Incontinence
Hi Everyone, I hope all is well, or at least doing better. In 2 days I will be 4 weeks post-op, and all seems to be going good. In fact, the incontinence is less then what I believed it would be.
My question is, for those that are 3, 6, 12+ months post-op, does it get less, stop, more, or is it a mixed bag (with/without keggle)?
Thanks
Bob
Comments
-
Bob, I am 3 1/2 months out. For me it has gotten much better, but improvements came in plateaus. I was able to stay dry while sleeping (staying horizontal) after 3 weeks, but daytime was a struggle to not go every 30 minutes. I used Depends at first, now down to a pad or a couple of shields during the day. I only have leakage with sudden movements and it's only a few drops. I did ask for physical therapy which has been helpful as there are more exercises than Kegels you can do to strengthen your core. I am working to improve capacity so as to reduce number of visits to toilet.
I know other people who were continent right away, and others still struggling after 6 months, so it's hard to predict. I know that the doctor's skill is critical, but it also depends on the cancer and if and how it had spread.
0 -
Marlon, appreciate the input. I do keggles, but not at the recommended frequency by the Dr. I am interested in the ‘other’ exercises you mention, and will look into it. I’ve been using pads since day 1, going thru 2 to 3, sometimes 4 on rare occasions. Like you, I don’t pass up an opportunity to use the bathroom when passing by one. Remember the movie Bucket list, and the 3 things he said. 😊
0 -
Bob, basically exercises I was told to do, include yoga-style stretches and leg rotations that strengthen the abdominal muscles while you are tightening your sphincter muscles. And best of all they said is walking.
I must say at first, I thought my quality of life would never be good again, but now, I can see that its become a manageable affliction and while not back to normal, I am not limited by it.
1 -
I've written about my incontinence journey elsewhere. I am dry-ish but still need to wear a liner or similar product most days.
I do some sets of core exercises a few times a week, but it is more to do with mitigating issues with my back. I used to do kegels to deal with incontinence before I had surgery to deal with it. It's funny (kind of sad really), I have been slack with my core exercises over the past few weeks and I have been leaking more than I was but still only a minor amount, say, 20ml per day instead of 5 to 10ml per day, but I never realized that there may have been a connection. I will increase my exercise regime and take note if it also results in less leakage.
My favorite exercise is the 'dead bug'. There are tutorials on youtube. It places a noticeable amount of strain on your body so just make sure that your doctor is okay with it at such an early stage post-op.
1 -
Hi,
To answer your question it’s a mixed bag. I had leakage improvements til about the 1 yr. mark then plateaued. I still use a light pad every day to catch the occasional drip or two with odd movements or straining. I have been doing Kegals for 10 yrs. about 100/day, I don’t “leak” when I stay seated and I sleep dry.
Dave 3+4
0 -
Coming up on 3 years this coming February. My urologist/surgeon advised I could elect to perform Kegels or not and that I would likely "end up in the same place" either way (but the Kegel exercises might have gotten me there sooner). I occasionally still have "water in the pipe" if I'm not diligent at draining but I stopped all pad use at 6 months or so after surgery.
0 -
Bob,
Age 75 and 7 weeks since surgery. Still completely incontinent. Using 4 or 5 Depends per day and adult diapers at night. Stated weekly pelvic floor PT at week 3. I guess it is still early days. As long as the cancer is gone, it will be worth it.
1 -
Bob, concerning my previous comment, my surgeon cited recent studies indicating doing Kegels (or not) would not have changed my surgical outcome (i.e. continence versus incontinence). Perhaps I could have been off the pads sooner had I done them religiously. I still got there, 6 long, wet then damp months later!
1 -
I'd like to think that the difference is the doctors making a recommendation based on your specific physical condition and the circumstances of your surgery.
But I think it's also possible that doctors are much less expert in the recovery and rehab than in the surgery. Hard to see how strengthening your muscles could not be beneficial.
0
Discussion Boards
- All Discussion Boards
- 6 CSN Information
- 6 Welcome to CSN
- 121.8K Cancer specific
- 2.8K Anal Cancer
- 446 Bladder Cancer
- 309 Bone Cancers
- 1.6K Brain Cancer
- 28.5K Breast Cancer
- 396 Childhood Cancers
- 27.9K Colorectal Cancer
- 4.6K Esophageal Cancer
- 1.2K Gynecological Cancers (other than ovarian and uterine)
- 13K Head and Neck Cancer
- 6.3K Kidney Cancer
- 670 Leukemia
- 792 Liver Cancer
- 4.1K Lung Cancer
- 5.1K Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin)
- 237 Multiple Myeloma
- 7.1K Ovarian Cancer
- 61 Pancreatic Cancer
- 487 Peritoneal Cancer
- 5.5K Prostate Cancer
- 1.2K Rare and Other Cancers
- 537 Sarcoma
- 730 Skin Cancer
- 652 Stomach Cancer
- 191 Testicular Cancer
- 1.5K Thyroid Cancer
- 5.8K Uterine/Endometrial Cancer
- 6.3K Lifestyle Discussion Boards