Hi guys

I apologize if this posting is a little off topic. I found that this
newsgroup relates most to urethral stricture disease, which
unfortunately I have. I'm hoping that someone out there has been cured
by this disease.

I am 24 years old; however, I have been suffering from urethral
strictures since I was three years old. After being disappointed by
specialists claiming to have a "cure" for my condition, I went online to
do some research. I have not found a single article that identifies
patients who have been symptom free for more than five years.

Just like many of you, I have experienced the burning sensations during
urination. The bad part is that I have a narrow stricture closer to the
opening and a long stricture that goes right to my bladder. My
strictures were caused by trama after I had corrective hypospadias
surgery when I was three years old.

Some of you may not know that physical trauma and disease (like
prostatitis) can cause urethral strictures . Although this condition is
rare now, you will start to hear about it more as protatitis cases
increase. It seems that whenever doctors remove urethral tissue,
scarring occurs. We know that scarring causes tissue problems and
therefore, more strictures.

I'm wondering if self-dilatation (using catheters) is the best treatment
out there for what I have. I do the dilatation treatment every two days.
For four months now, my urine stream has been as good as it was two
weeks after my last cystoscopy. I'm hoping that this treatment is right
"cure".

***To doctors out there: I know results are poor for this treatment;
however, I think it's because most men are too afraid of causing
themselves pain in that region...Men are lying to their doctors.***

Benjamin