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Archive for September, 2009

Choosing an Incontinence Pad

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

If you suffer from incontinence, even if it is mild and infrequent, chances are you will want to choose an incontinence pad for times when you want to feel secure and confident. Choosing the right incontinence pad to suit your needs is simple, once you know what qualities you are looking for. These qualities might include comfort, absorbency, leakage protection, and affordability.

DryForLife manufactures incontinence products, including incontinence pads, made from the highest quality materials designed to provide comfort and security, two qualities that will no doubt be important to you if you suffer from incontinence. Not only are these products comfortable to wear, but they are also affordable. DryForLife understands that incontinence is a highly personal issue, and that’s why we deliver your products right to your door in discreet packaging, so that you are the only one who is aware of the contents.

DryForLife is committed to serving your needs with compassion and empathy, providing you with quality products at a price that will make you smile. For more information visit our Types of Incontinence Pads page.

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Dietary Restrictions Can Improve Bladder Weakness

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Incontinence can be a devastating condition, affecting young and old, women and men. When it is first experienced, it can come as a shock. Although your first instinct may be to panic, don’t! Many cases of incontinence can be controlled with a combination of self-help measures. One simple and painless remedy is to keep a log of any episodes of incontinence, then seek a causative agent. Does incontinence occur when you drink or eat something specific? Cutting these culprits out of your diet may be all that is needed to restore continence. What are some of the known contributors to bladder weakness? The following is a short list of foods that may cause or aggravate bladder weakness:

  • Alcohol- alcohol is a common culprit. This may due to a diuretic effect, or it may be due to the fact that alcohol may decrease your sensation of needing to urinate. Carbonated spirits may be worse than non-carbonated ones.
  • Caffeine- caffeine also acts as a diuretic, as many coffee drinkers will attest to. Drinking caffeinated beverages may increase the number of trips to the washroom you need to take, as well as increasing urgency. Switching to decaf may improve bladder weakness symptoms.
  • Spicy foods- spices can irritate the bladder, causing symptoms of urgency and frequency. If spicy foods seem to make your problem worse, try eliminating them for awhile and see what happens.
  • Citrus fruits- acidic foods, such as tomatoes, oranges, grapefruits and others can also be irritating to the bladder.
  • Artificial sweeteners- aspartame and other artificial sweeteners can be irritating for some people.

Not everyone with bladder weakness will respond to diet changes, but it is a reasonable first step for anyone who develops this common problem. Different foods affect people in different ways, so it is likely that you will have to experiment a little. Keeping a diary of foods eaten and bladder weakness symptoms can be illuminating, costs nothing and may be all that is needed to curb the problem.

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New Procedure Treats Stress Incontinence

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Dr. Julie Reil, physician and owner of the Advanced Laser Center in the United States, has applied for a patent for her treatment which she states can treat stress incontinence successfully. Stress incontinence occurs when pressure is placed on the bladder, as in when a woman coughs, sneezes, lifts a heavy object, or laughs, resulting in the leakage of urine. Dr. Reil states that this condition is often the result of pregnancy and childbirth.

The treatment involves the application of infrared light to the genital area, resulting in a tightening of the tissues surrounding the urethra. It uses the same technology as is used in cosmetic procedures which can tighten loose skin elsewhere on the body. Dr. Reil’s use of this technology is the first time this technology has been used to treat stress incontinence specifically. The treatment is called Genityte.

The treatment may be a breakthrough in the treatment of stress incontinence, as it is safe and non-invasive, and may prevent women from having to undergo more invasive procedures. The treatment can be used on women of all ages and with varying degrees of severity of stress incontinence.

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Prostate Enlargement and Incontinence

Monday, September 21st, 2009

The prostate is a walnut-shaped organ located at the base of the bladder (bladder neck). It surrounds the urethra in men, and its main function is to supply necessary fluid to male ejaculate. It supplies up to 70% of the fluid that makes up semen, and thus plays an important role in male sexual health.

As men age, the prostate enlarges, a condition known as benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). BPH is common in men; in fact, after the age of 40, most men have some degree of enlargement of the prostate, with the percentage of men affected increasing with age.  This benign enlargement can cause urinary symptoms in some men. This is due to the prostate applying pressure to the bladder and/or urethra. Symptoms may include bladder weakness, a weak or dribbling urine stream, a frequent or urgent need to urinate, and nocturia (frequent nighttime urination).

How is the condition treated? If symptoms are not too severe, a watch-and-wait approach may suffice, with frequent check-ups as needed to monitor the condition. For men bothered by urinary symptoms, medications may be tried to reduce urinary symptoms. These drugs are aimed at shrinking the prostate or slowing its growth; some relax muscles near the prostate gland, reducing urgency and frequency.

Surgery is generally reserved for severe enlargement or cases that are not amenable to medication therapy. The most common surgical procedure for an enlarged prostate is  a TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate), in which excess tissue is trimmed from the prostate via an instrument passed through the urethra. This type of surgery is usually successful and has a low incidence of incontinence and impotence following. However, no surgery is without risk, and men considering any surgical procedure for prostate enlargement should know the potential risks and perceived benefits before undergoing any procedure.

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Surgical Treatments Used to Treat Urinary Incontinence in Women

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Women who suffer from stress or urge incontinence are often counseled to try non-surgical means to control their incontinence. These measures may include dietary changes, such as limiting the amount of caffeine, alcohol and carbonated beverages, as well as acidic or spicy foods. Bladder retraining may improve incontinence for some women. Bladder retraining is a method in which you first study voiding habits, then try to gradually lengthen the time between voids until you can comfortably hold your urine for several hours. Targeted exercises, known as Kegel exercises, help to strengthen weak pelvic floor muscles.

When these measures are unsuccessful in alleviating incontinence, your physician may suggest that you take a medication targeted towards treating your specific problem. Before prescribing a medication, your physician will want to gather information about your problem, what measures you have tried, and whether or not these measures were successful. Keeping a diary of fluid intake and episodes of incontinence will help your physician diagnose your problem accurately. A full history and physical, as well as urine and blood tests, may be required.

If medication therapy fails, surgical intervention may be warranted. Surgery is usually a last resort in treating incontinence, but there are several procedures that can alleviate both stress and urge incontinence. They range from simple outpatient procedures requiring only a local anaesthetic to more complex surgeries requiring a hospital stay. If you are considering surgery, it is important to know the pros and cons of the surgical procedure before you consent to having it done. To learn more about surgical treatments for the treatment of urinary incontinence in women, click here.

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Birth Control Pill May Decrease Risk of Bladder Weakness

Monday, September 14th, 2009

As reported by Reuter’s Health, researchers from Sweden studied twins of childbearing age between the ages of 20 and 46 years to determine whether the birth control pill or an IUD (intrauterine device) which released hormones had any impact on bladder weakness, compared to women who did not use birth control.

It was found that, after controlling for possible confounding factors such as weight, age and pregnancy, women who took birth control pills had a 43% less chance of suffering from stress incontinence and a 64% less risk of suffering from urge incontinence. Stress incontinence occurs when stress is placed on the bladder, such as when a woman coughs, sneezes, or laughs. Urge incontinence occurs when women experience leakage of urine from the inability to hold their urine once the urge is felt to urinate.

No difference in bladder weakness symptoms was found in women who had an IUD in place. Researchers state that further research is needed to determine the relationship between taking the pill and bladder weakness.

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Bulking Agents as a Treatment for Stress Incontinence

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Injectable bulking agents to treat stress incontinence have been used safely for several years. Bulking agents are usually composed of collagen (bovine), synthetic materials, or material obtained from the patient (autologous).

Stress incontinence is often the result of a weakened sphincter muscle (intrinsic sphincter deficiency), allowing the sphicter to remain partially open at rest. When abdominal pressure exceeds urethral pressure, the patient will experience loss of urine involuntarily.

Candidates for treatment with bulking agents include women who suffer from stress incontinence as a result of sphincter deficiency and men who become incontinent after prostate surgery. The procedure does not improve urge or overflow incontinence. The intervention itself is simple and can be performed in the office or in a hospital. It takes approximately 30 minutes to complete the procedure, and a local or general anaesthetic may be used.

For some, the injection of a bulking agent around the urethra may result in a cure (25%), while others experience an improvement in symptoms (50%). The procedure works less well in men. In addition, the procedure may need to be repeated every few years, as collagen is broken down by the body, resulting in a return or worsening of symptoms.

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Intimacy and Incontinence

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

The words “intimacy” and “incontinence” may not seem as if they should exist together in the same sentence–if you suffer from incontinence, you may feel less like being intimate with your partner. Fear of leakage of urine at an inopportune time may cause you to shy away from the physical aspect of your relationship with a significant other. Both women and men may feel embarrassed or ashamed if they suffer from incontinence. This does not need to be the case. There are a few things you can do to decrease the liklihood of incontinence during intimacy.

Decreasing your fluid intake for a few hours prior to engaging in intimacy with your partner will help to ensure that your bladder does not become overly full. Emptying your bladder just prior to intimacy will also decrease the chance of any leakage. Avoiding alcohol and caffeine can also assist you in avoiding the problem.

The biggest barrier to intimacy when one partner suffers from incontinence is lack of communication. You may find it difficult to broach the subject with your partner, but discussing the issue, your fears and your feelings will go a long way towards making you both feel more comfortable. Your partner may also have concerns, such as fear of causing discomfort. Chances are, you will both have some concerns in common, and getting them out into the open will help both of you to get past your fears. Open communication about the issue, along with a discussion regarding ways to make you both feel more comfortable, will boost your intimacy to a new level. Incontinence does not mean an end to intimacy; it simply requires honesty and openness in discussing how to approach and cope with the situation together.

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Exercise and Stress Incontinence

Friday, September 4th, 2009

You are determined to go to the gym to get back into shape and lose those few extra pounds that have been plaguing you since you recently gave birth. You sign up for an aerobics class and all goes well until, mid-bounce, you feel your bladder give way, resulting in the leakage of a small amount of urine. Mortified, you wonder why this is happening to you. After all, you are young and healthy and have never experienced this before.

Sound familiar? If this has happened to you, don’t despair. Stress incontinence occurs as the result of some stressor being placed on the bladder, such as exercise. It may also occur with activities such as coughing, sneezing or even laughing. It is usually the result of  pelvic floor muscles that may become damaged as a result of pregnancy, childbirth or hormonal changes. Excess weight can also contribute to the problem.

The cure for the problem is exercise targeted specifically towards strengthening these muscles, known as Kegel exercises. Kegel exercises, when performed properly and regularly, can help tone your bladder and the muscles that support it. Losing excess weight can also go a long way to heping to cure the problem as well. Using an incontinence pad designed specifically for this problem will add to your level of confidence and help you feel secure while exercising.

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Nocturia- When Your Bladder Won’t Let You Sleep

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

Nocturia, or frequent voiding at night, can be a troublesome problem that robs you of sleep and causes excessive daytime sleepiness. When it is coupled with incontinence, the problem can be a true nightmare. What causes the problem? There can be many contributing factors to noctiria, including excesive fluid intake too close to bedtime, side effects of certain medications, and drinking beverages containing alcohol and caffeine, which may act as diuretics. Nocturia may be coupled with other voiding problems, such as stress incontinence, urge incontinence (overactive bladder) or overflow incontinence.

What can be done about it? The first step in coping with nocturia may be to eliminate some of the above factors that may be contributing to the problem. By avoiding drinking alcoholic beverages and caffeine-containing beverages too close to bedtime, you may find that your need to void during the night is decreased. If you feel that your medications may be contributing to the problem, you should speak to your physician about changing your medication times. Your physician may also want to rule out other, more serious, causes.

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