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another embarrising question

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Posted 12/3/2008 6:03 AM (GMT 0)
 Hello 

 I am back with another  question about the after math of the prostectomy , I would like to know about the leakage problem ? my doc told me I had 25 % chance  but need to do the Kegal  training but never told me how ? it always came natural to me and now I have to work at it , I had my cath removed yesterday at 2 pm  with some complecations  but its out .

 I have to say I have tryed everything but still leak when I walk or get up from sitting I can not stop it as hard as I try , am I assuming to much to soon ? this is quite embarrising to me  , I am a silent type of person always helping others but here I am the one in need of  it .

 so any and all advice would be great .

                                                       Thank you for your time

 

Posted 12/3/2008 6:36 AM (GMT 0)
Hi lastcowboy42

Welcome to best site on the net that no one wants to join. 

You are very early in the process of healing and should let things heal a bit before doing to much of anything. Controlling leaking is an individual thing. Everyone seams to be a little different. Most men seam to take around 2 month after surgery before they get the leakage under control. Some take less time; some a little more and some (very few) need further medical intervention. The way I did my kegels is: Try to stop the stream in mid flow for a moment. Repeating this muscle  action several time is what's called the kegel exercise. If you search thru this forum you will find several better explanations and better instructions. You're very early in your recovery and you'll have to learn that patience is essential with this darn cancer.

All the best to you in you journey.

Magaboo

Posted 12/3/2008 10:52 AM (GMT 0)
No need to be embarrassed about this at all. It is quite common after prostate surgery, but the good news is it nearly always gets better with time. You can maybe speed things up with Kegels, and walking is good too.

Posted 12/3/2008 12:33 PM (GMT 0)
lastcowboy42, here's a link to an excellent post by BillyMac dealing with Kegels and the theory behind them.

www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=1224922
Posted 12/3/2008 11:36 PM (GMT 0)
I am at 9 weeks from surgery. I do 3 sets of 10 to 15 kegels a day. I still have what I call  bad leakage. I have an active job so that does not help. I go through 4 to 5 pads a day. I also use depends to support pads. It is a very hard thing to deal with. Sometimes you feel like your imprisoned . I have an appointment to have bio feed back done to see if I am doing exercise correct. I'm sure I am. It will probably just take longer for me to be dry. My 1st post surgery was 0.00 so thats great. I have you have  good results.
Posted 12/4/2008 5:33 AM (GMT 0)
Jersey, I know EXACTLY how you feel about being in prision! I was a 8+ pad a day leaker. But in all that time I still went places and did things. Cargo pants and shorts are great for carrying pads. I always had extra cloths in the car. At first I was embarrased by thinking someone would hear me changing pads or see me carry the bundle out of the stall. But that did not last long. As far a work, It was well known about my "Manty Liners". But I am they type that has to laugh about things. Just hang in there and keep your spirits up.
KW
Posted 12/4/2008 3:29 PM (GMT 0)

I needed 4 pads a day for 6 weeks after the catheter was removed. Then at week 8, I was finished. Walking and getting up from sitting, will stress your bladder so I learned to do the kegels while walking and before getting up. I'm 54, had to have the open surgery as opposed to daVinci. Had real high Gleason scores, 8 + 9. But the cancer had not spread and the surgeon was able to remove it all.

It does go away and I would agree with everyone else. Read all these experiences, there is a wealth of info here that you won't find on any other web site.

Posted 12/4/2008 6:04 PM (GMT 0)
Cowboy - I am a REAL SLOW recovery guy (apparently). I am 6 months post-op and I am just now down to one pad a day and thinking about going to zero. I was a 5-7 pad per day guy for months. You just learn to live with it. It did not stop me from doing much (I feared dinners out in a restaurant for awhile). You just figure out what you can and cannot do. I coach girls soccer, and man, getting through those first few games was a trial. I knew I would be a soggy mess, but I was afraid I'd be sporting wet pants in public. Fortunately THAT never happened. I couldn't run at practice for the longest time, and the act of kicking a soccer ball is still not the best thing for me to do - but you figure out what works and what does not. (Like I figured out how to coach games & practice sitting down because that kept me drier longer.)

My first season back (mostly May & June) was a real battle. My 2nd season (Sept-Nov) was not too bad. By next spring I expect to be 100% dry and soccer functional. But you know what, even if I am not, it is not going to stop me.

My doctor told me most guys go dry between 3 & 6 months. There are quite a few superstars on this site who went dry in a matter of days, but there are also a LOT of lurkers who have taken much longer. So just hang in there.

Good luck,
kcragman
Posted 12/4/2008 6:09 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, and PS - forget about that "embarassing" stuff. Go back and look at some of my old posts. I've talked about bladder spasms, diaper rash on penis heads and everything else. So get over it.

kcragman
Posted 12/6/2008 7:25 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there LC, embarrasing got my attention. For the first few weeks I used to brag of how I peed. with the new clear stream, its like a 2nd grader, and sometimes in my pants!!, It will pass, Keagls work.
Posted 12/6/2008 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
I'm with Kcragman, nothing embarrassing on this site. We have all posted and asked questions we thought we never would never ask. as a lot of us have said, it takes a lot of patience to get back to normal. about a week after my catheter was removed, I remember passing gas and I peed in my pants..... It does get better.

I hope you set up a profile under the control panel so we can you can post your history.
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