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.
Treatment for Meniere's Disease
Meniere’s disease is very rare; it affects only 0.2% of the population in the U.S. While there is no cure, there are different treatment methods that help manage the condition and lessen symptoms. This article will explain what the disease is, what the symptoms are and possible treatments for Meniere’s disease.
What is Meniere’s Disease?
Meniere’s disease involves the accumulation of fluid in the inner ear, specifically the cochlea and the vestibular organ. The inner ear is responsible for balance and hearing, which is why the symptoms of Meniere’s disease are related to these abilities. However, there are many reasons for hearing loss, so it is not a direct indication of this disease.
Most people with Meniere’s disease are older. It usually affects people between the ages of 40 to 60. The occurrence of Meniere’s disease is roughly equal among genders, with some studies showing that females have a slightly higher chance of developing it.
Treatment for Meniere’s Disease
Currently, there is no known cure for Meniere’s disease. Treatment for Meniere’s disease will offer relief but is dependent on the symptoms of each individual person. Talk to your doctor about what option would be best for you. The following are some treatments for Meniere’s disease.
1. Lifestyle Changes and Remedies
Changing your lifestyle can have an impact on your overall health, as well as help improve specific symptoms. These changes can include changing your diet by decreasing salt intake and avoiding caffeinated drinks, alcohol and cigarettes.
2. Medication
Various medications can be used depending on which symptoms need to be addressed. Diuretics can be given to help reduce fluid in the inner ear. For patients who experience dizziness and tinnitus, medications such as betahistine can be given if diuretics do not solve the problem. Some medications can also be given as injections in the inner ear. These are usually reserved for severe cases and include the injection of steroids.
3. Medical Procedures
Hearing aids can be given to patients who are experiencing hearing loss. Other medical procedures include pressure pulse treatment or the Meniett device. This delivers pulses of pressure via an earpiece. The Meniett device is portable and noninvasive, which is why it is an option for people with Meniere’s disease.
For extreme cases or cases that do not respond to conservative management, surgery is offered by doing either endolymphatic sac surgery, vestibular nerve section or labyrinthectomy.
Endolymphatic sac surgery is done to decompress the endolymphatic sac and maintain the pressure within the inner ear. A vestibular nerve section involves cutting the vestibular part of the cochleovestibular cranial nerve. Labyrinthectomy involves the removal of parts of the semicircular canals and the vestibule.
Each of these surgeries has its own risks, with labyrinthectomy leading to complete hearing loss on the affected side, so it is only considered when no other treatment options are available.
Meniere’s disease may not be bothersome if diagnosed and managed early. Episodes of vertigo and hearing loss eventually stabilize in the later years. However, hearing loss can be permanent in some patients.
Thankfully, there are many treatment options for people with this condition. It is important to be aware of this disease so that affected people can be directed to the right specialists.
Symptoms of Meniere’s Disease
Meniere’s disease has a classic triad of symptoms: vertigo, tinnitus and hearing loss. Some symptoms, such as hearing loss, may occur slowly over time, whereas other symptoms, like vertigo, can occur suddenly.
Vertigo or spinning sensations that people experience can be very severe and may occur randomly. They bother most people because daily tasks can be affected. The duration of vertigo can vary — some episodes occur for minutes, while others last hours. Another thing that makes these vertigo attacks difficult to deal with is that they are unpredictable, and there is no way of knowing when they will occur.
On the other hand, tinnitus is what is commonly known as ringing in the ears. Some people can also experience buzzing, whistling, or hissing sounds.
Finally, hearing loss can occur due to the fluid buildup that affects the sensory cells of hearing. In Meniere’s disease, hearing loss often affects lower frequencies, although some people may experience permanent hearing loss.
Meniere’s disease can be debilitating. Aside from the unpredictable vertigo attacks, a small percentage of people with Meniere’s disease can experience a sudden sensation of falling, also known as drop attacks. These are also unpredictable and can be dangerous, as sudden falls can cause physical injuries.
Final Notes
Meniere’s disease can sometimes be hard to diagnose. Because the symptoms are common and happen for several reasons, they tend to overlap with other diseases. Furthermore, some people may think it is normal to have episodes of dizziness and not immediately seek treatment. Others may also not notice the presence of symptoms like hearing loss due to its gradual occurrence and progression.
This can delay a consult and prompt diagnosis. It is important that if you experience these symptoms, be seen by a physician so they can refer you to a trained ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist.