Coffee after surgery

Immediately after RALP I stopped drinking coffee because of the urgency. I stayed off of it for 9 months and have recently started drinking it again. It's been great to get back to it and I have no incontinence problems now.

I suspect I could have gone back MUCH sooner, and kind of wish I did. I spent those 9 months in something of a fog ...

(My uro would still like me to be off of it ...).

Is it the coffee or the caffeine that is the issue?

I don't drink coffee, but Diet Coke is rather essential to sustaining my rigorous life schedule. (Yeah, that rigor may be put on-hold for awhile after my PC treatment.)

The Mayo folks say that caffeine is not a diuretic for "normal" amounts:
www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661

said...
Researchers used to believe that caffeinated drinks had a diuretic effect. This means that you would urinate more after drinking them, which could increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (the equivalent of 5 to 7 cups of coffee) a day.

Some other relevant links:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19774754
answers.webmd.com/answers/1166858/is-caffeine-a-diuretic
www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

I had absolutely no problems after my surgery with coffee and still do not. I drink a cup or two every morning and in the winter tea in the afternoon. Even an espresso after dinner has no effect. I also drink my coffee very strong and grind my own beans. I too had coffee in the hospital with breakfast the morning after surgery but it was more like colored water and very weak.

The only thing I notice that runs out faster is any drink with carbonation as I joke I say I just rent those drinks. But beer is no worse now than before either. The problem with PC is that it effects all of us differently and the same for RP and what we drink. Many here claim that any wine or alcohol sends then to the bathroom within minutes for example. 19 months post surgery I am  going most nights with out  being awakened to pee. This was not the case before RP as I was up at least 2 times every night. The nights now that I have to get up are never more than once a night.

Terry The Water Guy

I was drinking coffee and tea while the cath was still in (doc had no issues with that, as you need fluids, and any hot liquid helps motivate the bowels), but the physical therapy nurse had me stop it immediately when the cath came out. She told me (and I heard this from doctors as well) that the caffeine was not an issue, so caf/decaf was irrelevant. The issue is the acids in the coffee which irritate the bladder.

I went completely off coffee, and with the start of RT with it's "predictable bowel" requirements, I stayed off it. Over time I have started my espresso again.

I drink coffee all morning long most mornings, as well as an occasional beer or glass of wine later in the day, but no soda pop. If anything, I'm MORE continent than I was in the three or four years preceding the prostatectomy, since I'm now 100%.  Prior to surgery, I had severe urinary urgency.  If a men's room couldn't be found near at hand when I needed one, I was in a real panic.  That's no longer the case.

I didn't realize how bad my old yucky prostate effected my ability to pee until it was gone. I can now pee like a teenager, now if only the erections were like a teenager life would be even grander.

I drink a little bit of everything: tea, coffee, juice beer mineral water wine etc.
I drink decaff (both fresh and instant), but I have recently started drinking one mug of normal fresh coffee per day and have not yet noticed a difference with my habits.
Yes I have definitely heard that it is the acidity that annoys your baldder, however bear in mind that acid urine also helps combat urinary infections. And I understand that one of the issues with decaff is that they only make it from one type of bean and that is one that actually results in a more acidic coffee!
Alcohol also results in acidic pee.
At the point when the catheter comes out, it may be as well to try all options to help get you as continent as possible as soon possible.
Another issue with caffeine is sleep of course and many here have found that they need to watch both caffeine and fluid input in the evenings.

immediately after RP? bad idea...

I waited for my dumb bladder to regain confidence in it's containment abilities before going back to coffee. I have five cups a day now, no issues.

My Dr.brought me a cup after surgery .

I found after my operation when the catheter was in and I drank a mug of tea it seemed to work it`s way through the system into the bag very quickly. I did cut out coffee for a while but eventually started drinking it again with no ill effects.
I am now almost 4 years out from the surgery and drink most liquids except fizzy drinks, but I really did not drink those before the operation anyway.

All the best from England.

PeterDisAbelard said...
My bio-feedback nurse also said that coffee acidifies your urine and can irritate and already-cranky bladder. The caffeine is not an issue. She said tea is OK. If you find you are having trouble with coffee after surgery you could try switching to strong tea for a while to feed your monkey while you recover. I am a two-bags with milk guy when I drink tea.

We drink strong tea which I buy in the UK. It's called Yorkshire Tea (that's the brand). They also make a tea bag which is intended for two cups so really strong if used in one. I would buy it in UK when I got here (bags of 999 tea bags).

Just saw it being carried at Whole Foods the other day (although in boxes of 50 ). If you like really storng tea you should try it.