Hello, Paul:

First of all ... I bet you feel a whole lot better now that the darned
catheter is gone, regardless of how much leakage you have.  

It sounds typical, based on my experience and what others have told me or
posted here.

About 12 days after my surgery, my wife drove me back from Baltimore to our
home, about a 5-hour trip.  I changed my diaper once along the way, and it
was pretty full.  I was never aware of any leakage; I think it was the road
vibration masking it.  (Of course, now I've only got stress incontinence to
deal with.)

--charlie

Dryness or floods or anything in between mean absolutely nothing this
early in the game. You just had a cherry bomb go off in your crotch; as
it heals all sorts of changes will occur. Give it a few months, and keep
up the Kegels.

I.P.

Zoom's experience is an anomoly.  Yours is more common.  I leaked like a
sieve for a couple of days (no nights).  I think I was out of diapers within
2 weeks; pads in 6.

Hi Paul,
Congradulations on yet another "small milestone" in the prostate cancer
world.
And now you are free!
I went to my Dr. with a brown plastic bag with mens diapers in it.  I had my
catheter removed and that was marvelous.
Put on a mans diaper and drove home free.
Did not leak, and was very nervous about the ordeal.  Did not wet my diaper
and did have a little moisture but very little.
Practiced kiegels before and after surgery a lot!  Dripped a small amount
once in a bit but not annoying.
I guess I was a lucky one, and did not have problems.
Practice kiegels, walk a lot, drink lots of fluids.
John Loomis  RP 1999

Hi Paul,

Yippee ... no catheter!  I think your experience is more the norm than
Larry's.  He didn't leak a drop.  Never has.  But we thank the Kegels for
that as he started two weeks prior to surgery and then re-started the day
after the catheter was removed.  And he walked a lot.  Keep up the good
work.

Jean & Larry

Exactly the same for me. in fact I was surprised that my uro never warned
me about any of this right beforehand. As soon as the cath was out and I sat
up, I immediately unloaded all over the exam room floor.

My catheter experience was none too pleasant. After removal about a
week post op, I had no idea what was to be expected, (as we all are).
Dribbles for most of the day. That night, peeing was very difficult so
I erroneously thought I needed to drink more. The next morning I was
hurting pretty bad because I couldn't pee. Uro suggested having the
catheter put back in. On the way to the emergency room, (another bad
decision was choosing the emergency room where I had my RP and not a
closer one) I passed out, wife was driving and she thought I had died.
I woke up a few minutes later, had puked all over myself and was
wondering why my wife was screaming at me. Paramedics arrived, took,
me the remaining mile to the emergency room, catheter reinserted and
bliss as about a liter maybe two of pee drained. When that second
catheter was removed I only lasted about a half a day and had a third
catheter inserted. Uro then proscribed Valium to calm me down. That
worked. I've been blessed with only very little leakage since.

WhiteSoxFan