Thanks...

[Lone Ranger]

I am new here.. My birthday is Sept. first... I was called in to get the results of the MRI and biopsies (18 samples) and found that the "spots" were now being called "tumors" .... two of them... and both 7 on the Gleason scale.... happy birthday.... . Options were discussed... five years if doing surveilance... ten years if radiation which was recommended.... because I was 73 and life expetancy is 79.... I asked about targeted surgery to remove the two tumors and was advised that most of the time they wind up doing a radical.... but the urologist refused to do surgery unless I had a history of longevity... my grandfatehr died at 92... and my father died at 96... So I was scheduled for a nuclear bone scan and if that came back OK he would consider surgery... It did... and I had surgery on Sept. 24 and the catheter was to be removed ten days later... a Saturday... want to try to find a doctor to do this on a Saturday??? So I had it removed on Monday Oct. 6.... and started the wonderful world of incontinence... Found out too that a referral to a PT does not move you to the head of the list... but lucked out, and jumped at a chance to seet a PT because of a cancellation... and she is excellent!!! I learned more from her than all the other medical people in the previous weeks.... but ALL of the people I have seen have been super.... I also have had two internet discussions with urologists and both have said the same thing..... "You are in the early stages of recovery." At first that is not good news... but then you start thinking that what is happening is "normal".... Now, reading a whole bunch of entries in this section I have hope... I have learned different methods to stay somewhat dry... I use a red SOLO cup (beer pong) when standing to catch the initial spurt.. then tighten up and try to get to the commode. I wear assurance underwear with a separate shield installed... saves a lot on the underwear... I am retired... so I don't have to worry about work but, I am still avoiding family gatherings and public activities as much as possible. And of course, I have the same question as everybody else... when will there be improvement? Now I know.... and most websites I have found have said the same thing too.... seven weeks to seven months.... Thanks for all the information about your experiences... it is greatly appreciated......

 

[Wet-Again]

Hi! I am new here as well.

I posted with the title "Possible Cancer".

I guess I am ahead of the curve a bit, since I've developed wet OAB due to a different prostate surgery.

I have been using the Assurance Pull-ups since my surgery. The only issue I have had is sometimes too much urine comes out too fast which causes urine to go everywhere. Not fun.

I am reaching out to my Urologist tomorrow to get a prescription for better diapers, or an external catheter. I am hoping they will be more responsive than they were last time I asked for assistance.

I am new to Medicare as well. My understanding is Medicare does not pay for diapers, medicaid does, as well as my other insurance. Medicare does pay for external catheters.

I hope your journey is not too challenging. I am having to learn give myself some grace when I don't make it to the toilet in time, and trying to figure out when I need to change. Hopefully my volume does not return to pre-surgery levels, or I will be flooding my diaper every time I go.

You mentioned you use an additional pad. May I ask which pad you use? It may help if I don't get any help for the Doctor's office. I am not scheduled to see them until January.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

Wet-Again

 

[Lone Ranger]

Hi..... I am caught up in an insurance change because I have UCARE for Seniors (plan C) and that will end this year so we signed up for Medica Plan C and I will have to check to see if they pay for the any of the adult underwear products. Thanks for the information on the "external catheters".... I have checked into them but will wait until I see what happens to determine if I should consider one. I didn't know that Medicare would cover the cost. I saw the first one on a TV ad... commercial for women's incontinence and now they added a short ending to it that says "products also for men" so I looked and then expanded the search using google and see there are quite a few different products.... I bought a 19 pack of Assurance underwear for men at Walmart... and at first bought the wrong size and found the 2XL to be far more comfortable. I did not like the amount of underwear I was going through so I found the "shields" for men and they are similar to women's panty liners... I bought a 52 pack of these and put on a clean pair of the Assurance underwear, and the inserted this extra shield inside the underwear strategically... you will know when you see them. This shielf then absorbs most all the accidents and you can then remove it, and replace it with a new shield and keep the underwear decent enough for two, or three days... I have expanded that too... I found that if you pull the adhesive shield strip that then attaches with an adhesive (glue?) and try to remove it when it is full, that it rips/damages the underwear ... so.. I don't pull the adhesive strip so it does NOT fasten itself to the underwear... and therefore doese NOT tear the underwear extending the life of the underwear.... then install a new shield again... eventually the underwear has to be discarded... I even tried using my hair dryer to dry the small amount of moisture in the underwear and that does work if it is not a great deal or urine trapped.... I am noticing some improvement... I also have reached out to my surgeon's people to ask about timelines and procedures to use to expedite normalcy and got, more less, a cold shoulder... you get back, exercsie, time, and patience.... I found a lot of guys writing in that the 14th week they started to improve... I am in my 10th week I believe... so a month to go...

Here is the link to the Walmart shields that I use.... I ordered quite a few of these and the Assurance underwear for men... I am not sure they are as good as the name brand (Depends) but they do work and are considerably cheaper... I also found and bought disposable wash clothes in that section of Walmart and they are helpful....

Assurance Men’s Guards, Maximum Absorbency, 104 Count HSA/FSA Eligible - Walmart.com

Buy Assurance Men’s Guards, Maximum Absorbency, 104 Count at Walmart.com. HSA/FSA eligible, making your health and wellness purchases more manageable

www.walmart.com

I hope this all makes sense to you... I get at least two days out of the underwear now... and use about three shields a day due to my lifestyle.....

Thanks for your information!!!! and good luck... keep in touch....

 

[Lone Ranger]

PS... ran into problems yesterday with a negative reaction to the kegels.... I was told by my PT that "less is more" and that I was overdoing it... I have worked out literally my entire life and was in great shape a year ago when this started happening and had maxxed out my exercise resistant bands workout regimen.... This is the first time a trainer or PT has ever told me to back off and that I was doing too much.... Yesterday I decided to do an extended workout which led to some irritation and discomfort of the pelvic floor and it was very uncomfortable for a couple hours.... it also resulted in some irritation and blood in the urethra that happened months ago after the surgery... it takes a day for the problem to resolve.... live and learn... and yes, I am "cooling it" now and not pushing the boundaries of the recommended workouts... three sets, three times a day....

 

[Wet-Again]

I will be starting PFPT in January. I have been in PFPT before, but never for incontinence.

Why is it that 99.9 percent of PFPT are females? Not that I care, but I am sure there are a lot of individuals who might.

I purchased the Because brand Booster pad for my diapers. They hold an additional 2 cups of fluid. The only issue is they breakdown and create a mess.

It sounds like your issue is not a major issue? I am always struggling to close the floodgates.

Good luck!

Wet-Again