I am about 14 months post-RALP and just wanted to pass along a few comments in response to this post.

-I too was able to forget about the upcoming procedure 90% of the time but also experienced those times of acute concern. We took a long-planned international trip between my biopsy/diagnosis and the RALP and I especially remember laying awake at night due to jet lag and being unable to think about much of anything else other than the downsides of what was ahead. So I think what you are experiencing is very normal.

-it sounds like you have a great plan for preparing, and I am sure that will give you favorable results. I walked about 3 miles daily from diagnosis until the procedure in addition to kegels practice and focusing on a healthy diet and felt that I went into the procedure well prepared. I was able to resume walking after getting home from the hospital and was back to my 3 miles daily within a week or two.

-I experienced almost no incontinence, and certainly hope the same for you. The day the catheter was removed I was expecting the worst but quickly realized I had a high degree of urinary control. I used Depends for a day or two and switched to guards for a week or two and then just used the thin pads. I was free of any pads at about the six week mark. To help monitor progress, I used a small postage scale to weigh the guards and pads before and after use, and recorded the weight gain and graphed the results. It was encouraging to see the progress over time; every day was not necessarily an improvement but the trend line week to week was always in the right direction (decreasing weight of the pad after use.)

You're doing everything you can in terms of what you can control, and I would encourage you to try to avoid dwelling on the negative aspects of 'what might be' . You may be surprised, as I was, at how well things progressed post-surgery. I wish you all the best!