Glad to have found you!

If they remove your catheter (and I think they do more often than not, from what my uro said), you may need an absorbent product for a period of time. Some are dry first day, most take weeks or months, a few (like myself) may never be dry. I would prepare with a Depends or Tena pant and use a Depends or Walgreen Men's Guard inside that, just in case. My uro did not provide them, and the office advised that I should bring one.

You really should not be "stressing abs" or doing much new - I was on a 5 pound lift limit for months. Be very, very careful. If you pull something now, it may compromise your recovery, or trow a hernia into the mix. Although the sutures are small, the internals have been scrambled pretty well.

Take it easy and heal while you can.

I took a couple of Walgreen "Guard" pads to the uro's office when he was to remove the catheter, but he gave me a couple.  I guess some urologists do that and some don't.  My wife and I drove immediately to an Olive Garden for lunch and then to a garden center, which was a way to say thanks to her for all she did for me before, during and after surgery.  I didn't leak at all until a couple of hours later, but then had a normal urination.

After that, it was about 8 weeks until I no longer needed pads at all.  That's my experience, but as you've already seen it's an individual thing.  For some, continence returns quickly; for other it takes longer; and for a few, unfortunately, it never completely returns.

Your uro may or may not run some tests before removing the catheter  Mine did not.  I simply stood in front of him and in a second or two it was out.  It was an odd feeling, but not painful.

As for the pain around the incisions, I would mention it when you see the urologist, but I wouldn't worry about it.  Just avoid straining or lifting.  Take it easy, because a lot has changed inside your lower abdomen. 

Good luck. 

At first, trying to use a women's pad was ludicrous - no point at all. Try to get Willie to point where that pad is when your spurt a bladder full with a spasm. Might as well not try.

Look for "men's guards", not "pads".

I learned pretty quickly that it took a full depends pant, with a Walgreens men's guard. Fill that up, and the pant will be so heavy it will be around your knees. I filled 8-10 pads in a day (not 24 hrs, just getting up in the morning till bedtime). Carry that trash sack out and you'll have a good idea what wet is all about.

After about 4 months, I was down to 2-4 a day, and switched to Depends guards, but quantity used per day shot up, because they hold a lot less. No scientific measurement, but I'll guess 70% of the Walgreens capacity.

Now, 2 years out, I use the Depends guard (1-3 per day) most days, and the Tena guard when I need something that fits better, but I have to take double the backups, and a lot of trips to change.

In my experience, using the Tena early was a 20 pad per day experience. No point in wasting the money. The Tena guard is the slimmest fit, but the least capacity of the three. It is for long term maintenance, not the first few weeks.

The women's pads (liners) are for stopping drips, not the massive 200ml + floods I would get, and sometimes still do.