Aging brings a lot of things: wisdom, distinguished good looks, experience, happiness for the good things in life like family and grandchildren. Oh, and a few aches and pains! But aging does not mean resigning yourself to waking up four times in the night to go to the bathroom or wearing pads and diapers. These are specific treatable conditions, and it’s important to understand that incontinence is not a normal part of aging. Here’s why.
Conditions of Incontinence
Doctors have defined a few different interrelated conditions including overactive bladder, urinary incontinence, bladder retention, and bowel incontinence. You would be correct if you thought these are all somewhat related and somewhat hard to distinguish. But a few things are true of each: they interfere mightily with quality of life, create embarrassing situations, and, most importantly, they are all highly treatable.
We think of overactive bladder as a condition that causes people to wake up multiple times at night to empty the bladder and leads to urinary incontinence or accidents during the day. Urinary retention means that the bladder is unable to empty fully and successfully. And bowel incontinence occurs when even formed or solid stool can’t be controlled and accidents occur.
The treatments for these related conditions have never been more successful, safer, or easier. Medicare and virtually all health insurance plans today cover the treatments that deliver a high success rate and a big improvement in quality of life. What’s needed is a specialist with some expertise in the range of therapies and the experience to deliver them successfully. Our center, like many others around the country, focuses on sacral neuromodulation as the corner stone treatment, combined with pelvic floor exercise therapy and sometimes the use of injectable fillers. All of these treatments are non-invasive and generally painless outpatient therapies. But the best part is they really work. Over 90% of people report success and a restoration of quality of life, better sleep, and no more embarrassing accidents.
So don’t let anyone convince you these conditions are a normal part of growing older. Gray hair, wisdom, and refined tastes may all be part of aging, but bowel and bladder leakage most definitely are not! Contact the Nevada Surgical team today to learn more.
