Women’s health
Ladies, How’s Your… Bladder?
Although this is a sensitive subject, because this is International Women’s History Month, let's get this subject ‘off the toilet’
When I turned 71 last Summer, I had no idea this would be the year I’d start having bladder issues. I’d had no trouble before and I had no reason to think that would change; oh, how those expectations got — flushed.
It all started when I had what I later learned were signs of an overactive bladder, OAB. I remember my doctor’s nurse telling me that, “given your age, this is very common problem.”
Well that certainly made me feel so much better, right? No, not even barely.
I couldn’t imagine what was going on when every time I began to pee, I felt every nerve ending from my thighs to my toes light up!
I also broke out in goose bumps, which was just as — unnerving. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, I wasn’t peeing more than 1/4th cup at a time, although my body had told me I needed to go. right. this. minute.
Hmm, very uncomfortable and strange indeed.
My first inclination was to google my symptoms, but I didn’t because I just knew I’d read something that would say this was an indication of bladder cancer, (yikes) so I called my doctor’s office instead.
At my appointment, my doctor gave me samples of an RX to try, but not until I gave them a urine sample. Ruling out a UTI, (urinary tract infection) was the 1st step. Long story short, my diagnosis was OAB.
Luckily the RX eased the symptoms, but that’s when I researched why this was happening and what I might do to prevent it.
What I learned was a combination of common sense and some eye-opening news and it’s screaming to be shared.
There are things we can do to prevent OAB and other bladder issues. And if they don’t prevent them, they will at least make them show up less often.
- Drink lots of water everyday. In other words, we need to be sure our bodies have enough water so they can flush our kidneys. Especially important given we’re heading into warmer weather soon.
- Be sure we give yourself enough time to completely empty your bladder. Don’t just jump up when you think you’re through, instead lean forward and backwards as much as you can before you leave the toilet.
- Cut out fluids an hour before you go to bed. Try to empty your bladder before you turn in even if you don’t feel you have to go.
- Cut down, or eliminate acidic beverages, such as coffee, soda, wine, and fruit drinks. Spicy and acidic foods, like tomato’s, fruits, and chocolate.
- Always try to empty your bladder after sex. Not only is this the #1 way to prevent a UTI, since our urethra tubes are much shorter than men’s, it clears out any bacteria that might have entered.
- Do Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
- Lose weight and don’t smoke. Being overweight puts more strain on the bladder which will aggravate it into becoming over-active. Not smoking is just common sense, and smoking is a top cause of bladder cancer.
- Surgical options are uncommon but sometimes necessary. In the case of a fallen bladder, surgically tying the bladder back up will usually alleviate a lot of bladder issues, from overactive, to chronic leakage. This can happen due to being overweight or child-birth.
- Certain supplements and three vitamins that can help with bladder control. Magnesium, Vitamin D3 and C. — See your M.D. first.
- Keep OTC leak-pads handy. I had never bought these, but now I carry one just in case. They kind of remind me of light-day pads. I’ve gone from a hysterectomy back to this again.
I’m happy to say my OAB has been under control for a while now and I haven’t had to continue on the RX. I keep it for flare-ups only and I can usually stop taking it just 2–3 days after the symptoms appear.
I’m now doing most of what I list above, plus I try to drink a glass of water with 2TBLS of Apple cider vinegar and 2 TBLS of honey added every day. Although it’s an acidic drink, it turns to alkaline in our body which is the PH we need in order to stay healthy. This is also said to be good for weight loss.
Of course, as with any health concern, see your doctor asap if you develop symptoms as I had.
Thank you for reading and thoughtful writing to everyone.