10 weeks Post RP & still having bladder control issues

Otis857 said...
My issues began at week 4 and are still ongoing - I get sudden nearly uncontrollable, and hard urges to urinate whether or not I have much in the tank, usually not. Many times, its all I can do to get to the bathroom before some major leakage. When I do go, I get a hard pain right at the end of urination, but that pain seems to be slowly getting better. I've been doing Kegals since before the surgery, but its all i can do to hold back the bladder contractions. I dont know if this is normal and Im just not being patient, but it sucks none the less.

1 month ago, I was prescribed Prednisone and Urebel, which didnt do anything noticeable for either problem. Got a request for something stronger with the Urologist now.

I feel your pain, Brother! I am 9 weeks post surgery, catheter came out at 12 days so 7 weeks plus some days since cath out. Also, just got back from my 2nd electrical stimulation.biofeedback session.

Since my 1st treatment last week, I have had several good days which are significantly improved over any days I had since surgery. I just had 2 better than usual days and today has been extra leaky. Yesterday I actually made it with 1 pad until bed time, but today I have gone through several. I hope the biofeedback actually helps me.

The bladder contractions were a major pain until I tried some Chamomile tea. I got fairly immediate relief with that with fewer contractions but more noticeable: way less severe contractions. I still have them, but they remain improved and getting steadily better, or certainly less painful. Could be just a coincidence with the tea, maybe I was just due to get better starting that day, who knows?

My doc has emphasized that time is the number one factor in most men, and some will heal very quick and some will take months, and 3 or 4% (supposedly) will not get much better without some other treatment.

Hang in here, and good luck!

Thanks Bob,
I am glad to be dealing with this over (much worse) PCa complications. I hear this will pass too, but Im wondering if this is normal this far out or am I just one of the guys who doesnt come back so easily.
Best of luck with your recovery.

Otis857 said...
BillyBob,
I read your post about Chamomile tea and thought, WOW would this be great if thats all it took. Unfortunately, I didnt get the same results as you did. I did learn to like it enough to drink at night before bed, but the results werent there for me. darn the luck!!

Dang it! Well, I sure hate to hear that, but maybe it wasn't there for me either, maybe it was just coincidence. Still, I have remained improved in that one area from the day I started, whatever the cause. Probably just more healing.

Bill

At 13 weeks I was still in depends pants and 5+ pads a day. It was 5 months before I had a sudden improvement. Never did get "dry", then threw RT on top of it, so ...

No problem with asking questions. It takes time, and some doctors mention, but don't emphasize, that this is not a quick fix. Many are up and running a few weeks after surgery, but there are always exceptions. This forum is heavy in membership of exceptions. Most guys who walk away dry don't come back here, which impacts the replies you'll get.

sbharley said...
Don't be dismayed. My catheter was removed on 17 January 2014 after my Da Vinci prostatectomy, and on a good day, 6 pads is the norm. Doing heavy yard work, it's a pad an hour. I let depression take over my life, accused my surgeon of screwing up, and pretty much crawled into a shell. Bottom line, I'm doing my best with kegels and physical therapy. I do suspect I will be in that unfortunate percent that need to look for intervention down the road. I've finally got it through my thick head that incontinence is not life threatening and can be corrected. There are still 8 months ahead of me to resolve this condition . My life has finally moved forward, after finally getting my head on straight. I'd rather be spending money on Corona Light than depends pads, but those are the cards dealt me. Hang tough Brother, take it from a guy who was so depressed several weeks ago, that his Glock almost looked more of a way out than living with this. Bob

Hey there Bob, I remember your earlier post on this subject. I was trying to tell my wife how depressing this condition(i.e. incontinence) can be, she probably thinks I whine too much about it all things considered. I have had 3 or 4 days or parts of days since the catheter came out that I found myself sinking into depression, even though I feel ridiculous doing so. Hey, I have a 50% chance of no recurrence over the next 10 years, I should be celebrating, right?(that's what my wife thinks!) It could be 10%, so 50% is better than 10. And even if it does recur, then we can look into other treatments. Plus, worse case on the subject of this thread there are other treatments for this urine problem, though I sure don't look forward to a year of being wet.

Bob, have you had any improvement at all yet? ( Otis, hope you don't mind me asking SB on your thread? Let me know if you do and I won't do it again) I had a slight improvement last week after my 1st biofeedback/electrostimulation treatment, and even being able to say I finally saw a very slight improvement really helped my head. Or I should say I will have a better day now usually followed by a bad day, but even the occasional improved day helps mentally. Then seeing the old boy pop back to life and looking somewhat like his old self after my 1st Trimix injection helped a bit more. But somedays i do have trouble staying positive, even though I am blessed in many ways. My wife is the positive one by nature around here, my natural pessimism requires endless battle to keep it in control.