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Incontinence at night - SOME nights - Kegel excercise?

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Posted 9/22/2010 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hi. I'm 4 months post op. Had a few beers over the weekend (was in Vegas, ok, more than a few)... and had no problem controlling. Awoke each morning, no problem. Other times, I  have very little fluids, walk 3 miles.. and wake up in the morning to find i'd had an accident. I guess I cant squeeze that muscle when i'm sleeping?

I am ALWAYS holding that muscle closed.. do you think the problem is I need to actively do more Kegels? Hold,. Release? Repeat? Maybe simply "holding" the muscle closed isn't enough?

Also, feel some sensation with the aid of cialis.. a little soemthing happening there. At 4 months, time to talk with my doc about OTHER solutions?

Thanks in advance all.

Posted 9/22/2010 7:31 PM (GMT 0)
BobCape,

Two things:

First, you asked about Kegels and continence recovery. Please visit this link, as it has one of the best description of a proper Kegel, and also other tips for buildling Kegels into other exercises in order to accelerate recovery. At four months, only about half of men after RP have gained full continence, so hang-in there and keep working at it.
http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4098349&postcount=4

Second, you asked about sexual function recovery. You didn't give much detail (I realize this is a sensitive subject) but I've been surprised to learn about men who took one of the PDE-5's (Cialis, Viagra, or Levitra) after RP, and simply thought results would happen all by themselves. There needs to be some...er...active involvement by the patient and/or partner to try to get things going. The quality of the erections might not be too good at first, but it oughta generally get better each time. Similar to continence recovery, you are still too soon (4 months) to be overly worried about it...keep working at it.

Hope this helps...
Posted 9/22/2010 8:32 PM (GMT 0)
Bob - at four months ( 12 weeks) you are still healing up from major surgery - and nerve endings are regrowing and the body bits are starting to talk to each other again -
-do you wear male guard (pad) during the day? - and do you worry about having to wear one at night? -
-I was advised it was at about week 14-16 after surgery - when the incontinence starts to be more in control -it may seem you have to hold that muscle all the time - but with regular kegel exercises, that worry / conscious action will diminish in time

-ED is a different issue and affects each man differently - especially regarding what nerves were spared and if there were ED issues before surgery.
-all the best in your recovery.
BRONSON

Posted 9/22/2010 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
Bob,  The National Association for Continence has an informative article on frequency and types of Kegels.  Try the following link: http://www.nafc.org/uploads/pdf/Pelvic_floor.pdf .   Hope this helps. Carlos
Posted 9/23/2010 12:32 AM (GMT 0)
Each response was of assistance. So I thank each of you for having responded. Funny how that works.
Posted 9/23/2010 2:19 AM (GMT 0)
Bob,

Are you consistent in your evening drinking schedule ? I have found that stopping fluids after 9 or 10, aqnd staying away from Iced tea with sweetnlow helps me. I don't drink but some guys say that wine causes them issues.

It took me 8 months, and I still have a drip now and then, but I made it.

Good luck and hang in there. I would say the dry periods are a good sign. You will be ok.
Posted 9/23/2010 9:19 AM (GMT 0)
I am becoming increasingly aware that walking is my worse enemy when it comes to continence.
I can ride a pushbike, do gardening, dig holes, lift heavy objects, climb ladders, lay carpets, even lay paving and not have much in the way of trouble, if any, but walking seems to somehow sets things off very quickly, as does driving to a lesser extent, and while walking often makes me desperate to pee the actual volume produced is very small when I get to the WC or go behind a tree. The only thing worse than walking is running.
Maybe it's the rhythm, maybe something's moving up and down more with the prostate not there, maybe it's the muscles, not sure.
Even if I wait to have a walk till about two hours after I've had a drink, by which time I have emptied my bladder twice I will still find I will feel the need to pee within about ten minutes. I thus either have to walk towards the woods or towards shops where I know there is a WC.

Altering what I drink or when I drink doesn't seem to have much effect on this or my overall continence, except for caffeine; the only thing I have to watch is to keep my total fluid intake per day roughly the same.

Alf
Posted 9/23/2010 6:07 PM (GMT 0)
Alfred,

Walking and holding a Kegel is almost impossible without going knock-knee'd because of the duration. Contrast this to lifting, standing, digging, etc which are all motions in which you can clinch, release, clinch, release. However, walking is an excellent exercise to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles which need to be engaged (now, for the first time) to control leakage. These are not the same muscles you formerly used; they need training.

Keep walking, but if you are still leaking, do expect to hold a Kegel the whole time or be leak-free while walking.
Posted 9/23/2010 11:57 PM (GMT 0)
Bob, have you seen a physical therapist who specializes in "pelvic floor" rehab?? They can be a BIG help. Doing Kegel's is not a casual, haphazard thing..There is a right way and a wrong way..

Even though I was continent right after surgery, I'm still following the therapists advice and instructions to get as strong as I can in that regard..
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