Cycling UK Forum

Amazing progress indeed. Hope it continues apace!

Sorry to hear about your after op complications. That was very serious. Very pleased that you are recovering well.

Dave R wrote:Sorry to hear about your after op complications. That was very serious. Very pleased that you are recovering well.

Yes, I'm recovering well but having had the catheter removed today I'm a little disheartened by my almost total lack of bladder control. It's obviously the earliest of early days but I expected some sort of intial controland I've virtually none!

I had no control for a few days and then things started to improve slowly. Give yourself time. You've been through a lot.
Don't expect miracles , you'll need a few weeks to get sorted but you'll see milestone improvements on a regular basis. I had good, but not perfect, control after about 4 weeks. Took another month to get 99 percent which is where I am now.
Main thing is they've taken the bad stuff out. Remember that.

Dave R wrote:I had no control for a few days and then things started to improve slowly. Give yourself time. You've been through a lot.
Don't expect miracles , you'll need a few weeks to get sorted but you'll see milestone improvements on a regular basis. I had good, but not perfect, control after about 4 weeks. Took another month to get 99 percent which is where I am now.
Main thing is they've taken the bad stuff out. Remember that.

Thanks for that Dave, that's most encouraging. I've seen some massive improvements already overnight. I'm essentially dry whilst lying down or seated and can usually make it from either position to the loo with only a few small dribbles, then I can empty my bladder in the normal manner, so pretty good I'd say considering my ordeal. Walking is a different ballgame and I'm a mess but that will evolve. For now I'm enjoying the time out and I've concluded I shall have another 2 weeks of doing nothing then back to work 3 days a week. I'm self employed so it's my shout.

saudidave wrote:

Dave R wrote:I had no control for a few days and then things started to improve slowly. Give yourself time. You've been through a lot.
Don't expect miracles , you'll need a few weeks to get sorted but you'll see milestone improvements on a regular basis. I had good, but not perfect, control after about 4 weeks. Took another month to get 99 percent which is where I am now.
Main thing is they've taken the bad stuff out. Remember that.

Thanks for that Dave, that's most encouraging. I've seen some massive improvements already overnight. I'm essentially dry whilst lying down or seated and can usually make it from either position to the loo with only a few small dribbles, then I can empty my bladder in the normal manner, so pretty good I'd say considering my ordeal. Walking is a different ballgame and I'm a mess but that will evolve. For now I'm enjoying the time out and I've concluded I shall have another 2 weeks of doing nothing then back to work 3 days a week. I'm self employed so it's my shout.

It's 9 Days after the catheter was removed now and I can see huge improvements. I'm dry when sitting or lying, waking up in the night to go to the loo rather than just wetting myself for significant periods of time and I can now walk short distances without dribbling, so I'm probably in front of my own optimistic hopes. Considering the extent of the trauma I underwent, I'm more than pleased!

saudidave wrote:

saudidave wrote:

Dave R wrote:I had no control for a few days and then things started to improve slowly. Give yourself time. You've been through a lot.
Don't expect miracles , you'll need a few weeks to get sorted but you'll see milestone improvements on a regular basis. I had good, but not perfect, control after about 4 weeks. Took another month to get 99 percent which is where I am now.
Main thing is they've taken the bad stuff out. Remember that.

Thanks for that Dave, that's most encouraging. I've seen some massive improvements already overnight. I'm essentially dry whilst lying down or seated and can usually make it from either position to the loo with only a few small dribbles, then I can empty my bladder in the normal manner, so pretty good I'd say considering my ordeal. Walking is a different ballgame and I'm a mess but that will evolve. For now I'm enjoying the time out and I've concluded I shall have another 2 weeks of doing nothing then back to work 3 days a week. I'm self employed so it's my shout.

It's 9 Days after the catheter was removed now and I can see huge improvements. I'm dry when sitting or lying, waking up in the night to go to the loo rather than just wetting myself for significant periods of time and I can now walk short distances without dribbling, so I'm probably in front of my own optimistic hopes. Considering the extent of the trauma I underwent, I'm more than pleased!

Well done SaudiDave that was a very close call there -- did you ever find out what went wrong if anything with the Rp surgery to cause the internal bleeding ?

Cowsham wrote: ↑3 Apr 2021, 6:44am

saudidave wrote:

saudidave wrote:
Thanks for that Dave, that's most encouraging. I've seen some massive improvements already overnight. I'm essentially dry whilst lying down or seated and can usually make it from either position to the loo with only a few small dribbles, then I can empty my bladder in the normal manner, so pretty good I'd say considering my ordeal. Walking is a different ballgame and I'm a mess but that will evolve. For now I'm enjoying the time out and I've concluded I shall have another 2 weeks of doing nothing then back to work 3 days a week. I'm self employed so it's my shout.

It's 9 Days after the catheter was removed now and I can see huge improvements. I'm dry when sitting or lying, waking up in the night to go to the loo rather than just wetting myself for significant periods of time and I can now walk short distances without dribbling, so I'm probably in front of my own optimistic hopes. Considering the extent of the trauma I underwent, I'm more than pleased!

Well done SaudiDave that was a very close call there -- did you ever find out what went wrong if anything with the Rp surgery to cause the internal bleeding ?

When they opened me up in the second emergency surgery they could find no bleed - it had sorted itself. From what I was told by my surgeon and confirmed by my daughter, also a surgeon, that is often the case. I am recovering apace from that emergency surgery and I’ve ceased to be annoyed or upset by it, so Que Sara, these things happen. I have very little discomfort now and suspect I’ll be driving again in a week or so, but I shall delay approximately another 3 weeks before getting back on the bike, to be on the safe side. Hopefully, I’ll have much further improved continence by then as well.

Yes wise decision Dave -- take it real easy for a while -- by June you'll be out in the summer heat enjoying life.

Cowsham wrote: ↑4 Apr 2021, 1:32pm Yes wise decision Dave -- take it real easy for a while -- by June you'll be out in the summer heat enjoying life.

I’d like to think so and if I keep doing the pelvic floor exercises diligently I see no reason that I can’t hit that goal. I am however a realist and if it takes longer than that then so be it. My progress so far would suggest that I will in fact be one of the 95% who get back to “normal” albeit that may a new normal and that’s all I want. It’s better than dying with cancer anyway!

saudidave wrote: ↑4 Apr 2021, 12:34pm

Cowsham wrote: ↑3 Apr 2021, 6:44am

saudidave wrote:
It's 9 Days after the catheter was removed now and I can see huge improvements. I'm dry when sitting or lying, waking up in the night to go to the loo rather than just wetting myself for significant periods of time and I can now walk short distances without dribbling, so I'm probably in front of my own optimistic hopes. Considering the extent of the trauma I underwent, I'm more than pleased!

Well done SaudiDave that was a very close call there -- did you ever find out what went wrong if anything with the Rp surgery to cause the internal bleeding ?

When they opened me up in the second emergency surgery they could find no bleed - it had sorted itself. From what I was told by my surgeon and confirmed by my daughter, also a surgeon, that is often the case. I am recovering apace from that emergency surgery and I’ve ceased to be annoyed or upset by it, so Que Sara, these things happen. I have very little discomfort now and suspect I’ll be driving again in a week or so, but I shall delay approximately another 3 weeks before getting back on the bike, to be on the safe side. Hopefully, I’ll have much further improved continence by then as well.

After week 3 I got a bladder infection and I'm back to square one - more or less no control. I''ve now had 5 days of antibiotics but they have done nothing so far. This has been the biggest disaster of my life!

Sorry to hear that Dave -- a bladder infection is very painful. Hope you get better soon.

Cowsham wrote: ↑24 Apr 2021, 4:04pm Sorry to hear that Dave -- a bladder infection is very painful. Hope you get better soon.

It wasn't painful actually, just the constant need to pee, even when I'd just been! The antibiotics have sorted that out. Apparently I'd overdone the pelvic floor exercises too. Paradoxically, whilst it does strengthen them, it tires them so that they don't work fully when you relax and it makes you dribble.
I've left them alone for a few days and I'll start again tomorrow on just 3 sets of 10 per day and I'll see what happens

Good to hear the infection is sorted -- didn't know you could wear out your pelvic floor.

saudidave wrote: ↑24 Apr 2021, 2:14pm

saudidave wrote: ↑4 Apr 2021, 12:34pm

Cowsham wrote: ↑3 Apr 2021, 6:44am

Well done SaudiDave that was a very close call there -- did you ever find out what went wrong if anything with the Rp surgery to cause the internal bleeding ?

When they opened me up in the second emergency surgery they could find no bleed - it had sorted itself. From what I was told by my surgeon and confirmed by my daughter, also a surgeon, that is often the case. I am recovering apace from that emergency surgery and I’ve ceased to be annoyed or upset by it, so Que Sara, these things happen. I have very little discomfort now and suspect I’ll be driving again in a week or so, but I shall delay approximately another 3 weeks before getting back on the bike, to be on the safe side. Hopefully, I’ll have much further improved continence by then as well.

After week 3 I got a bladder infection and I'm back to square one - more or less no control. I''ve now had 5 days of antibiotics but they have done nothing so far. This has been the biggest disaster of my life!

It's been a month or so since I last reported on this and quite a bit has happened, so here goes.

I had a telephone consultation with my surgeon 9 days ago and he confirmed that the cancer was confined to the prostate, albeit it had gone to the next level of aggression in the 4 months that had elapsed after my biopsy and it was also moving towards my bladder, so I was fortunate that they got it out when they did. He explained a lot of things about various issues that gave me peace of mind but the most comforting was that the odds on my making a full recovery, clear of cancer was 98%. I also need no chemo or radiotherapy.

It took a total of 4 weeks to sort out the bladder infection so the first 7 weeks after the catheter was removed didn't see that much progress in the continence recovery process although the last 10 days have seen a huge change in that respect. I'd also been told by a urology specialist nurse that I should limit pelvic floor exercises to 3 sets of 10 a day as the muscle tires and the incontinence goes worse. My surgeon told me to ignore that and just go for it as whilst what she had told me was true, the more I did the quicker the overall recovery would be, so long as I could as accept more incontinence along the way. I've experimented and for 8 days I did 6/7 sets a day then had a day off doing them to rest the pelvic floor and the improvement to my continence level is quite significant. I shall now do them six days per week and have a recovery day.

So at last, I'm feeling a lot more positive and almost normal again. (If I ever was)!