Need reassurance

[Archives1]

Am 10 weeks post-LARP, things were going great i.e. the last 10 days the daily leakage was low double digits millilitres , twice single digits...and then tonight, when weighing the pad, the number for the last 24 hours was a whopping 50ml. I do remember a moment in the day when it seemed hard to hold it in. Thought I had succeeded but clearly didn't, quite the contrary. It feels like a catastrophic regression but am hoping/praying that it's a one-off accident and that tomorrow will again see the low numbers (ie the near continence) that I thought was my new level. The reassurance I need friends is that other people have gone through something similar, i.e. that any sharp setbacks they might have experienced on the odd occasion didn't signal the end of their improvement trajectory. Please tell me that accidents will happen but they are nothing more than that. It's terrible after feeling so positive for the last 10 days to have this occur

 

[Archives1]

I am 16 weeks post RP. My leaks have steadily reduced from >250ml to now mostly single digit. I do have setbacks especially if I drink coffee/alcohol. Another trigger is activity such as squatting/lifting/reaching or coughing/sneezing or oddly yawning.
Mostly the leaks occur when I'm not anticipating the activity. If I have a quiet day at home I'm completely dry.
In my gym sessions leaking was bad doing weighted squats but now I can control that.
Things will gradually improve and the new normal slowly but surely improves.
Keep doing the PFE's and work on not getting too stressed about the odd leak.

 

[Archives1]

Thank you for that Lysander. You give me hope. Was the setback ever such that from one day to the next you'd go from single digits to as much as 50ml like I did today, i.e. increase leakage by a whopping factor of five? I hope it's not rude that I'm asking. I'd not freaked out by the fact that today was higher...but because it was so much higher

 

[Archives1]

Yep I've recently had dry days and 50ml days after gym session -- squats though I've manage to get that down to the odd drip.

 

[Archives1]

@alanLondon, I have never thought to weigh any pad or overnight pullup. I just go on the visual. Are you being asked to weigh the pads? Maybe give yourself a break and just start looking and getting a feel for what you are doing instead of putting yourself through that? Hope you improve and it was just a one off. Perhaps what you had to drink the day before could suggest the difference.

 

[Archives1]

@alanLondon, Our bodies are complicated and many systems are operating all the time. The amount and kind of liquids we take in are a big factor in urine production. Also, our activity is a big factor. Suggest you focus on your routine performances and let the body do its thing.

Expect variations in leakage. Healing does not travel in a straight line, but in "seasons." The body heals priorities, not everything at one time.

Be sure to drink enough water to keep your urine diluted. I AM NOT A WATER DRINKER. I have to make myself drink water. I shoot for a minimum of 48 oz (3 bottles). My urologist wants me to drink the standard of 64oz but I never reach that goal.

Wishing you the best in your healing process. This website is a real help for all of us. If we hurt, it helps if we can talk about it to someone who understands. We do understand...and care.

 

[Archives1]

Yes don't panic. At 10 weeks you are doing fantastically well. I was nowhere near that at 3 months. It took all of that time before I saw any improvement and I am now one year. I agree it is hard to predict. Today, for example, I was erecting a wooden fence in the morning. I was using a very light shield which only weighs 5g dry. By lunch time just a couple of mls. Then after lunch back out again and as I walked across the yard felt a bigger leak, - 6ml. At 3pm my son who has a horticulture business asked me to help him in the fields. Knowing this would be strenuous I changed to Tena 2 pad. Came back at 5 - only 1ml in pad. I was astounded. On other days it can be the reverse. It is hard to predict how these things go, Is it what you ate? How much you drank? The type of food? Were you trying to hold on rather than going when you got the call? I am often baffled. However, I say that the time of day is significant for me. I am more likely to get a leak late in the day. And also I find doing the 50 quick flick pelvic floor exercises often give me a little leak.

We all feel disappointments on this journey. And as has been said it's not a straight line graph of improvement. And by the way, lots of people on this forum track their progress by weighing pads. Some even keep a spreadsheet. That way you look at the big picture over a period of time rather than a one off incident. Be encouraged. You are doing well

 

[Archives1]

I also have never weighed my pads. I am six months post op and have decresed down to one pad a day generally and even that is probably only about 1/4 to 1/2 full. On Saturady I went down to the coast (1 hour drive each way) and walked a number of miles before returning. Went to the loo once and had no problems. Sunday I serviced the car. Crawling, bending, squatting and I knew I was not doing well. Went to the loo every 30 minutes (which I now do as a matter of course when doing any physical) but I still managed to satuate pads twice. I have come to realise that I will have good and bad days BUT the bad days are getting less and less. You, I would say, are doing really well at 10 weeks post. Try not to let it get you down.