Change in urination pattern
Prior to my prostate cancer diagnosis, I suffered from BPH for over a decade. One of the few pluses of a radical prostatectomy, aside from having cancer taken out of your body, is "curing" BPH. Two months post-op, I still have mild to moderate incontinence and enjoyed a return to a forceful urine stream and the need to urinate down to a more normal 3-4 times per day and maybe once after bedtime. While the flow is still good, I am now, 10 weeks post-op, having a similar urgency and frequency during my BPH era. I also don't believe my bladder is completely filling, but I'm not really sure about that. Has anyone had a similar change in urine patterns?
Hi Topher. Sorry you are having this problem. One rare side effect after surgery can be scarring that can narrow the urethra, making it difficult to urinate. This Q&A from a med school focuses on the prostatectomy and mentions urgent urination if one tries to hold it too long: https://www.siumed.edu/surgery/urology/faqs-radical-prostatectomy.html. Has your doctor had any thoughts on potential causes? Hoping you get some answers and relief soon. Best, Richard (ProstateCancer.net Team)
Following surgery it takes a while to regain control. It is major surgery and lots of things happened during the process. It just takes time for things to work again.
In my own case it took about 3 months before I was dry when getting up in the AM. After things progressed well. At about 6 months things were doing well and suddenly I no longer needed pads.
I get the occasional unexpected few drops now and then but it is nothing underwear can not handle.
There are a few guys in our group who were having serious leakage issues a full year after surgery. Several looked into having a second intervention and were pleased with the outcome.
Waiting for things to dry up is frustrating and embarrassing. Having been there I have some idea of what you are going through. Since no one can speed up the clock just know that over time things tend to improve for the vast majority of men. ... Dennis(ProstateCancer.net) ModeratorHi Topher, I am 5 weeks post-op. I am having a similar experience. After urinating, I feel I have urine in my bladder. I found a procedure on YouTube to fully empty my bladder, but they didn’t help. I too like the strong stream. I am doing my Kegels religiously, I think my control is slowly improving.
As Richard noted it is possible that scar tissue may have developed and is restricting urine flow. That said it also takes time to heal. The MD's here tell patients some men are ok in a month while others can take 6 months to a year. Always best to discuss with your surgeon to see if something needs to be checked further. Do keep us up to date ... Dennis(ProstateCancer.net TEAM)
