HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 3/1/2009 9:35 AM (GMT -5)
What is the average time after surgery to become pad free?

inquiring for a friend

Posted 3/1/2009 9:41 AM (GMT -5)

    I'm probably the last guy your friend wants to hear from.  But, everyone is different.  Over all from what I have seen here the last two and a half years is that most guys get near to normal recovery between 6 and 12 months.  Some get it sooner and some take a little longer.  And a few like myself have to go the Sling or AUS route to get somewhat normal control back.

    I wish your friend well in his treatment and encourage him to keep workin and try not to get down about it if he is a "leaker".  Life does get better and go on.

  KW

Posted 3/1/2009 1:14 PM (GMT -5)
I started my Kegel exercises 3 weeks before surgery. I also exercised on a regular basis all my life and have done stomach crunches as well. It has been just under 2 weeks since my catheter was removed and I'm now dry at night and use only one pad during the day. Most of the leaking occurs during my 3 mile walk. I usually don't leak while sitting down. Standing up quickly, lifting object, coughing, sneezing, laughing are the things that trigger a few drops to leak. I recommend to your friend to do the Kegel exercises (3 sets of 10) 3 times a day. It may help speed up continence.
Posted 3/1/2009 4:04 PM (GMT -5)
I believe most guys go dry between 3 and 6 months, although a lot of guys on this board have been faster. Some take longer, and a few never make it.
Everybody is different.

kcragman
Posted 3/1/2009 4:51 PM (GMT -5)
if you look on this site you will see that although continence somewhaat depends on surgeon ,age and phsical condition,MOST men have continence in 10  to 15 weeks , i was completly continent in 10 weeks and thats a no bull crap continence, i could sneeze .drink beer ,go on roller coasters ect, tell your buddy not to worry ,get a GOOD surgeon and the rest he shouldnt  have to worry about, there are exceptions ,but they are rare, ,,dirt

Posted 3/3/2009 7:15 PM (GMT -5)
I am at 5 months from open surgery. At this point I am at 1 and sometimes 2 pads a day. I have a very active day. It started to get better for me at 4 months. Prior to that I was using 4 to 5 per day. I also wear briefs for added protection. Dry at night now also. In early stages I could not actually urinate during day because it all went into pad. I still get up 2 or 3 times a night and do a full pee. So you can see we are all different. I feel it will take me a year to be mostly dry.
Posted 3/3/2009 7:53 PM (GMT -5)

I was blessed with being "almost" fully continent only a few days after the catheter came out.  It probably took 6 months before I could pick up more than just a few pounds without leaking a drop or two.  I still drip just a little on occasion with certain degrees of sexual stimulation but that too seems to be getting better and fortunately is only a drop or two but always seemingly at the wrong time. 

I did do the Kegels or at least a version thereof for the six weeks after diagnosis and prior to surgery.  Whenever I urinated I stopped the stream several times.  That seemed to be helpful in helping me control the flow after surgery. 

Trust this helps.  David

Posted 3/4/2009 6:41 AM (GMT -5)
I'm at just over 5 months past surgery (had laproscopic, not Davinci). Just got to the point where I don't use a pad at night anymore, but use one during the work day as I get a bit of stress leakage lifting, climbing stairs and ladders and getting in and out of my service truck. Even so, I don't have much in the pad at the end of the day. I suspect when mu current supply of pads runs out in about 2 weeks, I'll switch to a panty liner, like a lot of guys here have, just to keep from having the "moist undie" syndrome.

As you can see from the responses, there is a great variance in continence after surgery, but as stated above, the 3-6 month range seems to be the most common.
Posted 3/4/2009 8:09 PM (GMT -5)
I am 3 months post op and I am using one pad (women's type) a day since about the mid January. I am thinking of not using one at night but my wife doesn't agree yet. She's still got that lingering question, how about if it will leak?. I am proud to say that I never leaked on our bed ever since. I am completely dry in the morning, though I get up quite often to go to the bathroom. Just like some of the other posts here, the pad is just an assurance to catch occassional drip. I work in a warehouse and I am constantly movign around and lifting stuff but the pad holds pretty good. It doesn't have much after a whole day.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply