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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / December 2003Losing ground
Went back on the ditropan today. I will try anything short of the rubber band to stop the leaking. Since my wife's accident I have lost ground. Six pads have become the norm. Of course, this is not a "normal" time of the year, i.e., I am not just sitting at my desk hitting keys on the computer keyboard all day. Up and down, wrapping packages, go to the store, clean this, wash that, etc. Standing most of the time and a lot of stooping, etc. Not normal for me. Perhaps that with the stress is behind this. I tried to call the uro yesterday, but nobody home. They must have taken an extended break for the holiday. Good for them. They deserve it. I can wait. However, in today's mail I see it will not have to wait. It seems my doc has set up an appointment for me right after New Year's. I had called two or three weeks ago to ask more questions about the impotence, and they told me I would have to set up an appointment to deal specifically with that. After my wife's accident I figured that would have to wait. Looks like they took that more seriously than I did, and they took the initiative to set up the appointment. We will see what that brings. If he suggests the injections as the next step I do not know what I will do. Anybody out there rely on the injections as the main method to overcome impotence? I am not sure I can do the shots. My wife is a nurse, so she could do the injection, but I can think about a lot more romantic forms of foreplay. I am damn sick of the incontinence, just in case that did not come through above. But,.... MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, and to copy a great writer, to all a good night. Thank you. David S. P.S. Buttercup is still hiding out. We lost ground there too. Since the accident she will not even look at my wife, and she does not want to be with us at all. It is like she has rejected us. I am not sure how to comfort her and make her feel safe with us again??? More stress. Great....happy new year. geez david, do i ever know about the incontinence..... this is the place we can talk about it. i hear it does get better and it must. i compare it to waiting behind a slow driver at an intersection. when i get impatient i think; hey do you see any cars parked at any intersections for days on end? NO, likewise, it WILL pass. hmmm. i even wonder when but it's only been 6 days. the important thing i found is to get the right equipment. i use the 'depend' diapers for adults. no fancy straps to adjust. then put 'always' maxi overnight pads for women inside them. that way when i can't stand being wet, i just pull out a pad from my pocket when walking (it seems i like a fresh one every half hour) and watch for rest rooms in the malls or plan to walk near stores. keep a 'depends' men's pad too in case you feel an urge for a large pad. and dang! what a pain those pads are to sit on! think of what women go through! try to humor yourself by comparing notes with your women friends about pads, ha! and by 6, 7, 8pm i am tired in the muscle dept.. so then if no one is round i just put a small cup between my legs with my robe on. the handi wipes and viva paper towels help. so does many garbage cans all over the place. the dumps would over flow if everyone was using those diapers, that's for sure. if anything takes getting used to it's incontinence. what a bullS**t word that is to describe it. most of my friends don't even know what it means. when you fight the reality of the current situation, then it gets hard. it will pass, try to make light of it. geez, i can't even drive and that takes some getting used to. hope this helps... greg > geez david, do i ever know about the incontinence..... this is the place > we can talk about it. i hear it does get better and it must. i compare [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > through! try to humor yourself by comparing notes with your women > friends about pads, ha! > and by 6, 7, 8pm i am tired in the muscle dept.. so then if no one is > round i just put a small cup between my legs with my robe on. the handi [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > hard. it will pass, try to make light of it. geez, i can't even drive > and that takes some getting used to. hope this helps... greg Hello. I had an RP about four years ago and have been incontinent ever since. Some men improve in as much as two years. Your Dr. can refer you to someone who can help you with Kegal exercises. Another alternative is an artificial urinary sphincter which may be premature at this time. Try the Kegals and be patient. In many cases men improve to just urge incontinence which is a little bit better than pissing like a race horse. Hope this helps. P.S. drinking caffeine draws water from your body. Try reducing it and you WILL see the difference. There is a devise called a sling that I read gives good results.You can run a search for it. My doctor advised that the sling would not work for me because of my total incontinence. Also he advised against collagen injections because of its poor record with my condition. After enduring this condition for 18 months, I had a AUS installed. If one goes over 6 months with improvement in the continence department, the future is bleak. I am very glad to have the AUS installed. > There is a devise called a sling that I read gives good results.You can run > a search for it. Dave: The six months is what has me worried. I am at five months post RRP now, and I cannot see any improvement. Today I was going through pads every two hours. However, it was another really busy day, up and down, standing a lot, etc. So that may have something to do with it. I have my next appointment in January, so I will ask for more information then, including the AUS. Thank you to everyone for their responses. Happy New Year. David S. > My doctor advised that the sling would not work for me because of my total > incontinence. Also he advised against collagen injections because of its [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > run > > a search for it. David, What is your typical daily liquid intake? I had the office coffee pot removed from next to my office door because I found I was drinking 2-3 pots a day and dribbling a cup or so. When I drink a lot of beer and stand, I lose a cup of that too. But, if I drink a lot of water and just a pot of coffee, I'm dry as a desert.  SignatureWishing you a Happy New Year Prostate Cancer Survivor (so far), not a doctor PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 PSA .1 .1 .1 .3 .4 .8 EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .3 .2 .2 .2 .3 Erection 05/12/2003 @ 48 Begin Lupron 07/21/2003 @ 48 PSA .1 > Dave: > The six months is what has me worried. I am at five months post RRP [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > run > > > a search for it. Steve: While the catheter was in I purposely drank a lot of water and juice. When it came out I stopped that. I also stopped the coffee altogether for a few weeks to see if that made a difference (I drink decaf). It did not. In a normal morning I will drink two cups, probably 12 ounce each. Other than that it is water for the most part. Sometimes I will drink a Coke or Sprite, but I lost my taste for carbonated beverages a long time ago. Today "we" took down the tree so it was up and down, standing a lot, etc. I filled some pads in two hours. Also, I went back on the dirtropan a couple days ago. All I have to show for that is a dry mouth and throat. My wife, the nurse, tells me that it should help the incontinence and encourages me to stick with it. So, until the next uro appointment in January, I guess this will be my routine. Still have to take down the outside lights, but they probably will stay up until after New Year's day. Speaking of which, Happy New Year to the group. Thank you. David S. > David, > [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > > > run > > > > a search for it. I'm moving all my crap out of the old house. I was looking for pads tonight at Sam's. Never thought I'd got back to them. SignatureWishing you a Happy New Year Prostate Cancer Survivor (so far), not a doctor PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 PSA .1 .1 .1 .3 .4 .8 EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .3 .2 .2 .2 .3 Erection 05/12/2003 @ 48 Begin Lupron 07/21/2003 @ 48 PSA .1 > Steve: > While the catheter was in I purposely drank a lot of water and juice. [quoted text clipped - 56 lines] > > > > run > > > > > a search for it. David S., Sounds like you are becoming discouraged. While you and I are past the median time (3 months) for urine control, we both have some time yet. Some men don't acquire it until 18 months. I do believe I read somewhere that 18 months is just about the upper limit though - if no control by then ..., well you get the picture. As for me, I am regaining some control but I too have bad days although none as bad as during the first few weeks. Just yesterday (Christmas day) I went through five pads but I changed two prematurely in anticipation of visiting relatives, etc. As for surgery to fix it, I wouldn't advise anyone on whether or not to have it. I wouldn't myself because all three times I've gone under the knife since age 18 I've come out with side effects that are either annoying, painful, or inconvenient two of which are well known on this newsgroup. Even my vasectomy left me with lifelong epididimitis (the uro I went to at the time said I was one of the lucky 2% with side effects :) - that's that a.shole's grin, not mine). Would I do the surgeries again, you bet for two of them but not for incontinence. Doctors who are still practicing medicine can go practice on someone else. The pads are inconvenient, I get disappointed when I leak but I don't get discouraged - hell, I had an "accident" just two days ago. The accident occured because of false confidence "yeh, it's only been four hours so I can go another two". Well, I couldn't and didn't. The pads are a small expense and inconvenient, but if I have to wear pads the rest of my life, I can do it. I realize that I may never be the way I was before but so what? I can't run a mile in six minutes or have sex three times a day as I could in my early years either. I just view the whole thing as starting a new episode in a life-long soap opera. Take care and keep your chin up (even if that's all we can get up). Here's hoping all us leakers have happy holidays and low PSA's. Dave Perry > Dave: > The six months is what has me worried. I am at five months post RRP [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Happy New Year. > David S. |
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