dry at last!

Congrats, fiddlecanoe! That's the kind of QOL story I like to read.

Fiddlecanoe,

Thanks for posting that good news. I'm a year or so behind you on this journey. Was starting to regain complete control a few months after surgery and was only using pads for peace of mind. Then recurrent PSA led to radiation treatment and control was set back. I'm about 6 (7 ?) months post radiation and back to leaking with every sneeze or cough. Hope I can repeat your success in that regard. One question, months after the radiation treatment, I've noticed myself becoming fatigued in the evenings, did you experience that too? And if so, did it gradually improve?
Thanks,
Bill

fiddlecanoe said...
At this point I use pads only when I drink alcohol, which still has the power to relax key muscles are cause localized flooding.

My PT suggested that it's a combination of a muscle relaxer and that alcohol can irritate the bladder. She suggested that I consume water with alcohol to dilute the irritation.

Somewhere I read/heard that this is what is behind the "breaking the seal" issue when drinking. As you consume your first couple of drinks your bladder is filling with pre-alcohol urine which dilutes the incoming. After you empty it the filling continues but with the post-alcohol solution which can be an irritant.

Sort of makes sense.

I'll try to "pre-game" with water from now on.

Radiation side effects commonly build for about 3 years after the radiation treatment has ended, until they reach the "nadir" (maximum), then they gradualy fade over the years. Some docs say radiation treatment side effects continue to build for about 6 years. Incontinence is one of those side effects.