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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / June 2006AMS 800 update.
The AMS 800 artificial urinary sphincter was implanted in September of last year. My experience with the device has not been entirely satisfactory. I went from filling up a Depends Guard in two hours to where I have stabilized now at two Guards per day. My uro said that he could add an additional cuff in an attempt to cut down on the leaking further, but that he would have used a smaller cuff in the first place if it were available. As it is, what he implanted is the smallest AMS makes. I see no sense in undergoing surgery again just to implant another device that is too big for my apparently undersized urethra, so I have decided to stick with where I am at now. Two pads a day is certainly tolerable. A bit of a disappointment with the implant, but tolerable. My uro told me that there are a couple new procedures being performed, some only in Europe at this point, that have promise. One sounded like a variation on the sling where the urethra and sphincter are repositioned using tissue from the patient himself in order to put things back to where they were when the prostate was still there. At the point I spoke to him he said they have only done that procedure four or five times, but it looked promising. The other was taking tissue from the patient and placing that around the urethra with the AMS 800 cuff over this new area, giving it time to vascularize, and then activate the AMS device. That supposedly makes for a better clamping and gives better control. I do not know where that one stands at this point. I will report if I hear more later. Seriously looked into the AMS 700 implant, but decided against that at least for now. I am not anxious to get on the operating table anytime soon again. Seven surgeries in the last six years is enough. Any questions? Thank you. David S. Thanks for the update David...even if it isn't as you had planned. My one thought...which I've never asked you via e-mail (cuz I didn't think of it)... how much difference can there BE in urethras? I'm serious. I mean...you would think that to do a surgical procedure...they would take into account the slight variations in different urethras and the cuff would be made to 'work' for everyone. I could see differences in healing etc., but once done properly...you'd hope the thing would work as you had expected. I also understand not wanting to see an OR anytime again. :-) Best of health to you and everyone, Ron B. Chicago Hi Ron: I did call AMS to put in a word to make a smaller cuff. I doubt anything will come of that, but who knows, if they get enough feedback perhaps they will at least look into making a smaller one. Take care. David > Thanks for the update David...even if it isn't as you had planned. > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Chicago So sorry to hear the device hasn't worked out for you, David. This makes me feel even more lucky, god bless, that mine is working so well. I found that my bladder muscles were a bit overactive (asking me to go pee when I didn't need to) after the 800 install. Detrol LA has solved that problem. I now only have to go every 4 hours or so. And I no longer can feel the 800 in my body - early on there was some intermittent gravity-induced discomfort from the device, but that is gone. My only limitation is that I can't sit forward and then get up right away - sitting in that position puts pressure on the cuff and causes it to deflate ("Woops"). I use one regular Poise pad a day, and it has hardly anything in it after that. I do have an un-occasional accident (usually associated with social pressures that apparently cause my bladder muscles to get real active, but that seems to be lessening over time as well). Hang in there dude, a procedure will come along to fix your situation B4 you know it. God bless Dr. Laurence Levine! I wanted to give my experience with the 800 so other readers can get a balanced view of the 800 - it has rescued my (quality of) life (now if I can somehow manage to keep my arteries open!). Real sorry to hear that the AMS 800 has not done a good job for you. I have had one for over a year now and am satisfied. Overall experience is about the same as Tdub. One light pad does it for a day, but a major cold with lots of coughing will find me replacing it during the day. That's about the only time I have a real leakage, with hard coughs. On occasion I go to pee and am distracted and suddenly wonder why nothing is happening, and then I remember to ue the pump! Duh. Prior to the 800, I would not have to pee all that often during an active day as I leaked so much, with the range being from 2-6 pads a day. A day at the desk would be a 1-2 pad day. I do recall the Dr saying something about having to size the cuff at the time of the surgery, so there must be something to what you say about different diameters. I also have read about adding tissue to make for a more apropriate fit, so maybe that's an option. Good luck to you. > The AMS 800 artificial urinary sphincter was implanted in September > of last year. My experience with the device has not been entirely [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > Thank you. > David S. I want to be careful to be clear that I am not recommending against the device. Before the AMS 800 I was filling up a Depends Guard every two hours or so. Although my experience was not what I had hoped for, I am much better off and only using two pads per day. So I did not want to leave a negative impression for someone facing the decision to have the device implanted. On healing, I was outside the curve on that also. I remember one member here telling me that it took five months for the soreness in the testicles to go away. Most guys do not experience that. Somehow I was one of the "lucky ones" to have it take five full months for that soreness to cease. Getting out of the shower and looking in the mirror still causes me to smile though. The side of the scrotum with the pump hangs much lower than the other side. Maybe I should get the AMS 700 to balance things out? Take care guys. Good health and low PSA's to all. David S. I want to be careful to be clear that I am not recommending against the device. Before the AMS 800 I was filling up a Depends Guard every two hours or so. Although my experience was not what I had hoped for, I am much better off and only using two pads per day. So I did not want to leave a negative impression for someone facing the decision to have the device implanted. On healing, I was outside the curve on that also. I remember one member here telling me that it took five months for the soreness in the testicles to go away. Most guys do not experience that. Somehow I was one of the "lucky ones" to have it take five full months for that soreness to cease. Getting out of the shower and looking in the mirror still causes me to smile though. The side of the scrotum with the pump hangs much lower than the other side. Maybe I should get the AMS 700 to balance things out? Take care guys. Good health and low PSA's to all. David S. |
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