Post surgery stress incontinence: Any good advice for everyone?

I second weighing pads. I wasn’t doing that for the first three months or so, and since I was routinely changing pads throughout the day, I’d convinced myself that I had plateaued with progress.

After I started weighing, I realized that each week, I was actually leaking less in my pants than the week before, and that had a definite psychological effect, encouraging me to really focus on my kegel routine each day.

Where I’m at now: I’ve made a solid week of dry overnights, so I think that’s more or less here to stay. Mornings also have good control, but afternoons, things go downhill a little.

Definitely have traditional stress incontinence, though: sneezing, coughing, lifting, and even doing my kegels, I leak little (and sometimes big) squirts. Holding a kegel while getting up sort of works, but as soon as I’m standing and release it…squirt. It just delays the inevitable.

I’m just banking on it taking time. I can’t say it enough, both to myself and to anyone else going through this: *Be Patient!* Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that blah blah blah.

Everything I read here and elsewhere, everything my care team has given me says it can take as long as 18 months to get bladder control back (and even then, the drips and dribbles may never go away), so guess how much time I’m allowing myself? Yep, 18 months! At 4-1/2 months, I’m still a pup!

My physical exercises consist of those my pelvic floor therapist gives me and a very brisk two-mile walk each day (brisk enough that I’m out of breath at the end).

Adding that I no longer wear pull-ups, I’ve graduated to heavy duty pads inside traditional briefs and that seems to do me. The only time I might switch to a pull-up is if I have to do something like sit in a dentist’s chair for a while, or when I go for my 6-week “beautification” session (😆) - haircut, upper-body massage, encouraging talk - because that takes two hours and there’s lots of pressing and pushing on me (I envision being squeezed like a lemon one day and squirting out a surprise stream, and I want to avoid that!).

I did buy some Menvault washable incontinence briefs (pricey), but I plan on reviewing those separately. The short answer, though…don’t bother with those.

Best advice is, hang in there, do the exercises, weigh the pads, celebrate the advances, don’t sweat the setbacks, and give it time.

As many here know I’ve commented about incontinence clamps. Whether as a short term measure after a procedure while waiting for continence to return, or while contemplating a Sling or an AUS, or a long term measure if a not a candidate for a surgical fix, i found the clamp to be far superior than other methods like multiple pads or external catheters in terms of maintaining life style. With a clamp there are not limitations regarding activities or what cloths can be worn.

@fritzo

Oh no, no , no - too early for any fast moving full body-weight exercises ! Nothing high intensity now. Stair climbing is OK but since you are just 5 weeks post op it is too early for rowing. I just wanted to mention that as a back-up plan for later if regular exercise do not help with incontinence. Your belly muscles are weakened by those small port holes and they need to really heal, otherwise you can get ( god forbid) a hernia 😟.

I am so sorry to hear that your pad gets saturated so fast *sigh. If you do not notice any extra pressure with using both briefs and pads, than by all means do what works for you the best - it is all individual as everything else with PC . I just remembered that observation from one of the members and thought perhaps it could be the case for you too.

Underwear - oh yes, it has to be tight fitting, cotton spandex or anything else with spandex, otherwise "things" can move around, and not only the pad 😉.

Are you weighting your pads to observe the trend in incontinence ? If not, I would strongly recommend it. It will help you make objective assessment of the progress. 👍

I second weighing pads. I wasn’t doing that for the first three months or so, and since I was routinely changing pads throughout the day, I’d convinced myself that I had plateaued with progress.

After I started weighing, I realized that each week, I was actually leaking less in my pants than the week before, and that had a definite psychological effect, encouraging me to really focus on my kegel routine each day.

Where I’m at now: I’ve made a solid week of dry overnights, so I think that’s more or less here to stay. Mornings also have good control, but afternoons, things go downhill a little.

Definitely have traditional stress incontinence, though: sneezing, coughing, lifting, and even doing my kegels, I leak little (and sometimes big) squirts. Holding a kegel while getting up sort of works, but as soon as I’m standing and release it…squirt. It just delays the inevitable.

I’m just banking on it taking time. I can’t say it enough, both to myself and to anyone else going through this: *Be Patient!* Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that blah blah blah.

Everything I read here and elsewhere, everything my care team has given me says it can take as long as 18 months to get bladder control back (and even then, the drips and dribbles may never go away), so guess how much time I’m allowing myself? Yep, 18 months! At 4-1/2 months, I’m still a pup!

My physical exercises consist of those my pelvic floor therapist gives me and a very brisk two-mile walk each day (brisk enough that I’m out of breath at the end).

Adding that I no longer wear pull-ups, I’ve graduated to heavy duty pads inside traditional briefs and that seems to do me. The only time I might switch to a pull-up is if I have to do something like sit in a dentist’s chair for a while, or when I go for my 6-week “beautification” session (😆) - haircut, upper-body massage, encouraging talk - because that takes two hours and there’s lots of pressing and pushing on me (I envision being squeezed like a lemon one day and squirting out a surprise stream, and I want to avoid that!).

I did buy some Menvault washable incontinence briefs (pricey), but I plan on reviewing those separately. The short answer, though…don’t bother with those.

Best advice is, hang in there, do the exercises, weigh the pads, celebrate the advances, don’t sweat the setbacks, and give it time.

@lsk1000
I personally would not advise using it this early in recovery since both the brain and the local nerves need to "re-learn" holding urine in. There is a special two-way pathway that needs to be re-established and stimulated to reconnect and gain control of the outer sphincter. Also, blood flow through the penis is of utmost importance for preventing atrophy and clamp slows down that blood-flow.

As many here know I’ve commented about incontinence clamps. Whether as a short term measure after a procedure while waiting for continence to return, or while contemplating a Sling or an AUS, or a long term measure if a not a candidate for a surgical fix, i found the clamp to be far superior than other methods like multiple pads or external catheters in terms of maintaining life style. With a clamp there are not limitations regarding activities or what cloths can be worn.

most- but certainly not all- men have incontinence for about a year
it is a long process
https://www.auanet.org/guidelines-and-quality/guidelines/incontinence-after-prostate-treatment
hang in there

@surftohealth88 OK-I need to do more intentional kegels on standing and sitting. I've read from a PT book on this that it's good to also lightly pull in you stomach as you do this. I've tried that and when I remember to do it, it helps.

Wow-rowing and Stairmaster. Maybe the idea is that you're doing lots of reps and build up more pelvic floor. Don't have access to those machines but I could climb stairs at work.

I wonder....can I start doing my scientific seven minute routine or is too soon? It's 30 seconds of each of these at high intensity; Jumping jacks, wall sit, push-ups, crunches, chair step-up, squats, tricep dips, plank, lunges, push-up with rotation and then side planks. Takes about nine minutes (Scientific Seven Minute workout). I've been doing them for years....but not the last five weeks.

My big issue is that I know that when I go for a walk, I'm going to saturate a pad completely. The three mile walk pushes my pad capacity (using Tena Maximum pads right now)....but I do it.