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Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Urinary Incontinence

Here are the results of an exciting quiz that I took at everydayhealth.com

Do You Have an Overactive Bladder?Justify Full
High risk.
Your responses indicate that you have significant difficulty controlling your bladder, and therefore you are probably experiencing an overactive bladder or some other problem with incontinence. You should make an appointment to discuss your symptoms and concerns with your doctor as soon as possible.

An overactive bladder is characterized by a recurring, strong, and sudden need to urinate. A person with an overactive bladder tends to urinate eight to ten or more times a day, and is also likely to experience leakage in between. The urgent need to urinate, also known as urge incontinence, is a major symptom of an overactive bladder.

This type of incontinence is most common among elderly people, but it’s not a normal part of the aging process, as many mistakenly believe; urge incontinence is caused by other conditions or disorders. The National Institute on Aging reports that it commonly occurs as a result of diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis, and that it can sometimes be an early sign of bladder cancer.

There are three other types of incontinence that might possibly be contributing to your symptoms.

* Stress incontinence: Stress on the lower stomach muscles causes urine leakage. This is most common among younger and middle-aged women.
* Overflow incontinence: An overfilled bladder causes a constant dripping of urine. This can occur, for example, when an enlarged prostate blocks a man’s urethra.
* Functional incontinence: The normal ability to control urination is compromised by an inability to get to the bathroom quickly enough.

In general, women are more likely than men to experience urinary incontinence, mainly as a result of childbirth complications, medical treatment, trauma, and changes that occur in the body with the onset of menopause. But there are many medical problems that can cause incontinence, including weakened or overactive pelvic muscles; bladder nerve damage; limited mobility; urinary tract, kidney, and bladder infections; diabetes; and high calcium levels.

Lifestyle problems, such as obesity, poor eating habits, and smoking can also contribute to incontinence. Obesity has been linked to urinary difficulties in both men and women, but studies show that women with a high body mass index (a BMI of 30 or higher) are more likely to experience stress incontinence. Avoiding bladder irritants, such as citrus and spicy foods, as well as anything sweetened with aspartame (NutraSweet), carbonated drinks, and diuretics such as caffeine and alcohol can make a difference. Quitting or cutting down on smoking may also reduce symptoms of stress incontinence, since female smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to develop this type of incontinence.

Additionally, keep in mind that certain medications and pelvic or abdominal surgeries can also cause incontinence, so be sure to discuss any risks as well as possible alternatives with your doctor.

These days, many options are available for treating incontinence, and the treatments are improving all the time. Even if your attempts to solve your incontinence problems were unsuccessful in the past, the health care community’s management of incontinence, including the methods of diagnosis and treatment, has greatly improved in recent years. You don’t have to suffer from the inconveniences and discomforts associated with an overactive bladder or incontinence. You’ve already taken the first step by taking this quiz and starting to educate yourself about incontinence. Next, make an appointment with your doctor, and start down the road to recovery!

My comments: Yes, I do have some issues with urinary incontinence. I am not elderly yet. And I'm not going to take the medications for it. The side effects are worse than the problem. Nor am I going to get that procedure where they inject silicone into the urethra. Are you fucking kidding me? Nobody is sticking a needle in there!
I think I developed this problem mostly due to my tendency to hold my pee for long periods of time when I was younger because of the types of jobs I worked. It would sometimes be a couple of hours beyond when I felt the urge before I would get to the bathroom. When I was in my late 30's it became harder and harder to hold it and by the time I was 40, I had sprung a leak. I use Poise-type pads. For me it seems better than the alternatives!

1 comments:

Tom & Icy said...

Oh, so Quinn was YOUR urine sample!