Facts and Fiction about Bladder Weakness
Dealing with bladder weakness is much simpler than many people think. By learning more about it and busting some myths around it you will see that you live a normal life after all.
The term bladder weakness is commonly related to men but women can also have it but other terms like urinary incontinence are used instead.
1. Fact or Fiction: Bladder weakness basically means you’re unclean?
Fiction. No one should have to feel damp or unclean. The most usual way to avoid this is to use a bladder weakness protection product, which ensures dryness by locking urine and odour away from the body for complete freshness and discretion.
2. Fact or Fiction: It has nothing to do with virility.
Fact. Bladder weakness in itself does not affect virility, and leakage doesn’t usually happen during sex. So, unless you’ve experienced nerve damage due to surgery or have other underlying problems, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy a full and happy sex life.
3. Fact or Fiction: If you really try, you can control it.
Fiction. No one is deliberately incontinent. There are numerous causes and types of bladder weakness, and there are protection products especially designed so that men can manage the situation and get on with their lives.
4. Fact or Fiction: No one I know has bladder weakness.
Fiction. Bladder weakness is surprisingly common, with 1 in 8 men experiencing it, so you may well know someone who has it. Perhaps they’ve just chosen to keep it to themselves and have discovered products that provide total security and discretion.
5. Fact or Fiction: Bladder weakness means you can’t drive long distances.
Fiction. With the right protection you can drive wherever and whenever you like. So rip up the map and go explore. There’s no need to worry about unexpected traffic jams or not being near a toilet.
6. Fact or Fiction: Bladder weakness is a sign of old age.
Fiction. Yes, this is false.
Millions of men experience bladder weakness at some time during their life, often when they’re under 50.
As you can see bladder weakness is more common than many people think and above all it is nothing to be ashamed off. Remember, you are not alone.
Sourced from: Tena Information Centre
New Plastic Sling to Give More Support for Incontinent Men
One of the biggest causes of incontinence in men is prostate problems, even though the prostate does not have any function in the male urinary system. So why are the majority of male urinary incontinence cases related to prostate issues?
The prostate is a small gland located just below the bladder and it is in fact part of the male reproductive systems. The problem is that the urethra, the tube which carries urine from the bladder out of our body runs right through it. As men get older, the prostate often becomes enlarged and inflamed, that is when the problems with passing and retaining urine begin.
Abnormalities of the prostate like enlargement or even a tumour often require surgery. The most common surgery to remove parts or the whole prostate gland is called Prostectomy.
Prostectomy is a very complex surgical intervention and many times due to the proximity of the prostate to the sphincter valve, this valve can be damaged resulting in leakages of various degrees.
Up until now the only solution for the problem was to implant a manually activated artificial sling to the scrotum, but many men are reluctant to the thought of having to press a button to urinate.
Now a new sling made out of a special plastic mesh is being implanted in men who lost control of their bladder after a prostate surgery. Over the past 18 months this new device called the AdVance male sling is being tested and results are very promising.
The hammock shaped sling was designed to give support to the damaged sphincter valve. The procedure takes no longer than 45 minutes and is carried out under general anaesthetic and normally patients are discharged one day after surgery.
Official data are yet to be published about this new technique but according to reports from patients and doctors the sling seems to significantly benefit 50 to 70 per cent of men who had it implanted.
Yes! Kegel Exercises are for men too
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in men here in the UK. A procedure called radical prostatectomy can remove the cancerous gland; but the procedure often carries an unwelcome and hard-to-treat side effect: Bladder Weakness or if you prefer urinary incontinence.
As many as 65% of men who went through surgery experience some type of incontinence for years afterward, whether it is urge incontinence, stress incontinence or a combination of both.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a simple and well known incontinence treatment can help reduce daily incontinence episodes considerably.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. In total 208 men were assigned for the study, all of them had radical prostatectomy and were experience some form of urinary incontinence.
The men were then divided into three groups. One group was taught how to perform Kegel exercises, plus some basic bladder-control strategies. The second group got the same kind of info the first group got plus biofeedback and electrostimulation therapy. The third group was used as a control group, which had their treatments delayed.
After eight weeks, results were very promising. In group one the average number of weekly incontinence episodes fell from 28 to 13. In group episodes fell to 12 from 26, while the average number of incontinence episodes in the control dropped from 25 to 21.
The treatment was far from a cure, however. But the effects of the therapy seemed to be lasting; after one year, the incontinence among the men had not measurably worsened.
Behavioural therapy, such as Kegel exercises are commonly recommended to women, but men are also offered behavioural training after they undergo prostatectomy. This is the first study to show it can help men many years after surgery.
An In-depth Look at Male Bladder Weakness
Despite what many people think incontinence and bladder weakness is not a women’s only problem. According to the World Health Organization there are roughly forty million men worldwide who are incontinent.
Male incontinence is just as common as any other disease – even though I don’t like to call it a disease. For me incontinence and bladder weakness are a condition that if diagnosed and treated properly it can be cured.
Just like women, men are also ashamed to talk about their condition and end up living with it for the rest of their lives.
“I’d rather admit I can’t get it up than say I suffer from bladder weakness”
I was shocked with such comment but glad because that inspired me to write this article. Bladder weakness is nothing to be ashamed of and in most cases it is treatable.
Types of Male Urinary Incontinence
Like in women, there are different types of male urinary incontinence and they are:
Stress Incontinence
Urge Incontinence
Overflow Incontinence
Functional Incontinence
Causes and Treatment
The causes of male urinary incontinence are many and varied. The same can be said about the treatments available to help men improve and in most cases cure their conditions. Finding out the cause is the first step towards the cure, hence the importance to seek help.
Causes of male incontinence
Bladder Problems
Prostate Problems
Head injury and spinal cord injury
Neurological diseases
Degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease
MS
Infections
Toxins
Medications
Mental State
Treatments
Treatment of male incontinence depends on the underlying cause of it. It is important that your family doctor is consulted. The doctor should give you a complete physical and from the information that you give him/her and the tests that can be carried out (often very simple) a diagnosis and treatment can often cure or minimize signs and symptoms of male urinary incontinence.
With forty million incontinent men around the globe this is a market that can not be ignored and it hasn’t. Proof to that is the evolution of male incontinence products, before they were designed mainly for women and men had to adapt them to use it. Even though they were labelled “Unisex”.
It doesn’t matter what type of incontinence you have; bladder problems that have caused incontinence; urinary tract infection or some other reason, one thing is for sure there are so many new and well designed male incontinence products that will allow you to live a normal life.
You wouldn’t believe, products like incontinence underwear, incontinence plastic pants, incontinence briefs, bladder control products, incontinence diapers, incontinence pads, incontinence bed pads, disposable incontinence diapers, portable urinals, Cunningham clamps, internal and external catheters, and this is just a short, short list of what is available for you guys.
Prostate Cancer and Bladder Weakness
For men prostate cancer is like breast cancer for women, many are concerned when they hear these words. Currently prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in men here in the UK. According to the NHS 35,000 men are diagnosed with it every year and one man dies every hour of the disease.
I must confess I was baffled when I first read these figures. To be honest I was more scared than baffled. Why? For the simple fact that it is also the second most deadliest cancer, behind only lung cancer.
In most cases cancer is a hereditary disease, but there are ways to prevent this malignant menace.
1. Healthy Diet based on anit-prostate cancer foods
2. Healthy sex life
3. Aerobic Exercises
4. Eat more Cereal high in Flax
Source: Ask Men
A common side-effect of prostate cancer is bladder weakness; currently the condition affects 3.6 million UK men, making it just as common as asthma or arthritis.
With both disease and condition closely related Tena Men made a partnership with The Prostate Cancer Charity. The partnership is aimed to support men with prostate problems, whilst highlighting possible side effects, such as bladder weakness, and encouraging them to seek help and advice.
Tena is also using the partnership to promote the re-launch of its Tena Men incontinence products range. The product range remains the same, with Level 1 and Level 2 available, but packaging has been changed to become more masculine, more discreet and more consumer-friendly.
We will be discussing Tena Men incontinence products range in more detail in future posts. For now, all of us here at Allanda we wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.
Behavioural Therapy and Male Incontinence
Urinary incontinence is a condition that affects millions of men worldwide and it is caused by a variety of reasons. One of the most prominent cause is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a natural enlargement of the prostate gland that occurs as a natural part of aging.
First of all don’t panic just because I said it is natural enlargement of the prostate and it happens as men age, this doesn’t mean that all men will have incontinence at some point in life.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH is related to age factors such as uncontrolled hormone balance and causes commonly known as “overflow incontinence“. This type of incontinence occurs when a certain individual is unable to empty their bladder completely during a deliberate urination session due to constriction or blockage of the urethra, in BPH cases the enlargement of the prostate blocks the urethra.
Since the bladder depends on a clear urethra to empty itself properly, pressure can build up inside and force urine out past the blockage without warning.
The first line of defence against BPH is behavioural therapy. Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle will help preserve muscle tone in the pelvic area. Some say that sex is also a good way to prevent BPH as regular ejaculation helps maintain muscle tone in the pelvic and urinary sphincter area, but unfortunately there is no medical evidence to back this claim.
Not to worry if you haven’t lived a healthy life up until now, there are a number of therapies available to help you improve you condition. Bladder retraining and Biofeedback are two of them.
With bladder retraining you will learn how to strengthen the bladder muscles and adjust urinating time spans by voiding at repetitive, timed intervals. This will improve the bladder’s capacity and extend the interval between voiding.
Biofeedback is also a type of behavioural therapy, where a simple instrument detects when a chosen muscle relaxes or contracts and provides a secondary method of feedback for the patient, such as a light or sound. The added feedback allows patients to exercise and improve control of selected muscles.
It is important to highlight the fact that with incontinence there isn’t a set treatment for all patients, each case should be accessed individually. Because what works for one patient might not work for others. So our last piece of advice is, if you are experiencing some sort incontinence episodes talk to your GP and let him suggest what is the best treatment for your type of incontinence.
Dealing with Male Incontinence
One of the most popular myths surrounding incontinence is that it is a health condition experienced only by women. That is so not true, men can suffer from incontinence too and this is what I’m going to talk about in this article. Another common myth that surrounds incontinence is the fact that many people think it is a health condition that only appears when we get old, but that is subject for another article.
Be it for men or women, incontinence is an uncomfortable health condition that lowers individual quality of life. If the person experiencing it is not properly instructed he or she can fall into deep depression because in most cases, the person suffering from incontinence might feel ashamed and start to de-socialise.
If you are experiencing leakages or bladder control problems or happen to know someone that does the first thing to do is to talk to a doctor about it, more specifically an urologist. He or she will be able to diagnose the type of incontinence and the best treatment to it.
Male incontinence is slightly different form women’s due to obvious reasons, but one thing that suits both is the fact that it is common in both genres and it is nothing to be ashamed of.
There are two major types of male incontinence, urinary and faecal. The first one can be divided in sub-categories just like for women and the latter is probably the worst type of them all as it lowers the individual quality of life to really low levels.
As afore mentioned urinary incontinence is divided into sub-categories such as: Urge, Stress, Overflow or Dip, Reflex and Mixed. To discuss each one of them would make this article too long so I’ll keep succinct and detail each one of in another article.
Now that we talked about types and management it is time to take a look at male incontinence products. The industry has evolved and pants, pads and other protective products are less bulky than ever and can be used without worrying that people will notice.
Shopping for incontinence products has also become easier and more discreet with hundreds of websites offering complete range of products from shaped pads to disposable bed protection sheets. The wide majority of these websites offer a discreet shopping and delivery method and others even walk the extra mile by offering a free advice service.
To sum things up it is important to notice that all advice offered by these websites can only be considered as an opinion. For a proper diagnose always consult you GP, Practice Nurse or Continence Advisor.
Facts and Myths about Male Incontinence
Learning about bladder weakness can help you manage it better. You’ll also learn that there’s a lot of misunderstandings and myths about bladder weakness. For example, you probably didn’t realise just how common it is. We listed 6 of the most common facts and myths so you have a better understanding of bladder weakness and how common it is and how it can easily be managed.
Bladder weakness basically means you’re unclean
This is a myth. No one should have to feel damp or unclean. The most usual way to avoid this is to use a bladder weakness protection product, which ensures dryness by locking urine and odour away from the body for complete freshness and discretion.
It has nothing to do with virility
Actually, this is true. Bladder weakness in itself does not affect virility, and leakage doesn’t usually happen during sex. So, unless you’ve experienced nerve damage due to surgery or have other underlying problems, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy a full and happy sex life.
No one I know has bladder weakness
Bladder weakness is surprisingly common, with 1 in 8 men experiencing it, so you may well know someone who has it. Perhaps they’ve just chosen to keep it to themselves and have discovered products that provide total security and discretion.
If you really try, you can control it
This is a false affirmation. No one is deliberately incontinent. There are numerous causes and types of bladder weakness, and there are incontinence products especially designed so that men can manage the situation and get on with their lives.
Bladder weakness means you can’t drive long distances
With the right protection you can drive wherever and whenever you like. So rip up the map and go explore. There’s no need to worry about unexpected traffic jams or not being near a toilet.
Bladder weakness is a sign of old age
Another myth about male incontinence – just like women, millions of men experience bladder weakness at some time during their life, often when they’re under 50.
Got questions about male incontinence and bladder weakness? Leave them on our comments section below or if you prefer to ask in confidence then you can email our Nurse specialist Shona, by clicking on the link below, we will endeavour to answer your questions as quickly as possible but if the answer is complex then we may need to ask you some specific questions before a response is given.
Ask Shona
Please note that all advice can only be considered as an opinion based upon the information you supply and that we are unable to provide any form of diagnosis or advice specific to your condition. We highly recommend that you always consult your GP, Practice Nurse or Continence Advisor.
Gold Standard Incontinence Treatment Finally Approved in Japan
Incontinence, as we all know is a common treatable medical condition that affects man and women. Every now and then, incontinence makes the headlines of major news sources, be it a revolutionary new treatment or a celebrity that comes forward to talk his or her incontinence experiences.
The headline this time was about an incontinence treatment used for over 30 years to restore urinary incontinence in almost 130,000 men around the world, and it has finally being approved in Japan.
The AMS 800 is an artificial sphincter which is implanted and completely concealed inside the patient’s body. This Gold Standard treatment has been tested in Japan since 2004 and according to a survey by the Japanese Urological Association, approximately 16,000 radical prostatectomy’s were performed with a high success rate which led to the approval by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW).
You might be asking, so what? this incontinence treatment is now available to Japanese men suffering from Urinary Incontinence. The point here is, in today’s world where any novelties or breakthroughs spread to all corners of the globe with lighting speed, only now after 30 years of success this treatment has been approved by the Japanese Medical authorities.
Overflow Incontinence – Signs, Causes and Diagnosis
Incontinence is more common in women than in men, but there is a type of incontinence that is prevalent in older men and very rare in women. With this condition patients never feel the urge to urinate, the bladder never empties and small amounts of urine leak continuously, this condition is called Overflow incontinence.
The reason it is more common is men as it is often related to enlarged prostate, which is situated just underneath the bladder. The urine outflow tube passes through the middle of the prostate, and any enlargement of this gland presses on the urethra (urine tube). This makes it difficult for the bladder to empty and fill up completely, and a pool of urine constantly remains in the bladder.
In this article we look into symptoms, causes and diagnosis of overflow incontinence in a simple and easy way to give you a better understanding of this type incontinence.
Symptoms or Signs:
Bladder never feels empty
Frequent night time urinate
Inability to void, even when the urge is felt
Urine dribbles, even after voiding
Causes:
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH; enlarged prostate)
Neurogenic bladder (underactive)
Tumours
Urinary stones
Diagnosis
Diagnosis involves identifying the type and severity of the disorder. Based on the information obtained, doctors may prescribe one or more diagnostic procedures.
For more information and advice on overflow incontinence contact Allanda or if you wish to ask a personal question in private then ask our Nurse Shona, who specialises in incontinence care.