Urinary Incontinence after surgery

LikeACatBrain

My partner recently removed his catheter and has essentially no control over his flow — constant dripping, fills 5 maximum-absorbency Depends underwear in 24 hours.  We were expecting leaks, but not like this. Based on my research online, he even did Kegels before surgery.  Has anyone ever recovered to anything approximating normal by doing exercises, or is this our new normal? 

Clevelandguy

Hi,

The results after surgery can be all over the spectrum. The time to become dry can vary from a couple of months to years. I had my surgery 11 yrs. ago and still drip a little(one light pad/day), I do about 120 Kegals + other pelvic floor exercises every day. I would give it several weeks and hopefully he will notice improvement. Keep doing Kegals and other pelvic floor exercises, your Urologist should be able to hook you up with a recovery specialist. It does take time to heal due to the trauma during surgery.

Dave 3+4

Marlon

I started out that way, and it took months before I was dry. PT was helpful.

LikeACatBrain

Thank you. How can we go about finding a good PT? Apparently it’s not easy to find them. (Wish we’d been able to find a good surgeon!!)

Marlon

I needed a referral from my urologist for a PT. My insurance company decided who I could see. The hospital where i had the surgery had a PT department where I would have preferred to go. Usually the same places that do PT for sports injuries and orthopedic injuries have people certified for "pelvic floor" therapy.

Sometimes I think the cancer decides how your recovery will be. No regrets here.

LikeACatBrain

Thank you, and true about the cancer calling the shots :(

Josephg

Whatever medical team performed his surgery should be able to give him a PT organization recommendation/referral.

As stated above, continence generally improves over time, but it is not likely to be exactly the same as before the surgery. The recovery period can take up to a year, so Depends will be his way of life at this time. It is manageable if he ALWAYS have at least 1 extra Depends with him wherever he goes. Changing on the fly is easy, if he has a replacement readily available, once he gets the hang of it. It will become routine, as he continues to do Kegels and PT, and as he waits to see how much this part of his body will get back to normal within a year. I know, because I went through this.

After about 1 year, if continence has not improved significantly, he will need to get a Cystoscopy procedure to evaluate the condition of the sphincter at the bladder end. In my case, my sphincter was totally open (like a barn door, my Urologist Surgeon stated), unable to remain closed. At that point, a 'sling' or 'artificial sphincter' are options on the table to deal with total vertical incontinence, and he can discuss them with his Doctor. I chose the 'artificial sphincter, and I've had it in place for well over a decade.

But, in the meantime, persuade him to go find/to PT and patiently (as possible) wait out this year doing PT and Kegels, and see if his continence situation improves, as most PCa folks do.

LikeACatBrain

Thank you.