Thursday, March 10, 2011

Dealing With Incontinence

I don't think anyone realizes what incontinence is until they have it.  I know I didn't.  Pre-surgery, I was so obsessed with procedure and surgery, I don't think I even considered it would be an issue.  When it happens, it is traumatic. Suddenly, you don't have control over your bladder.  If you thought a catheter was bad, get ready to wet your pants. The fear of doing this leads to trying to protect that leak from happening. Diapers, pads, liners, combinations of all three. Just when you think you have it right, you have one too many cups of coffee, and everything changes.  Oh, didn't I tell you, "Avoid caffeine and alcohol." Oh yeah. Two of my favorite food groups. Gone, adios, au revoir, mes amis. That leaves water and drugs.  I don't like either. So, when you do get control, and now, after three years, I do have it, I still have to be careful.  I don't drink alcohol, but I do like coffee. One out of two isn't bad. Not the right one, as far as I'm concerned but then, since I'm a recovering alcoholic, it was for the best. My point here is that I do believe you can control a lot more than you think. I did kegels before and after my surgery and still do. I do think they are key to controlling incontinence. To learn more about living with prostate cancer, read Dana Jennings blog.

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