incontinance

ok, this is a bit of a touchy subject for me.
i first started having occasional problems a few years back and was sent for a bladder test.
in the test they attach something to you and fill your bladder up with water till your fit to burst,then stand you on some paper and ask you to cough to see if you wee yourself (not the most dignified test to have:roll
any way,that day i was ok so the test was inconclusive.

but the incontinance has slowly got worse over time,happening a few times a week and tends to be more on a morning.
apart from wearing incontinance pads (dont want to go there) i am trying to figure out what can help.
i know pelvic exercises could but my exercise intolerance is zero and my hip girdle area is weak.
i know all this is a result from bladder/pelvic spasms over the years,i have had really bad spasms on either side of the groin in the past.

does anyone have this problem? i know it is a pls/hsp symptom.
any suggestions on what could help? is there any meds?
thanks:-|

Caroline,
Have you had children? I know that pregnancy can loosen the surrounding supports for the bladder, and you can have a minor surgery to tack the bladder back into position. Also,if the bladder needs placement, it can cause infections since it can't always completely empty.

I know women who have had children, and in later years they sneeze and leak or exercise and leak... and needed that minor surgery. Doctors always recommend those Kegal exercises and they sometimes work.

There are medications to help prevent incontinence too. Age is also a factor.

I wish you well.

thanks marjorie.
i have 1 son who's 20 now and i did have a hysterectomy 10yrs ago.
i know these can play a small part but i am only 41.
bladder /pelvic spasms can weaken the muscles there,at one time doctors would not acknowledge this but it is a well proven fact now and incontinance is a recognised symptom.
surgery would be out of the question ,i will have to look into some simple pelvic exercises i can do.

Hi Caroline,

Your urinary difficulties are exactly like mine, although I'm considerably older (65). My ALS neuro explained to me that the bladder is smooth muscle and can have spasms much like our other muscles which can contribute to the urge incontinence problem. She prescribed ditropan xl (generic is oxybutynin er), and it has helped me when I took it for a short time. However, if you have glaucoma, it's contraindicated. I have narrow angle glaucoma and have had recent eye surgery so I'll be able to take ditropan again soon. Thank goodness!

I had the same bladder function tests years ago. I was terribly embarrassed by the lack of privacy and was never so glad to get my pants on and out of that place.

thanks lonna.
i will look into the meds and ask if i can have them.
i know i have had groin/pelvic spasms and also bladder,i can go to the toilet 20 times a day but sometimes it feels like its full but it is'nt so i can not go. other times i dont feel like i need to but i end up having an accident.:sad:
if i feel i am going to sneeze i have to cross my legs and brace myself:shock:

that bladder test is so undignified is'nt it,there was a little toilet in the room with a curtain round and was told to use it after.
well,after having pints of fluid involintarily pumped into the bladder i was on the toilet a good 5minutes at least,the nurse and doctor said they thought i had fallen asleep or something.

thanks again lonna:razz:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH yes sitting outside having a great day and a beer or two ,next thing your on the way to potty and the closer i get to it the more i have to go ,barely get my zipper down and wammo . But then again i'll never know when its coming. Sometimes i'll just sit there and sit there or stand there and STAND THERE ? SEEMS TO BE MORE IN WINTER THOUGH . But the Idiots dont know either so go figure . We're just out there on our own Discovering things and sharing them so others dont feel alone . Just like this Summer i woke up ate breakfast wife went off to work ,i started getting shakey one minute then feeling i was going to die the next ,then shakey again ,neighbor took me to ER ,i laid there for 6 hours ,lots of tests and no answers (like Hypoglycemia ) but not Blood was fine . then i asked the Expert who came in my room LOL . Ever heard of Neuro Glycopenia ,she looked at me like i was nuts and said no i have been in Neurology for 3 yrs. never heard of that .im thinking and you should problably get out more ,well anyway i have found a way around it .just lay down for an hour and it will go away . Neuro Glycopenia is where the blood sugar doesnt get to the Central Nervous system throught he BBB blood Brain Barrier so the nerves starve for Nutrients .The nerves need Glyco Nutrients ,IE sugars proteins etc . So this goes back to my post endothiel cells . Geo

My symptoms are like how Geo put it. I can be alright, and then out of the blue, BAM! It is like I can't get to the bathroom fast enough. There are times when I've had to change clothes. This has just started happening for the past couple of months. Does anyone know if it is PLS related?

judith

hi judith.
yes,bladder problems have always been a recognised symptom in hsp and also now pls.
in fact the spf are updating info to now include it in pls not just hsp.
it is a umn symptom of spasms of the bladder resulting in dysfunction.

I hate to admit stuff like this but lately I've had episodes where the urge to go has suddenly come on me and there is little holding back. I use to be able to put off these sort of urges but now there are times when there has to be a bathroom close by. This has been happening more with my bowel not my bladder.

I'm hoping the idea the doc has about me having PLS goes away and all of the associated crud with it!

Still looking for a pinched nerve!

Zaphoon

Hi Olly

I also have the same problems you speak of, they became very annoying to me, enough so that I went to see a urologist. He says it is due to ALS. He gave me a script for oxybutynin. It works for me, however it makes my mouth very dry. Maybe works a little to well.

Maybe I will ask my primary for a Rx for Oxybutynin. I can also use the dry-mouth side effect to help with my drooling.
Hopefully kill 2 birds with 1 stone!

Judith

I have noticed over the past couple of months that I am coughing quite a lot and in turn this makes me have little leaks which is very annoying. Does anyone else cough a lot with ALS? My MND as we call it is in the legs however I am getting more cramps in the body which with the coughing makes me think it is in my body area as well. I am also going to the bathroom a lot more than I used to.

Hi Doris,

I also cough alot more with ALS. My dr gave me Q-Tussin and told me to drink alot of water. It's supposed to thin secretions, but I have noticed if I dont drink tons of water it doesn't help. Makes me wonder if I should toss the medicine and just drink lots of water.

I also have urinary urgency, it was so bad that I couldn't leave the house. If I did go somewhere, I could tell you every bathroom between my house and destination. The Oxybutynin has worked wonders for me. Unlike you, I have bulbar issues as well. So that made asking where the bathroom was a little tricky.

Thanks Betty for your reply. I am trying to work my muscles to help with getting any worse.

THANKYOU

thankyou everyone for your response to the thread.
it is a personal subject some dont like to discuss(me included) but never the less needs to be addressed.
i did not want to see my gp about it,a matter of pride but will have to try to find a way to stop it getting worse.

betty.
yes you are so like me.
if i am going out somewhere(not very ofton)i can not drink for an hour before and need to go to the toilet a couple of times.............but you can guarantee i will need to go when out!
its like every pint i drink i pee out three,honestly i could do with one of those portable loo's. have you seen them? there for if you get taken short while out.

once again many thanks:grin: