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Question about night control

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Posted 5/23/2009 1:48 PM (GMT 0)
I have had three consective nights where my pad is dry in the morning, but I only can do that by getting up every hour or so.  this is very tiring?  Is there a possiblity that I will be able to sleep thru the night at some time?
Posted 5/23/2009 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
Charlierobert:

I've run this before - but my advice is, sleep on your back. If you sleep on your back, your bladder will hold a certain amount of urine up to the level of your urethra. At that point you start to feel pressure. So your sleep depends on the size and shape of your bladder, and the amount of unconscious control you have built up.

I slept on my stomach for 30 years, so changing was an issue for me. But you gotta do it.

If you are already sleeping on your back, and you get up every hour a week after surgery - time to call the doctor.

kcragman
Posted 5/23/2009 5:34 PM (GMT 0)

Hello,

To answer your question: yes.  I can't tell where you are in the journey but assuming that you are recently post-catheter and based on my experience, eventually you will make it through the night. I think that everytime my night sleep pattern got close to being awake, I felt a need to go to the bathroom, so I did. Lately, (6 weeks from surgery, 4 from catheter) I don't feel compelled to hop out of bed and bee-line to the bathroom, but sometimes I go anyhow out of an abundance of caution. I will note however, that my conciousness about where  the next bathroom is during the day has been raised! What a journey.

Best wishes,

TeddyG

Posted 5/23/2009 6:55 PM (GMT 0)
Try not to drink any caffeinated products and stop drinking liquids for 2 hours before bedtime. Also sleep on your back. That helped me a lot.
Posted 5/23/2009 11:49 PM (GMT 0)
Greetings, CharlieRobert.  Both before and after surgery I had to make several trips a night.  My doc prescribed Detrol LA and it has helped some but I still average one trip a night.  Not bad I guess considering where I could be.  You might talk to your doc to see if some type of med might help you.  David
Posted 5/24/2009 11:19 PM (GMT 0)
Nighttime continence comes first. Laying on your back is essential. But I still would have to get up a couple of times at night. I would stand up and immediately feel the weight of the urine on my "voluntary" sphincter. I would have to do the "little boy" pinch to keep from losing my entire bladder before I could get to the pot. Slowly, slowly, the urgency decreased and ability to hold it got better.

Watch your fluids also. Nothing after 7PM, for example. I curbed my liquids back quit a bit in the beginning, drinking only water, and as little as I could. Urine was still clearish so I wasn't dehydrated. Never mind the 8 glasses a day mantra in the beginning. Don't worry. Be happy.
Posted 5/25/2009 12:53 AM (GMT 0)
Dittos on the previous posts, altho, for me, nighttime has been the easisest. Post catheter, I slept on my back, and had to get up every 2 or 3 hours, because I would start leaking, epecially if I turned on my side.

After 2 weeks, I am only getting up once, and my pad is dry. It is really my first positive sign that those stupid kegals are working. If I kegal hard before I get up, I can make it to bathroom, altho it's still a good idea to hang on to Willie, just in case. I'm sleeping on my sides and belly also.

Daytime control is another story. Patience they say .......
Posted 5/27/2009 5:00 AM (GMT 0)
I agree with all that has been said. I can only add that for me this was a gradual process. In the first several months, I had to go multiple times. Now, one year out I am probably back to where I was (as far as trips to the John). If I have to go which is probably about 50% of the time, it is now normally one trip during the night. It simply takes time to retrain the bladder. Time will very likely take you back to where you were before.
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