Jack2004 said:
Ever hear it said that the best exercise for playing a sport is playing that sport? Well, after my prostatectomy, Kegels went nowhere for me. So I tried a simple approach: While standing at a urinal or toilet, I let the flow go to maximum, then tried to shut it off completely just squeezing with pelvic muscles. Let the flow go again, then try to squeeze down and shut it off again. I could do this a 3 or four times, every trip to the john.
I wasn’t good at it at first, but after 3-4 days the improvement was amazing. I could shut the stream off completely 5-6 times every time I went. After 2-3 weeks of this, my bladder control was almost normal.
No floor exercise, just normal peeing — try to shut it off (hold it a second, if you can) —- let it go —- shut it off again, etc. etc. You probably wont be very good at this at first either, but it gets better really fast.
I had a huge benign prostate burned out 95% with the Thulium laser, which is the ONLY laser that can burn out prostates over 50 gm. Mine was 148 gm, which is quite large.
The skilled surgeon who did this is the only surgeon in the whole Midwest that has both the laser and the extensive training in Italy.
However, it is now 3 months after surgery. I thought leakage had improved, and then it started to get worse and worse. Kegels have done NOTHING for me. I cannot even have a small mandarin orange at, say 9pm, when I don't go to sleep until 1am. I place a folder in half, industrial white paper towel on top of the diaper, which I have a stick on bladder-guard pad. Yet, I will wake up every 1-1/2 to 2 hrs. with it soaked, and worse, about 1/3 the time, as a side-sleeper, despite having sized the Pamper to fit snug, leakage going into the side of the diaper cotton, and the gray "spandex" edging of the diaper.
Half the time, I don't even have enough urine come out to do your stoppage and startage technique.
During the day, when I drink modest amount of liquid, and maybe a small medium size tomato, I am able to do your technique.
What has any of this done? NOTHING! I'm sick of squeezing as hard as I can the Kegel muscles.
I'm now very worried that I will be incontinent permanently. My doctor's resident, who I spoke to last week, asked me many questions, and since (on the phone) it seems I do not have bladder retention, nor does pressing on my bladder seem to have any retention. I can't go to the doctor, for perhaps months, because of Corona, and the latest discoveries of how very contagious it is.
So, the resident did bring up that I may have too loose a sphincter muscle, which the only solution is a horrid, horrid surgery, making multiple cuts above your pubic area, placing a 'sling' with titanium screws, which often requires up to FOUR revision surgeries, as it needs readjustment. Then, you can never have an MRI, which I will need in the future for various other maladies.
I'm so depressed, I wish I never had the surgery.
