Tricks/Tips for not losing bladder control, even if for confidence?

Question

Tricks/Tips for not losing bladder control, even if for confidence?

Answer 1

Pelvic floor exercises  

Answer 2

Bladder Drill

Bladder drill is the most common form of bladder training and is effective in treating urgency and frequency with success rates of up to 85 percent. The goal of this training is to allow you to re-establish the control over your bladder and break the cycle of urgency and frequency. Since your brain controls your bladder, urinary continence is a learned behavior.

Each time you feel urinary urgency, try to stop the feeling by contracting the pelvic floor muscles and try to hold your urine a little longer each time, gradually increasing the time between voids. Start from emptying your bladder every hour when you are awake throughout the day. It is important to void at schedule whether you need to go or not. For example if you are scheduled to void next time at 10 AM and at 10 AM you do not feel the urge to urinate, you should go to the toilet and urinate anyway. The idea is not to get your bladder to do what you want it to do and not to let your bladder run your life. You can as well engage in distracting activities such as watching television, conversation or your hobbies.

Maintain the time interval during voids for a week and increase it by an hour on a weekly basis until you are voiding at intervals of approximately 3 hours. You can adjust your schedule according to your working hours. At night you void before you go to sleep and after you wake up.

Remember motivation and gradual increase in interval during voids is your key to success. You should notice improvement in about 2-3 weeks.

Kegel Exercises

These exercises were developed by a doctor name Arnold Kegel for women with bladder control problems. Kegel Exercises are designed to strengthen and give you voluntary control of pelvic floor muscles. They work in mild cases of stress incontinence because incontinence is often related to weak pelvic floor muscles. Since these inner muscles are under our voluntary control, you can exercise them to build up their strength and bulk. These muscles keep the bladder and bladder neck lifted and help them stay in right position. When pelvic floor muscles weaken, pelvic organs drop down contributing towards stress urinary incontinence.

To do Kegel exercises, you should sit on the toilet and start to urinate. During urination try to stop the flow of urine midstream by contracting (tightening) your pelvic floor muscles. These are the same muscles used to stop a bowel movement. You should repeat this several times, until you are sure of the action and sensation of consciously contracting these muscles.

Repeat the exercise five times a day, each time in sets of ten contractions holding each contraction for a count of four. You do not have to be in any certain position to do these exercises. You can do them during your daily activities. In a week or two you should begin to notice improvement. They must be performed daily for at least 2-3 months to be effective.

Some Tips

Information is your best bet in management of urinary incontinence.

Talk about it to your friends with similar problems and share ideas.

Be assertive and gather as much information as possible. Data shows that some promising new therapies are underutilized.

Be persistent in seeking a referral to a physician who is knowledgeable about urinary incontinence.

Talk to your ob/gyn and discuss alternative approach if one approach fails.

Write down your questions on a paper before your visit to doctor's office.

Take the available literature with you, this will help you in discussion with your health care provider.

Find and know the location of bathroom as soon as you arrive in a public place or in an office.

In public transport try to get a seat with easy access to exit or a bathroom.

Do not give up and do not let your bladder dictate your life style.

Be motivated and persistent in seeking right help.

DIETARY IRRITANTS TO THE URINARY TRACT

These may aggravate Bladder Control Problems

All alcoholic beverages

Apples, apple juice

Apricots

Avocados

BBQ Sauce

Bananas

Beer

Beets

Cabbage

Caffeine

Cantaloupes

Carbonated drinks

Cheese (except American, cottage, ricotta, cream)

Chicken livers

Chilies/spicy foods

Chocolate

Citrus fruits

Coffee (except no-acid type)

Cocktail Sauce

Cola

Corned beef

Cranberries

Cranberry juice and sauce

Grapefruit, grapefruit juice

Grapes, grape juice

Green Pepper

Guava

Honey

Hot Sauce

Jalapeno

Ketchup

Lemons, lemon juice

Lentils

Lima beans

Limes, lime juice

Mustard

Mayonnaise

Artificial sweetners

Nuts (almonds, peanuts and pine nuts are tolerable)

Onions

Oranges, orange juice

Peaches

Pickles (vinegar)

Pickled herring

Pineapple and pineapple juice

Pizza with tomato sauce

Plums

Prunes

Raisins

Red pepper

Relish

Rhubarb

Rye bread

Salad dressing

Salsa

Saccharine

Sauerkraut

Soda pop

Sour cream

Soy sauce

Spaghetti sauce

Steak Sauce

Strawberries

Sweet/Sour sauce

Tea

Tobacco

Tomatoes (except low-acid types