Thursday, October 17, 2013

Talking To Your Doctor About Incontinence

Despite the inconvenience and frustration associated with incontinence, both men and women wait years before speaking with their doctors for help. If you find yourself making frequent trips to the bathroom, struggling with bladder control, and having leaks or accidents, it is time to talk to your doctor and seek treatment options. Women wait on average over six years after their first episode before talking to a doctor.
Incontinence is not an inevitable part of aging, neither is it always permanent. The sooner you talk to your doctor, the sooner you can get help. This is not to say that you can solve the problem over night, but there are a number of treatment options available that can greatly reduce the symptoms and help manage the condition.
It is uncomfortable to talk about such a personal issue, but doctors can't read minds. If you do not share your problems with them, and volunteer information, you can't expect a solution.
Be prepared to answer questions such as:
How often do you urinate each day? How does your incontinence impact your social and work life? Do you feel the urge to go at inappropriate times? How many times do you get up during the night? Do you have any bowel problems? Even if you do not have bowel incontinence, you may be asked about your bowel movements. Constipation can put pressure on the bladder.
It is important to talk to your doctor about frequency, causes, and the amount of urine, and the like. One of the best ways to be prepared to answer your doctor's questions, and get the best treatment options specific to you is to keep a voiding diary. Avoiding diary should include things like when, where, whether or not there was leakage, the product or clothing you used to manage it, what activity you were engaged in, what the fluid output was, and how much you are drinking during the day. This not only gives your doctor an idea of what is needed for treatment and management, but after treatment starts it helps doctors to evaluate how well the treatment is working.
It is also important that you ask questions. The doctor should not be the only one asking questions, he won't know what you already know or don't, so ask your questions. Be sure to include questions about what is causing the condition, what the treatment options are, what medications are available, when to expect improvements, what else you can do, how to manage the day-to-day, and more.
Your doctor can talk to you about options such as mediations and surgery, or refer you to a specialist. They can also help you find the right absorbent products to help manage your incontinence while you treat it.
You are not alone. Millions of adult Americans suffer from incontinence, talk to your doctor so that you can get the help you need.
Dianna Malkowski is a Physician Assistant and Mayo Clinic trained nutritionist who helps customers of The CareGiver Partnership with questions to their caregiving questions. She invites you to visit http://blog.caregiverpartnership.com for more helpful family caregiver information. Also find over 1000 family caregiver resources at http://www.caregiverpartnership.com/resources/categories/.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8057678

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