Channel 4 Embarrassing Bodies “Back to the Clinic” Friday 23rd April 2010, Series 3 Episode 12
The popular Channel 4 TV programme, Embarrassing Bodies re-addressed the issue of male urinary incontinence and followed the experience of Peter who origionally underwent surgery by Mr Zaki Almallah Consultant Urologist in 2008 to correct his urinary incontinence following surgery for prostate cancer.
Peter, a sixty year old lift engineer, underwent a life-saving operation to remove his prostate in 2007 as he was suffering from prostate cancer. Immediately after the operation he noticed he was constantly having to use the toilet and was leaking urine. He felt very embarrassed that at 6 feet tall and fifteen stone that he would have to use disabled toilets regularly to get changed out of his wet clothes.
After his prostate cancer surgery, he had to wear absorbent pads which were the same size as a nappy. His pads had to be changed 3-4 times a day. Peter felt that wearing the pads were more of an inconvenience than having to go to the toilet and that this was a type of disability that was holding him back from leading a normal life.
He tried prescribed medicine, which he found of some help but didn’t make any improvement, so he felt his only remaining option was surgery and was referred by Dr Prya, a GP on the Channel 4 programme Embarrassing Bodies, to Mr. Zaki Almallah, Consultant Urologist who specialises in post prostate surgery problems.
The first steps for Mr. Almallah were to give his new patient a bladder pressure test (urodynamics) which replicates Peter’s symptoms in a controlled environment to determine what operation would be suitable to control the incontinence. The scan to start with was cold, and then stings as a probe is inserted- this was to identify which muscles weren’t working. This test identified that the Sphincter muscle was very weak.
Following tests Mr. Almallah felt that his patient needed an artificial means of bladder control, which would make a drastic improvement on Peter’s bladder. An artificial urinary sphincter is a cuff to be fitted around the urethra and once fitted it inflates and squeezes across the urethra to close it. The cuff is connected to a balloon, placed underneath the powerful abdominal wall called the rectus muscle. Mr. Almallah then took a push button pump which was gently pushed into the scrotum before joining all of the pipes together before tucking them in. Peter then had to wait for six weeks before Mr Almallah can activate the pump, being able to turn his water on and off himself by pressing a button when he feels the need to urinate, enabling him to return to a normal life, without the worry of leaking and having to wear pads.
During the “Back to the Clinic” episode” Peter was reviewed by the programme’s GP where the transformation of his life-style was obvious. He was very relieved and less tense that once the artificial sphincter was activated he had stop wearing pads and worrying about having to locate the nearest toilets. He is now back to his busy work and leading a normal and very active life.
To watch an extract from the orgional programme where Peter underwent his procedure on Channel 4 Embarrassing Bodies, series 2 episode 1 (15th April 2009) please follow the link http://www.channel4embarrassingillnesses.com/
To watch Peter being reviewed in the “Back to the Clinic” episode of Embarrassing Bodies series 3, eposide 12 (23rd April 2010) please follow the link http://www.channel4.com/programmes/embarrassing-bodies/4od#3057830/
Please note these programmes contain medical nudity and surgical images.