www.incontinentsupport.org

Well.. the jury is out on the MRI..but urology tests found no evidence of a neurogenic bladder...suprise surpise.. thats what the last CMG found. And cystsopy was also normal. What my urologist said suprised me. He actually said that i have trouble emptying all the way. He said that he suspects my medications may be causing trouble for my sphincter relaxing all the way when i try to use the bathroom. This is the first time my urologist has brought up my medication as a possible cause.. his recommened course of action is a medication review with my GP.. If my incontience is caused by meds, that is EASILY fixable.. good news there.. But he said he could'nt explain the episodes that seem to manifest as urge. I trust his judgement. He recommended physical therapy.. and ive heard that can be useful to help people empty their bladders..problem is, none of them are close to where i live. it would be at least an hour away, not taking into account how long the appt. would take.. so each therapy session would eat a day..i cant afford that. So, im gonna see my GP for a med review on Monday..so have i given up yet and gone 24/7? Not yet.. the med review and what the neurolgists say is the last straw.. If they cant help me they cant help me.. But, if my medication is causing my incon..it doesnt make sense to give up just yet.. so im waiting out a bit longer..

But i know eventually i will have to face reality.. I cannot spend anymore time driving a cross the state to go to Dr's appts. Not now, in the height of my college career.


I know i said this would be it..but if my med is causing it.. then it may be fixed..at least i have an answer with a possible easy fix.

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"We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love" Mother Teresa

"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!" - Captain Picard from Chain of Command, Part II

Sounds like you have a plan to me. Maybe the meds are causing the problem. That would sure fit with the symptoms you've given. I was pretty certain whatever was at the root of your bladder problem it was not going to be related to any nerve damage in the spine. The symptoms you gave never added up to be nerve related to the spinal cord. Meds, or stress make the most sence to me based upon your stated symptoms. With a little luck, your primary care doc will change your meds and maybe that will solve the problem.

Come on Johnny you can't expect the doc to change the meds to make him better. There is much more money in keeping him the way he is. But hey maybe with the right drugs he could make it even worse and rake up more $$$$ I mean come on if he cured everyone how could he afford his houses yachts and the finner things in life

Get off the leash Stop making his payments...............Sandy

But wait strike that we have a number of doctors that bring there boats to us for service. WAIT stay on the leash!

Sandy,

I don't know why, but sometimes I get the feeling you don't like doctors.

I am in agreement with Sandy.

Our medical system is completely corrupted. They can't actually cure any ailments... but they can put you on pills to treat the symptoms for the rest of your life.

It sickens me...

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~~PuddleGuy

Does it show Johnny?

You have to love it when they put you on one drug. Then because of the side effects of that drug they put you on another to counter act the first ones side effects and so on. and then not really curing anything at all or by some chance the did cure the initial problem you got all the side effects to deal with which are often times worse then what you had to start with .........................Sandy

Wouldnt you know it.. the MRI showed nothing.. back to square one.. i think the medications im on now could be partly to blame. I take Ritalin, Catapres and Minocin. Catapres has been known to cause retention because the sphincter does not relax as well, while ritalin may cause retention also.. my doctor explained the worst thing that happens with Catapres is it gives one a dry mouth. Which makes one drink more water..and coupled with the sphincter not relaxing all the way.. you have leaks.. the minocin may also cause polyuria.. also, some of my symptoms such as diziness and vertigo may also be explained by the medicaiton. If it isn't this, i don't know what else to do.

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"We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love" Mother Teresa

"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!" - Captain Picard from Chain of Command, Part II

Hi,

I remember the early treatment days that I had too. While I new that it was the spinal defect that was the root cause of incontinence, there were many trials of medications and surgical interventions in attempts to alleviate incontinence symptoms. Aside from maintenance antibiotics I have given up on medications to curb urgency, and like you say the dry mouth syndrome causes more fluid intake which is really self defeating, unless you have problems with infection etc. Having residual urine in the bladder can be a nest for bacteria though, and infections cause spasms, and incontinence and a vicious circle ensues.

Although I think it is vital you exhaust your need to find out your cause, there will come a time where you will want to focus on managing the problem. Reading your other posts, I gather you are young, and when i was young managing the problem was behind trying to fix it, but back then we did not have the products of today, and my incontinence stood in the way of everything including relationships and work.

I live in Canada, and the way that I understand your healthcare system, is that it is some sort of pay as you go thing, whereas ours is largely a social system, including our meds and diapers and such with private employer sponsored insurance.

I wish you the best, and hope you can find your place with or without your incontinence troubles.

Take care

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HarperLee

Thanks for your words of support Harper. Yes, i am young. I am 26 years old. And it is embarassing to deal with every day.. but ive gotten used to diapers 24/7..what i havent resigned myself to is using them 24/7..still holding out hope for a cure..but do not know how long i will do that.. if the med review does nothing..then i dont know what else. Wearing diapers isn't all that bad considering that one can go through far worse situations.. im not a paraplegic..im not a cancer pateint..im not diabetic..i have my whole life ahead of me.. i just have to live it wellpadded.. thats all.. id love to stop my incontience, but if i don't, who cares? i get the diapers i need from Medicaid.. life is good. It has taught me a great deal about patience and perseverance and not taking anyhing for granted.. and has given me empathy for those in a similar situaiton. I can help those in a similar stiuation. I like helping people. It's what i am good at.

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"We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love" Mother Teresa

"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!" - Captain Picard from Chain of Command, Part II

I was a few years younger when mine surfaced. No problems whatsoever previous to that, but since the surgery at 22 incontinence has always been there in the form of urgency. I recall periods where there were no accidents for days and weeks, and then other periods where they were daily. I have had pre-op and post-op investigations and surgery which were of little or no help, but mostly I recall the nasty infections some of which were life threatning. Happily, most of all that is behind me now, and I attribute both experience and maturity in overcoming the social barriers.

Although my health and fitness is currently the mainstay in my life, incontinence is there and it will not go away, and my personal commitment is to not let it interfere anymore than a cold would. I have grandkids, and instead of watching them play, I want to continue to play with them.

In my opinion, you will continue to help those that read your posts, and if there is any chance for a cure then you must exhaust your medical options before you can accept living with it for the rest of your days. I think it is wrong to accept a life of diapers, if there is a medical solution to whatever is the cause. There is also the chance that incontinence is underlying from another condition (like I had) (surgery and failure to have surgery could have led to paralysis)

Moving forward is key to helping those that read your posts, and are an inspiration for those trying to manage. When I see the numbers affected and their posts, I'm inspired too. Mostly, I continue to be educated and remain open to any new opportunities in managing, but quite content in where I am today. I never go without protection, and work and play hard everyday. That did not come overnight, and with family and peer support I overcame, and so will you.

Take care, and have a great day.

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HarperLee