Leaking bladder-because the settings are not right

At the mention of urinary incontinence, every mind clicks on loss of bladder control. In this situation, the person affected has a challenging time living with others. The incontinence accelerates when a person coughs or laughs. Research shows that urinary incontinence affects both men and women. It does however tend to affect more women.

Overflow incontinence, according to Better Information to Overflow incontinence occurs due to the following reasons:

• Weak bladder muscles, which are unable to squeeze the bladder empty.
• Blockages of the urethra – This is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body. The blockage may be caused by a number of things such as tumors, urinary stones, scar tissue, and swelling from infections, or kinks caused by dropping of the bladder within the abdomen.
• Injury of nerves that affect the bladder.
• Medications, including some anti convulsants and antidepressants that affect nerve signals to the bladder.
• The nerve damage from diseases such as diabetes.

Better Health, is when you find yourself dribbling urine on your clothes at daytime and wetting the bed at night.

How does this incontinence occur? It happens when one is not in a position to empty the bladder fully. One may not be in a position to know that the bladder is full. It just happens naturally. Urine left in the bladder may lead to bleeding areas for bacteria.

It is best to speak with your doctor as soon as you notice or suspect you have the problem. Being embarrassed and hiding behind closed doors does not help. Determining the type you have and the best. treatment for it will begin with describing the problem. Your doctor may ask questions such as:

• How often do you go to the bathroom?
• Do you leak constantly?
• Do you leak urine before you get to the bathroom?
• When you go to the bathroom, do you have trouble starting or stopping the flow of urine?
• Do you leak urine during certain activities?
• Do you experience pain or burning when you urinate?
• Do you have a medical condition that could interfere with bladder function?
• Have you had a back injury?
• Do you get frequent urinary tract infections?

Later, your doctor will examine you and depending on the findings, may refer you to a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating diseases of the nervous system or perform tests that may include:

1. Bladder stress test: your doctor checks to see if you lose urine when coughing.
2. Q-tip test: the doctor inserts a cotton swab into the urethra and has you cough and strain. Excessive movement of the swab could mean weakening of the tissues that support the bladder.
3. Catheterization: after having you go to the bathroom and empty your bladder, the doctor inserts a catheter to see if more urine comes out. A bladder that doesn’t empty completely could indicate overflow incontinence.
4. Urinalysis and urine culture: lab technicians test urine for infection, other abnormalities, or evidence of kidney stones.
5. Ultrasound: an imaging test is performed to visualize inner organs such as the bladder, kidneys, and urethras.

Further tests can be done if the cause is still unclear. For instance, your doctor could order aerodynamic testing. This is to test bladder contractions, bladder pressure, urine flow, nerve signals, and leakage. Should this not help, then the doctor may recommend surgery to remove the blockage.
Contribution from http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/overflow-incontinence

END: PG 37 /19