HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

prostate ruptured during RS, Incontinent after 6 months

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 8/8/2014 1:31 AM (GMT 0)
I was notified by the surgeon that my prostate was ruptured during RS. It did not seem at the time to be a big problem but after 6 months I am still incontinent. I have not heard of anyone else that had their prostate ruptured during removal and I am wondering if it is somehow connected to the incontinence problem. I am scheduled to go through a procedure scoping to see if the surgeon can tell what the problem is; however that will be at the 7 month anniversary. Does anyone have any idea how common it is when the prostate get's ruptured during surgery?
Posted 8/8/2014 4:16 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Ernie,

Welcome to the forum. Sorry you've got troubles but glad you've found us. Hope we can help.

"Rupture" isn't a word that we hear a lot to describe robotic surgery. It might refer to damage to the prostate while it was being removed that was noted on the post-operative examination of the gland by the pathologist who looked it over. My guess is that it doesn't have anything to do with your problems regaining continence. Something like nine out of ten men will be continent a year after having their prostate removed but about a third of them will still be leaky at six months. So your problem is, sadly, not that unusual and it does usually get better.

Good luck with your cystoscopy. Mine was pretty much a non-event. Felt a bit peculiar but didn't hurt, and my surgeon didn't find anything in particular to explain my leaking.

Did your surgeon mention whether your prostate was big? Often men who have large prostates take longer to regain continence. But they usually do.
Posted 8/8/2014 2:57 PM (GMT 0)
Ernie,

Ask your hospital for a copy of the surgeon's operative report. It will describe the events of the procedure including when and how the prostate was "ruptured". I think perhaps your doctor is using the word "ruptured" differently when talking with you from what actually occurred and is dictated in his operative report. Removing the prostate intact is preferred so that the pathologist can accurately determine orientation of the tumor and it's margins in relation to the organ containing it. Nonetheless, it is unlikely that a rupture and your incontinence are related.

You are still within the statistical norm for regaining continence. Some men regain continence quickly, others more slowly. You should be seeing improvements over time which may be gradual and measured in weeks or months. The size of your prostate, the skill of your surgeon and your general fitness are all factors which contribute to how quickly one regains continence. It can take up to 18 months to fully regain continence in some cases. Anecdotally I have heard of regaining continence after two years. You can improve your continence with Kegels and avoiding dietary triggers. Also numerous medications can affect your bladder.

Regards,

Joe
Posted 8/8/2014 11:24 PM (GMT 0)
Thankyou Peter DisAbelard and Feeling Alright for your feedback. The surgeon did say he did a good cleanup job which I wonder may have irritated the sphincter. I did a full series of nine sessions with a Physical Therapist and had good results from the computer feedback but no improvement in the continence. I did find another person that had the same situation who said he was "scoped" which revealed some scar tissue not allowing the sphincter to close. After it was cleared there was immediate improvement.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply