What is incontinence? Urinary incontinence is the inability to prevent urine leakage. It can occur as a temporary or permanent side effect of prostate cancer surgery. Normally urine is prevented from leaking by the muscles at each end of the prostate.
Why do some men become incontinent after surgery? Upon removal of the prostate from the base of the bladder, the sphincter, which is the muscle beneath the bladder that prevents leakage, can be weakened.
What can be done to reduce the leakage time after the catheter is removed? Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic muscles to help reduce leakage and are recommended for those who will undergo surgery. You may be already doing Kegel exercises and don’t know it. When you have the sensation of urination or to pass gas but you hold it, you are doing a Kegel exercise. If done right, no one will know you are doing them.
If I leak does that mean something went wrong in surgery? No, it is merely a matter of how your body healed.
Are there pills to reduce incontinence? Yes. Ask your doctor about the medications available to control urinary leakage.
What are the other treatment methods available?
Male undergarments or large absorbent underpants can be used especially in the early recovery phases to absorb the leakage.
Biofeedback can be used to train the pelvic muscles to reduce leakage.
Penile clamp may be recommended six to eight weeks after surgery to squeeze the urethra to prevent leakage. However, it should be used for only short periods of time if at all since it can cause tissue and skin damage.
Condom catheters can catch leakage and drain it into a bag, but they are rarely used.
What if my incontitence persists?
An artificial sphincter can be implanted if severe and prolonged leakage occurs. An artificial sphincter is a device that is surgically placed around the urethra and controlled by a pump in the scrotum. Prior to having this surgery, a complete evaluation should be done to determine if this procedure is best for you. You should talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits.
The urethra below the bladder neck can be injected with collagen to reduce urinary leakage. Collagen is a protein extract that is injected into the urethra with a needle through a cystoscope in the penis. It causes the tissues to enlarge and squeeze together, preventing leakage. This procedure may take five to seven sessions to complete.
A surgically implantable pressure pad applied against the urethra has been developed to treat urinary incontinence.
What is incontinence?
You may be already doing Kegel exercises and don’t know it. When you have the sensation of urination or to pass gas but you hold it, you are doing a Kegel exercise. If done right, no one will know you are doing them.
