Continence battle.

Thanks for your reply Brian

I’m now seven week’s post opp and since receiving a drinking schedule from the incontinence nurse a week ago my leakage has improved and has given me reassurance I’m making progress  (all be it small) which is great.

My aim is to be where you are Brian after 18 months so your story encourages me a lot ...thank you for sharing it.

Thanks for your post this is good information for me.

I am now 14 months post opp and looks like I’m much the same position as yourself, I still get some tenderness after peeing and was hoping that might improve. Do you think continuing with the excersies helps at this stage?

Hi Alistair, I hope you are still following the thread you started last Year. I am still two and a half months down the same frustratingly slow continence journey. The Squeezy App, resuming pilates, cutting out cafine and moderating alcohol to very occasional are all helping but like you walking around is still the main issue. I can manage about an hour's walking (which is one of my hobbies) with just a few dribbles but the longer I extend it the more the sphincter and and pelvic muscles give way to a dribble of pee that gradually empties my bladder.

I'm interested to know what the drinking schedule devised by the Incontinence Nurse was about. I'll give anything a go if it will help.

Thanks Alistair, I'll give that a try. My fluid intake has been somewhat less formalised, although I don't drink anything after 7.00 pm. However even that still doesn't stop my kidneys going into warp drive when I go to sleep. They push out 1.2-1.3 litres overnight. Even a completely normal bladder would struggle to hold that amount until morning. Chris

Hi, 

I am 6 months post op. Some days, when I am inactive, I can be dry, other days I can get by on one Tena level 1 to catch an occasional stress leak. .If I am doing heavy work, I will leak a bit more, but no flooding. I have always been dry overnight and don't drink after 7:00pm. Still hoping to improve furthet.

My surgeon has advised me not to let my bladder fill to bursting as it will put pressure on my urinary sphincter and so I void fairly regularly. 

My pelvic health physio has confirmed that PF exercises are a life long regime but really only need to be done three times daily for the first 6 months and then gradually reduced to once daily. She also had me practising tensing the muscle at 30% strength for 30 seconds or so and similarly whilst walking. 

Another tip was not to do PF exercises late in the day when the muscle is tired as it could be counter productive. 

Hope this is helpful. 

Peter

Thanks Peter. Yes, I've certainly discovered that activity and continence are inversely proportional to each other. The 30% tensioning is interesting. I've found myself doing that while walking but I suppose like all muscles you can't keep them in tension for sustained periods. I try to do everything right including PF four times a day but I suppose I have to accept that we all recover continence at different rates.

I had a telephone appointment with a nephrologist this afternoon for a separate illness and asked whether producing 1.2 - 1.3 litres of urine during sleeping is normal. It's not normal apparently and this only seems to have started post op. He says my bloods are indicating good kidney functions and he couldn't explain why this was happening (I don't suffer from fluid retention). I had a lot of lymph nodes removed (34) and I'm wondering whether it is to do with a build up of lymph. When I'm horizontal the lymph finds it's way back into the lymph system more easily and results in an excess of fluid in the bloodstream. Anyone out there experience anything similar?