www.incontinentsupport.org

Maybe the pelvic excercies are doing something.. i got an urge to go sitting in my chair and squeezed it off and didn't start leaking.. Maybe they do help somewhat.. Ive actually debated wetehr to start wearing underwear at home.. but I can't do that until i have a week of TOTALLY DRY diapers.. IE the only reason i change it is because its sweaty or the padding is breaking down. Otherwise, i will continue to wear protection indefinetly around the clock except when im aring out. I just don't want to be putting up with wet underwear...I did that for too long to ever go back to that. Funny thing is, underwear vs diaper is a moot point, because i only have 1 pair of undies in the apartment, and those are used for leak stoppage over the diaepr..so i wouldnt even be able to wear underwear if i wanted to. Since my control is improving marginally, I did get a thought to wear undewear to work.. and I'm like..are you serious??? No way! it will be several MONTHS DRY before i even consider wearing underwear in public, and even then I will have diapers in my car just in case i have a resurgence.

It could be that my control wont return completly, but i might be able to get it back to where it was, ie only wetting while standing, not while sitting.. Its worth a try.

_________________
"We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love" Mother Teresa

"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!" - Captain Picard from Chain of Command, Part II

Rob, patience in all things. It seems that you are making progress. Even if you are increasing the Kegel exercises the rate of progress seems to vary considerably between individuals. If you let them slide for a while, it may take a bit to see consistent progress.

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one doing the darn things!

--John

Hi JD- you mentioned apps that you used for the kegel exercises. Are you finding those helpful at all? It seems like alot of them out there are just giving a schedule for you to stick with which isn't too interesting to me.

mcollin3,

Re the boredom (and I do agree that they are boring), download some Kegel apps for your smartphone. I have an iPhone and use the PFE, mK, and KegelTopia apps, plus an interval trainer. Some of these are designed for women, but a Kegel is a Kegel!

Yes, for me the Kegel exercises definitely help and I can see visible, tangible results. However, it took a while to build up to this level. We all progress at different rates and our bodies are different. I could see minor progress in 4 to 5 days, and moderate progress in about three weeks. However, it took longer for a significant amount of progress to be reached.

Initially I was doing about 200+ Kegels per day. As my primary motive was sphincter control for fecal incontinence, I then evolved to a mixture of shorter and longer Kegels. For example, 1 set of 10 at 2 seconds, 6 sets at 12 seconds, 2 set at 20 seconds, 1 set at 2 seconds, 1 set at 30 seconds, then five individual Kegels at 1 minute, then three individual Kegels at 2 minutes, then two Kegels at 3 minutes. I would do another session in the afternoon.

When it is difficult to schedule an exercise session, just do what you can while walking, driving, or even watching television!! It has to fit your lifestyle.

Now I do not do so many. However, I am doing more advanced Kegels designed to take it a bit further. Intensity is important. If I do a 20-second Kegel, I am exerting maximum contraction for the last 6 or 7 seconds of each one. I have posted previously that my Kegels help me retain my preventive enema which, in turn, helps me control my fecal incontinence. I now do Kegels in the specific body positions I use for the enemas or in which I am more likely to have an accident (like going up stairs). So, I do exercises with my legs separated horizontally and also vertically. I also do Kegels with legs in motion (like walking). For example, while on back, lifts with both knees to chest; bicycle exercises, flutter exercises with legs. If I slack off too much I will see more leaking during my enema procedure (sorry for the TMI).

None of this is sacred and medical authorities disagree considerably on how many sets, how many Kegels, etc.

Another thing you can do is to purchase a Kegel pelvic floor exerciser. This device provides resistance against which you squeeze the sphincter. A small probe is inserted into the anus (for males) during the exercises and provides bio-feedback by means of a visual meter. Females use a vaginal probe and males use an anal probe. Dr. Arnold Kegel, for whom the original device is named, intended the exercises to be performed against resistance (think of what you do in a gym).

IMHO, the most important thing is persistence. Staying with it seems to be more important that the specifics of any particular Kegel exercise session.

Now, please be advised that there are Kegel exercises and there also are trans-abdominal exercises which use other muscles to strengthen the pelvic floor. It is difficult to explain these and they are best taught by a specialist at a clinic. Surface electrodes or anal probes are used to insure that the proper sets of muscles are being used. I previously have mentioned that a female therapist (Ph.D.) had me demonstrate the exercises while she had her gloved finger up my anus to ensure that the correct muscles were being used. (it was not as bad as it sounds)

--John