Strategies for newly incontinent

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I just had a robotic radical prostatectomy on the 23rd after prostate biopsy came back with a Gleason score of 9. Had the catheter removed two days ago and basically, I have very little control of my urination. If I'm standing, the smallest amount of urine in my bladder will dribble out unless I make strong effort to stop it. When I'm sitting or laying down, more urine can accumulate and I can get up to urinate in the toilet. Last night, I was able to sleep for about two hours at a time and get up and use the toilet and my pad pretty much stayed dry. I have continued my Kegel exercises which I started before my surgery after my surgeon gave me the go ahead.

My questions are:
1) Is there any point to trying to hold it and go in the toilet? During the day, I could probably go every 15-30 minutes depending on my activity level prior. Or should I just accept that I have no control and go in my pad/diaper? Am I actually gaining anything by using the bathroom. This is more of a concern when I return to work since I will have to walk further to get to the bathroom.
2) How much volume can the typical pad/diaper hold? Based on the amount I was emptying from my catheter bag, I probably need to deal with ~1.5-2 liters a day of urine. I'm guessing that I'm drinking less now that the catheter has been removed. How many pads/diapers should I plan on bringing to work with me?

 

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I'm at 8 weeks from surgery. I have made unbelievable process, I don't wear a pull up or pad to bed like I did the first 6 weeks, and today I went out to lunch not realizing I didn't wear a shield. I would suggest you hold it as long as you can, because your bladder shrinks. It is a muscle, plus there is frame from surgery. I was seeing every 15 min. Now I can go hours and I'm getting better sleep than I have in years. Everybody is different, but there is hope. My experience, I walked 3-4 times a day, even though I had to change every time I got home. Do the kagel exercises if when you don't see progress. I saw progress in weekly intervals, starting 3-4 weeks in. This is much as mental fight as it is physical. My first day after getting Cath out I took a nap, woke up soaked. Told my wife I couldn't do this! But, you have to fight any urge to not exercise or give up. I know I didn't answer you specific questions, but I hope this helps. Hang in there brother!

 

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It has taken over a year and a half from brain surgery (yeah, that isn't a misprint), but i can make it through a night, now. If I'm careful to put a kagal-clamp when swinging legs in and out of bed. I do wake at least twice, still. It was 4-6 times. Light Pads are still needed, especially if doing heavy labor or a lot of bending over. Everyone's different, so hang in there and work at it.

 

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@derkaiser as your surgery is recent you may have to accept leaking for a while and hopefully you will notice a gradual improvement. I found that trying to hang on while I walked to a bathroom at work quite difficult.

Products vary a lot. The capacity quoted is usually measured under ideal conditions and the reality can be quite a bit less. Maybe you should order a few samples and see what works best for you.

Good luck with your recovery, cheers Phil

 

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I had my robotic radical prostatectomy on December 2 with the catheter out on December 9. Yes, life AC (after catheter) was depressing but is gradually getting better. As Gkimp said walking and kegels seem to help. I wake up every morning and say "wow, I feel a little bit better today" just to stay positive.

Hang in there!

 

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Thanks for the helpful answers and the encouragement! I know that I'm in the first part of long journey. Just discovered this community and it's so nice to have a safe place to discuss this issue.

Do folks think it would be helpful to do the Kegel exercises while standing? Contracting the muscles is noticeably more difficult when I'm standing.

My wife (she has been my rock throughout all this) picked up 3 or 4 different styles of pads/diapers from Walgreens and/or Walmart (Depends brand mostly). I haven't really had any issues yet with what she bought, but do people have recommendations? My nightly diaper is staying dry since laying down is not a problem and the toilet is 20 feet away from my bed. I'm looking for something that will be able to absorb a lot of leakage when working which I will start again on Monday.

 

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I use Depends Real Fit with maxi guard pads. I also fold up some paper towels as a first line of absorption. I carry extra paper towels in my pocket and can quickly swap out a wet paper towel with a dry towel.

Good luck! I am also going back to work on Monday for the first time.