Taming incontinence
Most people take bladder and bowel control for granted — until
something goes wrong. Then, you may find yourself worrying about getting
to a bathroom on time, avoiding certain situations for fear of leakage,
or relying on absorbent pads for protection. If so, you are not alone.
An estimated 25 million adults have incontinence, the unintended loss
of urine or feces that is significant enough to make it difficult for
them to maintain good hygiene and carry on ordinary social and work lives.
What’s the cause? For women, it’s a rarely discussed but
common result of childbirth. For men, it’s most often the result
of treatment for prostate problems.
Sometimes incontinence is minor, and all you need is an occasional absorbent
pad to keep enjoying your normal activities. But when you begin organizing
your life around easy access to a bathroom or start giving up the activities
that are important to you — your daily walk, travel, work opportunities,
or sex — because you can’t control leakage, it may be time
to take action.
Besides disrupting daily activities and nighttime sleep, incontinence
can also chip away at your health. If you have stopped exercising, for
example, you are giving up one of the most effective strategies for maintaining
health. Getting up several times a night can lead to sleep deprivation.
And incontinence that causes withdrawal from social interactions can
contribute to depression.
Older women who frequently must rush to the bathroom are 26% more likely
to fall and 34% more likely to break a bone. Incontinence is also a leading
cause of nursing home placement, and that prospect drives some people
to try to hide their condition rather than seek help.
While it engenders fear and embarrassment, rest assured that incontinence
is not a psychological problem or a personal failure. Incontinence is
a medical symptom, and it deserves the same attention you would give
to any other medical concern.
For example, easier-to-take medications are now available for urinary incontinence. Specific
exercises can help strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor, shoring
up the muscles that control both bladder and bowel. Surgical options now
include outpatient procedures that work as well as major surgery. There
are even treatments for the most severe cases of fecal incontinence, including
sphincter repair. One warning: manufacturers have discovered that there
is money to be made in selling products for incontinence. Your best bet
is to choose products or treatments recommended by your doctor.
Improve your symptoms
Unless you engage in strenuous exercise or have a medical
condition (for example, if you’re prone to kidney stones)
that requires more fluid consumption, you can try these guidelines
to improve symptoms of urinary incontinence:
- Aim for no more than 6–8 cups of fluid
(from all sources) each day.
- Don’t drink more than 8 ounces at a
time.
- Don’t guzzle. The faster your bladder
fills, the more likely you are to feel urgency.
- Minimize caffeinated and carbonated drinks.
- Decrease or eliminate alcohol consumption.
- If you are thirsty because it is hot or you
have exercised, don’t hesitate to drink water.
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