Question about Continence

It was fairly natural for me from catheter removal, tho with a sneeze/cough Id squirt. Really cant remember when that stopped. I will still occasionally leak doing some exercise or another at the gym. I stopped. In the beginning I wore a liner to the gym, but only for short time. I was on the elliptical machine a week after with catheter in place, also walking 3 to 4 miles. Im obsessive compulsive! ED resolved 2-1/2 years after{tho not the same}. Need viagra to this day. counterintuitively I find 50mg works better than 100mg. 6-8 mos from now, this will be a memory. Not sure of your age, that will play into recovery as well.

Like most things with this disease, I think everybody respond s differently but from my perspective it was about three weeks to a month before I was pretty much fully continent. I would practice legals continually and would make a very strong effort to do them while walking. I would squeeze and hold for about three seconds and then repeat. This seemed to help me and now I can happily report that I am fully continent.

Post Edited (Almost a 10) : 1/21/2015 4:51:59 PM (GMT-7)

Prato, I became natural within a few weeks, stopped wearing pads after about two weeks and basically just stopped worrying about it. I did kegal when coughing or lifting for a while but that went by the wayside after a bit also. Just remember to drain the snake well at the toilet or urinal. Might need to shake a bit longer and harder!

Cheers, Doug

Prat:

Completely natural.

I know the last 2 weeks that I wore a pad, I didn't leak at all. But I think I wore it as it gave me a bit more security.

You are doing GREAT.

It might take you a couple of months before you get to where you want to be.

Patience, my friend.

Mel

I ended up going with liners just to make sure I was continent. It did take a while to master passing gas without peeing. Everyday got better for me. When I started slightly leaking again after several years, I thought something was going wrong. The doctor said to just start back with kegels and that resolved the issue.

I'm at about 3+ years after surgery. Frankly, for me, continence is back to feeling as it did before surgery. No conscious effort needed.

The process took a little time; pads, no pads but a rare slight leak, no leak but occasionally required conscious thought to "hold" it in, to what today seems back to normal.

Hope that makes sense, forgive the "stream" of consciousness.

Thanks for the feedback, and many positive stories, which I needed today. The same 5 hour period with 2-3 mile walk that in the last two days produced 5?ounces of leakage, today produced almost 7 ounces. I was hoping for progress, but seems like I'm leaking more today. I know, patience.

I started Kegels today, so, we'll see

Thanks Mel. I knew that and so I'm not nervous about it, just frustrated. It might also be that I drank more water during that 5 hour period, not really tracking how much I take in, so maybe tracking this is a waste of time. But I'm a data freak. And a neurotic. Oh...wait...you knew that.

After the catheter came out I jumped in the car and made a 3.5 hour drive to see my grandson, who was born the day before. Stopped once to pee, waited a few minutes at the gas station bathroom with no problem (there was a line) and arrived with a dry pad. I wore pads for 6 or 7 weeks for the occasional cough or if I pushed out a fart without remembering to kegel at the same time. After 7 weeks I had complete control. Only issue is that I get the urge to pee before my bladder is really full. I drive a lot and can go hours after the initial urge and I've learned to ignore it. The issue is that initial urge to pee is enough to wake me at night so I get up once or twice a night to empty a half-filled bladder. I can go right back to sleep so it's no big deal, and is the only change caused by my RALP. If that's my biggest problem, I'll take it!

I don't know if I farted and kegeled at the same time. :) I just couldn't absent mindedly push out a big fart without risking a couple of drops. But if I thought about it while I farted, I could stay dry. After I stopped using the pads (7 weeks post RALP) I had gotten control to the point that where I can fearlessly fart, even absent mindedly. I'm not sure what the reason is, or if other guys experience getting the urge to pee prematurely, but during the day I know I can comfortably hold it for hours after the initial urge. But at night, that little twinge that wakes me up is a distraction so I just get up and pee so I can got right back to sleep. Sometimes I think I should force myself back to sleep without getting up until I know my bladder is more full - may I can even retrain myself. But I haven't tried that. Hasn't annoyed me enough yet.

Can't wait for the run-up to your first post PSA. LOLA

Cheers, Doug

Hey Pratoman,

I'm realizing I'm going to make it a habit to read every post on whatever threads you start because your surgery was one week before mine, so whether incontinence and pads etc. or something else, or what the psychological process is for you, it's kinda like you are ahead of me a couple miles on the freeway, and I'm taking the same exits and route you pretty much are taking. So your research and sharing is so valuable to me.

I think it's so important that everyone here shares their own personal experience, which reassures the men to follow, and provides valuable light and practical advice. No need to reinvent the wheel. I'm always thrilled when I read something on HW-Prostate Forum, and think "I was just going to ask that very same question! And here's a bunch of good answers to my question(s)." There will probably be some duplication, it's inevitable, but that's just how things are. Thanks in advance to every man who answers a question I ask who's answered the very same question a bunch of times.

Grateful,
Bill Positive