Is this incontinence or something else?

I ma 67 , and I had my surgery in 2007 for G6 cancer and since then, my psa has been zero, and I have no ED issues what so ever. The only problem I seem to to have is that I get this constant urge to urinate almost every couple of hours (and more if I drink something). If I don't go to the bathroom immediately when I get this urge, the urge gets so great that I will start to leak and drip.

At night , I get up only once to urinate, and sometimes not at all till the morning, so it is not a problem then. Also if I lift something, or bend the wrong way, I will feel some drips. But that constant urge to go is what really bothers me.

I wear a thin pad every day just to absord these minor leaks. I don't like it, but over time I just got used to it.

It has been like this ever since my surgery 11 years ago. I never did any kegels after my surgery. For the first 3 months, I was using 5 to 7 pads a day, and then, like just overnight, that fast , I went from using 5 - 7 pads a day, to using almost nothing more than thin shield like I do today. From that point onward, nothing has changed. I have not get worse or better

This urge to go every couple of hours or so, is this considered incontinence from my surgery, or this another condition like I hear on the TV called "irritable bladder syndrome"? Is there anything I can do that can help with this problem? I am use to it now, but if there is something that I can do, I would try it n an instance.

I had my surgery in November of 2009. I’m 60 y/o and I’m having the same urgency condition. I consider myself “dry” whatever that really means. I don’t wear pads and I was “dry” the day I took my cath out. Do I have a drip from time to time….Yes. I heat with wood and cut, split, haul and stack all my own wood without any pad. Again do I have a little leakage when I’m swinging an 8 pound maul, or picking up a 20 foot section of log chain, yep. But “urgency” is the real distraction. Over the past several years my ability to hold a large amount of urine is gone. 5 years ago when I had to go I would easily go 12 oz at a time (I’ve done more in the past). Now I’m lucky if I can hold 6 or 7 oz. When the feeling hits me I need to make prompt arraignments or I’m going to be in trouble. I keep a big mouth drink container in my truck with me just in case. The urgency is not dependent on what I’m drinking. It is the same with water, pop, coffee, or beer. Complicating the factor is the time required that it takes to find the little guy under my Carhartts and long-johns. Sometimes my old fingers just aren’t fast enough! When I do get things going I can flip a brick but I only go about 7 oz. I’ve also noticed that I can go without having any feeling of a need to urinate to an urgent need in the blink of an eye.
Hero

Well, I think you'll find that what you're reporting is not at all unusual for us surgery guys. I've found that I have a greater tendency to drip a little if I let myself get dehydrated--which seems counter-intuitive, but there it is. And I've noticed almost from immediately after surgery that the time lag from "soon" to "right NOW" is a lot shorter than it used to be. No more 3-4 hour drives between bathroom breaks. More like 1 1/2 hours at most.

The fact is, the surgery removed a valve that is in the middle of the prostate, and may have weakened the valve at the bottom of the bladder. So we have to count on it, plus our muscles in the pelvis, to hold it in. It is what it is.

Herophilus said...
I had my surgery in November of 2009. I’m 60 y/o and I’m having the same urgency condition. I consider myself “dry” whatever that really means. I don’t wear pads and I was “dry” the day I took my cath out. Do I have a drip from time to time….Yes. I heat with wood and cut, split, haul and stack all my own wood without any pad. Again do I have a little leakage when I’m swinging an 8 pound maul, or picking up a 20 foot section of log chain, yep. But “urgency” is the real distraction. Over the past several years my ability to hold a large amount of urine is gone. 5 years ago when I had to go I would easily go 12 oz at a time (I’ve done more in the past). Now I’m lucky if I can hold 6 or 7 oz. When the feeling hits me I need to make prompt arraignments or I’m going to be in trouble. I keep a big mouth drink container in my truck with me just in case. The urgency is not dependent on what I’m drinking. It is the same with water, pop, coffee, or beer. Complicating the factor is the time required that it takes to find the little guy under my Carhartts and long-johns. Sometimes my old fingers just aren’t fast enough! When I do get things going I can flip a brick but I only go about 7 oz. I’ve also noticed that I can go without having any feeling of a need to urinate to an urgent need in the blink of an eye.
Hero

You sound like rugged guy like me. I am still a Cat skinner and climbing up on my machine causes leakage. Time to get an implant and go from 1 1/2 inch turtle to a 5 inch softy that you can get hold of. I started having leakage after 4 months of dry. Leakage started after the implant and pads make things very tight in my shorts with the new larger equipment.