Pad (for leaking) recommendation after prostate surgery

I was incontinent for a year and 1/2 so wore a pad 24/7.
(Now I have an artificial sphincter. What a blessing!)
Name brands are everywhere:
Depends, Guards for maximum protection; 52 per pack.
Depends, Shields for lesser need; 58 per pack.
Assurance has very similar items.
I found local store brands, usually the same count per pack, to be as good or better at lesser cost.
Best of luck that your surgery goes super well, gets all the cancer, and you have great success with continence after.
And continue being positive and also prepared; good plan!
bob

Thanks for the info and the kind words Bob.

I had RP about six months ago. Unfortunately, I still have UI daily even doing Kegel exercise daily. One pad per day. I also use Depends, Guards for maximum protection; 52 per pack. Quality is not bad and price is good. I suggest you to start the Kegel exercise (even before surgery) if you have not. It helps UI a lot.
Best of luck with your surgery!

Thanks for the response. I do Kegels all the time, anytime. Sure hope they help! 🤞

The amount of urine loss, and the rate of return to continence seems to vary widely. I advise not buying pads in bulk. E.g., I went from a week of Depends diaper to two weeks of #4 pads, three weeks of #3, 4 weeks of #2, and stabilized @ #1 vs none since. My preferred brand is Poise, regular length. If you're an OCD/scientist type, consider weighing the pads on a gram scale before disposing. 1 gram = 1 ml/cc, 30=an ounce. For me, keeping track demonstrated progress post-op, which helped buoy my spirits.

Thanks for the advice. Your comment about not buying in bulk is very enlightening. I’ve been doing Kegel religiously so I’m hoping it pays off. Glad you’re doing well. Health and happiness!

I had my RP just over 7 months ago. I used the Depends diaper, pads and guards. I switched to Tena Pads and guards which I bought from Amazon. I prefer the Tenas as they feel less bulky and better absorption. I used diapers for approx 2 months and moved to pads and guard/shields. Now I'm back to 1 pad a day. I did not do kegels prior to surgery and I'm glad you are doing them. I did Kegels after surgery and maybe to aggressively and stopped due to pain and no improvement. At around 4 months, I asked for PT for kegels to ensure I am doing them properly. PT is helping. I wish I did them prior to surgery! Good luck with your RP and recovery.

Thanks for the advice and the kind words. Health and happiness to you as well!

I'd like to ask a question out of total ignorance. I suffer what seems to me to be serious nocturia: 4 or 5 wake-ups for urination last night, for example. While home, it's just(!) a royal pain. But as as I'm going traveling - often on local long-distance, toiletless buses and trains, I worry about urgency. Would I be better served by diapers (Depends?) or pads, and for likely what amounts of uncontrolled urine discharge?

I had my prostrate removed almost 2 years ago. Initially I used the pull-ups. Based upon recommendations I used the Tena brand. Fortunately I did not need the pull-ups for very long, but I did not follow the advice of @trusam1, and I bought much more than I needed. I still have some packs in the downstairs vanity, as I was able to fairly quickly transition to the Tena pads. Over time I worked my way down from the most absorbent to the lightest (Protective Shields in Tena's branding). I don't wear these at home or at night anymore, but for safety's sake I still use them when I'm out and about. For running I use a slightly heavier pad, as I cannot do my normal 3-6 mile runs without a fair bit of leaking). During the course of moving from heaviest to lightest pads, I did try other brands, but I found Tena to be the most comfortable for me.
I hope that you are one of the lucky ones who is fully continent from the time the catheter is removed, but just in case you do have some incontinence buy a pack or two of the pull ups and the heavy pads. If you don't need them, count yourself lucky and donate them. If you message me with your address, I can send you some of each.