Considering your age, you might think that you don’t have to worry about urinary incontinence. While it’s true that it usually affects the elderly, it can happen to anyone. In addition, your age isn’t the only factor. Your lifestyle and food choices also play a significant role. Below are the types of urinary incontinence, when they might happen, and when to see a doctor.
Stress incontinence
It’s the most common form of incontinence caused by the pressure exerted on your bladder when coughing, sneezing, exercising, laughing, or carrying heavy items. So, it’s alarming if you do these simple things and experience a leak.
Overflow incontinence
It is a condition that happens when your bladder does not empty completely. Thus, there is still too much urine left in the bladder. In overflow incontinence, urine leaks out as the bladder becomes full quickly.
Urge incontinence
This type is sudden and quite intense. You feel the need to urinate, followed by the loss of urine. It also lets you urinate more often, and it can be frustrating when
happening at night. It may be a minor issue due to an infection, or there could be an underlying illness. Neurological disorders and diabetes are among them.
Functional incontinence
This problem happens when you have other issues preventing you from heading to the restroom on time. For instance, having severe arthritis or mobility issues may stop you from walking to the restroom and unbuttoning your pants as quickly as possible. But, of course, you must deal with the underlying issue first to prevent experiencing incontinence.
Mixed incontinence
You may have one or more of the types mentioned above of incontinence. Stress and urge are the most common combination.
When to see a doctor
You might not like this illness because it’s embarrassing. Imagine wetting yourself when others are watching. You can’t recover from the shame. It’s even worse if you’re not that old but already have symptoms. The good thing is you can always consider solutions like MoliCare’s products to prevent the problem from getting worse.
You must also meet with your doctor if you start feeling uncomfortable and if the problem happens more frequently. Likewise, seek help if you can no longer function normally and have social interaction issues. If you believe there could be other underlying issues, you have more reasons to see a doctor. You can’t let incontinence prevent you from doing what you want to.
Find a way to deal with the issue as soon as possible. Change your lifestyle if need be. For example, stop smoking and choose healthy dishes. Exercise and try to lose weight. As long as you don’t lift heavy weights or choose high-impact exercises, you’re good to go.
You may also consider treatments and surgeries for worst-case scenarios. Speak with your doctor first and see if these options are available for you. The problem might be not as bad as you think. A few lifestyle changes might do the trick, and there’s no need to undergo major surgery. Consider what your doctor believes is in your best interest.