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.
Latex Allergy Symptoms to Be Aware Of
A latex allergy refers to your immune system’s reaction to some substances found in natural rubber. These proteins are retained during the production of latex products which can then trigger allergies. There are several ways in which you could get exposed to products made from latex, and these are:
- Skin contact from latex gloves
- By inhaling the powder — most sterile gloves are coated with corn starch powder which is displaced into the air on opening the gloves
- Some medical instruments contain rubber, and when they come in contact with blood, they can trigger an allergic reaction
- By contact with the mucous membranes lining the eyes, mouth, vagina, and rectum
Although a latex allergy is more common among health workers because of their frequent use of latex products, others at risk of developing the allergy include:
- Individuals who use condoms, urinary catheters, or work with rubber frequently
- People who are allergic to food, such as bananas, pineapples, tomatoes, potatoes, and apples
- People with bone marrow defects
- Those with several other allergies and asthma
Allergic reactions to latex do not manifest the same way for everyone and, based on this, they can be classified into two groups:
Contact Dermatitis
This can either be irritant or allergic. Irritant contact dermatitis occurs as a result of prolonged and continuous exposure to the constituents of latex materials. This type is mild and typically starts at about 12 hours after contact. It is characterized by itching, tingling sensations, and scaling of the affected area.
Allergic contact dermatitis, however, is severe and delayed. The reaction is from substances used in processing latex and can be about 24 hours after contact. It affects more areas of the body and takes a longer time to subside.
Hypersensitivity to Latex
This type of allergy is the most severe form. Although it is not common, when it occurs, it can be life-threatening. It can present as allergic rhinitis with malaise, fever, cramps, and itching. There could also be systemic conditions such as chest tightening, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing, and an increased heart rate. This type of allergic response requires an urgent visit to the emergency room.
Symptoms of a Latex Allergy
Latex allergy symptoms can vary and depend on how much of the allergen you came in contact with and how your body responds to them. They could be mild, moderate, or life-threatening. Some of the symptoms include itching, small bumps all over the skin with some redness, and pain.
Systemic allergic reactions can appear as:
- Rashes and swelling in parts of your body that didn’t make contact with latex products
- Redness of the face
- Nasal congestion
- Teary eyes
In some uncommon instances, anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening allergic reaction, could occur. This manifests as:
- Oral, nasal, or facial swelling and pain
- Difficulty swallowing
- Difficulty breathing
How to Get Diagnosed
Most cases that present in the clinic are diagnosed based on their symptoms and history of contact with allergens, including latex. In people who do not have symptoms but are concerned that they may have latex allergies, a skin test can be done. Your skin test could be a:
- Scratch test — the latex allergen is applied on your skin’s outer surface and is scratched to get it absorbed
- Intradermal test — a tiny portion of allergen is injected just beneath your skin
- Patch test — this requires sticking a patch containing the allergen on your arm for about two days
The scratch and intradermal test results take about 15 minutes, but the patch test takes days. Also, an allergen specialist has to be present during any skin test to manage any severe reactions before they become life-threatening.
When visiting a clinic, it is vital that you inform the staff of your allergies so they can use alternative materials to avoid a reaction.
Examples of Products Containing Latex and Alternatives
When you think of latex products, it is easy to assume that most of them would be found within a hospital environment. Surprisingly, many common household materials contain latex, and as with most allergies, the more you are exposed to it, the worse the reaction becomes. Some of these household products include:
- Rubber dining and cooking utensils
- Children’s toys
- Rubber slippers and shoes
- Toothbrush handles
- Condoms and sanitary items
- Waterproof beds
- Rubber key handles, bands, stamps, and cords
- Rubber keys on controllers and calculators
Also, latex is included in some items such as balloons, checkout belts, buttons on machines, and gloves worn at restaurants during food preparation.
Therefore, it is important to be conscious of any latex materials in your household and have plastic or metallic alternatives for use. While shopping or using the atm, wear nylon gloves to reduce the chance of unconsciously coming in contact with latex materials.