hopeful_future wrote:I'm probably most frightened of the catheter they are going to put in for the operation. Trying out muse (urethral suppository for alprostadil) was one of the most painful experiences in my life. My urethral opening is pretty small. Other than that, I'm a medical nerd, so I had absolutely no issues watching the surgery performed by Dr. Karpman...I think it actually encouraged me!
Don't sweat it, dude! The catheter is minorly annoying but shouldn't be overly painful. The catheter is nothing like administering MUSE. It's an inert material (usually latex or silicone) whereas MUSE is a highly irritating drug, alprostadil. That's why you get the burning from MUSE, not because something is inserted in the urethra.
Depending on your urethral size, they might use a smaller catheter but so you can get an idea what may happen, I have used catheters "recreationally" without a doctor's prescription and I always use the typical 14 french size. One "French" is 0.333 mm so 14 fr is 4.666 mm in diameter.
When I went in to get my UroLift procedure (monofilament urethral "LIFTS" in my prostate), they fitted me with a 20 fr (6.666 mm) catheter that I had to wear until the next day. That wasn't comfortable at all but it was to reduce the chance of bleeding from my prostate.
When I went in for my implant, they inserted a 16 fr or 5.333 mm diameter catheter which was only slightly larger than I've used recreationally. They inserted it while I was on the table, unconscious and they removed it the next morning in my hospital room. I did stop the nurse and give her a bit of advice on easier pain-free removal though (that she'd never heard) - Don't aspirate or suck out *ALL* of the saline from the balloon. Let it flow naturally into the syringe and leave it slightly inflated. It reduces the wrinkles in the balloon and makes it so much more comfortable to remove - it almost falls out on its own without any scraping sensation.