Artificial urinary sphincter: a patient's perspective
– Neville Parnell

Neville Parnell from Wiltshire suffered from long-standing and complex urological problems. He had surgery to increase the capacity of his bladder, was given an artificial sphincter to give him continence and now has a catheter in his abdomen. Mr Parnell describes his experience:

“After a lifetime of suffering from complex urological problems, which were having a profound effect on my quality of life, I was fortunate enough to find myself under the care of Jeremy Ockrim. After organising a number of ambulatory and video urodynamic tests, it was quickly established that I was suffering from an overactive bladder.

“Prior to being consulted by Mr Ockrim, I had various unsuccessful operations and treatments which left me with a large incisional hernia. In an effort to control the over activity in my bladder, it was agreed that I should undergo a bladder reconstruction operation to increase its size (cystoplasty) and that the hernia would be repaired as well as removing a 2cm kidney stone. This procedure alone had a hugely positive effect.

“To help alleviate all problems, an artificial sphincter was implanted. This is where a cuff is fitted around the urethra which is connected to a fluid reservoir. When in use, the cuff fills squeezing the urethra, effectively cutting off the flow from the bladder. When you want to pass water, you simply activate a pump which deflates the cuff, allowing normal emptying of the bladder. Afterwards the cuff automatically refills. This is so simple and effective and easy to use and I can honestly say that I’m not even aware that it is there. I also found it difficult to catheterise and so a mitofanoff procedure was carried out. This is where a segment of the bowel is used to provide a channel from my abdomen to the bladder so that I can easily self catheterise.

“During all of these procedures, I was always treated with the utmost respect and sensitivity. I sought comfort in the knowledge that if I ever needed any advice or reassurance, it is only a phone call away. Apart from very slight discomfort after surgery, I have always been up and back up on my feet within a day or so and able to quickly resume my physically demanding and somewhat challenging job as a garage owner.

“Due to the skill and dedication of Jeremy Ockrim, my life has been transformed. A whole new world has opened up to me and in an endeavor to help others, I have set up the Parnell Fund. This charity aims to raise funds for research into urology and also raise awareness of urological conditions. I hope to break down the silence surrounding urological disorders by undertaking a number of demanding physical challenges. To date, I have successfully completed The London Parks Half Marathon, Three Peaks 24 Hour Challenge and New York Marathon. This year, I have seven further events planned which include various half and full marathons, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and canoeing from Bath to Westminster.

“My advice to anybody suffering from any urological problem would be to see a urologist in the first instance. Do not suffer in silence or let your problems curtail your life, no matter how embarrassed you are, as there are treatments available that can give you the quality of life you deserve.”

Read more

▸ Find out more about the Parnell Fund
▸ Treatments for incontinence in men