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Posted 11/27/2017 3:22 AM (GMT 0)
I am new to the site, so let me start by saying thank you for all the insight I have received from reading other posts. I had robotic surgery on 11/7 and catheter removed 11/13. I am dry at night, maybe up once after 5 hours, but I never fell the urge to go as I did prior to surgery. Now I either feel a pain in my penis, or as I walk I start to leak more than a squirt, is this normal? I have been walking on a treadmill 3 times a day for 25 minutes each time, at 2 to 2.5 mph no incline. My mornings are dry but afternoons and evenings are more incontinent, I am also doing pelvic floor exercises 3 times a day 5 reps od 1 second and 5 second intervals. Are there stages to recovery? Meaning dry at night and in the morning, a good thing? Is my continence a quick change all at once or little increments of two steps forward and one back? Am I doing too much to cause the steps back in the afternoon? Any insight would be appreciated and thank you in advance. Best and Thanks for your insight
Posted 11/27/2017 3:27 AM (GMT 0)
As you get tired the incontinence gets worse. I am 4 months out and use 2 pads a day. If I work hard, lifting straining, I leak almost continually. Just plan for it and have pads ready to change. It goes in slow steps.
Posted 11/27/2017 3:33 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks oldbeek, I am planning on trying to go to work tomorrow for a half day, and plan on taking two pads with me.
Posted 11/27/2017 4:22 AM (GMT 0)
Glc100--
Your experience is textbook. As oldbeek indicates, that external sphincter of yours gets tired as the day wears on.
Three stages: (1) dry during sleep, (2) dry during the day, (3) dry under stress. Getting out of bed and standing up after sitting for a long while are also challenging. Within each stage there are degrees of continence, from minor leaking to bone dry. As you suspected, continence will come in increments, with good days and bad. Try not to get hung up on day-to-day progress. You sound like you're doing just fine. Right amount of kegels, right amount of exercise. Keep it up.
Posted 11/27/2017 4:58 AM (GMT 0)
You're doing fine. It just takes time. The doc did a lot in there and it takes time to heal. Some leaking is to be expected at this point. Doesn't sound to me like you're doing too much. Listen to your body. You might want to just do twice a day on the treadmill for a week or so and then ramp it back up.

Likely what you're seeing is just a bit of stress incontinence and should improve over the next few weeks.

Hang in there, before you know it this will all just be a bad memory.
Andrew
Posted 11/27/2017 7:06 AM (GMT 0)
You are doing better than me, I am dry at night but not in the mornings, though I leak more in the evenings, too. I am delaying the Kegels since I have the feeling that trying to avoid the leak is enough for my sphynter at present.
And yes, the urge to urinate is different, not so clear as before, more like a slight pain now. We have been changed inside and our new normal may be temporary or permanently different.
Posted 11/27/2017 10:14 AM (GMT 0)
Wow your doing great! your doing better than I did. Keep up the walking I think that helped more than anything for me.

Larry
Posted 11/27/2017 10:48 AM (GMT 0)
Sounds as though you are on tract. I am over 3 years out now and as someone said, it becomes a memory. Only time I have any trouble now is in picking something up - like a 5 year old grandson running up to you and you don't expect it. Kegels do help, so keep them up. My URO told me to keep up the walking or running (in my case) as much as I felt comfortable with. Keep up the good work, you are doing great.
Posted 11/27/2017 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like you are doing great - keep up the Kegels and you will be dry soon.

Bobby Mac
Posted 11/27/2017 8:05 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks to all for the information as well as reassurance. It is very helpful to hear what others are or have gone through in this process. One thing I learned was the walking is to help with the incontinence, I actually thought that was to avoid blood clots only in mylegs. One other question, Does the pre surgery sensation that you need to pee come back? Currently I get a pain in the area almost like pressure building there? Is that the new norm? Thanks again I hope to be able to help others as you guys have helped me!!
Posted 11/27/2017 8:36 PM (GMT 0)
You are doing well. All the walking and treadmill work helps continence, overall well being and guards against clots. (I wasn't active enough early on and developed clots.) Keep it up.

The peeing sensation came back and it was more intense in the first 6 months or so after surgery. It has lessened and feels normal now, a little over a year later.

Good luck.
Posted 11/27/2017 9:47 PM (GMT 0)
I had my robotic surgery about a week before you and your experience is very similar to mine. I also experienced some pain as my bladder filled but it does get better after a few weeks. I think the pain is due to a couple reasons: while you had the catheter, your bladder shrunk because it was continuously draining. Now you have to train it to be able to hold your pre-surgery capacity. The other reason is as your bladder fills, it puts pressure on tissue that is traumatized from the surgery, causing pain.

I've also noticed the stress incontinence being worse later in the day and the explanation about being tired does make sense. Things will get better every day. I will say that today I have experienced more "normal" streams than I've had since surgery. Up until today, some trips would result in a normal stream and others would be trickles, start/stop, etc. Hopefully this is the beginning of normalcy.

Jeff
Posted 11/27/2017 10:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Jeff and all who responded , it really is reassuring to read. Jeff best of luck in your recovery, I hope it continues!

To the pioneers who man this site for newbies like me, thanks again for the insight.
Posted 11/28/2017 12:23 AM (GMT 0)
Alcohol makes it worse.To each his own but I have a shot of Jack and water at bed time. Have to get up 2 hrs later to pee it out. Sleep 6 hrs ifs don't take that drink. But, Jack replaces the urg for sex pretty good. Last week went to a party for my sisters 80th yr. Started hitting the Jack and water. Found I had NO CONTROL at all. It just flowed right through. Used 4 pads in 4 hrs. Just be warned and prepared.
Posted 11/28/2017 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Oldbeek, so that never changes, the use of alcohol is never tolerated?
Posted 11/28/2017 1:49 AM (GMT 0)

Glc100 said...
Thanks Oldbeek, so that never changes, the use of alcohol is never tolerated?


Varies from person to person. For the first couple weeks after the catheter came out, alcohol opened the floodgates. (Three days post-cath I went on a pub crawl with my wife and son and totally drenched myself despite wearing a Depend Fit-Flex.) But now, 3 1/2 months post RALP, I stay dry even when drinking. Biggest ongoing continence challenge for me is sneezing.
Posted Today 10:19 AM (GMT 0)
HI guys, I have now gone to work three days this week, approximately 5 hours a day plus an hour and a half commute by car. Really tired in the afternoon and leaking, which I understand when your tired you leak, however how do you build that energy up in the afternoon? Is the right thing to rest, no pelvic floor exercises or walking, or do you push yourself and continue those exercises at that time and continue to leak during that period?
Posted Today 11:31 AM (GMT 0)
Can you take more time off from work, or telecommute, at least p.m.? Even with a great surgeon and “minimally invasive” robotic, your insides have taken a beating. Scale it back. You’re not even 1 month past surgery. Don’t push yourself too much.
Posted Today 11:37 AM (GMT 0)
I went back to work after 3 weeks (actually on day 21), and I would have been OK (I think) if my boss had allowed me to set my own pace and let me spend most of my time doing desk work. It didn't work out that way, and I took a few more days off. Ultimately, it was probably 6 months before I really felt able to do most things.

Naps are wonderful things.
Posted Today 12:02 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with saipan. There is nothing minimally invasive about this surgery. Try to scale back for a couple more weeks if you can. My surgery was a week before yours and I’m not going back to work full time until next week, but I worked from home a couple days this week with no issues.

If you have to work, make sure you’re eating well. Try a high protein snack in the afternoon to help with energy and maybe a short walk. I don’t recommend that you stop the kegels.

Jeff
Posted Today 1:01 PM (GMT 0)
1. Recovery of continence is not a continuous process. I found that I would be on a plateau for a while with no sign of improvement, and then it would get better.
2. Your ability to tolerate alcohol should improve with time.
3. Take it easy. When you are tired, rest! There's no advantage in working through the tiredness. Rest is the cure!
4. For me the urge to urinate was never pain. But sometimes I have a spasm where I feel a tremendous urge to pee, but that goes away after a few seconds, usually.
Posted 12/1/2017 12:49 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks guys, very helpful
Posted 12/1/2017 5:07 PM (GMT 0)
Yes alcohol within three hours of sleep means getting up three hours agter going to sleep — even though I’m dry nearly all the time — one pad lasts 24 hours, only change it for hygeine. Could give up the nightly Dark ‘n’ Stormy but maybe not.
Posted 12/11/2017 11:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hi guys, another question, as a recap I am 5 weeks post surgery tomorrow, I had robotic surgery, and my prostate was the size of a small grapefruit. Today was really the first time had a pain above my belly button where the incision was to remove my prostate. I had dissolving stitches, is this the start of the stitches dissolving. It was very painful even to the touch, but then faded on and off? Anyone else have a similar experience?
Posted 12/12/2017 12:44 AM (GMT 0)
At 6 weeks post laparoscopic surgery I have occasional brief pain there, fading in and out like yours? Seems associated with exercise or sitting still.
Seeing surgeon on Friday and will ask him
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