Bladder Control Post-SRS: Any Tips?

43
u/[deleted]
Wed Mar 25 15:34:04 2020 UTC
(11 comments)

As I'm healing, I've noticed I'm still getting used to having a shortened urethra, and understanding when it's time to go.

While I haven't peed my pants, I have had my maxi pads wet, and when I go to sit down to pee, I notice some will dribble out before I even finish to sit down. I don't have a UTI, and there is no stinging or spraying anymore more than a month in. However, "holding it", as I was used to it, doesn't seem to work as well as it used to, and I was wondering:

1) Does this correct with time?

2) Are there any specific methods that have helped you with similar issues?

all 11 comments


12
u/[deleted]
Wed Mar 25 19:05:43 2020 UTC
(0 children)

There's an app and ...toy? called "Perifit" that may help?

It consists of basically a dildo with sensors, and an app with a few games like Flappy Bird that you control via your pelvic floor muscles.

11
u/1DeeAnne
Wed Mar 25 16:50:10 2020 UTC
(0 children)

I’m interested too. Dee

6
u/Yuusui
Wed Mar 25 20:27:02 2020 UTC
(0 children)

It’s not uncommon. With time, things should improve. If it doesn’t, see if you can visit a pelvic floor therapist. I had mild incontinence much of my first year after surgery. The therapist really helped. I don’t have any issues any longer.

8
u/kitanokikori
Wed Mar 25 17:49:30 2020 UTC
(2 children)

I don't have any tips, I have the opposite problem - I think that when I pee I'm not actually getting all of the urine out of my bladder, which is causing me to get UTIs over and over.

I'm not sure that it's related to urethra length, but more related to muscle strength - many post-partum women also have this issue. I would try to do kegels to strengthen these muscles.

2
Sun Mar 29 18:57:14 2020 UTC
(1 child)

I too feel that I am not fully emptying my bladder and that I tend to go frequently. How have you been managing your issue?

2
Sun Mar 29 19:11:06 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Drinking more water helps oddly, but tbh I still haven't figured out how to stop getting UTIs constantly. I'm working with my doctor but the quarantine is slowing everything down. If you've got a UTI you should get it treated, it's really common for women to get them.

3
u/Jai_007
Fri Mar 27 03:28:46 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Okay I am 7 months post and it does improve a bit. The reason you can't hold it as long is because it is shortened but, mostly because you had a catheter that inflamed everything all in there. It also inflamed the bladder. It does calm down and you can hold it longer. I have found I still can't hold it like before but, much than after surgery.

4
u/bellatricked
Wed Mar 25 18:00:53 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Not to say that this is any kind of golden rule, but I had some of this the first few months after surgery and within 6 months it had more or less resolved itself

1
u/proteannomore
Wed Mar 25 20:35:18 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Anecdotally, I've dated a fair amount of single mothers over the past twenty years, several of whom not only had difficulty holding their bladders, but even a couple who required partial hysterectomies to correct for what I remember being referred to as a "fallen bladder".

With these women it wasn't uncommon for them to have an accident, but it was quite easy to be prepared for (extra set of clothes in the car) and between adults wasn't the slightest thing to be embarrassed about.

1
u/ZestyChinchilla
Thu Mar 26 07:04:52 2020 UTC
(0 children)

You will probably benefit from doing Kegel exercises. They help quite a bit with this sort of thing. A simple Google search will pull up directions. They're very easy and you can do them anywhere.

1
u/[deleted]
Sun Mar 29 18:54:16 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Personally for me, peeing post op has been a major adjustment. I encounter frequent urination, difficulty starting to pee, weak flow and incomplete bladder emptying. It has been difficult for me. I miss how effortlessly peeing was before the surgery and now it takes effort and concentration. It has become my new norm. Hopefully, in your situation that all your swelling will subside and with strong pelvic and Kegel exercises that you’d be able to better control your bladder.