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When is it ok to stop kegeling?

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Posted 12/25/2017 10:37 AM (GMT -5)
Hi all,

Merry Christmas! I had RP 8 weeks ago and have been continent since about a week after removal of the catheter. I started doing kegels 6 weeks before my surgery and been doing them ever since after catheter was removed. I feel like they have contributed to my quick return to continence but wondering when it’s safe to stop doing them.

How long did you guys keep doing kegels?

Jeff
Posted 12/25/2017 10:45 AM (GMT -5)
I still do them
Posted 12/25/2017 10:54 AM (GMT -5)
I stopped around a week after I gained 100% continence , around 4-5 weeks after surgery.
Posted 12/25/2017 11:05 AM (GMT -5)
Some guys stop quickly. Others not. I still find, 3 years after surgery, that if I go a week without kegels, I start to leak a bit more easily when drinking coffee or alcohol.

I've heard some say, for the rest of your life.
My surgeon told me 5 years.
Posted 12/25/2017 11:22 AM (GMT -5)
Started 6 weeks before RP, continent except once i three days a stress moment. Still doing them 8 weeks later and based on these comments, will continue.
Posted 12/25/2017 1:29 PM (GMT -5)
I've been doing them on and off for 8 years. When I get "more" continent, I tend to slack off, only to be reminded (when standing in a puddle of my own making) that they help.

Now with chemo and the massive steroids that accompany it, they go back to being "required".
Posted 12/25/2017 6:55 PM (GMT -5)
Thanks everyone for the input. Sounds like it’s a fairly long term thing but I think I’ll take a break for a few days and see what happens.

Jeff
Posted 12/25/2017 7:10 PM (GMT -5)
Since I was practically 100% continent after surgery, I stopped kegels right after recovery.
Posted 12/25/2017 8:42 PM (GMT -5)
Still do do after surgery, but not as often.
Posted 12/25/2017 9:41 PM (GMT -5)
Never, unless you get younger instead of older.
Posted 12/26/2017 10:43 AM (GMT -5)
I still do one set of them at least every other day. I was told you may need to do them the rest of your life to keep that sphincter muscle in tone.
Posted 12/27/2017 9:22 AM (GMT -5)
I had assumed that my sphincter was now getting enough exercise on its own so it did not need help from kegels? Since I am now continent, do my two remaining control muscles not get their exercise from their everyday use? If I am in a "secure" location, I sometimes wait before responding to nature's call, figuring that exercising actual continence is better than kegels.
Posted 12/27/2017 10:15 AM (GMT -5)
I never did them. I was a runner at the time of my surgery and I have maintained an aggressive walking schedule. It's all about pelvic muscle conditioning. Walking / running is a great way to keep pelvic muscle tone where you need it. Running and walking provides all the other health benefits that "Kegels" cant provide.

Good Luck

Hero
Posted 12/27/2017 10:34 AM (GMT -5)
Hero makes a good point. A person probably needs more kegels if they have a sedentary lifestyle. If your doctor doesn't have an opinion, I'd ask a physical therapist with experience in post surgery continence.

Bottom line in my opinion is kegels don't take that much time, so include them in your daily life. It sure can't hurt.
Posted 12/30/2017 9:53 AM (GMT -5)
I did kegels until about a month post-op. Stopped doing them on a regular basis when 100% continence gained (as others have mentioned). I think I overdid them however, as I've had persistent pain in my tailbone since about a month after surgery - not PC related, either as my PSA is ND and bones scans of the area show 0 sign of metastatic disease. Nor have I fallen at any time so trauma is ruled out. The only thing left is that I damaged the ligaments and tendons that attach the pelvic muscles to the tailbone.

At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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