Bladder problems

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lisac007
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2013 6:59 pm
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by lisac007 on Tue Feb 26, 2013 7:10 pm

Bladder problems

I've had 2 children and have had what I thought was a weak bladder for as long as I can remember.

Over the past few years it has got worse and is now affecting my everyday life. I go to the toilet during the day sometimes every half hour, it has started to affect my work as I am constantly thinking which toilet I could use next where people won't notice that I am going again! Believe it or not I could actually live with this but I also get the urge to go straight away and recently have had to start wearing pads all of the time because quite often I leak before I get to the toilet. This even happens at home, I can just be sat watching the tv and all of a sudden I get an instant urge to go to the toilet and actually cannot move. Does anyone else experience this? Over the past few months I've also started getting up twice in the night, I never used to get up in the night before and just think is it going to get any worse. I've tried cutting out caffeine but it made no difference.

I really am too embarrassed to talk to my doctor and was given a number to ring from the bladder and bowel foundation website but they just told me to see my doctor.

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talkhealth
Posts: 1782
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 3:29 pm
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by talkhealth on Wed Feb 27, 2013 2:34 pm

Re: Bladder problems

Hello Lisa and welcome to our forums.

I hope over the coming days others will be able to talk with you and offer some help.

I'm not sure why you are experiencing bladder problems although you say you have had 2 children - so wondering if it's related to having kids? If so, you might like to know that we are running an online clinic on gynaecology from 6-12 March - we will have a panel of medical experts on hand to answer questions so might be worth asking one of the experts. You can actually post your question now ready for the experts to answer on 6 March. http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/online_clinics/

Also, and I appreciate this is a way off, we are running and online clinic on bladder, bowel and IBS opening on 10 July. So this could also be of benefit ....

I do hope this has helped in some way.

Deborah
talkhealth
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snowee12
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2013 3:27 pm
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by snowee12 on Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:37 pm

Re: Bladder problems

There are lots of things that can help an irritated bladder, for example cutting out caffeine, chocolate, carbonated drinks, alcohol spicy food, tomatoes, smoking and loosing weight can all help. Doing pelvic floor exercises and bladder training can also help. (you can google how to do pelvic floor exercises and bladder training). If none of the above helps then it really is time to see your gp if you want help. I know it's really embarrassing discussing bladder weakness with a doctor however if you have tried all the above and your problem persists and you really want help then you have to ask for it. Your doctor will not be embarrassed they are use to dealing with these problems. If you struggle with explaining your symptoms due to embarrassment why not write a letter to your gp a few days before your appointment and ask the receptionist to pass it on to the gp. It will mean that the gp can read what you have tried and what your symptoms are and come up with a plan of action.

The gp wil probably want a water sample to rule out infection, stones etc, also he may want to do an examination to check for prolapse and take a swab. A bladder diary can be very useful too. With all this information it gives you a head start in getting help.

Good luck

evelyngilbert
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon May 27, 2013 2:15 pm
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by evelyngilbert on Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:02 pm

Re: Bladder problems

Incontinence problems create difficulties for managing routine. My mother was suffering with the same. You should take medication before your problem becomes worse. I should suggest you one thing, incontinence pads are very important in management of urine leakage so take extra care while buying incontinence products.
Reference: http://www.coriumdirect.ie/molicare-!22-cat.html

Lilyrose
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2012 7:37 pm
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by Lilyrose on Sat Sep 21, 2013 2:24 pm

Re: Bladder problems

Hi Lisa,

First of all it is a brave thing to do to even talk about this annonymously over the internet, so well done for taking that step! I have been diagnosed with an overactive bladder and know what you mean about getting an urge to go that means you can't move. I still find this difficult to cope with and have better days and worse days so I appreciate your situation. Having had this for a long time (20 years or so) and seen a number of medical professionals about it (some very helpful ans some less so!) I appreciate it is a scary thing to do to bring it up, even with your GP. However, I would encourage you to do this as speaking to your GP can open the door to other specialist consultants, nurses and physiotherapists, all of whom have an important role to play in improving your situation. A decent, caring GP will want to help and even though s/he will probably not be an expert in this, they can refer you to people who are.

It might help to take someone with you to the appointment for support; even if they don't come in with you they can wait with you and be there to talk to you afterwards. It can also help to write down all your questions, concerns etc before the appointment so that you get all the information you need. It might even help, and would certainly be feasible, for you to write down what it is you need to say to your GP to give it to him/her as a letter. I hope all that doesn't sound too prescriptive or obvious; they are all things that have helped me to talk to my GP. I know it can be a big deal, especially if you've not done it before but I also know the benefits of having a supportive GP, which is why I'm encouraging you.

I hope that is in some way helpful and that there has been some improvement for you since your post (though I know from experience these things take time!).

All the best,

Lily

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