November is Bladder Health Month

2019-11-07 02:20:52

 We hope you feel the urge to spread bladder health awareness. Conditions such as incontinence and overactive bladder are taking the spotlight to support and encourage those living with bladder and bowel diseases.

November is Bladder Health Awareness month

The first thing to realize when it comes to bladder conditions is that they’re extremely common. There is no need to feel stigmatized or embarrassed when these prevalent conditions, especially when seeking proper treatment makes it easy to manage them without impacting your quality of life.

  • About 13 million Americans have incontinence
  • 33 million Americans are dealing with Overactive Bladder
  • Over 81,000 Americans will be diagnosed with Bladder Cancer this year
  • As many as 12 million Americans may have Interstitial Cystitis

Let’s Learn About These Conditions

  1. Incontinence

Incontinence is the lack of control over voluntary urination or defecation. Those with urinary incontinencemay experience a range of symptoms from slight urinary leakage to total emptying of the bladder.

 Types of incontinence include:

  •  Urge Incontinence: Causes the sudden, strong urge to urinate and people may not make it to the restroom in time. This is often referred to as overactive bladder (OAB).
  •  Stress Incontinence: Occurs when urine leaks due to weakened pelvic muscles when stress is exerted on the bladder due to activities such as laughing, coughing, or exercising.
  •  Functional Incontinence: With this type, people are aware of the need to urinate but mental or physical conditions such as dementia or impaired mobility prevent them from getting to the restroom in time.
  •  Overflow Incontinence: Occurs with the inability to fully empty your bladder, resulting in urine dribbles and leakage.

  1. Overactive Bladder

OAB causes the sudden urge to urinate (urge incontinence) with the sudden loss of urine along with the need to frequently urinate, 8 or more times within 24 hours. You may also be awakened multiple times during the night to use the restroom. This may be caused by weakened pelvic muscles or involuntary bladder contractions.

  1. Bladder Cancer

 Bladder cancer occurs in the tissue of the bladder and there are 3 main types:

  • Transitional Cell Carcinoma: The most common type, that forms in the transitional cells of the inner layer of the bladder. The transitional cells can change shape without being damaged as the tissue stretches.
  • Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A rare form of bladder cancer that begins after a long-term infection or bladder irritation that result in the formation of thin, flat squamous cells.
  • Adenocarcinoma: Another rare form of bladder cancer that occurs when glandular cells that make up mucus-secreting glands in the body form in the bladder after long-term bladder infection or irritation.

 Symptoms of bladder cancer may include:

  • Blood in urine
  • Fatigue
  • Weight loss
  • Incontinence
  • Abdominal pain
  • Lower back pain
  • Urgent urination
  • Frequent urination

  1. Interstitial Cystitis

Internal cystitis (IC), commonly referred to as painful bladder syndrome is a chronic condition causing bladder pressure, pain, and sometimes pelvic pain. It causes the signals that are sent from the nerves of your bladder to the brain when it’s time to urinate to get mixed up, causing the urge to urinate more often with smaller volumes. Pain may be mild to severe and symptoms may be constant or periodic due to triggered flare-ups.

 Symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis include:

  • Pelvic pain
  • Pain between the vagina and anus for women, and between the scrotum and anus for men.
  • Frequent urination, up to 60 times per day
  • The constant urgent need to urinate
  • Pain as the bladder fills and relief after urinating
  • Pain during sexual intercourse

How To Manage Bladder Conditions

  1. Your bladder condition doesn’t have to rule your life. Take back control by learning easy tips to make managing urinary disorders easier.
  2. Contact your doctor to put a treatment plan or management plan together before your condition worsens. National bladder health awareness month helps people properly manage their health conditions
  3. Adopt a daily exercising and stretching routine to help relieve pain and symptoms.
  4. Clean up your diet and avoid food and beverages that may irritate the bladder such as coffee, spicy foods, sugary items, and fried fatty foods.
  5. Reduce stress to relax your mind and body.
  6. Practice timed voiding by going to the restroom every 2 to 3 hours instead of waiting for the urge to strike.
  7. Be prepared with enough incontinence supplies to last during the day or activity. Have protective undergarments, a change of clothes, and wipes to make quick, discreet cleanups possible.
  8. Receive your incontinence supplies through insurance. Stop overpaying for briefs, catheters, chux, and more. Let us help navigate your policy to send up to 200 items in discrete packaging to your home on a monthly basis.

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