Can we learn from our community members about exercises for strengthening
Pelvic floor muscles...
I find it hard to hold muscles for more than 2 s
May I am missing some trick
It seems a very promising therapy ....see Deryl ref...Malecare....but nothing is said about how to....
How to go about it in simple clear way....
Maybe a visual will help: youtube.com/watch?v=rQQSqLC...
Also, prior to my RRP my physical therapist attached some electrodes to my pelvic floor and asked me to watch a monitor as I contracted and relaxed the muscles. Being able to "see" the the results of my efforts was very impactful. She really stressed the ability to fully relax the muscle, just as important as tightening/squeezing. My bladder control is excellent. I still do exercises daily, and surgery was over a year ago.
I use a Kegels app on my phone. It reminds me twice a day and offers a rotation of 10 different sets. The hold is 2 or 4 seconds with a rest in between. I also try to alternate sides and front and back areas. Might be in my mind but it works.
Hi I had a Prostatectomy May 31 2017, I began Levels as soon as I the surgery scheduled which was about 5 weeks prior. I stopped while I had a catheter for two weeks after surgery. I had left nerve bundle removed and right side spared.
Upon taking out the catheter Day one I used 10 pads. I bought a small plastic kitchen scale at Target for like $5 to $10. I weighed every pad I took out wet. A fully wet pad weighed 6 to 7 ounces.
I started two logs, every day writing the times I removed each pad. And how many onces they weighed. If away from home I estimated the weight.
I wrote and circled the total pads for each day. You go through plateaus throughout the decrease in pads over the, in my case seven months to going pad free.
Getting stuck on a certain number of pads and thinking you can't go any lower but you keep with the Levels and you get breakthroughs to a lower level.
I didn't do them blindly but constantly analysed where and when I was leaking. For example early on I dribbled when lifting my left leg putting on my underwear but not when I lifted my right leg. I connected that my left nerve bundle had been removed so I concentrated on the left side of groin with the Kegels and that worked very quickly and I moved on.
I did Kegel probably 85 % of the time in bed and tried many many different leg positions trying to find those that resulted in leaks and then did Kegels in those positions as well as the standard on the back with legs straight. Doing Kegels on your stomach is completely different and I did those as well.
I did some short held and long held Kegels, usually in groups of 6 later on in groups of 10, doing 10 groups. I did this before falling asleep each night and I didn't allow myself to skip nights. Incidentally I was given a pump for penis health part way through which seemed to have a radical effect to speed recovery. I also ride my bike for exercise which acted to strengthen my whole mis and pelvic area.
I soon began going two days on a pad then 7 months to the day I ended pad use altogether. I continued to progress even when I stopped pads, I stopped doing Kegels probably after another couple months.
PS you will leak less when sitting than standing and more when walking. I walked my dogs for exercise and to strengthen my ability not to leak. But in reality perhaps the walking my just have been a measurement of how well I was progressing with my Kegels.
In closing get the scale so you can see when the weight of each pad decreases. Keep a log to see the progression even when it seems like no progression is happening. And do the Kegels every night. Some while watching TV is good too, however my nurse once scolded me for doing too many each day. Said I was over doing it.
Great way to measure progress - thanks
TJGuy
Hi Karmaji
I followed pretty much the same time frame as TJ. After three months I was pretty much still 100% incontinent and thinking I was never going to improve. 😢Very discouraging! slowly I would notice I was changing pads less often and not leaking as much as when I walked. Over the next few months things kept slowly improving.
From the beginning I did not leak very much when sitting and hardly at all when laying down at night.
I kept delaying my SRT until my continence improved. 8 months after my surgery in October I felt my continence was good enough to start my radiation. I only leaked here and there, usually stress. The only time I now wore a pad was when I was running around playing softball.
Just finished 7 weeks of radiation and my continence level is unchanged except I have started leaking at night which I am sure is from the radiation and I assume it will stop in a few weeks. 🤞
I forgot to mention that I did do a LOT of kegels through the entire time. I could feel the contractionsn getting stronger.
Keep up your Kegels and you will make progress! Pretty soon you will be able to go from 2 secs up to much longer. Have patience and good luck to you!
youtube.com/watch?v=1Q6DdTc...
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n Sunday 11/10/2019 6:12 PM EST
At the beginning they were soaked all the time so I did not bother weighing the pads but when I got down to the pads only being moist I started weighing them.
I even made up a graph and did some statistical analysis, I think it was the first time my urologist had ever seen that.
I stopped weighing the pads when my monthly daily average had dropped below <1g and my worst day was 2 g with whole runs of zero days.
I had a prostatectomy plus radiation so I am pretty pleased with that result as the combination of the two can be pretty grim on the incontinence front.
what did u do.....
I did a lot of Kegel exercises, I would lie in bed and do them before going to sleep and when I woke up in the night due to the ADT induced insomnia, I think I was lucky as well.
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