The exercises fix the problem long term. You still have to live your life right now. Here is what to buy, and how to get out the door.
Buy products made for men. Use thin guards for light leaking and pull-up underwear for the heavy weeks. Cover the mattress. Have all of it in the house before the catheter comes out.
Guards are thin pads that stick inside your underwear. They are right for a few drips when you stand or cough.
Buy male guards, not women's pads. They are shaped differently and catch leaks where men actually leak.
Depend Guards for Men and TENA Men work well. TENA makes the Protective Shield for light leaking and the Maximum Guard for heavier days. Both are thin enough to wear under normal clothes.
For the first few weeks, when leaking is heavy, use pull-up style underwear. Depend Real Fit for Men is one. It looks like regular underwear and absorbs a lot more.
Wear it under your normal clothes.
Get a waterproof mattress protector. Any brand works. Get one that fits snug and does not crinkle.
You will sleep better knowing the bed is covered.
Dark pants. For the first few weeks, dark jeans or khakis hide an accident better than light colors. Small thing. Big difference in confidence.
A donut or pelvic cushion for sitting after surgery. It takes pressure off the surgical area.
The stool softener your surgical team recommends. Straining puts pressure on a healing pelvic floor.
The first time out in public feels like walking a tightrope. Make it easier.
Know where the bathrooms are. Check the layout when you arrive. There is no shame in that.
Bring a spare pad and a plastic bag, in your pocket or a small backpack. Change as needed.
Squeeze your pelvic floor before you stand up, before you walk, before anything that usually makes you leak.
Start with short outings. Coffee with a friend. A quick trip to the store. Build your confidence before a full day out.
Drinking less makes it worse. Concentrated urine irritates the bladder and can increase urgency.
What you can adjust is caffeine and alcohol, especially in the early weeks. Coffee, tea, beer, wine. All of them can increase urgency and leaking. You do not have to quit forever. Ease up while your pelvic floor catches up.
Pads keep you dry today. They do not make the muscle stronger. That part is the exercises.
Start here: How to Stop Leaking After Prostate Surgery.
How to Stop Leaking After Prostate Surgery
Kegel Exercises After Prostate Surgery: How to Do Them Right
Exercises to Do Before Prostate Surgery
When Can You Exercise After Prostate Surgery? Walking, Lifting, Golf, Running
The First Week After Prostate Surgery: What to Expect
Recovery After Prostate Surgery: A Week-by-Week Guide
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy After Prostate Surgery: Do You Need It?
Kegel Exercises for Men: How to Do Them Right
Dr. Meg Cochran is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in pelvic floor rehabilitation, and treats men after prostate surgery through Where You Are Physical Therapy in Oxford, Mississippi.
This article is educational and is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a substitute for in-person care. Follow your surgical team's instructions. If you have urgent symptoms including severe pain, fever, unexpected bleeding, or a sudden change in function, contact your healthcare provider.
The first week after prostate surgery, written out step by step by Dr. Meg. What to do with the catheter in. What to skip. What to have in the house. Enter your email and it opens right away.
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Educational content. Not medical advice.
The Prostate Recovery Quick Start is Dr. Meg showing you the first exercises on video, from before surgery through week 4, with the two sheets to print. Open it on any phone, tablet, or computer, from anywhere. It is educational, not physical therapy.
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