How You Can Stop the Leakage Overactive bladder (OAB) refers to symptoms rather than a disease. It is used to describe the phenomenon of people experiencing urinary issues. Some products that help include Comfort Medical and PureWick. Treatments for an Overactive Bladder Treatments will vary depending on what exactly is wrong. Most cases of OAB do not require invasive intervention. Some of the most common treatments recommended are: Lifestyle changes: Introducing some exercise routines in your life can help strengthen muscles. Plus, it can fight obesity, which can help reduce the chances of suffering from OAB. Some experts recommend that you try to put your bladder on a schedule. By training your bladder to know what you can and cannot do, you can shape your behavior. Some also recommend “bladder training,” where you try to delay urination when you feel the urge to grow in increasing durations to strengthen your ability to “hold it”. Using protective, absorbent padding can be a last resort if you cannot adjust your behavior. This will allow you to avoid embarrassing accidents. Medication: Some prescription medications can be sued to help strengthen areas of the body or “relax” your bladder. Some common medications include: tolterodine, darifenacin, fesoterodine and mirabegron. Botox: Botox does not just flatten our wrinkles. Small injections of Botox into bladder tissue can offer temporary relief from bladder problems. It sometimes has the side effects of increased UITs and urinary retention. Nerve stimulation: Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation has also been shown to help with OAB. It works by sending electrical signals from a nerve in your leg to nerves connected with bladder control. Surgery: For those suffering from severe symptoms, surgery is the last option. It can involve increasing the size of the bladder or replacing the bladder with a surgically constructed replacement. Comfort Medical vs. PureWick Comfort Medical provides catheters inserted into the urethra to manage urinary incontinence internally, whereas PureWick offers an external catheter solution using an absorbent wick for non-invasive urine collection. Getting a Diagnosis Anyone can suffer from OAB. Unfortunately, many adults are too embarrassed to ask for help or do not realize their conditions are treatable. Roughly 30% of men and 40% of women in the U.S. suffer from overactive bladder symptoms. While no one is immune to these problems, there are some conditions that increase your chances of suffering from OAB. These can include: Brain damage Hormonal changes Pelvic muscle weakness Urinary tract infections (UTI) Taking certain medications Stoke, multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions impacting the central nervous system (CNS) Signs and Symptoms of OAB Some people fail to realize that their bathroom habits are not normal. Familiarizing yourself with the symptoms can allow you to better recognize the signs of OAB which will get you one step closer to treatment. Those suffering from an overactive bladder may experience the following: Urgency: OAB’s main symptom is that sufferers experience strong, sudden urges of needing to go to the bathroom. Typically, the need to go to the bathroom will build up over time. While it is easy to ignore these feelings until you have to go, when all you feel is a sudden urge to go immediately or risk having an accident, there may be something wrong. Leaking: Suffering from something called “urge incontinence” is rather common when you suffer from an overactive bladder. It means that sometimes during these sudden urges, you will leak a little urine. You must distinguish it from people suffering from stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Rather than leak during an episode of sudden urges, those suffering from SUI leak during physical activities which would strain the region including sneezing, laughing or stretching. Frequent urination: Frequently needing to use the bathroom is not always a sign that you drank too much. If you constantly need to go to the bathroom a lot throughout the day (especially to the point where it begins to interfere with your daily life), you may be suffering from OAB. Waking up to pee: The same can be said for those who have to wake up to go to the bathroom. A fully functioning bladder is normally able to hold urine while someone is sleeping. If you frequently have to get up during the night because you need to use the bathroom, you should talk to your doctor about OAB. [youmaylike] Causes of an Overactive Bladder Because OAB is not one disease, but rather an umbrella term to characterize specific urinary symptoms, physicians will need to investigate the underlying cause of your problems. The origin of problems usually arises from areas in the urinary tract itself. Areas of the body likely responsible for an overactive bladder include the following: Kidneys. Bladder. Ureters. Urethra. Sphincter muscle. In Conclusion Talk to a trained physician if you believe you or a loved one may be suffering from an overactive bladder. They will be able to offer expert advice on how to handle your case. This is not the same as someone who suffers from an inability to control their bladder from emptying on its own.
What Are the Early Symptoms of Lyme Disease?
Considering how common Lyme disease is, it is surprising that more people are not aware of its early symptoms.
Lyme disease is a common vector-borne disease; it is transmitted through fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year.
Although it is not as rampant as the common cold or the flu, Lyme disease is still problematic. Symptoms of Lyme disease include loss of energy and tiredness. However, if treatment is withheld for longer, the symptoms often lead to further serious health issues that take time to resolve.
Here are some symptoms you should be aware of.
What Are the Early Symptoms of Lyme Disease?
As it is for any disease or infection, Lyme disease symptoms do not erupt all at once. Instead, they develop gradually and can take weeks, if not days, to fully infect you.
For the first stage, here are some of the symptoms you may experience within the first week to the first month.
Stage 1
1. A Red Circular Rash
Also known as an erythema migrans, this rash is circular and appears on the skin in a bulls-eye formation. The rash typically occurs in the area where a bug may have bitten you. This rash can spread to about 12 inches and can be scary-looking. But it is not particularly painful or itchy. More often, the rash only feels warm to the touch.
This red circular rash is a confirmed sign of Lyme disease. However, you may even develop Lyme disease without the rash, so you must keep up with all the other symptoms of the disease.
2. Overall Stiffness, Pain and Chills
These symptoms are hallmarks of Lyme disease. While you may regard them as signs of a cold, these symptoms are typical of your body’s reaction to any foreign contaminant.
Your body redirects your internal energy toward getting rid of what is infecting you. With your body fighting off the illness, this causes overall stiffness, headaches, joint pain, fever and chills. You may also experience muscle stiffness and a lack of energy.
3. Swollen Lymph Nodes
Unfortunately, it is unclear why Lyme disease targets the body’s lymph nodes. We know that the bacteria transmitted through the tick bite travel to the nodes to hide. Perhaps because the system suspects a foreign body, bacteria triggers your immune response and causes your lymph nodes to swell.
Your lymph nodes are located in different body parts, mainly the armpit, chest, neck, abdomen and groin. When infected with Lyme, the lymph nodes in your neck, armpits and groin are always more likely to swell. They may become sensitive to the touch and may feel larger than usual.
Stage 2
4. Increased Red Circular Rashes
Alongside the rash that occurs from the bite, you will also find more rashes appearing on your body. This typically occurs within the first four months after being bitten, and the rash only increases if you have not been treated.
However, it may also occur if you have not had the rash before in the early localized period within the first four weeks.
5. Numbness
The pain and stiffness will gradually increase to weakness, numbness and the inability to move your facial muscles. Again, because your body is still trying to drown the effects of Lyme disease, your extremities will not be able to get the strength they need to move.
Also, considering the weakness you will feel, you may also experience fainting spells and headaches.
6. Heart Palpitations
Your body will be working overtime to keep all your functions up and running. As such, you will feel the occasional bouts of rapid heartbeats.
If you have any heart conditions, it would be wise not to skip the doctor’s visit. Also, if you have a family history of heart problems, you will want to get in touch with a medical professional immediately. Lyme disease can cause serious heart issues in rare cases, and you should catch this problem beforehand.
Consequences of Not Treating Lyme Disease
If Lyme disease is not promptly treated, it leads to a myriad of health issues that take months and even years to heal. Your joints, nerves, heart and brain suffer, all because of an infected tick bite.
Why stop yourself from getting treatment?
If caught early on, Lyme disease can easily be controlled and treated. All it takes is some pre-emptive action on your part. So, pay attention to your body. You never know what it may be trying to tell you.