Does anyone have problems with...er...uh...maybe you'd better look inside

[Ms. Riding Hood]

urinary incontinence? :blushing: After six kids, things just ain't the way they used to be. If I jump rope, go on a trampoline, sneeze, cough or just let my bladder get too full...uh oh. Now I know I should do Kegels, but there are a few problems:

 

1. Never sure I'm doing them correctly.

2. Feel rather silly and ineffective.

3. A hundred or more a day?

 

If anyone has successfully conquered this difficulty with Kegels...or something else...please do share!!

[Jenstet]

My mom had this problem and her gyn. suggested she go to physical therapy. Let me tell you the sessions are not for the shy. Basically they put weights up in you and increase the weights as the sessions go on. They also do some kind of electrical stimulation, not painful. My mom gave up after 4 or 5 sessions. She said she would rather have her bladder fall out and have them stitch it to her insides. By the way I have heard from a few people that your bladder can start coming out. I don't really know if that is true. She ended up losing weight and said that it helped.

[Kathy in MD]

Excercise! Of a different type. You're still able to stop or slow down a urine stream in mid-flow, right? The muscles you use to do that are the ones you want to excercise. So several times a day, when you aren't urinating, tighten and release (pulse) those muscles for 10-30 sec. If you can't isolate them without urinating, do it while urinating.

[lynn]

Yes after #4. :001_huh: There are exercises that really make a difference. I believe they are called Kegel exercises you can google and get a clear description.

[Valerie in MI]

See a urologist that specializes in female incontinence. There are some simple surgeries that can be done that help a lot. One involves threading a mesh band under the pubic bone to support the urethra. Even still, jumping and sit-ups are risky propositions. They won't want to do surgery until you're done having kids.

[Guest Shanna]

As someone else mentioned the best way to make sure you are doing them correctly is to start and stop flow. Try to get 10-20 in each time. You could easily do a 100 a day this way. Some say that by doing it while urinating can cause an increase in bladder infections but I have not experienced this nor have others that I have told to do this.

[Tammyla]

If you have a Bradley Childbirth book handy (available at many libraries) they have an excellent section on Kegels. There are many different variations, positions etc. and you can do them anywhere. If you do a dozen or so every time you go, a hundred a day will easy. Ptmi, my Bradley coach had us doing 500 during pregnancy. LoL. I still think that's an impossible number.:lol: 100 do-able. Good luck they do work.

[Snickerdoodle]

I find that doing yoga helps a lot with this gift of motherhood.

[Cindy in FL.]

Yes, after 5 children and being middle-aged I've got this problem too. My dc think it's funny that mommy sometimes wets her pants. I haven't gotten up the courage to mention to the doc yet.

 

Cindy

[Amber in SJ]

Of course this is only my second post on the new boards, but I may have an answer.

 

After 4 kids, one bad tear repair and one bad tear in the opposite direction (near my urethra) I needed therapy. After one session, I couldn't go back. It was too invasive & icky! I had a difficult time doing kegels on my own. The sheer number seemed too daunting & I couldn't tell if I was using the right muscles.

 

My Dr recommended this little doo-hicky;

 

http://www.gyneflex.com/

 

The fact that I am making something move isolates the correct muscles. The "squeeze, hold & release" is more effective for me than the "pulsing"

 

I no longer have the problem even when I sneeze and the other benefits are pretty great, too

 

HTH

Amber in CA

[dirty ethel rackham]

I have way too much experience with this, as a mom who had problems with this as a result of an ob who was way to quick to recommend a vacuum extraction as well as being a Bradley Childbirth Educator.

 

First of all, like was mentioned before, do your Kegels. To find the muscle and to be sure you are doing it correctly (not pushing out or using your abs), try stopping and starting the flow of urine. Only do this to test. If you make a habit of doing this, you may start retaining too much urine, set yourself up for bladder infections as well as make the incontinence worse because your bladder has been trained retain too much urine.

 

After you have isolated the muscle and are sure you are contracting the correct muscle, make a plan as to when you will do the exercise. If you want to do them when you go to the bathroom, make sure that you have emptied your bladder as much as possible to prevent the problems mentioned above. Also, stop lights, waiting in line, brushing your teeth are good triggers for remembering to do them.

 

Start with maybe 50 a day,, just contract and release in sets of 10. Too many at once will lead to muscle fatigue and then more incontinence - how discouraging! Try to get yourself up to 100 a day.

 

As you get better at them - maybe 2 weeks down the road, hold it a little longer - like 3 seconds - keeping the 50 - 100 each day. After that, try elevators - 3 steps up, hold and 3 steps down. That is, contract a little bringing the elevator to the 2nd floor, a little more to the 3rd floor, and then alot to the 4th floor.

 

After several weeks of these, you can move to superkegels. Contract and hold for 10 seconds, working up to 20 seconds. On these, the goal is to hold the contraction steady and not tighten the abs. I tell my students to do abdominal breathing while they are doing super kegels to make sure that they are not engaging the abs.

 

You can occasionally check your progress with the stopping and starting the urine flow. Also, dh can check your progress KWIM??

 

If several weeks of super kegels do not bring significant relief, you might want to see a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor issues. I would ask what percent of their practice is pelvic floor work because you don't want to come in for an appointment, get all personal and have her leave so she can check up on her knee rehab patient in the other room. BTDT. Many will do a physical exam and some will give you a biofeedback device to help you with your exercise plan. You can get referrals from gynecologists or midwives. You can also look online at www.apta.org (find a PT.) Choose Women's Health as the specialty.

 

A PT may be able to refer you to a urogynecologist if their are structural problems that cannot be fixed by therapy. Incontinence is not just a muscle weakness problem but also a result of damaged connective tissue. Connective tissue supports the organs in the pelvic area and is kept strong, in part, by estrogen. As we age and produce less estrogen, and the connective tissue degenerates and the bladder drops out of position, putting greater strain on the sphincter muscles. This is why women often notice a bigger problem in their 40's and beyond. There may have been damage to the connective tissue by being pregnant (which is why c-section moms can still suffer incontinence), by childbirth, by obstetric procedures such as vacuum or forceps, etc. The rest of the connective tissue may have been doing its job until the lessening of estrogen. Family history also plays a role.

 

OK, biology lesson is over for the day. You can go back to your regular programming:)

[Ms. Riding Hood]

I wanted to (belatedly) thank all of you for your replies! Very helpful for my embarrassing problem.

[angela in ohio]

Um, I find Kegels easiest to do, um, at night... ya know... Just a suggestion. I find it easier to tell if I am doing them correctly.

 

:leaving:

[mom2abcd]

 

My Dr recommended this little doo-hicky;

 

http://www.gyneflex.com/

 

The fact that I am making something move isolates the correct muscles. The "squeeze, hold & release" is more effective for me than the "pulsing"

 

I no longer have the problem even when I sneeze and the other benefits are pretty great, too

 

HTH

Amber in CA

 

 

Does it hurt? How long until you see improvement? $47 isn't bad at all. I'd love to her more about it.

 

And welcome! Thanks for posting!

[OKCyndi]

that you're jumping on the trampoline and jumping rope! (especially with the bad side effects you are experiencing! :glare:)

[Mesa]

I just finished seeing a PT for this., as well as pelvic pain. It was 6 sessions and there were no weights involved. The woman made me feel very comfortable and I wouldnt hesitate going back to her.

[Ms. Riding Hood]

Ha, well I always try to jump on the trampoline or jump rope! Then I have to quickly excuse myself, run to the bathroom and totally empty my bladder, then go back and try again. I have resorted to a pad before, just because I want to jump on a trampline, dang it!! I'm only 39; my jumping days are not over. Of course, I'm nursing and have bigger bOOks that normal so jumping isn't so much fun right now anyway. My big bOOked sisters, I feel for you.

 

Thanks again ladies!