To Pee or Not to Pee...

...that is the question. Of course you recognize that line from the famous Shakespeare "Prostatectomy" soliloquy - or maybe not. But the question is relevant to anyone who has had one or more prostate cancer treatments in the past.

You've no doubt seen some of the numerous late-night TV ads for men who have trouble with urination (enlarged prostate/BPH). They tout all sorts of pills and liquids and ointments to make passing water easier. Us men who have been treated for prostate cancer have no such problems. As a matter of fact you can probably go pee any time you want - and sometimes when you don't.

After six years of various treatments - ranging from surgery to radiation to hormone pills - I have had reason to be concerned. Even though I long ago decided that living in a diaper was better than being dead without one, I did NOT want to go in that direction.

The bad news: You probably know that your likelihood of incontinence increases in the years after treatment.

The good news: There are some things you can do to improve your odds, so don't give up hope. I didn't.

For years I have done Kegel exercises (when I could remember) and that probably did help. More recently my Urologist prescribed some pills to relax my bladder. How could that help, I asked? He said that sometimes a more relaxed bladder makes it easier to control those unintended leaky moments. After a month I saw no difference, but after six months there has been a major improvement. It could all be psychological but that's OK, too. And I have a relaxed bladder - assuming that's a good thing!
axman