Ron B,
I was completly incontinent after catheter removal. I did the Kegels on
a regular basis, sets of 10,   4 times a day. I was dry in about 2
months. I had intermitent blood for about 8 weeks.
Steve U

Hello Ron.
I was 49 when diagnosed....I was set up for external beam for prostate
cancer....
I started walking a lot, and thinking....
I went on and got my prostate removed......
I walked a lot prior to the surgery.....
Anyway, out of surgery,  I brought a depends....for the removal of the
cath....
I did have a few episodes of leaking,,,,,,,
But they were minor.
I never wore a depends.
I am fine, finding myself with no troubles with wetting myself...
I do run, and walk......
That is the lifesaver.
So, take each day as it comes, and challenge your spirit!
Run......
Walk........
It does help!
I made 2nd place for the 5k whale run here in our town...   I was exstatic.
I do have my problems, and realize life is not easy.
So, Walk,  use the depends, and make yourself better........
It will work.
RP 1999  age 49  one nerve spared.....
Doing wonderful.
John Loomis

Hi Ron B,

Glad to hear you got your catheter removed today!  

I'm 56 and about six weeks ahead of you (my surgery was 2/21/05) and your experience sounds just like mine!  I couldn't feel my bladder filling either and still can't.  That's because you are constantly leaking or dribbling into the Depends.   Here is what works best for me,  I put on a pair of Depends underwear and then insert a Depends Men's Guard into the crotch.  When the Men's Guard gets full in about 1.5 to 2 hours, I pull it out and put in a new guard.  That way the underwear lasts maybe half a day if I don't wait too long to change the men's guard.  

You get 52 Depends Men's Guards for about $10 on sale at Kmart and Walgreen Drug Store (watch the Saturday ad papers).  I tried the Assurance Men's Guards from Wal-Mart for $10 but they don't hold near the liquid a Depends Men's Guard does.  I know what you mean.  I can't feel leakage into my pad at all when sitting down, only when standing or walking.  

I plan on going back to work on April 18th after nearly then, 8 weeks recovering.  I'll have to carry my bag to work with extra Men's Guards and Men's Underwear in them and Ziploc sandwich bags to get rid of the used pads at work.  That's what I do now when we go shopping or elsewhere.  I hope some of this information will be useful to you and others.  My leakage was very very bad the first two to three weeks after the catheter was removed, but little by little I can stop the leakage now when I get off my recliner until I get into the bathroom then empty most of it there.  

I hope you have as good or better recovery results as me.  I believe as the weeks go by the control will become better and better but maybe it'll take six weeks or more to get to longer periods between pad changes.

Best Regards,
Dave
Stevens Point, WI
 
 Hi everyone.

 I got my cath removed this morning after 11 days and it feels so much
 better.

 I think I can finally sleep.

 However...I have gone through 4 Depends briefs already today and can't
 feel when my bladder needs emptying.

 From all I've heard and read, this might be because it's just the first
 day and the bladder has been using the cath for so long.

 Also, the RRP surgery takes it's toll on our insides, and the 6 days of
 clotting and irrigation that I had in the hospital irritated the
 bladder.

 I'm leaking and squirting and peeing...sometimes without feeling it.

 I'm not panicked on this first day but is there anything I can
 do...besides buy stock in Depends?

 :-)

 I'm trying to do Kegels but wonder if this is likely to calm down on
 it's own as the bladder gets back some feeling.

 No blood (a few small clots now and then)

 Thanks again for any advice.

 I.P....I now know what a "wet cat" is.

 Ron B.

 Chicago

Hi Ron,  I had much the same experience.  The reason you can't feel any
urge or know when your bladder is full is that your bladder is never
full.  As soon as some urine collects, it leaks out.  I personally
think ritualized Kegel exercises are worthless for incontinence for the
nerve/muscle damage that most of us leakers have.  It just takes time
for everything to heal.  Stress incontinence can be helped with Kegels
but until those nerves/muscle heal up there's not much to do.  One
thing that helps you think you're doing something useful is to
start/stop the stream when you collect enough to put in the bowl.  At
least then you know the muscle can work with your conscious help.  The
problem is getting it to work on its own without you consciously
clamping down all the time.  Some guys on the group have been
prescribed meds to help with incontinence but that stuff only works on
keeping the bladder from having little spasms (and hence little
squirts), not most of the leaking we experience.  I think you'll find
the leaking will diminish in time (days?) and eventually disappear.
You're very early in the healing process.  Good luck.
Dave Perry

I started to have a real change for the better at about two months.  

Dale j.

I keep recognizing how lucky I was. LRP on 1/24. Slight incontinence
with removal of cath after two weeks. No blood or clots. Continent for
all practical purposes in 6 weeks (except if I went drinking with the
guys). Now even that is not a problem. No pads or anything after 8
weeks.

You'll get there!!