Week 1 over

Hi Robert. It sounds as though your surgery was successful and you seem pretty upbeat.

I had RT and not surgery but still needed a supply of both pads and pants. The pants were handy for travelling between home and treatment centre (nearly three hours) and the pads for during the night for the second two weeks of RT and a couple of weeks after.

I still have some left and will be passing them on to a friend who is just starting on the same treatment path that I set out on a year ago.

Ask at your GP surgery if these are supplied by the NHS in your area.  Usually they esnd out a district nurse who asks you questions to find out which ones would suit you and they are delivered.  If not use Boots own brand as they tend to be cheaper though sometimes TENA are on at a similar price in larger supermarkets and often on special offer.  I would start with the large capacity pads to start with.  If you find you do not need these then work down.  Would have the pants for either car journeys or night time.  Also use a urine bottle by the bedside at night too and maybe for the first few weeks have one near you when you are at home.  You can buy these at larger pharmacies Boots and at mobility shops and online buy a couple so you always have a clean one to hand.  I didn't have RP but had 20 weeks of RT and hormone therapy before.  Luckily I didn't need to use pads either during or after but had already started using pads and pants for journeys and days out as I have a sensitive bladder.

Hope everything goes well for you.

Des

Robert I just got some of Boots own pads, they're relatively cheap, but you might be able to get a prescription for them.  Hopefully you won't need many or for too long. It's very variable, I'm sfraid.  I hope you keep up the Kegel.exercises!

I was terrible doing them, hardly did them at all.  I think it's quite important you do them as much as possible and when you do wee, don't just let it go until.you feel empty, stop and start to train your sphincter.

Luckily , despite a lack of Kegels, I stopped needing pads after about 6 weeks.

Thanks- physio said no pelvic exercises until the bag has gone and that’s now 3 hours away.

I’m sure my wife will give me grief if I don’t keep the exercises up!

I take it the catheter is now out and hope you are managing to wee.

Weird feeling isn't it?

I hope you are Kegelling like mad and not too uncomfortable.

Incidentally, if you have any concerns about Erectile Dysfunction, I realise it might be the last thing you're thinking about now, but it is recommended that you start "erectile rehabilitation" as soon as the catheter is out.  The longer you delay, the less likely you will recover function.

You could start by seeing your GP who will hopefully prescribe a PDE5 inhibitor for you e.g. Sildenafil, (commonly referred to as Viagra).

Morning- Yes all clips and tube out and peeing like broken cistern - constant when standing....

i think my stock of pads will need renewing sooner than expected. 

But it was so good to put the night bag in the bin and stairs are a lot easier!

thanks on the ED issue I’ll try GP for a chat.

Robert, good news on the catheter and clips. Let's hope the constant peeing slows down over the next few days. 

Thanks Seamus - at least it’s better once in bed.

Gravity ad its effect on leaking are a good indicator of progress.

At first you may. leak no matter what position you're in, but it will be less when lying down than when sitting and less when sitting than when standing.  Crouching will however be the worst position, followed closely by coughing.

As things improve, you'll start being dry when lying down, but still leaking when sitting or standing, then you'll start being dry when sitting but not when stsnding.  Hopefully you'll start being dry when standing, then coughing.

The last problem to go, if it does, is leaking when crouching.  I never wear pads but occasionally I leak a little when crouching when I haven't had a wee for a while.  I also have to be careful when I do wee because I often "drip" a few drops after I've finished.and I have a technique for ensuring that doesn't happen.

Two things I wasn't warned about, mainly because the urologists had never heard of them,  is "erectile incontinence* and "climacturia".  When you get an erection, don't stand up because you will leak.  This is because having the prostate removed shortens the urethra.  Therefore with an erection it stretches the urethra and pulls on the bladder sphincter making it open a little.  If you have an orgasm, (climax),  you won't ejaculate semen anymore, however you might ejaculate urine.

This rarely happens with me now, because I make sure I empty my bladder at an opportune moment.

It might sound unpleasant, but you have to develop a relationship with your urine!  Most people probably think of their urine as being dirty and not something you want to be in contact with.

Strangely, when your urine is in your bladder, you're not conscious of it being there, or being dirty.  It's only when it leaves the bladder that you become conscious of it.  Sure, its unpleasant being wet, it can be irritating because it's slightly acid and after a while the urea in it will revert back to ammonia and it will smell.  So you don't want it in contact with your skin for sny length of tme.  However, urine is not dirty, it is sterile and in fact, because its slightly acid it can be used as an antiseptic.

Definitely a large supply of size 4 pads