Wellness

[panda1234]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

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@panda1234 wrote:

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@SilleeMee wrote:

I have problems with number 1 and number 2. It's the scleroderma that has gone to my internal parts, including my bladder, urethra, rectum and large bowel. My internal tissue has become stiff, less flexible and thick with excess collagen fibers. Sometimes I leak from both places and sometimes I can't go at all. Imagine a garden hose that has lost it's flexibility or a balloon that can only be blown up to a certain point...yup that's what my insides are like. There's some pain, too, but I've become accustomed to that part...just not the incontinence part...

Oh and I won't go into the lady parts thing...that's another story.

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Thank you for sharing @SilleeMee . I have to ask since I have just been having problems with #2, what do you do when you leave your house? I have had one accident away from home and now I plan my trips very carefully. This is so embarrassing. Just had a colonoscopy and it could be diverticulitis, more testing being done. Sorry to go off topic.

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I'm like you @panda1234 . I have to plan my day ahead. What I eat the day before is most important and then I bring a change of undies plus a panty liners, too. I carry  wipes with me everywhere also. So far my incidents have not been very voluminous, tg, just some leaks and that's because I ate something that I should not have eaten. I hope I never have to go the diaper route. 

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@SilleeMee  This seems like a lot of trouble but a necessity. I guess I need to invest in some panty liners and wipes. I feel like I am digressing, hope I don’t start to carry a diaper bag with my supplies.....just kidding. Thanks for the tips.

[tsavorite]

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@shoekitty wrote:

It takes me a while to empty.  Sometimes it slow trickles out, and after I stand up sometimes a little can leak. I go more often with not satisfying results.  I do not have leaks as a problem otherwise.  They have narrowed my problem to 2 things.  One is my back, and nerve damage in the 3-5L area.  The other is the ureters, or what ever they are that carry urine from bladder to urethra has narrowed with age.  Sometimes it gets bad and I go in and he does a stretching of the tube.  He inserts this scope into urethra to bladder and it widens the passage.  It is uncomfortable for 3 minutes or less.  Mainly my back hurts.  BUT it works!!  For a few months I get a good stream and it seems to empty better.  I am due to do it again.  Getting old aint for sissies.  I remember the good old days when I held my bladder for hours and then went in a heavy stream what seemed like forever.   

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@shoekittyThanks for sharing....could I ask you about what age did you start to have this issue?  I started this kind of thing in my mid 40's but no leakage after I go or anything thus far.  Weak stream is how I would describe it at times...with some spasms if I try to drink to much water and hold it like for those tests!  Other times it is a normal stream...but I am not like other ladies (I know when I am in a public restroom and they are in the other stalls...sounds like a blasting faucet when they go!) 

Also do they use anything to knock you out for this procedure?  And how often are you doing it? 

Last night I started a UTI....at doctors again 1st thing this morning getting the pee dip stick test...on a antibiotic.  Haven't had one of these in a long time now.

[Drythe]

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@tsavorite wrote:

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@Drythe wrote:

@tsavorite 

Has anyone mentioned Kegel exercises to you?  

You might want to read about them.  

Best Wishes

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I have read about them....wonder if they would be the right thing to do for my issues?  I could begin doing them for a few weeks and see what happens...at this point why not??  Thanks for reminding me of them.

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@tsavorite 

I don’t think it can hurt you, my understanding is that 

 it helps,  or not.  

Good wishes.

[Sweetbay magnolia]

If the doctor administers laughing gas (nitrous oxide) you have nothing to worry about.  I wish I could have some of that at home.

A registered nurse I know once said "The bladder is very fickle".  True.  I swear it used to be for me, if I even thought about an infection, I would have one.  They are miserable.  

Good luck.

[LilacTree]

I’m 81 and nothing works right.

[Toppers3]

Hi @tsavorite ,

I'm really sorry for the discomfort that you're in. 

If I were you, I'd just go ahead and get the necessary tests done, so that you can find out what's going on with your bladder for sure, and then you can find out what treatments there are for you.

I definitely do understand the "not knowing" and the anxiety about having certain tests and procedures done.

Over the years, I've also been one who has been through a lot of medical tests and procedures.

In the past, my bladder was very inflamed and it was thought that I had Interstitial Cystitis. I've had my bladder looked at not that long ago--a few years ago now--and it's thought that it's looking better and that it's now "overactive."

I take medication for it, plus I watch what I eat and drink, and I do "bladder training" for it, too. I see a Urologist for it, who also checks me for Kidney Stones. I have a history of them, and have to watch what I do for them, too.

I definitely sympathize about having bladder tests done. I had a lot of anxiety when I was being tested for IC of the bladder. 

For example, certain things and tests I can handle o.k., and some just "send me to pieces."

An MRI is something that I need a sedative for, before I have one done. It doesn't matter if it's for my head, or my foot. I just can't handle the sound of that magnetic blasting through my brain cells. Other people are fine with MRIs. 

You would need to check with your doctor on what type of tests they would be doing for you, and whether or not they would be able to use some kind of an anesthetic for it.

I have had Cystoscopies and a Transvaginal Ultrasound, too.

I personally think that if anyone can tolerate a Transvaginal Ultrasound, they would also be able to get through a Cystoscopy, too. 

[novamc1]

I don't claim to totally understand everything mentioned in this ongoing discussion.

I just wonder whether some or much of the problem has to do with the person having undergone a hysterectomy. 

A lot of change happens when internal tissues get weak with age, and a missing uterus enables the bladder to start collapsing under pressure from the collapse of nearby tissue.

Might be helpful to find  a certified urogynecologist for a consultation.

Here's a link to finding doctors dually certified in both specialties........

https://www.md.com/specialists/urogynecologists

Urogynecology is a subspecialty of Obstetrics & Gynecology offering surgical and non-surgical care for disorders affecting the pelvic floor in women, treating conditions like urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, voiding disorders, and more.
The American Board of Medical Specialties regulates and offers subspecialty certification in the field of Urolgynecology, officially referred to as “Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery.”

[tsavorite]

@novamc1  Thank you for the link on finding doctors in that speciality!  I will check this out for sure....also I haven't had a hysterectomy and no other surgical procedure in that area other then when my kids were born...basic episiotomy and one was delivered using forceps.  

I have begun reading some more last night and now I am thinking something called Interstitial cystitis may be what I have also....matches symptoms I have...more to look into.

[sophiamarie]

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Last night I started a UTI....at doctors again 1st thing this morning getting the pee dip stick test...on a antibiotic.  Haven't had one of these in a long time now.

@tsavorite   FYI - You can buy a "dip stick" at the drug store and bypass the doctor's office.  When I get a UTI, there is no way I can get to the doctor because it is so uncomfortable.  I call for an antibiotic and after a day or two, I feel better.  Then, I go to the doctor with a specimen.  That goes to the lab.  They will either tell me to continue with the antibiotic, or stop and they will call in another kind, depending on the lab results.

HTH

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