Leakage vs Continence

Hi all,

So, I have a fair amount of control. I can hold it until I get to a bathroom except when I go to sleep. Woo hoo

But I unknowingly leak during the day. Down to 4 pads mostly of leakage.

So my question is: does this go away with continued keagling? Or is there some other magical excercize.

No, neither. I'll check into them. Thanks!!

Every guy is different as they say. Some never leak while others leak longer. I'm of the opinion, with nothing to back it up, that the surgeon's skill has a lot to do with how fast continence returns.
Anyone have another view?
Bob

Your experience is similar to mine. During my first year following surgery, I was able to reduce my incontinence only slightly - from 6-8 pads per day to about 4 pads. On a rare day, I could get by with only 2 pads. I was stuck there; my urologist referred me to pelvic floor rehab.

10 months of rehab was able to reduce my incontinence only slightly. My pelvic floor was much stronger; so obviously that was not the cause of my incontinence. For the last 5 months, I've been using a Cunningham clamp and have been able to wear only one pad each day. I don't wear the clamp while I sleep and so I have to wear a pad then. If I'm not having an active day, I often don't wear a pad at all.

But I don't see the clamp as a long-range solution and plan to have a chat with my uro about next steps, such a sling or AUS. I don't know the reason for my incontinence but I suspect that 10 years of BPH may have caused some permanent damage to my bladder.

Dealing with incontinence has been a daily struggle for almost 2 1/2 years but I hope for a solution sometime this year. And I hope you find a solution for yours in the immediate future. I wish you good luck and much success.

Mike

Yes, Knotreel, 2 2/2 years has been too long. I probably could have been more aggressive with my uro to get right to a surgical solution but I've tried to find an acceptable fix short of that. But I've run out of non-surgical remedies to try and so it's on to the next step. My uro indicated he would refer me to some kind of urodynamic testing before moving on to implementation of a sling or AUS. I'll take it up with him when I get home next month and we'll figure out the next step together. I'm ready for a "solution" that works!

Mike

Arch, I am very early in my recovery, 5 weeks post catheter removal, but am totally incontinent... Demoralizing and depressing. My wife and I met with my Surgeon yesterday in Syracuse, and it's very obvious that I set very unrealistic goals for myself... Retired as Combat Security Forces Senior NCO, USAF, set me up for failure immediately. 4 of those 5 weeks were spent sobbing on the couch about my failure as a man to heal immediately, no kegels, no exercise, nothing. Big mistake. On track now, but, your discussion of the Advance Sling has gotten my attention. I have been relatively dry, or minor leakage sleeping, or in the prone position, and am wakened to purge, or have the sensation to purge when conscious. Standing, is another story, constant leaking, no control, and no urgency to go... I could go through 2 dozen pads a day... Started Toviaz as a supplement for incontinency today, a regimented kegel program that I failed to do the first 5 weeks, and a much better attitude. In the back of my mind though, is I need a back up plan, because 5 weeks of severe incontinency has been enough. Anyone that could endure 2 years plus is a Saint in my book. I'm very interested in hearing more on your experience with this procedure. Just did some cursory searching, and it looks like I would not be a candidate at this point based on my time post surgery, and level of incontinence. Thanks in advance, and I'd love to talk to you personally if you are comfortable with that. Bob

Bob,

I think you will find that you aren't a candidate for much of anything right now. You may think that 5 weeks of leaking is enough but if you talk to your urologist I'll bet he will tell you that weeks is nowhere near enough to think about slings or artificial sphincters. More like 52 weeks. They like to let the patient heal for a full year after treatment and then evaluate.

This gives you lots of time to read up, and plan, and hopefully to get dry so that all your reading and planning will have been academic.

sb, it's early in your recovery and your Urologist probably wouldn't refer you for a sling for about a year post surgery. I leaked about 12 pads a day when I was in your situation, 6 weeks after surgery. I did kegels until the cows came home but was only able to reduce and not stop the leakage. There are a numer of tests that evaluate whether you're a candidate for a sling surgery, cytoscopy and urodynamics. Look for my email address under my profile and contact me, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Ron

My husband was completely incontinent for 3 1/2 months after his surgery. He did kegels, but he was not doing them correctly. He started biofeedback at about 3 months after surgery, and became continent within a few weeks. He has been dry since a month after he started biofeedback.

Ragman,

I don't really know my husband's biofeedback routine, but know that he did about 100 a day. I'm not sure if he still does 100 a day (he still does them). My husband could have done biofeedback right away. I think he asked his surgeon's PA about incontinence at the 3 month mark when he wasn't getting better and they referred him to a biofeedback practitioner.

Agreed that you can easily do too many Kegels. My uro suggested five sets a day, made things even worse. The PT nurse suggested three sets, done just after my three walking sessions (morning, early afternoon, night).

Sbharley,

I am in the same boat but a few months ahead of you on recover... We need to link up and compare notes because I too had my surgery done in Syracuse and wondering if we had the same doc?

I leak terrible and have been fighting in for weeks, doing PT, and use a clamp when I am out especially when traveling when I don't always know when or where I can get to a toilet or change pads etc...

Sbharley,

Shoot me an email it's in my profile, I am just north of Watertown.

Paul