www.incontinentsupport.org

I started experiencing some PMD back in april of 2021. At first it was no big deal, I am 47 and had already began experiencing what seemed like prostate issues. I had pretty much given up on sitting down to pee as it took a while, especially before bed. Up once a night or so to pee etc. No big deal. I have had a cast iron bladder my whole life. Going to the bathroom was rarely on my mind. Then around the second week June the PMD had gotten worse and I had my first urge incident. I was at a gas station and felt like I had to pee so bad that if anyone as in the restroom I was going to have a problem. I was having to physically hold it back. I had mentioned the dribbling to my wife, when I got home I told my wife about it. She gave me a micro fiber soaker from the old cloth diaper bin in the basement. I used that the next day, and hit every bathroom at every account I had that day. She bought me some Target brand pullups for men, they gave me a wedgie but I felt better. The urge incidents ramped up pretty quickly and I was going more at night. My bladder became very sensitive, to the point I could feel it bouncing every time I hit a bump in the road. I kept upgrading protection, trial and error and my wife kept bringing the rejects to the homeless shelter. I starting having major accidents out of the blue. I would go through two night weight briefs at work. About this time I woke up flooding the brief I had worn to bed to keep up with the dribbles from getting up several times a night. We were camping with our two youngest and my wife mentioned that I should top off at the bathroom we were walking by, I said I didn't have to go but she said I should try anyway. I went in and about the time I got to the stall things were moving fast, this was nothing new. I emptied what seemed like a full bladder after not having to go at all. I had already seen the GP and he ordered the standard check up blood and urine tests. He mentioned diabetes and after looking into it I realized I might have a neurogenic bladder since I had no sensation of fullness. Blood tests showed negative, only some elevated lymphocytes. My adh hormone did not register at all. I did a 24 hour volume test and hit nearly 3 gallons, including 2500 ml overnight. He referred me to an endocrinologist for possible Diabetes Insipidus and a urologist. This was in September. My urology appointment is in February and the Endocrinologist is in April. I was prescribed desmopressin but have not taken it yet, I will try it at night but I sweat too much at work to take it during the day most of the year. The gp said to just take it, there were no side effects. The pharmacist's eyes bugged out when she looked at the warnings on the sheet and I told her the Doctor had just said to take it, no problem. She said I had to be very careful. My wife was not happy I had filled the prescription, I thought she would be happy, but she wanted to try natural things first. Now we are more willing to give it a go. Nights are crazy but it is amazing what you can get used to. I have been lurking on forums trying to see if anybody has the same symptoms but so far no real luck. So I am coming into the daylight here to ask you all for some insight.

Your symptoms sound a lot like mine (diabetes induced urgent bladder incontinence). I presume your doc checked for urinary infection already. If it is indeed Urgent Bladder IC, or some docs like to call it Over Active Bladder (OAB) you may be stuck managing this. But before resigning yourself to that fate, do your best to get a final prognosis. I've had diabetes for over 20 years now and a year ago last December, if finally caught up with me. At a diabetes seminar, we were warned that some of us would become incontinent someday. I always believed it would happen to others but not me. All I can do is to try to better manage my glucose levels and manage my IC protection.

If you have diabetes, I would be seeking help to control that as #1 priority. The thirst and the extra drinking that comes with it suggests you have high glucose levels. An even more serious aspect of diabetes is losing your eyesight due to bleeding in your retinas. That and your other organs (kidneys) need to have glucose levels under control. Get that checked ASAP. Go to a clinic if necessary to be tested for diabetes. They can find out quickly (best to go before you eat).

If it turns out that you don't have diabetes, then your treatments may become much easier to manage. I hope that helps.

My glucose, a1c and fasting insulin all came back pretty normal. I made some health changes after I started having problems, before I got all the blood tests. It is possible I was pre diabetic before and when this started but none of the blood work shows diabetes mellitus. The ADH numbers being so low could point to diabetes insipidus.

That's good I would think. The only other suggestion I have is to look at foods and drink. For example tomatoes and certain juices can aggravate the bladder causing it to Urge. Hopefully the medical profession can give you better answers.

Until your medical professionals get this sorted out, you will need to manage. Experiment with different brands of protection, including washables. Timed voiding, which you are already doing, can help. but, as you indicated, it is not a cure. Good luck and keep us informed.