Supplies recommendations post prostatectomy

Thank you for this suggestion which should provide some additional peace of mind. I wish you all the best on your journey.

I'm 26 months post RP and also very active between mtn biking, golf and backcountry skiing. Hiking was my primary exercise after surgery and post op I wore Depends for almost 4 weeks then back to boxers(prefer loser) with pads w/sticky tape(brand agnostic) for a few more weeks until the leakage subsided. Good luck to your husband and you!

Thank you so much for sharing. We will be ordering some supplies before the surgery and this has really been helpful.

Has anyone had the prostatectomy? what is life like after the surgery? I'm schedule for May. No sure if I want to do it or radiation.

Pretty much normal once your initial recovery period is over. I quit pads after 4 months. Dry micro-orgasms so that is significant if you are sexually active. And work those pelvic floor muscles. That was the key for me. The one positive, I can empty a full bladder in about 3 seconds lol.

Good morning - my husband also wears the wicking boxers but had a stash of tidy whities from long ago. He wore the tidy whities that he liked because of the snugger fit and if they got stained, we could just throw them out.

We are really lucky because once the catheter came out, he didn't need the pads, shields or depends. He was totally continent - we did use a disposable bed pad when he had the catheter, just in case and then at home used a washable bed pad for about 6 months. He never needed it, but it made him feel more secure. We still have a few disposable pads left and I will take one with us when we travel. When he stays in a hotel or AB&B, it gives him peace of mind knowing it is there, and he won't ruin a mattress. He has NEVER had an issue or leak, but if it makes him feel better, I can roll with it. I figure once we hit a year, I will just put them all away.

We are at 9 months now and things are going great. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. His ED is 70% under control and it gets better every couple of months. Then levels out and we wait for the next improvement. We thought about going to shots, but he has seen steady improvement, and we decided to wait for the one-year mark to see how he is and then decide if we want to use the shots.
Good luck!

I was reading the comments and since I'm heading to surgery soon I never thought to get some additional underwear for the post surgery. I had some throw away underwear for the biopsies. I will add this to my list of supplies to get. I know I will need depends/pads and looser clothing like sweatpants etc. I also have liquids like gatoraide fizzy drinks and soups etc. for after the surgery.

I'm 70 and had NS RARP late June 2024 at Mayo Phoenix. I'm reasonably fit but not excessively so. I did Kegels a month before and I still do them twice a day. I was never incontinent, but it did take about 3 months to figure out the "new normal". A few minor urine releases early on (such as the first time I lifted something heavy), but all that went away by 5 months. At 8+ months I'm completely back to normal except for subpar sexual performance (maybe 70% firmness) which I think is improving ever so slowly. I am on a low dose (5 mg) daily Cialis for penile rehab and I think it helps. The "dry" climax was a negative at first, but now it's no longer a concern and seems mostly "normal" to me. I wish the sexual recovery would proceed faster but so far it's still getting better. As @chippydoc said, my urination is actually better than before when I had my enlarged prostate. For me the recovery after surgery wasn't a big deal. The week of the catheter was unpleasant but manageable. I strictly followed all doctor instructions for meds, diet, exercise, etc. Once the catheter came out, improvement was quick. Doctor said no lifting more than 10 lbs for 6 weeks and no bike riding (or similar pelvic stress) for 3 months. For me it was hard to follow as I literally felt pretty good fairly quickly. I'm not a medical professional and I certainly don't know which treatment path is best for you. For me the surgery has turned out pretty good. I really have no idea if radiation or some other treatment would have been better. Best wishes.

I also used some pads with the underwear as occasionally I'd have some leakage around the catheter. Not a lot, but enough that a pad in my underwear was useful. I also found a pair of breakaway sweatpants on Amazon was useful while I had the catheter. The reason is during the day I often used the larger night bag which I kept on the floor in a cheap plastic bucket while I lounged around napping with my feet up in a recliner or on the couch. The breakaway pants let me easily redirect the tubing as I changed positions. You don't really need the breakaway pants if you're just going to just use the leg bag during the day. But of course you can't really use the leg bag if you're going to have your feet up, plus the leg bag needs to be emptied more frequently. Not a big deal, but thought I'd mention it as it worked for me. Also, I did have a disposable pad on the bed. Sure enough, one night I turned over in my sleep and the catheter tubing pulled apart at the tubing joint. The pad kept the urine off the mattress and sheet, so cleanup was just putting down a fresh pad to lay on. Thinking about it I guess a couple of thick towels to lay on would possibly have worked good enough. Best wishes.

71 had prostratectomy Jan 15 catheter for two weeks.
I have stress and urgency incontinence I am about 6 weeks out from the catheter removal

I am so happy for the others that did not have incontinence. It sucks.
The research I have come across overwhelmingly indicates that the vast majority of men have some incontinence. The research also supports that for most it subsides in a few months to at least 18 months (I can't wait).
It might not hurt to get a pack of pads for your first week. The worse that can happen is you have to throw them away.

Start doing Kegels now. In fact, I think it makes sense to line an appointment with a physical therapist that specializes in Pelvic Floor muscles . You should do these before the surgery and after the surgery ( but not while you have a catheter)
The recommendations you might come across on the web really vary . Some recommend 100s a day and that can really be a problem . You can overdo it and lose progress. The muscles need to rest, the muscles also need to learn to relax. My PT specializes not only in Pelvic Floor muscles but males.

Two not bad resources are
Michelle Kenway https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ7EfGu03-0 she has several You Tube videos just for men and her recommendations are good

Vanita Gaglani has a book Life After Prostate Cancer and Other Medical Conditions: A Step-By-Step Guide to Stop Urinary Leakage in Ten Weeks
I take some of the steps she advances (but not all)
Too many kegels and doing Kegels incorrelty can not only be frustrating but can adversly affect progress

I wish you good luck

I wish urologists would tell all men to expect incontinence and ED and then if this does not happen it is a bonus. most men get both however that is better than cancer spreading