How long were you Incontinent? How did it come back for you?

I had ZERO incontinence issues. Not one drop. I attribute it to religiously doing Kegels before and after surgery and an excellent surgeon. He told me I was one of the lucky 10% that never had an issue. Best wishes🤞

Please watch what you eat. For me when I ate very processed foods like salty snacks I had more leaking. I was almost completely continent after a couple days. When I skipped kegels early on and ate junk I had stress incontinence. It will get better my brother. Be disciplined.

I had RALP on April 20. 54yo. Catheter removed 7 days later. So I’m 5 weeks on. I don’t have problems if I’m sitting or lying down, including sleep. I wake up 2-3x a night to go. At my office, the bathroom is a long way away. I used to have challenges making it there in time. Now I don’t, though the urge to go is strong. I’m not quite shuffling along quickly but I’m walking with purpose. :). I’m in NYC and take the subway. I stopped sitting for a while because I’d hold it but then stand to get off at my stop and would soak myself faster than the pad could absorb. Now I make it to work with a wet pad, and change it out before I head in.

If I’m doing something more active, even just taking my dogs for a walk, or climbing stairs (which is the worst - still almost no control then), it’s more difficult. But all moments are getting better. And I’m not doing kegels as often ad I should be, if I’m being honest. So - heading in the right direction!

To be honest, none of this really bothers me. It’s better than the alternative (!). But also, it’s an annoying and an inconvenience. Life happens around that!

Good luck to all of you.

@lsk1000
what clamp are you using, I decided to get it due to heavy incontinence 8 weeks after prostatectomy,

I tried a half dozen for fit, comfort a d effectiveness and settled on the Weisner. (Amazon $39). Someone cautioned on this forum not to use the clamp too soon after surgery. Perhaps run it by your doctor. Despite the warnings not to exceed 2-3 hours of continuous use, I wear mine 18 hours a day with no ill effects.

Thank you for your response

Not really incontinent, just endless peeing, three years after radiation, 2 pass Eligard.
As if the bladder has shrunk! 30+ times a day urinating, UNLESS I fully dehydrate,
which is no good. Anyone else have this or similar?

So sorry for the incontinence. My RP was almost three years ago. A few pads a day in the beginning. Then I changed my diet, got rid of sugar, citrus and reduced coffee. That helped a lot for me.

The largest change was finding a Dr of PT who specialized in male incontinence due to RP. I learned how to do kegels correctly, and retrained my pelvic floor. I am now dry during the day and one thin pad at the gym or hiking.

And before you use a clamp talk with your urologist, there are many options from PT to an ASO.

My prayers go with you.

People who didn't have a problem are few and far between. I was told by my urologist that most men - and I - will regain full/fullest continence between 3 - 6 months. I only achieved that with Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy (PFPT) that started at about 14-15 weeks when I was really frustrated. I had to demand PFPT...it was never offered as part of routine post-op care, which ticked me off. I heard about it in this Mayo blog. I am now 14 months post-RP surgery and I am about 98-99% continent, but I still wear thin "Shields" for little spontaneous leaks. It is very frustrating.
An important part of PFPT is that, besides lots of various Kegel style exercises, they re-train you in your consumption of liquids. They trained me to drink a maximum of just 8 ounces at a time, and to drink that eight ounces immediately after urinating. You need to cut out bladder irritants, especially early in your journey, so...no sodas (acidic and caffeine); no alcohol; no coffee (acidic and caffeine); no orange juice or other citrus flavored drinks. So, yes...basically, I ended up drinking water almost all of the time. The unexpected bonus: my grocery bill went down without buying all of the sodas. I do drink about 6-8 ounces of low-sugar orange juice every morning (I am a Type I Diabetic). It does not cause problems with my urinary continence, nor my glucose levels. Good luck.

@rlpostrp This is incredibly helpful information. I'm only five weeks post surgery.

I had not heard the "only drink 8 oz. at a time" or that you should do it immediately after urinating.

I had heard from PT that it's important to drink 4 oz. of liquids every hour of the day so that you avoid having your bladder shrink, which would just make problems even worse.

It's kind of what happens when you eat smaller portions over a long time, your stomach actually shrinks. Then, you get fuller faster with less food. Know this first person from years ago.

So glad you made progress-but, dang, it's gonna take a good long time.