Restrictions:

1. No lifting more than 10 pounds or a gallon of milk for 4-6 weeks past your surgery.  When we lift we increase our abdominal pressure which can cause injury to your pelvic floor muscle and incisions.
2. No riding a lawn mower, bike, or saddle for 8 weeks past surgery.  Vibration and bouncing can cause injury to your pelvic floor muscles.
3. Remember to listen to your body as you return to activity.  You have had major surgery and you want to return to activities slowly.

Words of Wisdom:

• Walking 30 minutes/day. Walking exercises the pelvic floor muscles and helps strengthen them.  Initially you may experience an increase in leakage. As the pelvic floor muscle strength improves, the incontinence should decrease.
• Drink as normal as possible. We do not want to “baby the bladder.”  We want your bladder to be able to handle what you normally consume during the day.  However, caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated drinks may irritate the bladder and cause more incontinence. You may want to avoid these bladder irritants if you will be in situations where a bathroom is not readily accessible (ie:  in a business meeting, flying on a plane, at a party).
• Only go to bathroom when you have the urge. We want you to train the bladder to hold a certain amount of liquid and to empty only when full. Normal urination should occur every 2 to 4 hours. Try to increase the amount of time in between bathroom visits gradually by 15 minute increments. Do not go to the bathroom “Just in Case” except if you are leaving the house or when a bathroom will be unavailable for an extended period of time.
• Do your Pelvic Floor Exercises as instructed by your Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist until you go back and see them post surgery. We like to see patients within 2-6 weeks post surgery to ensure good isolation of your pelvic floor, go over movement strategies, and to progress your exercises.
• Be Patient!!

Resources:

Read Article About Pelvic Floor Muscle Training Prevent and Treat Incontinence after Radical Prostatectomy HERE