Still srtuggling

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Hi all new to message board. Had prostatectomy back in December went very well according to Dr. I'm quickly approaching the 6 month mark and I'm about 85 percent but still wear a pad 24/7 mostly dry @ night it's during the day that the drips & small leaks occur. Should I be worried most things I read said 3-6 months for full continence. Will it take a full year ?

 

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Doctors seem to tell everyone 6 months but I have seen very few reports here or anywhere that suggest 6 months is realistic. Perhaps all those 6 month-ers are under represented because they aren't still working to recover. My experience was at 4-6 months I was just starting to get some reasonable control and saw improvement through almost 2 years. I've just passed 3yr, over night no issues, but still a pad throughout the day. Stress incontinence remains the biggest issue (bending, squatting, lifting, etc ) so I am considering a sling procedure. Hang in there, everyone has their own path and recovery timeline and you have time to continue to improve. Best of luck!!

 

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To Dstrass; Some of this depends on your age, you didn’t say. And how long your inflamed prostate sat on your bladder and squeezed your Urethra. I’m 65, had my surgery in late September. I still leak during the day, do well at night. We lost 2 of the 3 sphincter muscles that control when or bladder is empty and control the closure of the urethra. Do you do the Kegels? Over 1 year of recovery is not out of the question.

 

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Age, pre-existing conditions, severity of cancer, surgeon skills all play a part. As most docs do, they give you best scenarios to allay fears (and in some cases, get the job). May sound harsh, but there’s a lot of money in prostatectomies. I’m 4 years away and still need 2-3 pads/day depending upon my activity (and I’m very active). As the surgeon said to me,”your still alive.” PSA remains at <o.1 at age 74. Just got COVID for first time in a breakthrough infection, which has undone all of my Kegel success.

 

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I am 14 months post RP. I am dry 90% of the time but that didn’t happen until after the 12 month anniversary. Still have stress incontinence issues but if things never get any better I can accommodate this life style.

Like other have said, age, doing or not doing kegels and surgical related issues all effect your recovery.

Do your physical therapy, do your kegels, and take long walks. Somewhere around 12 months you should be dry with minor stress incontinence issues.

Good luck.

 

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I'll echo what others have said. I'm coming up on 2 years post surgery and had 39 radiation treatments ending in early February. I saw slow progress during most of that time. Now, if I'm at home doing usual stuff, I'm either dry or just a few drips all day long. If I'm very active, or on my feet a lot, it’ll be a bit more, but one pad is all that’s needed.

All of us here tend to focus on the incontinence, for obvious reasons. It's the nature of this forum. A milestone we often overlook might be called “getting my life back”. At some point in your recovery you'll be able to do virtually all the things you did prior to surgery. That’s a big deal! It'll happen before you're completely dry. Celebrate it…thank God when it happens. (my two cents worth)

 

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Do your kegels and work with a pelvic floor physical therapist.

There is hope if you do not get dry or dry enough at 10 months to a year, your doctor / surgeon can do tests to see if you are a candidate for the male urethral sling surgery or the artificial urinary sphincter ( AUS ). I had the sling surgery at 12 months after my prostatectomy.

 

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85% at 6 months is doing great. Wherever you read 3-6 months, that was wrong for most people. Most of the literature says they consider "fully continent" to mean using 1 pad a day, and that's expected to be at 1 year. Doctors are sometimes unrealistically optimistic possibly because they don't want to worry you and possibly because most of them have not had a prostatectomy themselves (yet) !! Aim for improvement month-to-month and by one year you will probably be satisfied -- maybe not 100% but probably close to it. Good luck.

 

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My husband had surgery in September 2021. He’s had zero control since the catheter was removed. He’s mostly dry at night but not at all during the day. He works with a pelvic floor specialist but it hasn’t been much help. He 65 and his doctor said his surgery went well. I agree with Stryder. There is a lot of money involved in this surgery. We’re looking for another urologist to hopefully get some answers and support.

 

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I agree that it largely depends where your body was pre-surgery how well you will recover post. I had been struggling with retention issues for well over 10 years, culminating in emergency catheterizations on two separate occasions before the cancer was ultimately detetected. The day of my surgery I arrived strapped to a leg bag.

After a year of incontinence and psychological denial, I have learned to simply invest in some monthly paper products and get on with my life, grateful for the opportunity to live it. WFH while recovering from surgery mid-pandemic was like living in a prison within a prison. I have celebrated my physical return to work this past week as a restoration of my humanity. Whatever your ultimate physical outcome, the acceptance of your new post-surgery life will be key to your mental health recovery as well. I wish you continued well-being.

 

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You’re right cpalmer3930 mental attitude is everything. We’re grateful his PSA numbers are undetectable since surgery. He’s in great shape and the doctor was so positive that he wouldn’t have any issues after surgery. Luckily, he seems to be handling this better than I am. Be well.

 

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It will be 5 years since my prostatectomy, and I still need to wear diapers...pads or pull ups do not do the job. I had leakage issues prior to my surgery. which as my urologist informed me, the reason why I will probably be permanently incontinent. I will be 75 years old in a few weeks, and have a number of health issues. a sling was not an option for me due to the amount I leak. I decided against the AUS. I'm done having artificial appliances placed in me unless life threatening. I do have a pacemaker. But, yes, I am still alive. All kinds of things happen through this journey of life. We learn to cope/manage the best we can.

 

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I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I am 3 months removed from RP and 63 years old. I played golf 3.5 weeks after surgery. My surgeon about shit! I now play 3-4 days a week. I have been able to just use a light pad one or two a day at the most. I still have stress incontinence but its something I can deal with. Good luck and keep your head up!
Dan

 

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I had a radical prostatectomy in October at age 68. I mostly wear pads around the house, doing errands, etc, but go through a few every day. If we have an active day or longer trips to see our Grandkids 1.5 hours away, I generally wear a pull up with a pad. If needed I can usually get by changing or removing the pad for the visit. At night I am pretty consistently dry for several weeks now and am getting up the nerve to go without a pad.

I play pickleball 4-5 times a week. For pickleball I make what I think of as a super diaper, which consists of a Tranquility overnight pull up with a heavy depends pad added. That keeps me OK for a 2-3 active hours even while taking in plenty of fluids for hydration.

I did work with a pelvic floor physical therapist for a few weeks and continue to do the various exercises he taught me as part of my daily routine. They all involve doing keegels in a variety of positions. They make a difference, but as you can see I still have issues. I do think working with a PT is a really good idea.

Hang in there Dstrass. I share your frustration that things haven't returned to normal as quickly as I thought they would, but I don't think what you are experiencing is unusual.

 

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Hi all,

thank you for the encouragement. I forgot to mention that I'm 56 yrs. old in good shape maybe a few extra lbs and overall health prior to cancer diagnosis. I think that is why part of me feels like I should be good by now but now I know every "body" is different which my surgeon did say before the surgery.

I go back to see him to get results from my 2nd PSA test next month. I'm going to ask him to recommend a pelvic floor therapist and keep up with my keegals. thanks again.