Acupuncture

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Has anyone tried acupuncture to aid with incontinence? My husband had RRP in September and has been dealing with incontinence since the catheter was removed. He sees a pelvic floor PT but has not seen much improvement. He’s not overweight, exercises regularly and does kegels daily.

 

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@PattiT
I cannot say that I have seen acupuncture as a treatment option for IC. Not that it isn’t an option, I personally cannot remember reading about it. At approximately eight months he should be seeing improvement (quite a bit actually), however, everyone heals in their own way. The healing after RP has a great deal to do with how involved the surgery was and the skill of the surgeon.

When you say he hasn’t mad much improvement, exactly what do you mean. No control? Little control? Is he continent at night?

There are so many questions. You should have an abundance of responses from this community but they will want more information. You have certainly reached out to a wonderful resource though.

 

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Thank you so much for responding. I’ve been looking up some new options since what he’s been doing doesn’t seem to be working for him. His surgeon said his surgery went well and he was able to spare nerves. His prostate was not enlarged.He has very little control. He’s continent at night but as soon as he stands he leaks. He’s fine while sitting, but rarely makes a short walk to the bathroom without leaking. We’re not getting many answers from his doctor. He seems puzzled…very frustrating! He was going to a PT that worked on kegels and electric stimulation. That didn’t seem to make a difference.About a month ago he began seeing a pelvic floor specialist. He walks everyday and does exercises recommend by the new PT. We’re trying to remain hopeful that things will begin to improve soon.

 

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Had my RP the 1st of November & I'm still dealing with the incontinence. It seems to improve very little week by week. I'm 63 & walk/run every day along with lifting weights 7 days a week. Just keep up with the kegels daily & do them in several different positions to get the most benefit. I do them & hold them for several seconds & "pulse" them for 1-2 seconds at a time doing several sets at a time. Some days I will go thru 5-7 pads & others I may only use 2 or 3. My Urologist/Surgeon told me to expect the incontinence to take close to a year & be fully back to "normal" somewhere around 3 yrs. Good Luck.

 

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@PattiT like ewerfitter said keep tell him to keep up the kegels and visits to therapists. It is good that he is dry at night. Most members here quantify improvement in pad/or underwear usage per day. Some encourage weighing them prior to and after wetting them to gauge improvement.

There is much to be said for their methods, just was a little cumbersome for me. But then after about six months I was in a pretty good place with the incontinence. When he rises from sitting or lying does he completely void or just start leaking? Also can he stop his stream while he is intentionally urinating?

 

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Thanks again for your support. He seems to leak as soon as he stands especially after sitting for a bit. Occasionally he can make it to the bathroom without leaking. He has a hard time stopping the stream but is working on that. I’ll mention the different kegels. His PT said he’s doing them correctly.

 

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I get acupuncture weekly for the IC pain. My guy uses a stimulator connected to the needle on the nerve in the leg that goes to the bladder. Acupuncture did not help with the pain without the stimulator.

 

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I’m so glad it helps with your pain. I’ve heard it can help with incontinence too. I’m still doing some research about it. I’ll post something if I can find out anything positive.