Author: Tracey McAlpine Category: Health, Bladder Dysfunction
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The authors of What’s Up With Your Bladder advise on ways to cope with bladder problems

With so many people suffering in silence, a new book helps people understand the many different types of bladder dysfunction and how to cope with them.

Top tips for coping with bladder problems:

Keep hydrated

For people with bladder conditions, there can be a strong temptation to limit the amount you drink to avoid leaks and accidents.  This, however, is often counterproductive as concentrated urine, which is produced when we don’t drink enough, can irritate the bladder lining.

Keep your pelvic floor in shape

The results of research trials looking at how pelvic floor muscles can help tackle incontinence consistently show that these exercises are key to taking back control of over bladders.  Because this set of muscles isn’t something we can see, it can be hard to first know if we’re doing the exercises correctly, and secondly to know if they are becoming toned.  But these simple contractions can mean that people with bladder issues can avoid medications and surgery – both of which come with risks and side effects.

Don’t ‘emergency wee’

Many of us go to the toilet ‘just in case’, especially people with bladder problems.  However, there is an elegant mechanism that exist between the brain and bladder to let us know when it’s time to find a WC and by emptying the bladder when it’s not necessary, we can disrupt this process, the micturition reflex.

Support your microbiota

We are now beginning to understand how important the many millions of microorganisms in our guts are for our health.  The microbiota has a vital role to play in our immune systems, so taking care of these friendly companions will help not only to keep the bladder working well, but also support overall health.  This includes both physical and mental health as the gut communicates with the brain along the brain-gut axis. 

You can do this by taking both pre and probiotics as a supplement, try Healthspan SuperPro50 formulated for those 50 plus, 60 capsules £29.99, and eating foods that have pre and probiotic properties.  For people who suffer from recurrent and chronic urinary tract infections (cystitis) this is an approach worth trying.  Other ways to take care of our microbiota include cutting out artificial sweeteners, cutting back on the booze, eating enough fibre and managing stress.

Read: Do you need probiotics?

Know your triggers

Certain foods and drink can trigger bladder irritation so it’s useful to know which ones affect you.  As different things affect different people, note down everything you eat and drink in a bladder diary.  You’ll also need to write down the amount of times you needed go to the toilet and how urgently this desire was, including any leaks.

Know you’re not alone

Because bladder conditions are embarrassing and can threaten our sense of dignity, symptoms such as incontinence can be incredibly hard to talk about. But bladder illness is very common indeed and we are all so good at hiding health problems that you may not even know a close friend has experienced urgency, pain or laughter leaks.  Talking about health issues is an essential part of coping with any illness, particularly those that are stigmatised or hidden.

Don’t be ashamed to use products

There are lots of products out there that are designed to support, and some are better than you think.

Knowing where the toilets are

Just knowing where toilets are can help rest the mind and limit panicky feelings – there are numerous toilet locator apps and you can use a Can’t Wait Card to ensure you don’t have to stand in lengthy queues.  Radar keys which allow access to over 900 accessible toilets (and usually clean, if you do need to change clothes) in the UK for people with long-term health conditions and disabilities.  The important point of all these products and apps is to make sure you don’t become isolated – bladder conditions are upsetting, and, for some, effective management can take time.  On this journey towards recovery use everything at your disposal to continue living your life.

Consider your options carefully

We all want to ‘just get better’ so it can be tempting to look for a quick fix.  But our bodies are complex things and so an immediate remedy rarely exists. In general, and for non-life-threatening conditions, it is best to try as many lifestyle, diet and behaviour techniques as you can before considering medications and surgical procedures.  Even over-the-counter pain killers come with side effects, for example constipation which itself can make bladder problems worse.  Aspirin and ibuprofen may also be play havoc with your microbiota, reducing the numbers of good bacteria in the gut.  There is always the risk of infection with surgical techniques, amongst other complications such as water retention and pain/soreness.

What’s Up With Your Bladder

 

What's Up With Your Bladder

What’s Up With Your Bladder is an evidence-based, no-nonsense guide to overcoming bladder conditions such as stress incontinence, overactive bladder syndrome, painful bladder syndrome, interstitial cystitis, UTI’s and even bladder cancer. 

Written by Dr Megan Arroll, a psychologist who specialises in the impact of stress and stigma on health (including invisible/ misunderstood illness, eating behaviour and fatigue), and Professor Christine Dancey, Professor Emeritus of Chronic Illness Research at the University of East London.  The book sets out to give you as much information as possible to make informed choices for treatment of bladder conditions. 

Read: What’s Up With Your Bladderfor more information about the book

What’s Up With Your Bladder is available from Amazon – Paperback £14.99 Kindle Edition £4.79