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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / June 2005Caution: Explicit discussion - Incontinence.
I really hesitate to make this post. I do not want to offend anyone, but I think the subject matter is, unfortunately, relevant to some of us. Not sure this is any worse than some of the other things discussed here. Hope not. Here goes. My RRP was in August of 2003, so I am approaching two years out and am still incontinent. I use the Depends Guards and seem to be going through 1-2 a day during the week and 2-3 a day on weekends. I work at the pc during the week, so I am not physically active. This weekend I was discussing the continued incontinence, and my increasing frustration with the situation, with my wife. She kind of startled me when she announced that I do not change my pads frequently enough. How she would know that I have no idea. I have had only one accident in the last six months, so that is not what she is observing. I also do not know how things are for a woman, or how big the pads are that a woman would use (aren't the Guards a lot bigger)? Anyway, the way I judge when it is time to change is based on weight and visual inspection. The pad gets heavy when it is getting full and it causes the briefs to sag. I can feel that when I stand up or walk. Secondly, when the area at the bottom of the pad starts to turn yellow it is time. Leaking will soon follow. So, those of you who also use a pad, or other absorbent garment, how do you handle the timing of changes? Do you do it on more of a fixed time period, or do you go as long as you can before making a change? For a long time I felt comfortable saying that I only used one pad per day. According to what I read in 2003 Hopkins considers that "continent". If I am waiting too long to change, then maybe I am really going through three pads a day, so I am not as well off as I thought. I mentioned in an earlier post that my uro is referring me to a uro who specializes in incontinence. They called today and that appointment is scheduled for July 13th. They told me they would be doing testing that day too, so maybe this will result in some relief. Wish me luck. Thank you. David S. > She kind of startled me when she announced > that I do not change my pads frequently enough. > How she would know that I have no idea. David . . . ASK HER. About the only question we shouldn't be willing to ask our wives is how to find a good hooker and why she's so fat. I.P. We discussed this over the weekend. It is not that I am afraid to ask her. What I want to determine is how the others, I mean men who use absorbent pads, make the judgment when it is time to change. The way I approached it was if it does not leak it is okay (I tend to try to stretch a dime). From what she told me this weekend that is not right. She is telling me that I need to be changing more frequently for sanitary reasons. She did not mention odor, but maybe that has something to do with it? > > She kind of startled me when she announced > > that I do not change my pads frequently enough. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > I.P. If I waited for mine to leak, I'd sometimes be in a single diaper for many days if I'm not doing much physical labor or play. That would get stinky. But whether at my leakiest/wettest or my dryer but longest-wearing periods of 24 hours, I've never seen any skin symptoms -- no rash, redness, itching, etc. It's all about the yuck factor for me, presuming the problem goes away within a few more months. I could switch to pads, but prefer the diapers' greater protection and reduced need to change anything. That may change as hot weather sets in. I.P. > We discussed this over the weekend. It is not that I am afraid to ask > her. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > with > it? Hello David S., I've tried women's pads (the largest ones I can find) and they hold much less than the Depend Guards. Where a Depend Guards pad will usually last all day, I have to change women's pads twice in one morning. Also, there is no pouch so if little Willie gets deflected to left or right the pad is of no use at all. I have exactly the same symtoms you have - droopy drawers, yellow tail, etc.. I think changing is a matter of personal choice and comfort. I change if I've been working outside in warm weather and the perpspiration makes everything damp down there. The pad may be almost empty of urine but a new/dry one feels better. Sometimes I wear one pad all day and through the evening. Sometimes I change around dinner time to be more comfortable. Something I've discovered, I have only stress incontinence with a full bladder such as in the morning when I first get out of bed and before emptying the bladder. No routine leaks at all. The routine leaking occurs with a near empty bladder and less as the bladder fills. I'm guessing it has to do with the full bladder pushing down on that last muscle kind of pinching things off. I have no idea exactly why but that's my observation. Of course the stress incontinence is just the opposite, non-existent with an empty bladder and full bore with a full bladder. Go figure. Good luck with the appt. on July 13th. My 2-year anniversary is July 15th. Be sure to let us know what you learn. Your colleague in diapers, Dave Perry > I've tried women's pads (the largest ones I can find) and they hold > much less than the Depend Guards. Where a Depend Guards pad will > usually last all day, I have to change women's pads twice in one > morning. Also, there is no pouch so if little Willie gets deflected to > left or right the pad is of no use at all. I have exactly the same > symtoms you have - droopy drawers, yellow tail, etc.. ...... I've been alternating between Depend Guards and Poise Ultra plus. I find that the Ultra-Plus holds more than the Guards. The Ultra Plus is about a half-inch narrower than the guards (and a little longer) but that usually is not a problem. Furthermore, I find that I do not need the length of either, so I usually cut them in half and tape the cut edges. I find this is more comfortable then having a pad between my legs. I have no problem when the half-pad is positioned just right. > I change if I've been > working outside in warm weather and the perpspiration makes everything > damp down there. Not pertinent, but I wore a diaper under my wetsuit in the lake for many hours last week. DON'T! The absorbent pad disintegrates in that much wetness and activity, and I looked from head to toe like I had been thrown in the washing machine with a loose box of Kleenex and a cup of Vaseline. MAN, what a mess! Don't stretch them dimes TOO far in warm weather. I.P. Freely in my wetsuit now >Something I've discovered, I have only stress incontinence with a full >bladder such as in the morning when I first get out of bed and before [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >opposite, non-existent with an empty bladder and full bore with a full >bladder. Go figure. I've been thinking that too. I'm at 2 1/2 months after RRP, so maybe it's early yet. I know my results and opinions are very mixed and confusing still, what seems true one minute isnt the next. Two pads a day, which is not nearly the big deal I expected.. just how it is. I do think it is slowly getting better. But during the day and evenings, it does often seem like it runs right through me, an open pipe. I can feel it and go try to pee very frequently, like maybe every half hour, but there is almost nothing still there to bother with. If I dont go try, then it seems to get better, and I can go pee a tub full after a couple of hours. Overnight is no problem, but then I walk an hour in the mornings, and that's when it starts. Its like that little valve needs some signal from a half-full bladder to get the idea what it is supposed to do. > I mentioned in an earlier post that my uro is referring me to a uro who > specializes in incontinence. They called today and that appointment is > scheduled for July 13th. They told me they would be doing testing that > day > too, so maybe this will result in some relief. Wish me luck. I do wish you luck, David! I know this is getting old... and you want some relief. I hope the specialist will be able to do something to help! Take care! MikeH Have you guys with ongoing incontinence tried drinking lots of water and trying to hold it as long as possible , with the minimum amount of 'pressure'. This helped me to get to where I dont wear any pads after 6 months RRP. I gave up pelvic floor excersizes after 4 months and now drink lots of water. As I do a bit of automotive repair work and sometimes get in awkward positions (like under a dash) sometimes I have a bit of a stress drip, but I don't worry about it. Same when I'm about to sneeze, I have to squeeze my legs together for half a minute till it subsides. I found pelvic floor exercises didn't work, they only made me feel like I wanted to urinate, so I gave up on them after 4 months. So try the water method and good luck Ronaldo Hi David and guys. First...I hope that NOTHING about PC or its' side effects is too explicit. I went from the Depends Extra, to Depends Regular to Guards and am now working with Serenity Ultra and Extra. The Depends are easiest and hold well with no fears...yet I found that there WAS some wetness inside and 'Willie' would get sore from having his face uh...HEAD pushed up agaist a urine barrier. :-) So I'd use the Desitin Ointment and sometimes keep a small pad INSIDE the Depends...and change IT frequently. (2 or 3 times a day) The Guards can get pretty heavy and hold a LOT of urine. Maybe it's the 'wet cat' droop or the odor that your wife detects. When those things were getting full and I'd remove them to change..it would 'flop' in the sink like a wet fish. They hold a LOT of urine. The pads...hold less and I change them sooner rather than later. It's worth the price. I haven't figured out all the ins and outs of the leaks. Sometimes they make sense...sometimes not. It's been not quite 3 months so it's OK for now. I can see how long term leaking would be very frustrating. I hope your appointment goes well David. I wish you and everyone the best of health, Ron B. Chicago I've been having an increasing problem with stress incontinence while golfing. And my uro's suggestion of hitting from the red tees since I was on hormones didn't help a bit. I was filling, and a couple of time overfilling, a pad during each nine-hole scramble. This Wednesday, I was to play 18 holes. I was literally fretting the experience. I packed extra pads in my bag. BUT, before golfing, starting the night before, I cut out all caffeine (normally a big coffee and diet cola drinker) and drank lots of water. In 18 holes I felt leakage on less than half a dozen swings. I had plenty of pad left when I was finished. This instant result and convinced me that if I'm going to golf or move furniture in the future, I will cease caffeine intake beginning the day before.  SignaturePSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins PSA .1 .1 .1 .27 .37 .75 EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 (4 mo), 12/03, 4/04, 09/04, 01/05 PSA .07 .05 .06 .05 non Illegitimi carborundum > Have you guys with ongoing incontinence tried drinking lots of water > and trying to hold it as long as possible , with the minimum amount of [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Ronaldo Wayne is right about the 'hard to figure' aspect of it. 2 1/2 months IS early...and I sometimes think of the pelvic floor muscle that's left as the round rubber thing that you throw over the drain in the sink or the bathtub. When the tub is full, or half full, the thing stays in place...but when it's pretty empty...an edge will usually kick up and a little water will drain. My visit with the incontinence specialist is in July, and I just know he is going to tell me to cut out the caffeine. Not sure how I will do giving up coffee. <snip> > the night before, I cut out all caffeine (normally a big coffee and diet > cola drinker) and drank lots of water. In 18 holes I felt leakage on less [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > > > Ronaldo |
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