Incontinence

Sandra Melville (luthyen(AT)erols.com)
Fri, 05 Mar 1999 09:06:07 -0500

I'm writing on this somewhat embarrassing topic so that those of you out
there who might have been doing the same thing I was might find out what
I did. Now, I was not incontinent -- as long as I voided every two
hours. That was when I would feel that warning wetness, rapidly growing
urge, and if I did not quickly find a bathroom then I would be
incontinent. I carefully planned my outings, plotted my course, and
wore pads to be extra safe. I started wearing elastic waist pants
because with my impaired hand movement I just couldn't manage zippers
and buttons. Sound familiar? And of course, there was getting up every
night, every two hours-but I was not incontinent, just a little damp in
the morning. ..

I finally got tired enough of all this, and read a few things, and
decided I had an over active bladder. I called my neurologist,
described my symptoms, and he prescribed oxybutynin. Now, incontinence
can have many causes, including infection, loss of estrogen with
menopause, anatomical changes after childbirth, and so should be
carefully evaluated. My point is, talk about it with your neurologist
or primary care provider because medications may help. Yesterday I was
able to go 4-5 hours between voidings and didn't have that annoying
dampness. I woke up after a full night's rest, dry.

Lord knows, I'm not eager to take any more pills than I already do; and
I hate to sound like a commercial; and this is really somewhat
embarrassing to talk about; but this really did help.
Oxybutynin=ditropan for those of you out there with your drug books.

Have a great day!

Sam, waiting for the snow