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Anyone have incontinence improve after one year?

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Posted 9/27/2009 8:36 PM (GMT 0)
My (athletic, 62 yr old) husband had a DaVinci RP one year ago. He is very discouraged, as he is still incontinent. It has improved a lot over the year, but he still needs pads during the day and he is still quite wet when he exercises vigorously (martial arts), which he does often. Just wondered if anyone has experienced or knows of anyone who has improved beyond the one year mark. I heard of one doctor who told a friend that incontinence doesn't really improve after 6 months, which of course, was quite discouraging for us to hear. My husband really does not want to have any more surgery. Thanks for any input.

(Fortunately, his numbers have all been good, so that is not an issue, and his ED is starting to improve a little, so the biggest problem right now is the incontinence.)
Posted 9/27/2009 8:59 PM (GMT 0)

I am at one year and  also still incontinent. I only need 1 pad a day, a 2nd when I run or exercise. I think you can still get better after this point. Someone posted not to long ago that at the 2 year mark it finally dried up. I think it depends alot on activity level during day. I am very active in a service job and run and lift 4 times a week. I just turned 64. All my numbers are good but I long for the day when I do not have to  strap it on everyday. I've noticed a slight improvement just lately. Let's hope we both keep progressing in a positive manner.

Carry On.

Posted 9/28/2009 1:29 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you, jerseycity, that is a bit more encouraging to hear.

I looked back and saw a thread about how long it takes until people become continent - it is amazing the wide range - though I guess we are definitely on the long side. I wish you continued improvement!
Posted 9/28/2009 1:39 AM (GMT 0)
Hi, i know how frustrating incontinence can be, i had my surgery 5 months ago and still need 1 pad a day 1 at night, some days it is better than others. i was told that incontinence could take from 6- 18 months. As long as it is getting better, you will get there one day, good luck, regards Jake
Posted 9/28/2009 2:15 AM (GMT 0)
nankie,
I was 100% dry at night after one week but started with 2 pads during the day, that changed to one pad after 2 months and the a thinner pad after 3 months. At 4 1/2 months I was continent as long as I didn't do too much physical activity. Swingin a golf club used to cause a leak so I wore a pad whenever I played golf. Now after 7 months I still need a light liner just as a precaution when I play golf. So you can see that there is a progression of getting better with time.
Posted 9/28/2009 4:37 AM (GMT 0)
You may want him to try going pad free during non-exercise periods during the day. My dr had me do that saying that as long as I maintained the pad security blanket I would continue to leak. Sure enough when my mind knew there was no protection there and it had to hold on its own 100% it did

During exercise is going to take more time but once he is pad free during regular periods, he will "learn" to subconsciously hold during all times
Posted 9/29/2009 2:14 AM (GMT 0)
I'm just past the one year mark, since my da Vinci procedure. At my recent anniversary check-up my Urologist/Surgeon scolded me for still being on one pad a day and he said I was still dripping because I wasn't trying hard enough, that I'd resigned myself to being content with the pad - and that I'd given up. He's probably right, and I'm going to try harder. My Urologist is a university professor and directs one of the many federally-funded research projects which follow prostate cancer patients and his comments are drawn from a wide-body of statistics. Of course, not all of us experience the same things, we have different histories, our surgeries are not exactly the same, age differences, etc., etc.
Posted 9/29/2009 2:43 AM (GMT 0)
I totally agree with MrGimpy. I was on a one pad a day trajectory for several months. Then at about 13 months I saw my uro and he asked me what would happen if I went without pad. I did not know, but I tried. I was damp for a few days (not really wet). Then I became dry. I learned to sense small leaks comming and how to control them. I am now dry even when excercising. I spring a small leak on a rare occasion, but with time it happens less and less. I am now 16 months post surgery. So, don't loose heart. It can be very frustrating, but it gets better even after a year. Best of luck, Greg
Posted 9/29/2009 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for the very helpful responses. I've shown them to my husband, and he will try the advice to wean himself from his "security blanket" and see how that goes. Thanks again!
Posted 9/29/2009 4:40 PM (GMT 0)
My father JUST stopped needing pads almost two years after his surgery. Granted, he also had adjuvant RT following his surgery, so his recovery time was most likely a little slower because of that, but I have heard so many people say after a certain time period you won't heal anymore and he is living proof that it can happen. A few months ago, he was at a friend's bbq and leaked and left early and I was so devastated for him. He has always been very athletic, loves to ride motorcycles etc. and out of no where, he stopped needing pads and has been dry for almost a month. So tell your hubby to hold onto hope.
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