Bladder control was improving, now degrading.

Posted by binderaz @binderaz, Nov 25, 2023

It's been 3 months since my prostatectomy. My bladder control was improving every week. On Thanksgiving, I started dribbling again, and now 2 days later (today), I'm back to wearing my Depends because it's continuously dribbling, so I'm losing control of it. Has anyone experienced something similar? Is this a normal part of the healing cycle or should I be concerned?

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binderaz, I did not have prostatectomy just radiation. I had a lot of side affects including dribbling after I finish urinating that was the only side affect that still continues.

Have you been reading the kegel exercise posts. I did not know about this but learned it has helped a lot of patients. Connie (MCC monitor) put out a web site to learn more and another poster recommended PT. I have been doing them and will discuss with my PCP when I see him next month.

Hopefully it could help you as well. Good luck. I have read it does take some time to recover since you had prostatectomy. I finished my radiation treatments back in July and still have the dribbling but seems to be responding to the kegel exercises.

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I'd also be interested if anyone in this group has had such an experience.

If I were you, I'd certainly contact my Urologist/Oncologist with my concern.
In the meantime I'd line up some help doing Kegels (there's some good discussion about these in this Support Group) and find a good PT specialist in this discipline.
Best of luck and continued healing.

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One thing no one has mentioned is our diet. Thanksgiving was a "two steps backward" for me in my march towards continence, which had been progressing slowly one step at a time. After 7 months of that slow progress, my urologist had me go to Pelvic floor Physical Therapy which helped dramatically in just 6 weeks. Then this holiday week with family arriving and lots of food and drinks, I was sent back in time. I leaked much more than I had been. Yesterday my PT handed me a list of foods and drinks that irritate the bladder and I had consumed every single one of them in more than my usual quantities while celebrating with family. I'm just crossing my fingers that, with continuation of my exercises, and attention to diet, I will return to progress.

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Contact your Urologist ASAP about Pelvic Floor PT!

There are Doctorates in PT! Find someone trained in this.

I did a few weeks of PT both before and after me RALP in August ’22. I had zero incontinence. I am in Texas and used a Baylor Scott & White Clinic. My PT-ist had two clients, she told me, who did not have PT prior to surgery and had issues 6 months afterwards.

Best of luck to you!

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@jc76

binderaz, I did not have prostatectomy just radiation. I had a lot of side affects including dribbling after I finish urinating that was the only side affect that still continues.

Have you been reading the kegel exercise posts. I did not know about this but learned it has helped a lot of patients. Connie (MCC monitor) put out a web site to learn more and another poster recommended PT. I have been doing them and will discuss with my PCP when I see him next month.

Hopefully it could help you as well. Good luck. I have read it does take some time to recover since you had prostatectomy. I finished my radiation treatments back in July and still have the dribbling but seems to be responding to the kegel exercises.

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Kegel helps but do a bunch of crunches on the floor and also lay down, hunch up in the air hard, hold it 30 seconds and do 4 or 5 times to build your Core and it helps me some but I have good days and bad. I take Minapine and Betmiga pills. I had the little bastard taken out on Aug. 3rd and good riddens. Worst 5 months in my 70 years by far. Dead dinky, pee all the time, stay home so much as a result. I am peed off. Worst thing to happen to a man.

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@tomf

One thing no one has mentioned is our diet. Thanksgiving was a "two steps backward" for me in my march towards continence, which had been progressing slowly one step at a time. After 7 months of that slow progress, my urologist had me go to Pelvic floor Physical Therapy which helped dramatically in just 6 weeks. Then this holiday week with family arriving and lots of food and drinks, I was sent back in time. I leaked much more than I had been. Yesterday my PT handed me a list of foods and drinks that irritate the bladder and I had consumed every single one of them in more than my usual quantities while celebrating with family. I'm just crossing my fingers that, with continuation of my exercises, and attention to diet, I will return to progress.

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Thanks so much for your input! Do you happen to have a list of those foods/drinks that irritate the bladder? a weblink or something? Thanks!!

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@binderaz

Thanks so much for your input! Do you happen to have a list of those foods/drinks that irritate the bladder? a weblink or something? Thanks!!

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Just google "prostate cancer irritants that impact your bladder control" Coffee and alcohol head the list

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@ddun1953

Kegel helps but do a bunch of crunches on the floor and also lay down, hunch up in the air hard, hold it 30 seconds and do 4 or 5 times to build your Core and it helps me some but I have good days and bad. I take Minapine and Betmiga pills. I had the little bastard taken out on Aug. 3rd and good riddens. Worst 5 months in my 70 years by far. Dead dinky, pee all the time, stay home so much as a result. I am peed off. Worst thing to happen to a man.

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ddun1953, Thanks for information. I know this is serious but I had to laugh on your response "I had the little bastard taken out on Aug. 3rd. and good riddens."

Your dealing with something all in this group face. It has only been a couple of months since your surgery. Time will help with this and almost all improve. Don't get down too much.

1 in 6 will be diagnosed with prostrate cancer during their lifetime. ALMOST all men will get prostrate cancer a if live long enough but most are discovered during autopsies dying from something else. I know not an uplifting thing for men is it!

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I understand but I have 6 friends who have/had PC. Two of us had aggressive cancers, Dave and me. He had to undergo the surgery, Lupron for 1 1/2 years and a life time of Targeted Beam Radiation over 4 months everyday and now after seveal years, he is getting back to normal with no cancer present. He is 6' 6" 240 and was a big TriAthete. He works out now but it kind of zapped him from doing anymore competitions. I also was a workout nut. I had the surgery on Aug. 3rd. About 6 weeks went by and I slowly started working out again. Before, I could do 50 pushups in 90 seconds, well I could only do 1 when I started back. Now, I am up to 30 at one time. I ride a hard bike to pump like a Stair Steper on level 7, hard. I do it an hour a day, then 1,000 cruches, streches and then an hour on Level 1 Resistance Bands. I just turned 70 and want to live strong again and go out of this world swinging. It is great to be alive even peeing incessantly. I can see it slowly gaining control but my control seems to wane as the day goes on. God is great and I now am close to moving forward. I live in Thailand and their medical is ranked in the top 15 in the world. My Urologist Surgeon says now, I will die an old man now from something else but he did say my first bloodwork was ,0022 and by the next one, it must stay under this or if it moves up any, I still have some cancer. I give as much advice in here to those asking it and thank you for this help. I did not know 1 in 6 men get it.

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@ddun1953

I understand but I have 6 friends who have/had PC. Two of us had aggressive cancers, Dave and me. He had to undergo the surgery, Lupron for 1 1/2 years and a life time of Targeted Beam Radiation over 4 months everyday and now after seveal years, he is getting back to normal with no cancer present. He is 6' 6" 240 and was a big TriAthete. He works out now but it kind of zapped him from doing anymore competitions. I also was a workout nut. I had the surgery on Aug. 3rd. About 6 weeks went by and I slowly started working out again. Before, I could do 50 pushups in 90 seconds, well I could only do 1 when I started back. Now, I am up to 30 at one time. I ride a hard bike to pump like a Stair Steper on level 7, hard. I do it an hour a day, then 1,000 cruches, streches and then an hour on Level 1 Resistance Bands. I just turned 70 and want to live strong again and go out of this world swinging. It is great to be alive even peeing incessantly. I can see it slowly gaining control but my control seems to wane as the day goes on. God is great and I now am close to moving forward. I live in Thailand and their medical is ranked in the top 15 in the world. My Urologist Surgeon says now, I will die an old man now from something else but he did say my first bloodwork was ,0022 and by the next one, it must stay under this or if it moves up any, I still have some cancer. I give as much advice in here to those asking it and thank you for this help. I did not know 1 in 6 men get it.

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On the major web site for medical institutions and places like WEB MD you will see this statistic of 1 in 6 will get diagnosed with prostrate cancer.

The fallacy is this is diagnosis and does not address high or rising PSA numbers that patients are given and some choose to do to go on watchful observance without ever having biopsies to determine if have prostrate cancer.

Some type prostrate cancers are very serious including what stage is in. Most of the low risk ones and soley in prostrate get the option of watchful waiting depending on age. I still read several providers still giving advice all over the spectrum and can still be confusing. It is why I depended on what UFPTI, Mayo consultations were after biopsies, and then my research at major medical providers, and centers like American Cancer Society, NIH, etc. to help me make decisions.
Good luck,

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