Urge incontinence

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by Guest Posts on Tue Mar 15, 2022 6:31 pm

Urge incontinence

I have had urge incontinence for ages and none of the medications have done any good. Also the cervix exercises haven't helped either. I have an appointment with the gynaecology department in a couple of weeks, but I am not holding out much hope. In 2007 I had a stress related incontinence operation, which, I have heard, can make urge incontinence worse in the future. Please help me. (Sarah)
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Dr Frances Yarlett
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by Dr Frances Yarlett on Sun Mar 20, 2022 12:50 pm

Re: Urge incontinence

Hi Sarah,

Firstly, I'm so sorry about your symptoms and that they are affecting you so much. Incontinence has such an impact on people's lives, confidence and I can understand why you are feeling hopeless.

However, I hope I can reassure you that there are still managements that can help!
I am glad that you have already been referred to a specialist, as this is appropriate given your previous surgery.

For your upcoming appointment, it's a good idea to arrive prepared.
I suggest taking a completed bladder diary with you over 2, but preferably, 3 days for the specialist to assess.
You can find an example of a bladder diary here: https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/reso ... -diary.pdf

This, alongside a thorough history and pelvic examination, will allow the specialist to determine the cause of your symptoms.

A management plan will often involve several aspects:
1. Lifestyle changes such as keeping your BMI less than 30 and reducing caffeine intake
2. Supervised bladder or pelvic floor training which is conducted under care of a specialist continence nurse or women's health physio.
3. If needed, further investigations to look at how the bladder muscle is working and how your bladder is emptying urine. Following these, your specialist may discuss further invasive treatment options such as surgery or injections depending on the findings.
4. Medications (that you may not have already tried).

You have taken the first step on the road to improvement which is getting the referral, and I am confident you will find more support and help from gynaecology.
In the meantime, there is support and information available from the Bladder and Bowel UK website here: https://www.bbuk.org.uk

Best wishes and good luck with the appointment,
Dr Frances Yarlett

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