Stress incontinence - young male

Hi there!

Yes I can completely empathise with you. Let me explain a little about my history. I'm a 63 year old man (64 in April) and for the last 5 years have been increasingly troubled by urinary incontinence of one type or another. For the past, I guess, two years (it's very hard to remember accurately) I've had real and constant problems with holding my urine in. I get up in the night between four and six times and because my bathroom is downstairs and my bedroom upstairs I was regularly wetting myself - and quite badly - on the short journey from bed to bathroom. I now have a receptacle at the end of the bed to prevent the need to go downstairs but even that isn't successful all the time. Likewise, if I have been out for a drive maybe for only an hour or so I can feel fine until I get to my road and the overwhelming urge comes appears out of nowhere. By the time I've parked in my driveway and got to the bathroom, my trousers, pants, socks etc are soaking and a shower and another change of clothing is required. During the day when I sit on the sofa and get the urge, more often than not (approx 75% of the time) my pants are wet by the time I get to the loo, which is the next room.  I could give more examples, but I'm sure you get the idea.But here's the strange thing, and it's but one example. Three weeks ago a friend of mine asked if I would accompany her to the funeral of a friend which was taking place about three to four hours drive from south London where we live. In my mind I panicked a little not wanting to get caught short on the motorway, but obviously said that I would, but that she would need to be very sensitive to my condition. We left London and drove for about 2 hours before stopping at a service station for a comfort break and to have a cup of tea. I had no problems whatsoever. I walked from the car to the restrooms in the service station and with absolutely no leakage, and it was a reasonable distance,  too. We had our tea and drove to the crematorium. Yes, I used the restroom before the service and again before we left but we drove home without stopping, so about three and a half hourse non stop and again with absolutely no problems. Got home dry as a bone! I have these major wetting incidents only when I come home. I've never (so far) lost control when I'm out although I do often have a wet patch on the underpants.  I ought to add that both my hips are seriously arthritic, and I'm due to have my first hip replaced on 22nd February with the seond scheduled for towards the end of the year, so it takes me ages and ages to move from A to B - nd it's painful too! To be honest, I dreading trying to cope with the incontinence whilst hobbling around on crutches. I've yet to think through a workable solution. I also fear that I've developed type 2 diabetes which might have an influence? I'm shortly off to see my GP with a urine sample to see if that is an indicator.  

So I do feel that there is a huge psychological side to all this. My urologist is so hugely overworked that it's nigh impossible to get an appointment and when you  get to see him, he doesn't have the time to listen to what you say.

By the way, I was prescribed 'Vesicare' which didn't work for me, but others swear by it. I guess like most drugs they work differently for different people, and this one certainly wasn't for me!.

Please let me know how you get on. I am very sorry indeed that you are having this problem at such a young age; I hope and pray that you will manage find a solution for this distressing problem. 

So sorry to have posted such a long response.   

Peter

Dear puzzledpenguine,

first of all i understand that at the age of 28 years young we feel that we have to be so perfect about our body's, so i can see your concerns are real to you.

It's so great that you have been to your doctor and had some physical checks done so now you have ruled out certain worries, and there is nothing serious noted.

I don't know what sort of climate you live in. My reason for saying this is that some micro bugs can irritate mucous membrane in damp and colder climates. These mucous (wet)  membranes  start in the nose, which is bombarded with bugs and in colder damper climates these bugs have a field day because the membranes become irritated with the cold.

Sometimes these bugs will not be found in regular lab cultures,but more costly and in depth ones.

It would have been a good exercise to have finished your course of anti-biotics just to see whether there was some improvement, as it takes time for an anti-biotics to work.

Try to flush your system with plenty of water and good hearty veg broths. Eat green veg and try to include garlic which is natural anti-biotic as many bugs cannot live in a garlic environement.

If you don't like eating garlic you can buy odouless garlic which is so good for  fighting germs. It is said that some of the survivors of the plague were the ones that consumed this pungent bulb which belongs to the onion family.

Make sure you keep your feet and body warm and look to your body as a complex machine that just sometimes needs high grade fuel!

Try not to let this consume you and try to think 'natural' cures, do some research on herbs for overactive bladder that help calm the bladder wall.

I went for surgery and it ruined my life so my advice is to believe in your great body,take care of it with all the best natural ways you can find, and your body will take care of you.

Also take up some meditation for relaxation,this will reduce stress hormones.

kindest regards 

Susantvt

My incontinence started in a similar way and I had all the tests done. Eventually I was diagnosed with Diabetc related neuropathy. This cannot be cured and over the last few years my inccontinence has steadily worsened. I now wear incccontinence pads or slips all the time. Have you been cchecked for diabetes. IfI hadn't become incontinent I would never have known I was diabeticc.

Just a few pointers as to why this has suddenly started happening:

1. Are you taking any medication?

2. Have you recently put on weight?

3. Have you been told to reduce or remove soda drinks, caffeine as these are irritants and give the bladder more urgency?

You are young to be showing these symptoms more readily associated with ageing, so lets narrow it down a bit. 

Stephanie