I have been suffering from urge incontinence for three y...

Hi Kath, Have you seen a Urologist?  The fact you haven't had any ops may be helpful for you.  I was unable to have this treatment, due to having had bladder repair ops.  They now use Botox, which I understand has been really helpful for many women. It isn't a complete cure, I think, as it may need to be reinjected again.

There are many drugs, some may help you.  I have had no joy, but I am hoping that something I have been taking may finally be bearing fruit.  It may just be that I am having a good patch, but I have been taking mirabegron (but you have to have tried other treatmernts that haven't worked for it to be prescribed (in my GP's surgery anyway.  It has been approved by NICE but it is expensive.

It has been a big problem for me, as I've had to wear incontinence pads, day and night and I also suffer with LS (Lichen Schlerosus) and therefore the skin has not had a chance to breathe.

If you are in UK go see your GP and ask to see a urologist.  I hope you find something that will work for you, so that you can have a normal life again.  Also, do you get free pads? You may be able to get these too.

Good Luck.

Thanks for this Marie.  I have just recently seen a Uro-Gynaecologist who has changed my tablets from oxybutinin .... to Trospium Chloride 60mg once per day.  She also found that the lining of my vagina was very thin and gave me some hormone pessaries twice a week.  This can worsen urge incontinence somehow I understand.  I'm due for a check up in November.  I also had a bladder infection for which I'm now on antibiotics. Up to now the symptoms are slightly better but I'm hoping for a better outcome as I'm just sick of feeling like this.

It's a funny thing, I was just on a web-site, can't remember which one, but it did say that oestragen can help some women with their incontinence, although with some it does worsen it.

I hate having this problem as it somehow makes me feel less feminine.  It is very demeaning.

I agree it's very demeaning.  There is a joke going around which my son-in-law quoted on Facebook not knowing that he could have been referring to me.  "How do you find an old person?  Follow the smell" insinuating that all old people leak and smell of urine!

I always worry about smelling, but my husband assures me that I always smell nice.  Those people who make these jokes don't understand how hurtful they can be, especially as we have no control of leakages.  

I think the pessaries, and/or tablets, are helping as the urges are getting less frequent and less strong.  I hope so as this will be one less problem out of a number that I suffer from:- cataracts (operation pending for one eye, second to be done afterwards), excessive sweating - a side effect of two of my pills for blood pressure, (this has been a nightmare during the latest spell of sunny weather), lower back pain being dealt with (injections - had three lots and it's never been as bad as it is now!) and because it really hurts, I tend not to move around much so I end up very stiff when I try to move.

At one stage, when I first went on Vesicare, I thought I'd more or less cracked the urge incontinence and was only wearing the mini pads.  Then all of a sudden it came back in full force.  I took 5 specimens in to the doctor over about 7 months and all came back negative!  The symptoms were very similar to cyctitis but without the eventual bleeding.  I knew there was something wrong so in the end I saw a doctor who referred me to the Uro-Gynaecologist.  They found out from that specimen that I DID have a bladder infection which was making the symptoms worse so I'm now on antibiotics.  At this stage I was wearing the maxi pads during the day and the night ones all night.  I had to get up at least three times during the night.  I'm now back on normal pads and last night was the first night in a long time that I didn't need to go to the toilet.  Hopefully I will be back to mini pads soon.   After my hysterectomy in 1990 I thought no more periods and pads!  Now I've to wear them all the time instead of a few days each month!  What a letdown!

Anyway, now to you.  Have you had your lining checked?  Did you say the operations made yours worse?  At one stage, I was offered an operation to insert a 'sling' but I refused because of the possible side effects.  Was it a sling you had?  What is LS?

Hope the medication you're on will provide the solution.

Good Luck.

 

Thanks Kath, I don't think the Little Britain sketch was very helpful, either.  Yes, it is also very tiring when you have so many problems, I suffer with being overweight, bad back, diverticula disease, hypothyroidism and LS, osteoarthritis, etc, etc.  As we get older the list goes on and on.  If just one of the list can be crossed off, so much the better.  Good luck to you too.

I've also had a back problem since the birth of my 3rd child in 1968!  Had 2 more after those!  Following the injections which did not work, the pain specialist has now put me on morphine tablets twice a day (slow release) plus morphine liquid to take as a back-up if necessary.  This has certainly eased the pain in my back.  While I was there, I mentioned the urge incontinence, as the back pain is always worse when an urge comes on and wondered if they could be connected, but she said that problem backs can be a trigger for urge incontinence but the MRI scan I'd just had ruled it out.  It also ruled out trapped nerves.  IBS was also ruled out as a trigger/cause.

Have your doctors/specialists not connected your back problem with the urge incontinence?  If not, this might be worth following up.

Best wishes.