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21

All things bladder related / Re: Pelvic Floor Exercises

« Last post by Gagamama on February 25, 2011, 05:56:36 PM »

Hi everyone

I suffer from stress incontinence!!!!  There I have finally admitted it to someone other than my doctor   

I am 54 and have had this problem for a few years now.

 

WELL DONE MRS MAC YOU ARE ON FIRST STEP TO RECOVERY! WE ARE OPEN A FEARLESS IN OUR DISCUSSIONS HERE.

If you have time, do read all the discussion threads carefully. Even the ones which don't at first seem relevant sometimes offer a little nugget of information that makes you think "aha".

There is almost always something that will help, although the finding of it is often difficult as it varies from person to person.

Something that helped me in my earlier stages of stress incontinence (before I started getting much older!) was one of those pelvic floor toners that work a bit like a TENS machine, battery powered, they send little impulses that make the muscles jump...and thus get exercised many more times than you could ever do pelvic contractions) Mine was the Nuromed Femetone Stimulator which cost me about £80 in 2004 and was worth every penny as it gave me an extra four to five years of hardly any leaks before things went downhill again and I went for TVT op' which has been 100% successful!
I have been told that some hospitals' continence advisors can loan such equipment for you to try. Might be worth investigating.
You can find information on Nuromed at www.nuromed.com
Hope this gives you some hope. Don't give up.

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All things bladder related / Re: Anyone ever had this type problem?

« Last post by Gagamama on February 25, 2011, 05:42:01 PM »

Hi All

Isn't it strange that hardly anyone (anyone who is supposed to have more expertise than us ordinary folk ) seems to think laterally whne dealing with these seemingly intractable problems. Thank good ness for sites like this: here at least you will find you are not alone and certainly not going mad!

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All things bladder related / Re: COMPLEXITIES OF MANAGEMENT

« Last post by Gagamama on February 25, 2011, 05:36:18 PM »

I have had similar problems and had a TVT just over a year ago

The hyster was a  couple of years after womb ablation and I tried to do without TVT but all the gynae physio in the world couldn't get the stress incontinence sorted.

It now seems that i have both stress and urge incontinence and the urge seems worse post TVT.

..... stopped the urges and sl wetting not in time for loo. BUT the post micturation dribble is still there...anyone with similar please?

Hi

Checking back again after several months or so...I was simply wondering whether the dribble bit is to do with age - you don't say how old you are. You must be glad to be more or less rid of the stress and serious urge...but if the dribble is bad enough I can understand why you'd be disappointed not to chuck the pantliners!

As a matter of fact , even though I am over the moon about my TVT - and if you read my earlier posts you will see that the urge thing has come under control more or less by itself over time - but I still find that although my stream post operation was not very strong, that has gotten better than it was BUT I still seemed to have a bit of dribble. I learned (well I had to keep reminding myself and it was quite hard work) to stop being rushed about peeing and simply wait an extra moment or two until I stopped dripping. Confess I haven't quite given up my security blanket of pantliners (though I'm overjoyed that I now use just the tiny thin ones for normal people!) .....What's had the best effect though is slowly training myself not to obsess about everything.  That we do get obsessed when we continue with problems is completely understandable and I also accept that my years of yoga experience have probably helped me to learn to relax more.  But no doubt about it, deciding that I could live with a bit of dribble has actually made the difference between dribbling imediately post urination and whether it goes on for a bit longer. Of course when I am out with friends I now have the reputation of taking up residence in the Ladies' while they have to wait for me! But it seems a small price to pay for the overall freedom that TVT has given me.
Maybe you could find some relaxation classes nearby - or a good (non-dynamic) olod fashioned yoga class?
I know we all hate to admit it but there's a lot of psychology that goes on with this condition....something I couldn't acknoweldge at first.
Hope you manage better in the future...or that someone here comes up with some great advice that helps you.

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All things bladder related / Re: COMPLEXITIES OF MANAGEMENT

« Last post by Lovealittle on February 13, 2011, 12:53:36 AM »

I have had similar problems and had a TVT just over a year ago

The hyster was a  couple of years after womb ablation and I tried to do without TVT but all the gynae physio in the world couldn't get the stress incontinence sorted.

It now seems that i have both stress and urge incontinence and the urge seems worse post TVT.

I can sneeze without wetting myself but have a post micturation dribble which may or may not be a vaginal reflux...anyone any experience of this?

I have been told to drink less and should take medication but it dries me up completely and causes a lot of other side effects

I am using small mugs for drinks and have with the ovestin cream stopped the urges and sl wetting not in time for loo. BUT the post micturation dribble is still there...anyone with similar please?

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All things bladder related / Re: Anyone ever had this type problem?

« Last post by Lovealittle on February 13, 2011, 12:43:52 AM »

I must agree after 4 weeks using Ovestin cream I feel a different woman

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All things bladder related / Re: Effects of prolapses

« Last post by Lovealittle on February 13, 2011, 12:42:19 AM »

I am wondering if you should ask for a referral to a gynaeurologist

I had rectocele repair which has made a lot of difference to my life

I found gynae physio helpful but you need a very sensitive practitioner whom you can get along with.

Despite all the gynae physio I still needed a TVT to eliminate the stress incontinence.

I have found Ovestin cream to be helpful as I was like sandpaper inside.

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All things bladder related / Re: Pelvic Floor Exercises

« Last post by Lovealittle on February 03, 2011, 10:01:18 PM »

It might be useful to have gynae physio so you have a better understanding of pelvic floor exercises

or use vaginal balls to strengthen muscles, I found these made me able to feel and exercise the muscles

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All things bladder related / Re: Anyone ever had this type problem?

« Last post by Glades on January 27, 2011, 10:24:02 AM »

Hi both of you,
I have had similar problems which although no infection showed in sample turned to kidney infections on two occasions!   Really really nasty, was ill for a few weeks, high temps etc etc.   I have also had numerous cystitis attacks some of which showed infection, showed didn't.  All this started the week of my 60th birthday.
Had numerous tests, kidney scans, seen urologist etc etc.
Cutting a long story (3.5 yrs of problems) somehwat shorter, it has all turned out to be vaginal atrophy and has been much improved (I don't like to say cured!) since I went on topical oestrogen therapy.  As you dry out 'down below' you lose the natural bacteria that protect you against infection.  Nobody, gp or urologist explained this to me     Only found it out by reading Menopause Matters and I now use Vagifem pessaries.
Do hope this is of some help to you, I really sympathise with what a horrible problem it is, made me very very low.

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All things bladder related / Re: Anyone ever had this type problem?

« Last post by frazzled on January 07, 2011, 04:15:57 PM »

Hi sorry to hear bout your problems.  I am 51 and over the last rew months have started to have similar problems  .    Test positive at the Dr Surgery then sample sent away and nothing found.   However, I have days where I feel I am constantly needing to pee and as if there is pressure in the middle of my lower abdomen.   Been to the Doctors heaps over the last few months and  he's done blood tests/urine samples etc - is this just something we have to tolerate!

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All things bladder related / Re: Vagifem

« Last post by Pixie on December 04, 2010, 12:49:18 AM »

Hi Sandypiper,

I am 53 yrs old and post menopausal. I also began taking Vagifem about 1 year ago due to vaginal dryness (twice a week) along w/bio-identical HRT and it helped immensely.  They are now taking it off the market per my mail-order drug company so my doctor is now prescribing estriol 0.5 mg in a cream which is inserted vaginally twice a week.  A compounding pharmacy prepares it for me.  It has also worked very well and per my doctor, it should work better than the Vagifem.  You may ask your gynecologist about it.

I also had bladder infections about 2 yrs ago in spite of taking oral HRT and finally saw a urologist and he ran all of the tests and told me there was actually nothing wrong w/my bladder.  His physician's asst (female) told me to always urinate after sex and use Summer's Eve cleanser for washing the vaginal area before and after sex.  Ever since I began using the Summer's Eve cleanser, I have not had another bladder infection.