Weak Bladder Problems We Don’t Talk About.

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Weak Bladder Problems, Things We Don’t Talk About Because It’s Too Embarrassing.

Control Your Bladder Before It Controls You.

As we get older things happen to our bodies that sometimes are very embarrassing to talk about, especially to our friends and our families. It is not always about one’s age that can cause us to have weak bladders it could be several things and half the female population will experience urinary incontinence at some point in their lives. Statistics have shown that women are 5 times more likely to develop bladder problems than men and 1 in 5 women will seek help and go to their GP’s. The age range is about 6% of women between 15 and 44 experience incontinence issues whilst the statistics show 10% of men over 65 have urinary incontinence to some degree. Studies have shown that in the UK “major fecal incontinence” affects 1.4% of the general population over 40 years old.

However, experiencing public humiliation can be avoided if you train your bladder. Have you been in a situation where you have coughed or laughed and trickled (now you know where the term comes from “I nearly peed myself laughing” comes from), or have had to make a mad dash to the toilet rugby tackling people along the way? Whatever the scenario, there are things that you can do to make your life a little less embarrassing without leaving telltale wet patches around.

We can mock all we want but it is no laughing matter especially when it happens to the best of us. We are human after all.

The causes of embarrassing problems include weak bladder which I will focus on today but there are other symptoms to do with mental health that people have a hard time talking about, which I will address in another post.

A weak bladder can be caused by the following:

1. Drinking too much alcohol or caffeine (tea/coffee) or energy drinks. (I am guilty of this).
2. Not drinking enough fluids such as water – can cause strong, concentrated urine to collect in your bladder, which can irritate the bladder and cause symptoms of overactivity and cystitis.
3. If you are not going regularly for a No2 and you find you are constipated.
4. Infections and underlying conditions affecting the lower urinary tract (urethra and bladder) – such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) or tumors in the bladder.
5. Neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinsons’ Disease.
6. Natural Childbirth where your pelvic floor may be weak.
7. Certain medicines such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, diuretics, antidepressants, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and sedatives. (My medications can also be a factor of my having a weak bladder)
8. Increased pressure on your tummy – for example, being heavily pregnant or overweight. (I am overweight as working from home limits how much exercise I do which at the moment is virtually nonexistent, plus the fact I am social distancing myself from everyone because of my OCD beliefs and cross contamination).
9. Damage to the bladder or nearby area during surgery – such as the removal of the womb (hysterectomy), or removal of the prostate gland.
10. Connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
11. Having a poor diet eating, spicy or acidic foods.
12. Smoking.

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The best way to combat incontinence is to change our lifestyles and take better care of our bodies, starting with pelvic floor exercises and changing our diets. But that means discipline as nothing happens overnight.

We can also do some jogging either out and about or on a treadmill and aerobics, with strengthening exercises, such as pilates. There are plenty of YouTube Videos you can find and adapt. Also, avoid lifting heavy things as this will affect your pelvic floor and add further unnecessary strain.

There are nonsurgical aids one can use to counteract a weak bladder from incontinence pads to supplements.

Absorbent products, such as pants, pads, or panty liners can save you from some embarrassing moments when you simply cannot control your bladder long enough to get to the bathroom or handheld urinals, which are not ideal especially if you are caught out and about, like where can you discretely have a pee, you can’t?, unless you are maybe in your car or out on some country road where you could always take advantage of the bushes.

My brother said he once was caught short on the motorway in nonmoving traffic and was forced to pee in a Coke bottle. Not so easy for women though. My mother had to make service pit stops at every junction when she used to go on longer journeys. For me, my bladder gives me no warning at all and I have to do my wriggle dance long enough to run to the toilet which happens to be like clockwork every two hours hence I never get a full eight hours of beauty sleep. It’s not as if I can time it one minute I’m ok and the next minute I am desperate.

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Further Reading:

• For more information about Urinary Incontinence please visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/urinary-incontinence/causes/

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Final Thoughts.

Regardless of your age, you should never be too embarrassed to say that you have a bladder problem and if you cannot manage it yourself you may need to get some medical advice and see what options are available for you.

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