Help leaking so bad Just had catheter removed after prostatectomy
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Archives1
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Welcome to life after prostrate surgery.
What you are experiencing is normal at this point in your recovery.
I strongly recommend you pick up some men’s depends. You are likely to leak like this for several weeks while your body adjusts and recovers.
I had a RP in March and only recently down to one light pad a day. It is a slow recovery process but you do progress.
Good luck and let us know how your recovery is going.
Greensleeves
What you are experiencing is normal at this point in your recovery.
I strongly recommend you pick up some men’s depends. You are likely to leak like this for several weeks while your body adjusts and recovers.
I had a RP in March and only recently down to one light pad a day. It is a slow recovery process but you do progress.
Good luck and let us know how your recovery is going.
Greensleeves
Archives1
Staff member
@Overflowing1068 What you are experiencing is entirely normal and will continue for a few weeks. Some of the muscles that control your bladder have been removed with the prostate and the remaining are traumatised and will not start to recover for a while. Generally around the 2-3 month mark post surgery you should start to notice a steady improvement, not dramatic overnight improvement, but steady ongoing improvement going forward.
I am currently 3 1/2 months post my surgery and have been noticing a steady improvement in bladder control for the last few weeks.
If you are able to find one, seeing a physiotherapist who specialises in the pelvic area may help immensely in understanding exactly what you are dealing with, why pelvic floor muscle exercises (aka kegels) will help, and how to do the kegels properly using the correct muscles. Building up your pelvic floor muscles through the kegels will help when your remaining bladder control muscles start to recover and come back into play.
In the meantine you will find in the short term that resting and limiting your movement as much as you can will help with the leakage.
I am currently 3 1/2 months post my surgery and have been noticing a steady improvement in bladder control for the last few weeks.
If you are able to find one, seeing a physiotherapist who specialises in the pelvic area may help immensely in understanding exactly what you are dealing with, why pelvic floor muscle exercises (aka kegels) will help, and how to do the kegels properly using the correct muscles. Building up your pelvic floor muscles through the kegels will help when your remaining bladder control muscles start to recover and come back into play.
In the meantine you will find in the short term that resting and limiting your movement as much as you can will help with the leakage.
Archives1
Staff member
Several threads on this topic here.
Results are highly variable. Some have minimal problems, others take a while. I am 19 weeks after the surgery and am seeing some progress. Yesterday was the first day that I made it through with only one pad change. Today will be two. I started out with about 5 or 6 per day. It is upsetting to have no control at first. Be patient. Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones. Based on what I have read here, if you see any significant improvement before three months, then you are ahead of the curve. I am basically dry at night. Pretty good control when sitting (computer, TV. etc.) but less control when up and active. Don't know if I will ever be completely dry, but learning to live with what I have.
Results are highly variable. Some have minimal problems, others take a while. I am 19 weeks after the surgery and am seeing some progress. Yesterday was the first day that I made it through with only one pad change. Today will be two. I started out with about 5 or 6 per day. It is upsetting to have no control at first. Be patient. Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones. Based on what I have read here, if you see any significant improvement before three months, then you are ahead of the curve. I am basically dry at night. Pretty good control when sitting (computer, TV. etc.) but less control when up and active. Don't know if I will ever be completely dry, but learning to live with what I have.
Archives1
Staff member
Today is my 2 month prostatectomy anniversary. Depends from Sam’s Club work good for me the 84 pack is about $45. Prepare to leak every time you stand up for a while, and to be amazed at the amount of urine the human body makes. I’ve never wet through these but they hold a lot. It gets better very slowly, have a stash of depends in your cars for emergencies. I’ve used 4-6 a day for a few weeks, today was 4 I think.
The day the catheter comes out is a glorious day. Congratulations!
The day the catheter comes out is a glorious day. Congratulations!
Archives1
Staff member
Oh yes, Cajunfisherman indeed it was a glorious day. I did a lot of reading prior to surgery and was pretty well prepared as far as what to expect but it was still disconcerting to know I wasn’t going to make it to the restroom when I stood up. Haha but it passes before long just not quick enough. Hang in there the hard part is behind you.
Archives1
Staff member
Overflowing1068: You might be interested in using a much better quality pull-up in the first few weeks/months that you have little to no control at all. A premium pull-up will greatly reduce the number of times you will have to change in a day and will have much better leak guards and capacity than any of the "store brand" pull-ups, even Depends.
You can't buy the premium pull-ups in stores but you can get them online at several sources. One of the best is Northshore Care Supply but there are other so check online. The premium brands are Abena's Abri-Flex and Hartman's Molicare Mobile along with Northshore's pull-up line which is also excellent.
Another option is to put Male Guard pads in your pull-up, or better yet a tape-up style diaper, and change that instead of having to change out your main protection so often.
You might also consider getting a PUL (Poly Urethane Laminate) diaper cover to catch any leaks while you are learning what works best for you.
You can't buy the premium pull-ups in stores but you can get them online at several sources. One of the best is Northshore Care Supply but there are other so check online. The premium brands are Abena's Abri-Flex and Hartman's Molicare Mobile along with Northshore's pull-up line which is also excellent.
Another option is to put Male Guard pads in your pull-up, or better yet a tape-up style diaper, and change that instead of having to change out your main protection so often.
You might also consider getting a PUL (Poly Urethane Laminate) diaper cover to catch any leaks while you are learning what works best for you.
Archives1
Staff member
Overflowing 1068:
Hang in there. Keep doing the Kegels. I am 8 months post op and I sometimes forget to put a pad in my underpants because I hardly ever leak anymore. But the first few months were difficult and I understand how you feel. Don’t give up. It will get better.
Nick
Hang in there. Keep doing the Kegels. I am 8 months post op and I sometimes forget to put a pad in my underpants because I hardly ever leak anymore. But the first few months were difficult and I understand how you feel. Don’t give up. It will get better.
Nick
Archives1
Staff member
@Overflowing1068
I will say something that no one else here has yet. GO to Northshorecare.com and sign up for a sample pack. They ask questions about your needs and send a huge box of stuff free of charge. That way your not buying crap that does not work and you can find what does for you. Again Free of change and the people at Northshorecare are great.
I will say something that no one else here has yet. GO to Northshorecare.com and sign up for a sample pack. They ask questions about your needs and send a huge box of stuff free of charge. That way your not buying crap that does not work and you can find what does for you. Again Free of change and the people at Northshorecare are great.
Archives1
Staff member
I am about 3 weeks post surgery. The catheter was very uncomfortable for me and I also had a drain port. I was very ready to have them removed after 10 days. But the leaking was immediate and very hard to control.
My urologist has been a close friend for 25 years so we have had a lot of talks about post surgery incontinence. He says that there are typically some stitches that can prevent things from closing all the way... those stitches can take about 20+ days to dissolve. Also a lot apparently depends on the bladder neck condition and whether there is cancer involvement in that area, as well as the skill of the surgeon. Lots of variables.
I am pretty good when I am sitting or laying down. But I leak a lot when standing or walking for a prolonged periods.
Not sure if this will work for others or if anyone will consider it a good idea. But I have been wearing depends pull ups, then I have been inserting a newborn diaper as a “liner”. When I leak the diaper soaks it up but the depends serves as a safety barrier before leaking to my pants. But usually I just need to replace the diaper a few times a day...and I bought a huge box of newborn diapers so I think it’s an affordable solution. Just a thought in case this works for you.
Also my friend says that it is very hard to predict. Some guys don’t drip much at all while others leak a lot and for a long time.
Good luck to you. I sincerely hope that everyone on this forum gets relief and can find a sense of peace with their situation.
My urologist has been a close friend for 25 years so we have had a lot of talks about post surgery incontinence. He says that there are typically some stitches that can prevent things from closing all the way... those stitches can take about 20+ days to dissolve. Also a lot apparently depends on the bladder neck condition and whether there is cancer involvement in that area, as well as the skill of the surgeon. Lots of variables.
I am pretty good when I am sitting or laying down. But I leak a lot when standing or walking for a prolonged periods.
Not sure if this will work for others or if anyone will consider it a good idea. But I have been wearing depends pull ups, then I have been inserting a newborn diaper as a “liner”. When I leak the diaper soaks it up but the depends serves as a safety barrier before leaking to my pants. But usually I just need to replace the diaper a few times a day...and I bought a huge box of newborn diapers so I think it’s an affordable solution. Just a thought in case this works for you.
Also my friend says that it is very hard to predict. Some guys don’t drip much at all while others leak a lot and for a long time.
Good luck to you. I sincerely hope that everyone on this forum gets relief and can find a sense of peace with their situation.
Archives1
Staff member
Sorry but completely normal. Will last a few weeks before any signs of improvement. Heavy absorbency pads. Minimal caffeine and alcohol. You will get some great advice in this forum. I'm 9weeks post op. Still use pads leak a little with exertion but definite improvement since beginning. Stay strong and know your not alone.
Archives1
Staff member
Northshore Go Supreme worked the best for me at night - I needed a heavier pullup than depends because when I roll over in my sleep, my bladder would release. It took about 3 months for me to wake up and get up to pee.
I used NorthShore GoSupreme pullups and Depend pulls. I would wear two or three at one time and use scissors to cut off the wet one. This reduced needing to take shoes and pants off to change.
A good mid range product is Caroli - better than Depend, not as good or as costly as GoSupreme
I tried the NorthShore Flex Supreme, but the front padding is lower than the GoSupreme.
I used NorthShore GoSupreme pullups and Depend pulls. I would wear two or three at one time and use scissors to cut off the wet one. This reduced needing to take shoes and pants off to change.
A good mid range product is Caroli - better than Depend, not as good or as costly as GoSupreme
I tried the NorthShore Flex Supreme, but the front padding is lower than the GoSupreme.
Archives1
Staff member
I'm in the same situation. 3 weeks post surgery and 4 days post catheter removal.Was expecting leakage but it is total loss of control. Was freaking out as my surgeon and his practice offers zero post surgery care or advice. Finding this forum has eased my mind a bit. Thanks to all who share their experience and for the encouragement.
Archives1
Staff member
To all that are short time post surgery and still leaking like a garden hose, for 90%+ it gets way better. But in general don’t expect overnight flip a light switch change. Like most on here say it is a gradual change/improvement.
One trick I read about somewhere along the way that gave me hope follows. While you are intentionally urinating and not stressed about trying to stop a leak, attempt to stop your urine stream. Don’t hold it long, just see if you can stop it. Don’t do this often, as where I read/heard this cautioned against it. If you can stop the stream in theory things are still in place to eventually work correctly. However, I am not a doctor and like I said I read this somewhere while I was trying to figure things out.
I am one year and one week to the day post surgery. I still have a little stress incontinence but that is mostly the limit of my leakage.
Best of luck to all.
One trick I read about somewhere along the way that gave me hope follows. While you are intentionally urinating and not stressed about trying to stop a leak, attempt to stop your urine stream. Don’t hold it long, just see if you can stop it. Don’t do this often, as where I read/heard this cautioned against it. If you can stop the stream in theory things are still in place to eventually work correctly. However, I am not a doctor and like I said I read this somewhere while I was trying to figure things out.
I am one year and one week to the day post surgery. I still have a little stress incontinence but that is mostly the limit of my leakage.
Best of luck to all.
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