Whoever remarked, "Timing is everything" was right. I recently wrote about simple ways to prevent urinary infections. This triggered numerous requests from readers asking, "But what can be done when you're constantly rushing to 'you know where?'"
Their timing couldn't have been better. A new Web site, The Powder Room, now has a bilingual Course 101 on Overactive Bladder (OAB). It contains "Everything you've always wanted to know about OAB and didn't know who to ask."
OAB can range from a terrible nuisance to a problem that has a dramatic effect on lifestyle. And, if you think you're the only one in town that suffers from this disorder, think again.
Several years ago, one of my patients hit the nail on the head with a simple explanation. She remarked to me, "You don't know Toronto well until you know where all the bathrooms are located." She was busy doing what's known as "toilet mapping."
It's amazing that since so many people suffer from urinary urgency it remains a "closet disorder." Today, it's still more socially acceptable to discuss cholesterol levels, a broken bone, or Botox injections, than to admit you wet yourself from delaying urination.
As my grandmother used to say, "If you don't go when you've got to go, by the time you go, you've already gone!"
But how do you know if you're suffering from OAB? Just a few simple questions suffice. Do you suffer from a sudden explosive feeling that you have to go? Is this urge followed by a loss of urine? Do you have to get up many times during the night to urinate? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, you have OAB. But these symptoms may also mean a urinary infection, particularly if there's blood in the urine.
This sudden, overwhelming desire to urinate occurs when the bladder's detrusor muscle contracts while the bladder is still filling, instead of when it's full. This sends a message to the brain that you've got to go long before you should have to go.
So what can you do to stop friends from singing, "We know where you're going?" A quick visit to The Powder Room Web site is a good start. This will provide you with a brochure providing quick facts about OAB.
Members can access "Your Stories Section" to see what other sufferers are saying about OAB. Posting your own story not only helps others, but also makes you feel you're not alone with this problem.
To ensure medical accuracy, the Web site will be regularly updated and reviewed by a group of OAB experts. The experts assist in developing materials to bring about awareness of OAB to help demystify the condition and to pass along practical advice about it.
Lifestyle changes are a part of the answer. For instance, changes in diet, limiting fluid intake, eliminating bladder irritants such as caffeine and alcohol, and stopping smoking, can decrease the need for frequent urination. So can relaxation techniques such as biofeedback and exercise to strengthen bladder muscles.
My advice is to come out of the closet and join The Powder Room at www.powderroom.ca. And be sure to ask your doctor about OAB.
Dr. Gifford-Jones is a medical journalist with a private medical practice in Toronto.
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