Pete: Great news about the pathology report and your surgery!  I don't
know what getting a PSA test "soon" means because it takes a while
for the PSA in your system to go away and I have been led to believe
that a PSA before three months after surgery won't be too reliable.

About the dribbling - hey brother, I am with you!  I did the same when
I had my catheter out.  No problem holding it when it was full.  I am
maybe in a little better place in holding it than it sounds like you are,
but I find that I dribble some now and then and if I sneeze or pass gas
or laugh or whatever that I dribble a little more.  Yesterday morning I
woke up with a start when I realized that I had shot a stream of urine
over my leg in bed.  I jumped up and ran to the bathroom.

My advice is to do what you can to strengthen those external sphincter
muscles that you still have.  They are the key to stopping the dribbling.
I know that I've read a lot of guys on here say that doing kegels -
clenching and relaxing those external sphincter muscles - doesn't
help them, but it's worth a try!

Otherwise, I suspect it's time that's needed.....

All the best,

OCL

I don't mean to pee on your parade, but I hope you realize that one PSA test
will not make you "sure" one way or the other.  Twenty years of PSA tests
might.

WE ALL EXPERIENCED THIS!!!  Well, most of us.  Some are very lucky, but
there are very few people in this ng who had any control at all on the first
day or two after removal of the catheter.

Great news, Pete.  Cheers to you and your docs.  When my cath was
removed after my rrp, the doc asked me to pee in the toilet.  I did,
and he told me to stop the flow.  I did (eventually), but a few drops
came before I could totally hold it back.  He told me to work on that.

That was 10 years ago.  I can hold my water now, but only for too
long; if I have the urge to pee, Katie bar the door, 'cause I'm coming
through, unzipping as I move.  d;o)  I would say I have to go at least
once every 2 1/2 hours, depending on how much I drink.  Right now I'm
consuming copious amounts of diet lemonade, and I find that I'm going
more often, probably once an hour.  But I seldom drip or squirt and if
I do it is only because I have that giant urge to uninate and after
awhile, I dribble a few drops.  

I think your future looks good, Pete.  If you could hold it as soon as
the cath was removed and could stop the flow, I think everything will
eventually be ok.  

Good luck and best wishes.

Dave

Pete, give yourself a couple of months.  It takes a while for the
bladder to get back to normal and stuff to heal up.  My doc it can take
up to three years.  My crystal ball says you'll be fine.

dale j

Hi Pete,

You need to KEGEL -
Check out http://www.childbirth.org/articles/kegel.html

Reuben

Hi Pete and congrats.

What's happening is very normal.

From research and the guys here I've learned...

the bladder has been out of work while the cath was in so it takes a
while to get back it's regular feelings.

Urine is produced in small amounts and the bladder...after all the area
has been through...doesn't pick up on these smaller amounts...thus we
leak. (Tell it, I.P.  :-)

At 8 weeks...I'm leaking and squirting but it's better than it was.

You will be too.

As much as we'd like...the bladder just doen't "get full."

It fills slowly.

After a while...you'll hold better and you'll feel the sense of fullness
you had before.

I get that now during the night (no leaking...getting full) and
sometimes during the day.

You'll leak less and get better.

These great guys are telling the truth.

You're very early in this.

Hang in there.

All the best,

Ron B.

Chicago

(I should say...I always sign this way cuz of the other "Rons" here