The first 6 weeks: device off

• The sphincter is left off (deactivated) for about 6 weeks so the tissue can heal. You will still leak during this time. Keep using pads.
• Swelling and bruising of the scrotum and the area behind it are normal. Ice and snug briefs help.
• The catheter is usually removed before you go home or the next day.
• No heavy lifting and no straddle activities (bike, motorcycle, horseback) until I clear you.

Activation

• At a visit about 6 weeks after surgery, I'll turn the device on and teach you to use it.
• To urinate, squeeze the pump in your scrotum. This opens the cuff around the urethra. The cuff refills and closes on its own over a few minutes.
• Leakage usually improves a lot once it's on. It may take a few weeks to settle into a routine.

Protecting the device

• Before anyone places a urinary catheter or a scope, the device must be deactivated. A catheter through a closed cuff can injure the urethra. Carry your implant card, and consider a medical ID.
• Tell every doctor, nurse, and emergency room about your sphincter.

If leakage continues

Some men still leak with a working sphincter because of an overactive bladder: sudden urges and leaking on the way to the bathroom. This is common after prostate cancer treatment, especially radiation, and it's treated separately. Let me know if it happens.

Call right away

Call the office at (516) 535-1900, or go to the nearest emergency room after hours, if you have:

• Fever or chills
• Redness, warmth, pus, or worsening pain around the incision or pump
• You can't urinate
• The pump feels stuck or you can't open the cuff
• New blood in the urine

Your own instructions come first

Every patient is different. If the instructions you got at your visit or at discharge differ from this page, follow those, and call the office at (516) 535-1900 with any question.