On January 23 I had a total prostatectomy for early stage prostate cancer. My pathology report was excellent, and my surgeon was confident that I had achieved 100% cure. However, he neglected to tell me that after the catheter was removed I could very likely have severe urinary incontinence. Nine days later, after he removed the catheter, I had a continuous flow. I thought it was normal and would likely resolve in a just a few days. Instead it continued, and I went through 48 Depends for Men pads on the first weekend! I was horrified and humiliated beyond belief.

After the first week, I called my surgeon's office to let them know what was happening and to find out if they could suggest anything I could try. I was told to "be patient; everyone is different; the average time is three months." How was I going to be patient, when I was going back to work in 3 weeks? I am a facility manager for a 72,000 square foot facility and I do everything from plumbing to painting. I walk an average of five miles a day just covering the needs of our tenants. How was I going to do this wearing diapers? While in meetings, how was I going to get up and go to the bathroom to change?

After a few weeks, my urinary incontinence improved to the point that if I was just sitting, I was usually pretty well controlled. But if I got up and walked at all, I soaked whatever I was wearing. I could not go out to eat, was afraid to go to church, and was actually afraid to go anywhere for any length of time because of the distinct probability that I would leak through my Depends® onto my clothes. My life had suddenly become enslaved to changing diapers 4-5 times a day and hoping I wouldn't get caught in a situation where I couldn't achieve this. My wife carried an extra diaper in her purse at all times, but I still had to get completely undressed to put them on. Public restrooms are not really that private for this type of activity.

I was ready to explode with frustration, and then my wife, who is a medical transcriptionist and has been in the medical field for over 35 years, figured there had to be an alternative answer. She started researching different devices on the Internet and found a website for ActiCuf. She called me at work and told me what she had found. I was so excited that we decided to order right away and have them sent over night. They arrived the next day, and the following morning I wore one to work. Since I was still not sure of how they would work, I took a Depends with me too. But after the first hour I was convinced that these were for me. For the first time since my surgery, I actually knew when I had to urinate. The feeling of having to go to the bathroom had returned, and it was such a good feeling to have that control again.

Until I got onto the technique of removing the ActiCuf, urinating and then putting it back on, I had very slight leakage. But it only amounted to drops instead of ounces. During the first day of using these at work I felt like a person who had been released from prison! What a relief to wear my own underwear again and to not have to sit in wet diapers! The ActiCuf is very comfortable for me to wear, and restored my confidence totally. The next day we went out for breakfast and that night I went to church for the first time without the anxiety that accompanied every instant that I stood, knelt, or sat back down. My clothes fit again, because with the thickness of diapers, nothing I had seemed to fit the way it did before.

In summary, this product is a prayer answered for both of us. I feel that with time I will improve and am looking forward to the day when my incontinence is totally gone. But if that day would, for some reason, never get here, I would certainly be willing to use ActiCuf indefinitely. Without it my lifestyle would not even have a close resemblance to what I am used to.

I highly recommend this product to any man who is suffering from the confinement and embarrassment that urinary incontinence can cause.

Len O. (PA)

April 21st, 2007