Set the surgery date with Dr Eid for May 7th!!

[Bxguy1]

Got a call this morning from Dr Eid's office and there was a little problem with my insurance authorization but now it's been cleared up (phew!)and we are good to GO!! Going to see the Doc on Thursday For a pre-op visit. I guess he will give me antibiotics and instructions to follow before the 7th (I hope I don't need my bladder scoped!) This is the final stretch and I hope all goes well!

[Bxguy1]

Well, yesterday I saw Dr Eid for my pre-op exam and of course that actually entailed the urine bladder exam..OUCH! not a nice feeling at all!! Good thing they numbed me with a lydocain irrigation , because of that, the scope slid in painlessly until it reached the sphincter. At that point is when it became really uncomfortable and it definately was a wierd sensation! I don't know if anyone else having gone through this can confirm this , but (for me) as the scope presses into your sphincter, you can sort of see it (the sphincter) in your mind and it really is bizzare as you try to relax it as it tightens up against the scope...

The nurses were very nice through the whole thing and definately eased my anxiety. Afterwards they also let me pump up a Titan OTR to see how it works/feels to pump it and it really is a cool device! As I was pumping it the nurse squeezed the cylinder and told me it can be pumped more (I guess until it's rock hard) but I can see that it still needed to be broken in because it became harder to squeeze even though it wasn't completely hard and I also noticed at that point as I squeezed the bulb, the fluid was moving around the bulb but not going into the cylinder (the cylinders needed to be stretched and deflated many times IMO to get to that point of easy inflation). Also, the OTR worked nicely and on one attempt to deflate the fluid flushed from the cylinders really quickly!! Overall it seemed like a really simple device but high tech at the same time (that was MY impression anyway)...

I spoke to Dr Eid and he was cool and asked me if I had any questions or concerns. I asked him if I should stop the VED and he said yes to prevent unessesary trauma. He also assured me he would try to give me the largest device he could as well as correct my penile "angulation"..

I received my final prep instructions and tomorrow morning I begin the twice daily antiseptic scrubs and start taking the ani-biotics and colace. Now I feel I am really here and begining to take the path which will change my life forever! I am happy, excited and nervous at the same time. I am also thinking about the up coming summer and being able to use it as soon as JULY?!?!

[Dave92014]

As far as I know, my doc did not do a bladder exam in connection with my implant surgery. But the doc who did my implant has been my urologist for 15 years so we have a long history and a previous bladder exam might have been enough. Nine years ago he did an open-abomen prostate reduction surgery on me for BPH. It was open-abodomen because my prostate was huge and too large for a TURP. For that surgery he first did a spinal block and then did the scope of the bladder, so I did not feel anything from that due to the spinal block. A previous urologist had done the scope test about 18 years ago and I recall that was not fun. The strange thing about the latest scope test is that my doc assures me that after he did the scope he discussed it with me and told me he was then going forth with the prostate surgery. At that time he put me to sleep with anestesia. But I don't recall anything after they started the spinal block. Apparently the sleep anesthesia caused some sort of amnesia.

I relate all this so others will know that the bladder exam is not always done, and if it is done in some ways, such as after the spinal block, it can be easier on the patient.

Dave

[rlm1818]

I relate all this so others will know that the bladder exam is not always done, and if it is done in some ways, such as after the spinal block, it can be easier on the patient.
Dave

I think Dr Eid requires a bladder scope for just about everyone before the surgery. I had it, and so did everyone else I know that used Dr Eid. However, he is the only doctor I've read about that does this routinely.

Yes, not very pleasant, but not horrible for me, either. And, it doesn't last very long. I'd say its nothing to fear and (to me) a minor blip in the whole process. They do apply a local anesthetic, but there was still some discomfort for me.

[Bxguy1]

Getting ready for tomorrow morning..mostly mentally!

[radiodec]

If you hadn't got one then you might have gotten one at surgery time, out of necessity. That was my experience, on initial surgery attempt; no go for catheter with resulting cytoscopy. The results of that were removal of scar tissue from the neck of the bladder and a 5 week delay for the implant. Final result excellent!

Had the scope job been done first, the outcome would have been the same. There still would have been the recovery delay too. Just no surprises. Good luck on your surgery and don't let what it looks like when you get out of surgery upset you. Bruised with a catheter growing out of it isn't pretty, but it leads to a beautiful final product. Outstanding even.

Radiodec

[jeremc]

Bx:
Good Luck tomorrow morning and welcome to the Bionic Brotherhood!
Jere

[Bxguy1]

Thanks guys!!
430 am and I'm in front of the facility an hour early (don't want to be late for this!) I'm thinking positive and mainly what comes to mind is the success stories I've read here and nothing more tangible than that( and I hope to be one too!)....I know it will be rough in the beginning and I am prepared for that (thanks to all of you) and when you next hear from me I will be Bionic!

[Bxguy1]

Day 3...I have a lot of tenderness and thank God I took out the foley catheter this morning!!!! That was the worst! After removal I still haven't urinated..ive also had a low grade fever and dr eid said not to worry...he said if it were 3 weeks with implant then a fever would indicate an infection..right now though my concern is to peeee!! Posting quickly to avoid deletion....thanknyou all for your pms!!!

[gerryp]

Best of luck, BxGuy. You're in good hands with Dr. Eid. I had mine done with him two months ago on a Friday, and had some concerns on both Saturday and Sunday. Was able to discuss the issues with him directly on his cell phone both days. He also had me drop by the office first thing on Monday morning prior to my flight back home to Florida. That resulted in another cystoscope exam, which if anything was even more unpleasant than the first one!

Gerry