Anyone else experiencing erratic bladder control?
Posted , 5 users are following.
I'm 2 weeks 2 days out from a salvage robot assited RP, and the catheter has now been out for five days. Bladder control is very confusing and I was wondering if others are having similar experiences to mine:
1) Between the hours of 0800 and 1900 I have great difficulty controlling leaks which can be dribbles, or up to a full flow while on a walk.
2) When sitting, I am usally able to stay dry, but once I stand, I seem to lose complete control. I am using the bathroom frequently to minimize the volume of dribbles or flow going to a pad.
3) After dinner, around 1830-1900, I head to my recliner and find that for the remainder of the evening I do not leak anymore, but instead, from around 1900 until bed time (2230-2300) I might need to strain a bit in order to urinate. By the time I go to bed,I no longer need to strain and the flow seems normal, and I am able to avoid any leakage, staying dry all night long.
4) In the morning, I normally stay dry for about an hour or so, and then I start to lose control again.
It is very confusing to have the pendulum swinging between complete bladder control and no control at all, plus a couple of hours each evening where I need to strain a bit.
Any others experiencing something similar? Any suggestions? Or do I just stay the course and remain patient, as I see this will likely be a months long process working to complete control.
Thanks ~
0 likes, 10 replies
dbcriss Rick802
Posted
That sounds very typical to my experience! Somewhat relieved to hear this shared experience I might add. I'm six weeks along and getting better slowly but still a degree of all that you describe remains. The reliner was my great friend for the first couple of weeks. The nerves and coordination take a while to rebound. From what I hear 2 to 4 months then you'll see a lot more improvement, but could be longer. Kroger has the best deals on the front shields.
Rick802 dbcriss
Posted
barney34567 Rick802
Posted
A few points:
1. You will always feel like urinating or leaking when you're standing compared to when you're sitting because your bladder wall is weaker post-op and because standing creates more pressure on the bladder than when sitting. You must bear that in mind if going for a walk after breakfast where coffee or tea was drunk.
2. Wear a pad in the day if you leak. Do not think you'll get to the toilet in rim every time you leak. I was happiest with Tena pads. I started with a level "3" and got down to a level "1" in 2months.
3. After surgery it is wise to drink little after dinner. And dinner should be at least 2 hrs before going to bed. That way you will usually stay dry at night.
Rick802 barney34567
Posted
Now that I'm approaching two weeks (come Tuesday), I have a much better handle on things and pretty much, I'm experiencing what you've mentioned. I am finding that long walks help soothe the soul, and am thankful for any little progress that I feel I am making.
Thank you you for your thoughts!
dbcriss barney34567
Posted
Rick802's letter matches my condition exactly. So now I feel "normal" instead of concerned. One thing I've noticed is any kind of tea or coffee makes it worse. Water with lemmon or lime is all I'm drinking until I get this more under control.
barney34567 dbcriss
Posted
As to the effects of tea and coffee making me go to the bathroom often, I recall getting conflicting information.
The physio (in my experience a con artist) who sold me kegel exercises as a way to get better isn't sister on NO TEA NO COFFEE for a few weeks post op. He then relanted to ONE TEA OR COFFEE max per day.
i complained to my urologist telling him I can't live like that. I love at least two cups a day. He replied "if I were you I'd drink what I want when I want and if the worse that can happen is that you visit the toilet too often, so be it. Big deal, you'll pass urine often, hey, at lest you'll be living as close to what you were pre op"
I listened to the urologist, I also cancelled all sessions with the physio. I felt much better mentally.
just a note of caution: no tea or coffee please after say 7 or 8 pm and you
l be fine.
barney34567
Posted
Sorry my iPad autocorrect made a mistake. Above in para 2 instead of " isn't sister" it should read "insisted".
"relanted" should, read "RELENTED".
robertV Rick802
Posted
Rick802 robertV
Posted
Thanks Robert - It is nice to know that all these irregularities are perceived as normal by the medical professionals. Clearly, when you spend 65+ years having complete urinary control, it feels as though things have become unhinged when you're no longer in charge. I keep banking in the fact that this will improve. Thanks again for sharing your experience, best of luck to you going forward!
barney34567 robertV
Posted
You will see that the more activity you engage in such as walking, the better you'll feel and the sooner you'll heal.
The only downside is that such activities will make you pee more and st times leak.