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2 Days Post Catheter - Leaking!!! How Hard Should I be Kegling?

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Posted 4/8/2011 12:05 PM (GMT 0)
Guys,

I'm day 9 post op and day 2 post catheter. Pain free, comfortable and feeling completely normal following divinci except for the dreaded leak... The leak is freaking me out, so I'm obsessing over Kegels... What's an intense, but sufficient routine you would recommend? 10 mins a day? 10 mins 2x day? 10 mins an hour? I'll do WHATEVER it takes :-)

BTW, was fit prior to surgery... 2x / week at gym, walking miles each week and not overweight.

Thanks!

-bespy
Posted 4/8/2011 12:15 PM (GMT 0)
Bryan, congratulations on being "on the other side" and am glad to hear that you're comfortable and feeling normal. You are still very early in your recovery and it's difficult to predict how long the leaking will last. As with any exercise, overdoing Kegels can do more harm than good. From what I understand, how you do them is at least - if not more - important than how often. Walking helps tremendously with the leaking and urgency (according to my husband). Now that the catheter is out, get outside if you can and walk.
Posted 4/8/2011 12:48 PM (GMT 0)
Leaking has freaked me out too. I am one month post surgery and still leaking but it is not as bad as several weeks ago. I probably don't Kegel enough. I begin leaking during the first moment my bladder starts filling up. Therefore when I go pay the water bill there is not much there to start and stop the urine stream. How can you stop a 5 second pee stream? You really can't. Therefore my Kegels are performed while seated watching TV. I purchased the Afex pee control system and really like it when I'm away from the house. If you get the Afex, do not simply pee just because you are wearing it. You should still hold back and go the normal way. This will strengthen Jr's. muscles for pee control.
Posted 4/8/2011 12:52 PM (GMT 0)
Hey don't worry, when you were a baby you "leaked" or maybe just didn't know any better? Just accept it and concentrate on recovery. It's not that big a deal, just a PIA. "THey" say you can over do kegles and fatigue your sphincter so your plan sounds good. Also walking is good for plevic floor muscles and Sephie's sujestion is a good one. Almost everybody leaks at first so you are not doing badly, just normal for post RP. Anyway, glad to hear you are feeling good. Post in 2 weeks and give a progress report.
Ron
Posted 4/8/2011 12:53 PM (GMT 0)
Bryan:

I am sorry you are leaking - and doubly sorry, it appears, that your doctor did not give you instructions and rationale for kegels -
-my doctor told me to do - 20 reps - 5 times a day ( so 100 in total a day)
-they were standing pelvic thrusts - like the "timewarp dance" in rocky horror picture show movie/musical.

-you can overdo it and weaken the muscles - so connect with your doctor ( he saw what you have to work with) and get his advice.

-do keep in mind that your body is healing and with some it can be overnight, others a longer time period ( my turnaround date was 16 weeks after surgery), and some even longer and may need surgical assistance.
-don't be too tough on yourself -

-obey you doctor's rules - no lifting over 10# (the weight of a laptop) for 6 weeks- drink lots of water - flush all the stuff out of your system - gear up for walks - a little longer each day - and no inclines - you want your re-assigned internal bits to stay in place...

-recovery takes time - learn to listen to your body again - and remember, all bodies and men are different... just go with the flow...

hugs,
BRONSON
Posted 4/8/2011 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
I had my surgery on Dec. 27 also leaked like a crazy.  Just roll with it.  Walking also a big help. At about 2 months slowed down a lot and now I wear a pad but I really don't need it. I'll be wearing my big boy pants all the time in about a week.  I know I was sick of people telling me relax it's early but they're right. It takes time.

Posted 4/8/2011 6:25 PM (GMT 0)
My husband is having robotic prostatectomy in a few weeks.  He has been doing about 300 kegels a day.

I get the feeling from when the catheter comes out, it can only get better...I mean, yeah, you are leaking for a while, but the leaking will get better over time.  I am very positive.

Posted 4/8/2011 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
Don't obsess. I leaked badly - needing up to 10 heavy-duty pads dailly - for some months afterwards. I still leak and use one light pad a day. No harm in doing kegels at this point. But, my surgeon/urologist has told me there's no strong evidence that kegels do any good, anyway. Each of our bodies is different. You're still too early in the post-op period to worry. Take it one day at a time. Best wishes for a complete, and successful recovery and life after.
Posted 4/8/2011 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Brian
The dreaded leak also freaks me out as well, I'm 4 weeks post op and down to 1or 2 pads a day depending on how active.
it is important to do Kegels, and properly, were you shown by the doc or a nurse continence practitioner? I was told 3 sets of 8 (count and hold for count of 10 or 6secs) 1 minute break between sets. do in different positions standing sitting walking etc. Also ok/good to do quick squeezes. If looking in a mirror you should see penis/testes rise while your holding on. Some people are ok not doing them but it will speed up the muscle tone. Hope this helps.

post op - we now have only one sphincter to control urine flow, like women, it's in the pelvic floor and needs to be strengthened. the one above prostate is damaged or removed with it, so you have to use the one below where prostate was, most men rely one top one so went it goes it takes a while till other muscles etc. kick in, worst part is, they say like women post pregnancy we have to continue to do exercises to maintain strong pelvic floor or we will leak, aaargh!
I never had a problem prior to surgery could go all night without a pee, now I wake up twice to go? 1st week post cath was worst, take it easy rest up, things are healing.
I have a printout from nurse which gives a good daily routine if you would like?
Posted 4/8/2011 10:19 PM (GMT 0)
I'll do WHATEVER it takes :-)

Will you really do whatever it takes? Because what it takes in an incredible amount of patience.
Posted 4/9/2011 12:17 PM (GMT 0)
OK, OK... I get it. Chill, do my kegels, walk like a mofo and give it time :-) I can do that!

Not a single doctor (and I interviewed 6, from places like Duke, UNC, Vanderbilt and 3 private practices) made a point of telling me that leaking could be significant.. they all glossed over it and almost every single one said things like "you'll see some leakage when your stressed.. you know, like when you cough, sneeze and get up from a sitting position".

No one said I might be gushing non stop for a while... so my worry was less about realities of leaking and the dramatic difference between "some leakage" and heavy, steady leaking I'm seeing early on.

I'm not whining or complaining just a little shell shock and wondering what I can do about it... You've given me what I needed to reset my expectations and physical recovery.

Thanks.
Posted 4/9/2011 4:09 PM (GMT 0)
I can understand your frustration. It just seems like there is no "standard" case of recovery after prostate surgery and you just seem to go down that road with no idea of how much of a problem incontinence will be or how long it will take to get back under control. I didn't make it out of the medical building after catheter removal without a "gush" when I pushed on the door to go outside. There was a learning curve of what kind of motions seemed to make a "gush" more likely and how much force to use on the Kegel contractions to avoid soreness. For a few weeks it seemed like the Kegels had no effect then it seemed like there days that were just a little bit better than others. There was no big leap in improvement, just little upward steps. about six weeks after catheter removal I stopped wearing pads when I was at home and built up enough confidence to stop wearing pads altogether in a few more weeks. The big thing is to keep going with the exercises even if some days seem like a step backwards.
Posted 4/9/2011 5:48 PM (GMT 0)
 

 ..like others said here, give things time. You're early post-op. I did some kegels early pre-op, doing the gym thing too...post-op kegels didn't seem to help one way or the other. I walked a lot outside, flip-flops, gym shorts and a bag for the cath-bag..I didn't care who saw me. I stopped doing the kegels early...my body took it own's route  and 6 months down the road I was pad free. After I worked the courage up to go without. You'll get there my friend. Good luck and give things the time it needs!

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