My bladder no longer functions the way it’s supposed to. In fact, it’s taken a rather embarrassing turn–and I’m used to leakage. I mean, I’ve had a child. I get it. I touched upon this in another personal post, but I’ve had a couple unfortunate incidents where I’ve wet myself because my body could not understand the warning signals that my bladder was sending.
I pee all the time. If I drink even a sip of liquid, it sends me running to the bathroom within the space of a few minutes. No really, I have literally had to run to the bathroom. After a sip. I now scan every single place I visit so that I can locate the nearest bathroom. If there aren’t any in close proximity, I won’t drink anything. This is difficult, considering that staying well-hydrated is pretty important. Sometimes, my bladder won’t empty fully, no matter how much I need to go. This also contributes to the frequency with which I need to pee and the level of urgency with which I need to do so. Long car rides (and short ones for that matter) are brutal. It’s strange, but I spend a great deal of time thinking about my bladder.
At the relatively young age of 34, I never thought that I’d be having incontinence issues to rival my elderly counterparts. In fact, I had no idea what was going on. Like most of my symptoms, I chalked the change in my body up to giving birth. I didn’t realize that bladder problems are a pretty common issue amongst people with MS.
Bladder dysfunction happens in about 80 percent of people with MS. Who knew?! MS lesions can block or delay nerve signals in areas of the central nervous system that control the bladder. You can have an overactive bladder that is unable to hold the normal amount of urine, or you can have a bladder that does not empty properly. Both can contribute to frequency and/or urgency of urination, frequent nighttime urination, an inability to empty the bladder completely, or the inability to hold in urine.
Not only is bladder function is incredibly important for kidney health, it’s incredibly important for one’s quality of life. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I haven’t felt upset or been worried to leave the house lest I’m unable to make it to the bathroom in time. Luckily, time seems to have taken care of the worst of my bladder problems. I still have to sprint to the bathroom at inopportune times, but I’m no longer losing complete control of my bladder like I was when I was getting over my flare at the beginning of the year.
There are a variety ways of correcting bladder dysfunction–or at least making sure that it doesn’t run your life. I’ve mentioned some pretty straightforward ones: making sure I know where the bathrooms are located when I go out go out; not drinking as many liquids if I have to be out of the house for a while or am in a place with few restrooms; and wearing “backup” in the form of adult diapers or pantyliners. I’ve also started drinking fewer liquids before bed so that I’m not constantly running to the bathroom at all hours of the night.
For folks who have more serious incontinence issues, talk with your doctor (EVERYONE should always talk with their doctor about any symptom that is bothering them). I believe that there are a few different medications designed to help with this symptom, and pelvic floor physical therapy is great way to strengthen the muscles that help with bladder and bowel function.
How do you cope with incontinence issues? I’d say that above all, I try to keep my sense of humor about these things. It makes the tough days (and symptoms) feel a little easier to deal with.
In health,
D
Living in Color 