Getting Your Dignity Back

Regain your dignity by taking control over your LBL. 

For most women under the age of 50, the idea of struggling with urinary incontinence, no matter how light, is mortifying. Losing bladder control, even if just small leaks, is embarrassing and frustrating. 

Too often women with incontinence find themselves turning down social invitations, avoiding exercise, and living in fear of leaking if they laugh, cough, jump, or sneeze.

Light incontinence is a common, though not often talked about problem. Men and women alike suffer from this condition, but women, particularly women who have had children, often find that unexpected leaks happen.

How can you gain control over your bladder and get your dignity back?

Talk to a medical professional

Women often fear talking to their doctor about leaking because it is a sensitive and embarrassing subject matter. In fact, most women wait an average of 6 years from their first episode before getting the advice of a doctor. However, it is important to know that it is usually treatable, and talking to your doctor is the first step to getting dignity back. A doctor can run tests, do ultrasounds, or stress tests, and the like to determine the cause, and possible solutions to incontinence.

Start a treatment plan

Treatment of incontinence varies by the type and the case. For most women with light bladder leakage, the type is stress incontinence. Meaning that the bladder involuntarily leaks when stress is put on it, from things like laughing, sneezing, jumping, etc. The muscles that control the bladder may be weakened, or nerves damaged, causing this. The most common treatment plan for women with stress incontinence (possibly due to pregnancy and child birth) is doing Kegel exercises.

Kegel exercises help to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that control the bladder. However, depending on the cause, the solution may be medication, surgery, bladder training, or something else. Talk to a doctor.

In the meantime, protect and manage the condition while seeking solutions. This is going to help you have dignity despite the condition, and feel confident to be able to go out and about, socialize, exercise, etc.

When protecting and managing, keep the following things in mind:

1. Use products designed specifically for incontinence.

2. Consider the shape, size, and feel for your body.

3. Determine if you need disposable or reusable.

Active wear every woman can trust and rely. 

4. How severe is your incontinence? 

For women with light incontinence, a great solution may be Fanny Pants. They are fairly new to the market, and offer an innovative solution with a waterproof gusset with pockets to hold a super absorbent smartwearPad. They are designed to fit comfortably and stylishly, and provide the benefits of normalcy and leak protection.

Help support this ad free blog by answering several questions about caregiving here. It will take just two minutes. 

Call us. We're here to help.

About The CareGiver Partnership. The CareGiver Partnership helps caregivers and their loved ones with answers to their caregiving questions, including information about home health care products and supplies, from our Wisconsin-based team of Product Specialists who are all current or former caregivers. The company’s Web site provides the largest online library of resources on subjects most important to caregivers — from arthritis to assisted living, and Parkinson’s to prostate cancer — as well as access to more than 3,000 home care products for incontinence, skin care, mobility, home safety and daily living aids. The CareGiver Partnership was founded in 2004 by Lynn Wilson of Neenah, Wisc. Visit http://www.caregiverpartnership.com to learn more or call 1-800-985-1353.

Tweet