. He said that this can occur when sitting on hard surfaces or when sitting straight up (which seems to have been my case). I would also note that these occurred when I was well-hydrated. To be safe, I am wearing a thin pad, and when traveling, I wear a full-sized pad just in case. All in all, though, this AUS has been like a miracle compared t9mthe 40+ ounces per day that I was leaking.

 

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I've had an AUS for 3 years and haven't had a leak other than drips.
I sit , stand,bike ride, ski, scuba dive,sail, kayak .

 

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I’m jealous. How bad was your incontinence prior to the AUS? Mine was to the point where I was changing diapers, not pads, every 3 hours if I was at work. Work is not strenuous but pretty active. On feet and sitting.
Now as I said I only leak with sneezing ect but it seems every time I sit down on hard or soft surfaces a little squirt is released. It comes out with enough force that sometimes the pad I wear doesn’t have time to absorb it and it will leak around it. I am overall very happy with where I’m at now compared to where I was pre-device activation, and post surgery but if I could just get this little problem taken care of or figure out a way to manage it better I would be very, very happy.
The surgeon that did my radical prostatectomy just saw me yesterday and said that it’s possible to revise the cuff and or put a double cuff in, but I’m not in any big rush to go through a revision. I see my doctor that did the AUS surgery in a month or two and I’ll talk to him and I may just not be done healing yet either I’m not sure.

 

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I had no control when upright, at night I urinated every hour.
I used clamps , but only when absolutely necessary.
I tried to minimize my fluid intake.
I think that this forum shows that if you're considering a AUS
try to find a dr who has done a lot of them or even specializes
in male incontinence.