Hi KW
Sorry to hear that you have not seen any improvement. My current situation: I use about 8 pads a day; am relatively dry at nights (couple of spoonfuls into the pad); and after sitting or lying down I can usually make it to the toilet with a 10-20% loss of urine along the way, provided it is not too far. Like you, I find my control better if the bladder has some liquid in it before I start movement if I start moving with an empty bladder, I have zero retention.
The urologist who conducted a urodynamic study on me recently said that my continence is unlikely to come good on its own, and I'll need either the artificial surgery or the sling. I'm not prepared to accept that point of view at this time. It may well be that he is eventually proven right, but once the artificial sphincter surgery is done, I kiss goodbye to any chance of the incontinence coming good on its own. The stats show that some people still come good in the period from 6 to 24 months, so why could I not be one of them?
The sling does not sound a good option from what I have read, with only about 70% of respondents expressing satisfaction. I've only read a couple of actual reports of men who have had the artificial sphincter operation, and they still use pads, although at a lower rate. Personally, I have concerns about more damage being done during surgery, so this for me is a last resort. My plan therefore is to do nothing until 2 years are up. I'll keep working on the exercises. I'll do the bio-feedback as you have done, and keep alert to any other sort of non-invasive approach that might have some merit.
In a strange way, having the urodynamic study done was a bit of a mental turning point for me, despite the outcome being pessimistic about my eventual recovery. Until I had that done, I had been looking for improvement on a week by week basis. Of course, I was disappointed as it never came. However, the results of the study have had the effect of shifting my focus out to 2 years, and I am no longer worrying about the short term. When I do the kegals now, instead of looking for improvements week on week, I simply view them as tiny additions to the strength and bulk of the sphincter which hopefully will still come good.
And if in 2 years I am not continent, there are still options to surgery. One is the clamp (I would not use this now because it appears to impede natural recovery). And of course, there's no reason why I can't continue to use pads indefinitely. 3 months ago, I could not contemplate such a thought. Today, I think it's not the end of the world.
Berb