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Posted 8/7/2017 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
I'm going for a RRP prostatectomy in a little over a week and have been doing kegel exercises for past 9 weeks knowing surgery was coming. I've gone from not being able to hold the kegel at all, to now holding for 10 seconds at a time in sets of 25, multiple times a day which is a big improvement from where I started.

Once the catheter goes in for 10 days, I won't be able to do kegels and pelvic muscles will weaken from where they are now. Any experiences out there for how much ground one gives up in pelvic muscle strength due to inactivity while catheter is in place?
Posted 8/7/2017 10:06 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck with the surgery. With some luck this will all be in your rear view mirror before long. The question of how much ground one loses while the catheter is in is interesting, but in the end it does not matter because there is no alternative to the catheter. You should do fine because you are relatively young and have had a long time in advance to work on kegels.
Posted 8/7/2017 10:29 PM (GMT 0)
Rick,

When the catheter comes out you will have two factors to overcome: One will be the slight weakening of your pelvic floor muscles because you haven't been able to do your kegels for ten days. The other is that some guy in a white coat will have cut out a big chunk of your plumbing and you will need to learn to make do what is left. You'll be better off for having done all those kegels, it's true, but I think you will find that the effect of a ten day hiatus gets lost in the other changes the surgery will put you through.

Good luck. You'll do fine.
Posted 8/8/2017 10:16 AM (GMT 0)
Fiddlecanoe and Peter - thanks for your support.

I realize pelvic muscle strength only part of equation but it's one of the things I can control in trying to prep as best I can. Hoping for the best
Posted 8/8/2017 11:22 AM (GMT 0)
Good Luck Rick, a good surgeon and lots and lots of walking helped with my continence. Almost 200 miles after rp and then another 100 after hernia surgery.

Larry
Posted 8/8/2017 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
Rick,

If you are in good shape and no other health related problems (diabetes), you should be fine. With in stats, and age surgery shouldn't be overly aggressive. They will probably spare both nerves which will help to minimize ED, and help in regaining continence. In fact you might even be fairly continent when they removed the catheter.

Nick
Posted 8/9/2017 12:34 AM (GMT 0)
Good luck with the surgery and recovery. What I found made the biggest improvement for my bladder control was riding a bike. Of course I could not ride a bike until about six weeks after surgery. I was leaking over 700 grams/day when I started to take long (>3 hrs) ride. At the start I had to change pads about three times during the ride. But in short order I was down to less than 10 grams of leakage (my surgeon gave me a scale to record the volume). My theory is that sitting on a bike seat for hours while wearing pads put pressure on my lower pelvic muscles.

I talked to others that do not agree with the bike theory but it works for me.
Posted 8/9/2017 2:47 PM (GMT 0)
Rick,

I'm your age, worked the Kegels like you did, and regained urinary control shortly after surgery. You'll find some changes in urinary function, post catheter removal. You'll have a more frequent need to pee, have a sensation of needing to pee even when you can't produce much volume, and perhaps have some irritation. My experience was that this resolved after the first month or so.

Good luck with your surgery.
Posted 8/9/2017 3:14 PM (GMT 0)
Guys,

Thanks for the advice, experiences and encouragement. All very valuable. I'm pretty much at Go-time and its helpful to hear about other's experiences heading into this.
Posted 8/9/2017 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
I'm 71, and have been mostly dry since the day my catheter was removed. I did Kegals hard for about two months pre surgery, and am just starting them back up now.

I believe a major factor for me was an excellent surgeon who did two bladder neck suspension stitches. Otherwise fine surgeons sadly don't add this to their protocols.

YMMV....
Posted 8/12/2017 10:59 PM (GMT 0)
My experience was similar to garyi (I also had a great surgeon) but I way overdid the Kegels and damaged the tendons connecting the muscles to my tail bone and I still hurt when I sit too long (2 years later). Doctors won't tell me that is what happened, but they don't have any other explanation for why I started having tailbone pain 1 month after DaVinci robotic surgery, either. Kegels are good; more Kegels are not necessarily so good. LOL
Posted 8/13/2017 8:17 AM (GMT 0)
No offence, but I've never known how on earth anyone can claim to be nearly' fully incontinent' as soon as the catheter is removed? Even a skilled surgeon isn't Dynamo... there is still the hole that the prostate sat in and the loss of the biggest sphincter down there (the prostate).
Fair play to those that don't leak, dribble, become like a fountain after surgery...I just don't anatomically, get it.
Mine was radical radical surgery with very little being 'spared' so I guess I was unlucky. But literally, as soon as the little ol pipe was taken out, Niagra falls started. I couldn't stand, walk, sit in a certain way, without soaking my pad and this lasted for weeks.
Kegals does help. But unless you are very fortunate, don't expect to not have some problems in the waterworks department.
I'm now 7 months after surgery and 33 sessions of radiotherapy (and hormone therapy) and still leak. I'm down to a pad a day. I'm 48 and fairly fit (ish)
The worst thing for me has ALWAYS been the need to pee following surgery. Despite time and meds, this has never gone away and is much worse than it ever was before surgery. I literally could pee every 15 minutes.
However, we are all different, all made differently, and you might not suffer much at all with the urological stuff.
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