EEKKSS- Incontinence worsening

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When I first got E? I was never incontinent, felt so sorry for people who had that problem. But THEN I started waking up at night, several years later, urinating and I couldn't get it stopped. Worse, my legs were noodly or I couldn't stand at all, I had tremendous confusion, rarely made it to the bathroom. I went to my doctor thinking I must have much worse bladder prolapse than I thought and found out I was having nocturnal sz's and at the end of the sz the bladder sphincter holding urine in can relax, I can't control it (no kidding) which also explained why my legs were so weak, I was confused. Then someone posted a thread right after that about the same thing and I found out my symptoms were classic and shared by many. It doesn't happen with every nocturnal. I really don't know why it happens only periodically. But lately? This is really just hard for me to handle. I'm having only urine, not bowel, incontinence during the day occasionally, not always but that means I HAVE to wear incontinence products all the time. I've tried different kinds, weights, thicknesses and I really would like to know - what in the heck works? I'm sorry if this is very blunt but this problem is very embarassing. I've tried THE heaviest pad or pants they have and I can't find anything that works totally. I'm not sure why either. My urine volume my doctor tested and it's not unusually high, in fact low. Maybe the incontinence pads can not be in the right place but how can that panty be off if it's snug (aka adult diaper - MAJOR ICK). Do others have success controlling the moisutre? Good grief of all the indignities and crap I've gone thru having E? I DO wish I'd be spared this one. Gretchen

Comments

Re: Re: Re: EEKKSS- Incontinence worsening

Submitted by spiz on Mon, 2006-08-14 - 11:47

Gretchen, So you have a pee pantry too? Excuse my being indelicate, but the bear has just come out of hibernation and is determined to stay awake all day today. I've been up two and a half hours and am already grouchy. But that is what I call the closet I keep all the different types of incontinence products I have tried. I don't like any of them but I guess the closest to meeting my tolerance is the Serenity Pads. They are real soft and easy to adjust. (Boy, am I going to die of embarrassment later!) When going out in the land of so called normies, wear a panty girdle with the Serenity and they stay in place. They are very absorbant. I also have the stress incontinence. Since our muscles are 'out of shape' in that area, an exercise my urinologist(Sp?) has me do is to contract those muscles several times a day when convenient. And since it's an exercise that can be done without anyone's knowledge, it's easily done throughout the day. The other thing he has me do is what he calls 'retraining my bladder'. The first week, I was to go to the bathroom and 'try' to pee every 15 minutes. After the first week, go every 30 minutes for 2 weeks. After that, stay with every hour. I have been doing this for a year and a half now and it has helped tremendously. ...and whacking the knee is my department but it was sweet of you to take my turn. I bet it was the right one, huh? Take care! -Spiz

Re: Re: Re: Re: EEKKSS- Incontinence worsening

Submitted by Colina on Mon, 2006-08-14 - 14:43

Don't be embarassed spiz. Had it bad after my hysterectomy, also like charlie horse when going. Took Oxtbutin for a few months and am much better. I called them my pee pills. The things we go through in the name of having children! Smiles and I hope your awake time starts at least being equal to your sleep time. Big hugs

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: EEKKSS- Incontinence worsening

Submitted by gretchen1 on Tue, 2006-08-15 - 00:13

WHELP - how in the heck did you know it was my right knee SPIZ? HA HA - that just rolled me for some reason. That also happens to be my prosthetic knee that I theoretically protect (yeah, how?). I have two full shelves of nothing but pink and aqua packages - all incontinence products. Indelicate? To me indelicate is when I had a tonic Jacksonian wearing a denim dress while talking to someone in a store and it ran down my leg! THERE! Now you can feel better. I liked Serenity too but it didn't like me. My doctor thinks the slight perfuming they put in these products gave me the rash from hell but I tend to get rashes. Of course that happened when we were staying a week with friends! I know what you were talking about - exercises. Those are Kiegels. I used to teach those in my Lamaze classes. I taught people to Kiegel everytime they came to a stop sign but to be REAL indelicate I'm nearly shaking hands with my bladder. IOW I'm passed the Kiegel. But how interesting what your doctor had you do. And it helped huh? My doctor did tell me that people jump off the toilet too fast and instead sit there and as he said "wring it out". Good grief, we're getting down to it now huh? You know what? I'm going to try that tho. One thing I didn't say is that for whatever reason I have to go more frequently when I'm asleep - just in the last few months. All these suggestions I'm taking in to my doctor. The panty girdle is an idea too. I did see one at JC Penneys that didn't look binding, just snug. I'll think of that because the incontinence panties DO make a noise and the pads do tend to slide around. I asked Mike if I rustled when I walked, to be honest and he finally said "well, sorta", IOW, yes he can hear it. YIKES! Yes and absolutely. I adore my children but I adored my bladder right where it was when I was born too. When I worked in L&D there was a very old fashion doctor. He didn't let any of his patients get out of bed for any reason for 7 days. I was a new nurse then, just learning. The older nurses told me that those patients never had bladder prolapse and I think how I leaped out of bed immediately, was bored to tears in the hospital and when I had my first babies it was standard to be there 5 days, and I worked there, so I was always up and visiting and probably dropping my bladder while doing it. EEEKKSS. Gretchen