Radical removal of prostate surgery- urinary incontinence problems

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I had undergone radical removal of prostate 10 years ago an still to this day am suffering urinary incontinence where i have to wear pads everyday since. I did all my pelvic floor treatments you name it. Is there anyone else out there that can shed some info on there expierances ??

 

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Welcome to the forum, Dusty! We have a number of members who are also from Australia. You’ve come to the right place and you can find a lot of advice and meet good friends here. Most people here are trustworthy, respectful, and helpful. We talk about all the intricate aspects of the intimate details of incontinence so please feel free to talk about anything here.

Being female, I don’t have much advice to give. I can say that over the years on this forum, I’ve seen many men talk about how they never fully recover after prostate surgery and how frustrating that is. You are certainly not alone. It seems like doctors never tell the entire truth about what’s coming afterward when they’re trying to get you to agree to have a surgery.

 

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Mine will be 10 years in September. 9 years ago I had radiation. Dr. Said mine is most likely because of the radiation after surgery. 57 yes old was 48 when I had surgery.

 

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Check out my posts on the Boston Scientific Advanced sling. I used 2-3 pads a day for three years. I am now dry and only dribble a bit when I exercise hard. I love my new life but the surgery is not for the faint of heart. Recovery is painful and takes several months. That said I would do it again.

 

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Welcome Dusty! The guys here report all kinds of experiences following a RP. Some regain continence after several months. Others report incontinence ranging from minimal to several pads a day. I had a RP two and a half years ago and Radiation about one and a half years ago. If I have a relatively quiet day without a lot of physical exertion, the leakage is almost nonexistent. When I go out on a walk for exercise, I have a fair amount of leaking after the first mile or so. It’s certainly not ideal, but I'm still above ground. I try to focus on all the things I can still do rather than the incontinence. Oh, btw, I'm 70. Best of luck!

 

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It will be 6 years in June since I had my prostatectomy combined with the removal of a large bladder diverticula. My control was never that great, but since my surgery along with heart issues, and peripheral nerve damage my incontinence seems to be getting worse. I wear tape on diapers during the day, and pin on cloth diapers at night. After a while all this becomes my new normal. Hopefully, you will see some progress in time. I am closing in on 76 years young.

 

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Welcome Dusty, I had PR removal surgery 2 years ago, like you I did what the doctor told me, but I never had a dry day since. Still wearing 1 Depends and 4 to 5 pads per day. I had AUS surgery 2 1/2 weeks ago, it will be activated next week. From what I heard and read it’s a game changer. I’ll post an update after activation. I will be 68 next month.

 

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Artificial Urinary Sphincter the only way to go!! Enter it by clicking on Search in the left column and you'll learn from others.

 

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Dusty, can I ask what age you are and the extent of your incontinence? Also how have you managed physically and emotionally dealing with the issue?

I am one year post prostatectomy and dry at night and first thing in the morning. The extent of leakage depends on my level of activity and the time of day, worse in the evening. I am, like others have already mentioned, considering either the sling or the AUS. But some medical practices and some research papers mention improvement for 18 months up to 2 years so I'm giving it a little longer. Given you are 10 years a surgical option would the only route I think

 

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Hi Dusty, I’m 2 months post RP and am 76. Not much leakage at night but then again gravity is not pulling down on the bladder. During the day I’m soaking 4-10 pads depending on water intake and activity level. Better in the morning. Doing Kegels regularly. Hope it gets better. Good luck.

 

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Yes Dusty AUS surgery is the way to go! As I said before I'm completely dry!

 

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Hello Dusty. Had my prostate removed a couple of years ago. Same experience as you. Despite all the physiotherapy and kegals no end to my incontinence. Had Artificial Urinary Sphincter Implant last November. Activated in January and it has been outstanding. One light pad a day since then.

 

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Mike can I ask what was the extent of your leakage? I have had a bit of discussion with my pelvic floor physio and she thought I wasn't bad enough to warrant the AUS.

 

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I'm in the AUS camp. It's a matter of quality of life, not what a pelvic floor physio thinks. Did a non nerve sparing RARP (Robot Assisted Radical Prostatectomy) with nodes on 5/27/21 at Mayo Phoenix at the age of 77. Went through a year of kegals with a pelvic floor PT who did biofeedback. The people at Mayo feel a year after RP is a good measuring stick. Things improved but I was still at 4-5 pads a day with full coverage at night which was not acceptable for my quality of life. Did the AUS, also at Mayo Phoenix, on 8/26/22 with very few issues since.

 

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Welcome Dusty, I had PR removal surgery 2 years ago, like you I did what the doctor told me, but I never had a dry day since. Still wearing 1 Depends and 4 to 5 pads per day. I had AUS surgery 2 1/2 weeks ago, it will be activated next week. From what I heard and read it’s a game changer. I’ll post an update after activation. I will be 68 next month.

hello my name is Paul I just h as d a aus placed 5 days ago,you seem to be a few weeks ahead of me ..how you feel,are you still leaking like before or less because of being swollen. Let me know how you make out.Had mine pro as t as te removed 5 yrs ago and 2 slings later that didn't work I finally did the aus...I am praying this does give me a better feeling and quality of life being clean

 

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Hi Paul, leakages slowed down after the surgery, but when the swelling started going down the leaking started going up. Now I’m right back to where I was before AUS. The AUS will be activated next Tuesday, so I’m hoping and praying I’ll have great results. I’ll send updates. I’m sorry the Sling didn’t work for you, I’ll be praying the AUS will be the game changer for us.
I’m feeling ok, still a slight discomfort with my testicles, feels a little tenderness when I touch them, waiting for the 6 weeks recovery time. I was back to work after a week but not lifting anything above 10 pounds.

 

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Thanks for the updates guys. It would be great to hear how things are going post AUS from those who have recently had it done.

 

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Hello all. Took a while for the swelling to go down following the AUS implant surgery. Once that subsided and the device was activated it worked immediately.
Very glad to have the implant.

 

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Patience is necessary. Once activated you will be dry!

 

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Thanks for the positive stories. I did hear of one man who had the AUS and he had to spend a bit of time waiting before he could pass urine. It was almost like it worked too well. Just wondering has anyone experienced any difficulty with the AUS