For three months after a TURP I faithfully did the prescribed exercises
three times daily. My bladder still drained any time I rose to a standing
position or bent over putting pressure on my abdomen. I was then sent to a
local hospital for lengthy biofeedback sessions. At the beginning of the
first session the RN asked me to demonstrate how I was doing the exercises.
I sucked my stomach inward and she said, "That's all wrong.  It is
contraindicated." She then had me hold one hand on my stomach and instructed
me to imagine that I was in a hurry to have a bowel movement and was
puckering my rectum in order to make it to a mens' room before messing my
pants. When I did this, my stomach didn't move and the pressure felt like it
produced an upward motion. Just doing it this way when I stand up has
already helped me.

I was told that the pelvic-floor muscle controls the sphincters for the
urethra and the rectum. Thus, feeling as though I am only exercising my
rectum is incorrect. I am actually strengthening both orifices.

I knew that I had a "somewhat enlarged prostate" which was affecting urine
flow for several years. At my annual visit to the urologist I was told that
someday I would need surgery.  When I had an unrelated bone-scan, I was
shown an image on the monitor which showed that I had a nearly full bladder
after I thought I had just emptied it. A different urologist said that I
should have had the TURP surgery years ago. My pelvic-floor muscle became
lazy and weak because my prostrate had usurped the job of bladder control.

While connected to the computer with a probe up my rectum and leads taped to
my abdomen, I could watch two lines move up and down and across the monitor.
The upper one showed the strength of the pelvic-floor muscle when I was told
to contract my rectum.  The lower line showed the strength and movement of
my abdominal muscle. The latter had become very strong during my three
months of exercising it!  That tells me that three months of exercising the
proper muscle can help me greatly.

My first session was two hours and the second was more than an hour.  My
third one will be two days from now and I am eager to go to it.  I am
convinced that this is really worthwhile.

BTW, other than a very slight discomfort when the probe is first inserted,
the sessions seem like a challenging computer game.