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urethral stricture

  1. hi

    i am a 59 year old woman suffering from urethral stricture, are there any women that have suffered from this. i would be interested to hear their story. it seems to be all men that are posting on this forum. i know it is very uncommon in women about 2 cases per 600,000.

  2. Hi S

    I'm replying to your question as I am a woman of 51 and have urethral stricture too, which has been going on since September.

    As you say it is very rare in women, my GP and urologist are at a loss to know why it has happened to me, as I have been perfectly healthy all my life.

    They have tried the flexi and rigid cystoscopies but these were un sucessful. I am now waiting for an x ray to find out how how long the stricture is, and then they will decide what to do next.

    I would be interested to know your experiences so far.

  3. Hi ladies , I would like to share my painful experience with both of you .

    I have difficult urination with lots of pain and burning, frequency and urgency , it's a real torture ........

    I am a 40 year old female , suffering from urethral stricture since I was 20, I have done in my life 11 urethral cystoscope so far , with different doctors and all of them have found that I have a very tight urethra and they have dilated it everytime I did a cystoscope .But the dilatation didn't really help or did give me little relief.and after a few month the urethra gets tight again.It seems it's a big problem that has no solution.

    But I didn't give up .....I am going for a urethral dilatation and cystoscope tomorrow with a new doctor.Wish me luck .....

    May all your pain and discomfort go away as soon as possible...

  4. Hi

    I too have suffered from this condition since the age of 17, i am now 30. I have spent many a night waking up to go to the loo only to find hardly anything comes out and that my urethra contracts again and again making me feel like i have to go again. I have spent years sufferring this monthly and hours in the bath or on the loo as it is that uncomfortable. I get little sleep when its at its worst and i have found it lasts anything from 1 day to 1 month. No amount of antibiotics, cystitis relief, water or cranberry juice helps this at all. I am depressed and have now undergone 3 urethral stretches but once again am burdened (for the last 14 days) with this ongoing problem. I hate it. I cant leave the house and i am constantly in the loo...i may as well just stay there!

    I am waiting for another stretch at the moment but unfortunately this seems to be something i will have to live with. I did however read about a more permanent operation that involves putting two wires into the urethra to ensure the tighteneing cannot recurr so i am going to query that with my surgeon.

    I feel for anyone who suffers this condition as it is generally very life consuming. I just hope those who undergo the operation find that it does provide some sort of relief. Good luck.

    Emma

  5. Useful reading:

    Urethral Strictures

    [url]http://www.emedicine.com/med/TOPIC3075.HTM[/url]

    Urethral stricture: Urethrotomy vs. definitive repair

    Urethroplasty's high success rates make it the preferred choice over temporary measures

    Repeat Urethrotomy and Dilation for Urethral Stricture Disease is neither Clinically Effective Nor Cost-Effective

    [url]http://www.urotoday.com/browse_categories/urologic_trauma_and_reconstruction/repeat_urethrotomy_and_dilation_for_urethral_stricture_disease_is_neither_clinically_effective_nor_costeffective.html[/url]

    If you ask your doctor about alternatives to another dilatation - which is evidently not curing you - you may be lucky and get objective information. I've had to deal with a succession of doctors dedicated to mis-selling ineffective repeat urethrotomies.

    If you do opt for urethroplasty, try to find someone very experienced in it.

    \"Three surgeons perform half the urethroplasties in the UK each year.\"

    [url]http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1046/j.1464-410X.91.s2.14.x[/url]

  6. See also:

    [quote:c7a8c412d1][i:c7a8c412d1]\"Review of the literature reveals little evidence to prove the efficacy of urethral dilatation for adult women with various lower urinary tract complaints.\"[/i:c7a8c412d1]

    [b:c7a8c412d1]Urethral dilatation in women: urologists’ practice patterns in the UK[/b:c7a8c412d1]

    M MASARANI, RG WILLIS

    Department of Urology, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, Cornwall, UK

    Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2006; 88: 496–498

    [url]http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1964673&blobtype=pdf[/url][/quote:c7a8c412d1]

  7. Just found out today my close female friend, 46 years old, has a congenital kink in her ureter. This was revealed through a cat scan. She will be seeing a urologist next. From reading online, i see it is rare in women. At this point not sure what to make of it all. It's good to read another female has a ureter problem.

  8. I thought for the benefit of the few \"rare\" female cases I'd add my own experience here and hopefully can follow up for any other poor ladies that find their way here.

    My stricture (still waiting results of most recent CT scan for confirmation it's not more cancer) is thought to be the result of radiation I had to shrink my rectal and lymph tumours in 2007 (aged 36) added to the menopause and oestrogen levels dropping - I'm now on HRT.

    Things got difficult as soon as radiation started - I had five weeks of it and my flow was reduced after a few days but noone seemed unduly concerned - since the cancer and my recovery were more important at the time. Gradually things have worsened a few months ago and finally having seen a urologist am to have my first dilation. He seems to think this could last for up to 2 years and am expected to have to self catheterise to prevent early recurrence.

    I suffered repeat UTIs as a child and throughout adulthood and have scarring on my kidneys already as a result so really spending a lot of time and effort squeezing every drop I can out when I go!

    Hopefully I shall post in a few weeks time with some positive results but would love to hear from anyone else who has a radiation caused stricture.

  9. I have just found this forum after searching the internet as there is so little on female urethral stricture. My

    story sounds very similar to the post above in that I believe my stricture is a a result of pelvic radiation used

    to treat anal cancer tumour just under 3 years ago, from April 2010 to June 2010. I am now a 50 year old

    and didn't have a day of trouble prior to my treatment. It took a long time for the doctors to take the problem

    seriously as they too were more concerned about me surviving cancer. My issues started 8 months after I

    finished treatment when I noticed a change in flow and frequency to toilet. I finally had a cystoscopy and

    dilation in November 2012 and the doctor said there was only a pinprick hole and had only seen one worse. The dilation worked temporarily and he suggested self catheterisation every second day. This has been

    successful to a point but I know in the short time it is closing up again and wonder what do I do long term? I had researched reconstruction surgery but he told me due to my complex issues this would not be an option for me. I feel at such a loss as there is so little around and no-one to discuss this with. I have other health issues to deal with as a result of the pelvic radiation so do not wish to invest in yet another doctor unless I understand the outcome will be better. I would be very interested to hear how loopy369 has got

    on with her issues and whether the self catheterisateon worked.

  10. I am soooo happy to have found this discussion board. I have been searching the internet for information for several months now, and only today just found something useful. Female stricture's are so rare it's as if this condition doesn't exist.

    I have had a stricture for most of my life, but never knew because the effects were relatively minor. It was basically discomfort when I held my urine. A little over a year ago I was blindsided by intense kidney pain, and thus begun my journey into figuring out what was wrong with me. I saw my family doctor for what I thought was an infection, but the test came back negative.

    After a week of recurring doctor appointments I took it upon myself to see a urologist. In the last year I have had 4 (painful) diagnostic procedures including one that required sedation. My doctor was unable to diagnose a problem. He then decided to install a stent in my ureter that stretched from my kidney to my bladder. The thought would be more insight into my pain, and possible relief for me. At the time of this procedure my doctor was FINALLY able to see my stricture for the first time. He was not able to see it previously, because it is located at the bottom of my ureter right up against my bladder. This is a very uncommon location for a stricture. My stent was in for 2 weeks, and then removed. I had 9 blissful pain free days, and I was running to the restroom every 30 minutes. About a month ago I had another stent installed with the hopes that I would see more long term benefits from my ureter being "stretched" on 2 separate occasions. Unfortunately I had the same short term reprieve.

    I met with my urologist a few days ago, and he feels the best course of action is ureter reconstruction. This requires at least an overnight hospital stay, and several weeks off work, but I am desperate for relief. I can hardly sleep at night, and am an emotional wreck from the pain, and always having to be near a restroom.

    My heart goes out to the rest of you. I have only been dealing with this level of pain (worse than childbirth) for the last year and cannot imagine dealing with a stricture for as long as some of you.

    Perhaps reconstruction is an option for some of you. I am hoping that it is for me.

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