Urology specialist works to battle stigma
Doctor says he speaks for male patients too embarrassed to speak for themselves
Men don’t talk about men’s health problems, and they especially don’t talk about problems peeing.
That’s why Dr. Keith Rourke, a reconstructive urologist with Alberta Health Services, is talking on their behalf.
“Men’s health problems don’t get talked about,” Rourke said Tuesday. “Once the stigma’s gone, it all comes out.”
Rourke’s interest in urology started during his medical residency. As a resident he saw the patients with urethral strictures — a narrowing of the urethra that prevents normal urination — visit the emergency room every few months.
“We would do these procedures that don’t really help the urethral stricture problem and I thought there has to be a better way,” Rourke said. “Having a stricture is almost like a urologic death sentence. You’re going to be in and out of the urology office or the emergency room for the rest of your life.”
Rourke learned reconstructive urology during a fellowship in Virginia in 2001-03. He has since helped the University of Alberta Hospital become a hub for urethral reconstruction surgery in Western Canada, where more than 1,200 reconstructions have been performed — the most in any facility in Canada.
Harvey Marchand, 73, underwent urethral reconstruction surgery in 2014 because scar tissue in his urethra affected his ability to urinate.
The scar tissue was from an infection that occurred after Marchand had prostate surgery to remove cancer.
Rourke performed two surgeries on Marchand. The first fixed the stricture and the urinary blockage, but Marchand then lost the ability to control his urination.
“I always had to pay attention and watch out for overflow,” said Marchand, who used creativity to mask accidents, including one that happened while he was out shopping.
Once he got to a washroom, Marchand splashed the front of his T-shirt with water and blamed his wet clothes on an overflowing sink.
“The experience makes you stronger. It gets less embarrassing.”
In the second surgery a year later, Rourke inserted a mechanical valve system in his urethra so Marchand could regain urinary control. That allowed the retired firefighter to return to his work and activities, including helping fight the Fort McMurray wildfire and cycling.
“There are a lot of men who have this problem,” Marchand said. “If I can help one other guy, hopefully more, but even one, talking about this is all worth it.”