Leak Volume vs. Pads

I have found that having a pad count is not definitive so, I have started weighing my leakage. I am currently using 1 pad/day w/15 gms. of urine. This can certainly increase with activity and hydration, but is beginning to be somewhat standard. I am interested if anyone else measures their leakage, this way, so that I can get an idea of where I stand. I am approximately 9 months out from DiVinci at MD Anderson.

I don't understand what value there is in going through the trouble of weighing the pads - even if you could do that effectively (and if you're out and about and/or working it's not going to be easy to do).  When the leaking stops, you're better.  That's how I'm going to judge the incontenence issue.  My Urologist told me in a follow-up meeting this week that most of his patients leak for at least the first three months, after which most of them see a substantial improvement.  Some don't see the improvement until 6-months, he said.  At work yesterday - 8 hours (plus an hour each way in transit - for a total of 10) I used about 5 pads.  Today I took the day off and was running lots of errands - and in 3 hours I used 6 pads.  Some days are obviously better than others and activity level plays an important role in the number of pads used - from what I'm experiencing.

---

Age:  59 (58 at diagnosis - June, 2008)

April '08 PSA 4.8 ("free PSA" 7.9), up from 3.5 year prior

June '08 had biopsy, 2 days later told results positive but in less than 1% of sample

Gleason's 3+3=6

Developed sepsis 2 days post-biopsy, seriously ill in hospital for 3 days

Dr. recommended robotic removal using da Vinci

Surgery 9/10/08

Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL

Dr. Robert Nadler, Urologist/Surgeon

Post-op Gleason's:  3+3, Tertiary 4

Margins:  Free

Bladder & Urethral:  Free

Seminal vesicles:  Not involved

Lymphatic/Vascular Invasion:  Not involved

Tumor:  T2c; Location:  Bilateral; Volume:  20%

Catheter:  Removed 12-days after surgery

Incontinent:  Yes (19 days post-op)

Combination of Cialis and MUSE (alprostadil) three times weekly started 9-27-08

Returned to work 9-29-08 (18-19 days post-op)

 

---

Ed from Rochester, NY 66 years old

My Doctor recommended weighing the pads too.  If nothing else it gives your Doctor a reference point of how you are doing.

I was using 4-6 pads /day when I went to see Dr. Webster about fixing the incontinence. Part of the pre-visit routine was to keep a log of how much I was voiding for three days, and to save one day's worth of pads for them to weigh at the visit. Being of a computer geek technical background, and knowing that some days were perceptibly dryer than others, the idea of a single day's volume as a measure of my leakage was a bother to me.

I started logging the actual volume, since I could have a 'dry' 6 pad day, and a 'wet' 4 pad day. I kept the volume data in an spreadsheet, and used a statistical analysis program at work to run a locally weighted statistical smoothing to see what the moving average was.

I did improve from a high of over 400ml/day at about 3 months out, to about 100ml/day when I decided to go ahead with the AdVance Sling.

My experience with that has been (finally) good, with 0 pads, and only the occasional urge leak. No more stress leaks at all.

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=1221982

15 grams/day? I would have killed for that this summer!

---

51 yrs old at diagnosis & surgery
Biopsy 6/20/2007, 2 of 10 cores positive, 9%, Gleason 3+3, PSA 2.5, up from 2.0 previous year.
DaVinci robotic at Duke Univ. Medical Center 10/3/2007 both nerves spared
post surgical PSA tests all < 0.1
AdVance Male Sling 08/25/2008 at Duke Univ. Medical Center