Incontinence products questions: Pull-ups vs. diapers, pads and guards

Three things:
1) Have your urologist write an order for Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy (PFPT). It is very common for postpartum women who need to regain their control after giving birth. Post-prostatectomy men need it too. You'll need up to 8 sessions, and your insurance company will likely only approve two at first, but your therapist will write a justification for six more that should be approved. There are so many exercises and even breathing techniques beyond Kegel exercises... I was amazed. And they all helped. I am now ~98% continent.
2) Part of PFPT is behavior modification. You are taught to drink 8 ounces "max" at any given time. As soon as you go to the bathroom to urinate, you immediately drink 8 ounces more of water right after, if you want...but it is suggested to keep you hydrated and flowing, but also to get you used to drinking just 8 ounces.
3) You will be told NOT to drink acidic beverages (OJ, etc.), and no sodas, and no caffeine, all of which are bladder irritants which will make your still-covering bladder pass quickly. That will be for a long while (2-3 months until your bladder calms down and heals). No pun intended, but your post-surgical bladder is "pissed off." It has been assaulted during the surgery and it no longer has the prostate sitting under it to help support it...it wants to leak anything and everything. To that end, your PFPT therapist will have you keep 24-hour daily logs of when you pee'd, when you drank, what you drank, and how much you drank, as well as how many diapers/briefs you used in a day. You'll be surprised at how much that log tells you, especially when you told yourself that the one cup of caffeinated coffee, and the 12 oz. afternoon soda, and the glass of wine or beer with dinner that made you pee more, and sooner than you thought. The log tells you the truth, and that you can't stray from the plan to drink only 8 ounces of water at a time for those 2-3 months. Your PFPT will tell you it is OK to cheat a little, but not much.
Good luck to you.

@rlpostrp This information is so incredibly helpful-thank you thank you!

Yeah, I've heard pelvic floor exercises is more than kegels...but I haven't found much online about the other techniques.
• Are there good sites to learn some of those additional techniques?

• At what point did you request Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy ? I'm guess they don't want to put people on it unless they think you're having problems.

Eight ounce max is interesting; I drink more than that now...but guessing that will change when I'm peeing out with no control as fast as I drink it in.

I have RPT Vanita Gaglani's book on regaining continence...lots of good information on bladder irritants, bladder logs and making progress. Not sure if you're familiar with that approach.

Thanks so much for this information-much appreciated!

I can no longer access my PFPT exercises that were online, but the program is run through the University of Nebraska Medical Center. I no longer have contact with my PFPT therapist, so I can't ask her why she discontinued my link. Perhaps you can search around the UNMC website and find Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy exercises through their physical therapy department. Or...it seems to be a well-regarded program. I live in California, and of all the programs that likely exist, my well-regarded medical center selected the UNMC online PFPT program.