I had my RP 16 weeks ago and despite undertaking pelvic floor exercises I remain totally incontinent. I have a review with the consultant next week and I want to prepare for this. I am seeking information on the pros and cons of further surgery for a sling or an artificial sphincter. With regard to the latter I would like to know the merits of the various options available.
I hope you are able to help.
Hi Huffies,
My name is Keith and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
Welcome to the online community.
We are sorry to hear that you continue to have issues with incontinence 16weeks after having your radical prostectomy.
We are also sorry to hear that pelvic floor exercises in your situation haven t been effective.
In a situation like this we would always advise for you to contact your multidisciplinary team (MDT) to clarify your situation in regards to the benefits/risks involved in having artificial sphincter or sling and to clarify if this would be your best options.
Unfortunately, incontinence can be a side effect of your treatment and duration of effect can be short to long term in each individual situation.
Usually, this symptom is temporary it can in some situations can take from a few months up to a year to resolve. But as with anything else there is no 100% guarantee this will happen.
Looking at your options can be helpful with the support of your treatment team.
Management of this situation varies from person to person.
Regarding having further surgery for a sling or an artificial sphincter may or may not be the best solution for you.
The urethral sling procedure is normally used with more severe incontinence issues and is usually looked at if the issue of incontinence persists for more than a year. In some studies, NIHR these procedures has shown up to 80% improvement but these results vary dependant on the results of each survey .But it would be impossible to pigeon hole you into this specific data to where you would be affected .
Artificial sphincter may be another option when there has been extensive damage done to the sphincter muscle. Yet again with both options it would be beneficial for you to be guided by your consultant to see if any of these choices would be appropriate for you.
It’s also important that you should also be made aware of potential negatives of having these sorts of procedures carried out. Such as infection risks, pain, damage to the skin of the urethra and urinary retention as well as the worst-case scenario of the surgeries failing to work. Looking at this information on prostate cancer will explain this in a little more detail.
On this platform it can be difficult to have a two-way conversation and to fully understand what you are going through.
If you’d like further explanation or have any other questions, please feel free to recontact us. Or if you it may help to discuss things with someone outside the loop please feel free to give us a call or contact us via our web chat platform.
take care.
Keith, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.
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