, Health Articles , Bridge Magazine
Getting through prostate cancer truly seems hard enough, but many men find urine leakage is the biggest challenge they must cope with during the recovery process. The loss of self-esteem and stigma attached to incontinence stops them from seeking help and discussing it with people in their lives—including family and friends.
In most cases, bladder control improves with time and they will be fully recovered within six to 12 months. During this important time, it’s recommended to learn to control and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles through exercises, which may even help speed up the recovery process. In fact, the sooner the exercises are started, the better. Starting pelvic floor muscle exercises four to six weeks prior to surgery helps get them ingrained in everyday routines.
The free Prostate and Continence booklet aims to provide helpful ways of improving and managing continence for those who have had transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) surgery or prostate cancer.
It lists clear signs to assess progress and see how the pelvic floor muscle exercises are helping to get better bladder control.
The booklet was made possible with the input of Andrology Australia, Movember Foundation/TrueNTH and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.
Access the booklet online or order a copy to be sent to you by calling the National Continence Helpline 1800 33 00 66.