Coping after catheter removal

Hard to tell so soon after surgery, some guys are dry immediately others in a few days and some aot longer. Standing and particularly bending will cause a leak. Have you been doing pelvic floor exercises? Tense the pelvic floor muscles before you stand and get up slowly, try to keep the muscles tense until you get to the toilet. A way of testing your control is to see if you can stop the flow mid stream, don't do it on a regular basis.

Hope things improve, but it is very early days to a assess how things will develop.

You can also expect small amounts of blood and debris in the next few weeks, I emphasize the words small amounts.

Hope all goes well.

Thanks Chris

Hi all. I'm from Canada, but found this site a couple of years ago.

I had RP mid-December, and the first few days had lots of leakage as I found it hard to completely empty the bladder.  It felt like I was always going to the washroom, and at night, even after avoiding drinking after dinner, there would be lots of leakage the first few days;  and stress incontinence when coughing or changing positions would cause leakage.   But by one month post-surgery, I was only using pads for security with some very light dribbling at times.  So fairly quick recovery for me.   But I had years of yoga behind me (which helps with core and pelvic floor muscles).

Some suggestions.
* Pre-surgery, I went to a physio clinic to see a physiotherapist that specializes in dealing with pelvic floor issues for men (prostate) and women (post- child birth). While Kegels may seem simple, it was helpful to see a specialist to be sure I was doing Kegels properly, an.  It is not just which muscle to tighten,  but to learn to relax them as well.   I was give for some suggested exercises. In particular, stress incontinence is the hardest one to overcome, and she suggested trying to practice tightening the pelvic floor before coughing. I found it helpful to see a specialist. I didn't need to see her again post surgery. If you can find a physiotherapist who specializes in pelvic floor issues, they can certainly help.

* One great little tip that I got from my cancer center in Toronto (the top one in Canada) is to buy "newborn diapers" for pads, because they are more absorbent, less bulky, and less expensive than products marketed to adults. At first I couldn't understand why they would suggest newborn diapers, but they explained to me how to use them when catheter was removed. Just cup the penis and the scrotum with the newborn diaper and the diaper pads will tie the back (behind scrotum) to the front to produce a very good fitting, and extremely absorbent pouch that's not too bulky. Here's link, but link doesn't say too much: https://www.uhn.ca/PatientsFamilies/Health_Information/Health_Topics/Documents/Incontinence_Products.pdf
-- newborn diapers that are wrapped only around the penis/scrotum are also far easier to change than adult diapers.

Edited by member 29 Feb 2020 at 21:48  | Reason: Not specified