Hi
Been a while since I was on here and I regret not visiting it on a regular basis ( which I will certainly do from now on ). When I was last on here it was 4 weeks since my prostatectomy and 2 weeks since my catheter had been removed, I wasn’t in a good place as I had absolutely no control of my bladder, that was July 2021 and I thought this was my life from now on.
I thought I’d share my story in a hope it helps others who are in the position I was back then. I’m not back to where I was before my operation ( control wise ) but I’m very happy and manage my situation with a few precautions, the following isn’t advice but it’s just how I handled it .
I don’t know the stats but I believe my situation is towards the lower end of probability.
From removal of Catheter to approx. 2 weeks after, I was using 10 pads a day, this wasn’t bearable or practical, so I then started to use a penile clamp for periods in the day for about another 3 weeks ( it’s not as unpleasant as it sounds ) but it helped get my life on some sort of new normal and was still on about 4 pads a day.
Stopped using clamp then back up to about 4-6 pads a day for another 4 weeks, by 4 months I was on about 1 -2 pads a day.
Now, 21 months later, normal day to day I don’t use pads but have swapped my boxers to Y fronts , to catch the odd dribble after a sneeze or cough.
Going out drinking I use a super absorbent pad , it’s not a problem but I do SAS reconnaissance of the toilet facilities before settling in. If I have a particular heavy session on the beer ( I’m talking once every 3 months or so as I’m not a regular drinker) I do have to change my pad within the session )
To be honest, if someone told me I was going to be like this at 53 I would’ve been shocked at the thought but now having lived through my diagnosis , the operation, suffering early on with zero bladder control, I am in a very good place .
The following is advice , talk to someone with full honesty, who has been through what you are going through , I was lucky enough to speak to 2 complete strangers about their experience and asked them things that I thought I’d never ask another man.
Hope this helps someone?