AMS 800 artificial urinary sphincter

Skid Row Tom said:

AUS "turn on"
There shouldn't be any adjustment. I certainly understand that you don't want any more poking and probing around (more pain). The doctor should basically push a button at the top of the pump (located in your scrotum) and give the bottom of the pump a squeeze or two. From that point on, peeing will be a two-handed operation. You'll have to drop your drawers, hold the tubes/top of the pump with one hand and squeeze the bottom of the pump several times with the other hand. You'll pee like normal, and that's it. I haven't been able to pee in a urinal because of the drop your drawers/two-handed operation thing. Maybe you can figure it out. I just go into a stall in public restrooms. It doesn't hurt to squeeze the pump, there are no weird sensations, and you'll still feel the urge to pee just like the old days. Little kids and dogs make me nervous because they tend to jump and hit your balls, and that area with its pump, tubes, and other contraptions have to be protected at all times.

I had a Softail Springer. I loved that thing. I had 50,000 miles on it when I sold it and I still miss it. My wife and I travel so much, I felt I needed something "bigger", so I bought a 2005 Road King Custom. It came with saddlebags and I bought a detachable tour pak. My wife has a Fatboy. She's been a motorcycle safety instructor for years.

Skid Row Tom said:

I feel the cuff
I can feel the cuff if I probe around. It's "hidden away" and not quite as noticeable as the pump and reservoir, however. I have a Sundowner seat made by Harley. It's better than stock (anything's better than a stock Harley seat), but I still get a few dribbles of stress incontinence during the day no matter if I'm on my bike of just going about things as normal. That's why I have to wear a liner. It sure beats wearing thick pads and changing them 4-6 times a day or wearing incontinence underwear (and sometimes both). Reading the AMS 800 literature, it says you should avoid sitting on hard surfaces (bar stools, benches, etc.) probably resulting in the tilting of the cuff you mentioned. However, I sit where I want with no problems (other than a dribble or two). I went to my urologist yesterday for my semi-annual check-up and annual PSA. I keep telling him that the AUS, although not perfect, has given me my life back and I do what I want with little concern about incontinence. Before the AUS, incontinence was controlling my life causing me to withdraw from social situations and limiting activities. Now, I feel I'm free.

hightide said:

AMS 800 & the cuff
I am due to get my 800 turned on Aug. 11 . I can feel the pump but cannot feel the top to hold like the vidio shows. Maby by the time I go to get activated I will be able to feel the whole thing, I sure hope so. Other than PC , I find it amazing that I have bike riding in common with Tom and like Don, I am an avid flyfisher and tyer like Don. Enjoyed your comments guys.
Regards,
hightide

Skid Row Tom said:

Holding the AUS
After mine was activated, I was still swollen in certain areas and couldn't feel the top of the pump. I did locate the tubes going into it, however, and that's what I was grabbing when I squeezed the pump. Like I said, I REALLY think all urologists who install this thing should have a model in their office so the recipient can get a tactile sensation of what they're feeling for and what it feels like to squeeze the pump. Regardless, it all worked out. For what it's worth, my pump doesn't hang vertically like the pictures and videos show. It's somewhat at a 45 degree angle, and if it's cold, it rotates to near horizontal, but it doesn't hurt and it's still functional. Yours may change positions a bit in a few months, too.

Trew said:

Wow- what an encouraging
Wow- what an encouraging story to build hope on. I had to change 3xs today. Old interests are gone, I just want to stay as close to home as much as possible.

From your posts I understand you never had any problems with strictures? Seems at every turn I run into some kind of complication. The urethroplasty acutally rebuilds a section of the urethra from tissue taken from the mouth- a nice piece of tissue, too, from what I have learned. From the video clip I watched it looks like its over a an inch square. Well, I'll learn about that soon enough.

Thanks for posting- it does make me more hopeful as I wait for my AUS.

Trew said:

Hightide, I won't have the
Hightide, I won't have the urethroplasty done on the 11th- that is my eval with the U of MI doc who does these surgeries. Still a big step for me. Before I can get a AUS I first have to get the stricture problem solved that that is what the urethroplasty is for.

Again, still a big day for me- 4 tests scheduled and then hear what this doctor says. I"m looking forward to this like it was Xmas. I want to get past this part of my life as quickly as possible now. No holding back, no doubts, just, Dr. Doc, DO SOMETHING! HELP ME!!!

HighTide- I will be thinking of you on the 11th- I wish you well.

hightide said:

AMS 800 & the cuff
I am due to get my 800 turned on Aug. 11 . I can feel the pump but cannot feel the top to hold like the vidio shows. Maby by the time I go to get activated I will be able to feel the whole thing, I sure hope so. Other than PC , I find it amazing that I have bike riding in common with Tom and like Don, I am an avid flyfisher and tyer like Don. Enjoyed your comments guys.
Regards,
hightide

Skid Row Tom said:

AUS wearer
I've had an artificial urinary sphincter implant for over three years. I absolutely DID NOT WANT THIS -- but under the circumstances, if I had to do it all over again, I'd do it. The surgery's a ****, it's not perfect, but it gave me my life back. I can do anything anybody else can do. I go to the gym regularly, ride a motorcycle, and go about my normal business. I still have to wear a "pantiliner" (I wish they'd call it something different for men), but it's thin and unnoticeable.

Give me specific questions and I'll try to give you specific answers.

Tom