Well, today was not a good day. After no progress on the incontinence issue since my cath was taken out, I finally went back to see my local urologist today.

I had my surgery done at a university hospital an hour and a half from my home because my local uro did not do the laparoscopic. So I go to see him, and I urinate for him and he says my stream is weak. Would I like him to do the cystoscope to check it out? OK. So I get the camera tube up the penis and I get to watch it on TV. I didn't really understand what I was watching, but he explained to me that I have a urethral stricture below my bladder which is keeping my sphincter from completely closing in its relaxed state. That's why I am constantly dripping when I am standing up unless I am clenching the cheeks for all I'm worth.

Will it go away by itself, I ask. "NO". How to fix it? "It either has to be "stretched" or cut." The risk of stretching is that you stretch the sphincter too. The risk of cutting is that you make more scar tissue. Will he do it, I ask? "NO. Have your surgeon treat it."

While my uro tried to put the best face on it, his answers seemed to indicate to me that the outlook is not very positive and he would rather not be treating another doctors post surgical complications. He said I am looking at another several months of incontinence assuming I was treated successfully for the stricture. He did not want to guess on the likelihood of "fixing" it.

So, what I want to know, dear forum readers, is who among you have had strictures, what did you do about them, and how successful was the treatment in controlling your incontinence?

I must admit that I am having a hard time being positive about this latest development. Apparently, strictures are rare after surgery. I am almost out of sick leave, and there's no way that I can perform my job with my current level of incontinence.