Another 'water' related one..

[daisy]

It's a good job I have no shame really...here goes:
One of the wide range of weird symptoms I've suffered from in the last couple of years is 'urinary urgency' and partial incontinence. I'm 43, never had kids and take my pelvic floor excersises quite seriously but this particular problem started quite suddenly in December 2009 (I was NOT running at the time). It comes and goes. I don't get stress incontinence.
Having struggled with this 'issue' for a while I finally gave in and took GP's advice to see a gynae.

So on Monday morning I got the following proffessional advice: Stop drinking so much fluid (2.2 l a day or thereabouts; no fizzy drinks, no caffeine, no alchohol - but really I'm not as dull as that sounds) and stop running ()

Apparently "my aging body is exhausted with all this running about" and I shouldn't keep "trying to do something I could do well at 25".

So I came away feeling about 20 years older than when I went in, ( Is 43 really that old?) and wondering about what you guys drink on a daily basis. Is 2.2 litres a HUGE amount? I didn't think my weekly mileage was particularily high, certainly compared to what a lot of runners on here do. (Max.30m a week)

Anyone got any better ideas? Am feeling utterly p##### (no pun intended) off about the medic's approach, but hey, he's the proffessional right?
Cheers,

[Chris K]

I think 2.2 litres is a lot if that excludes tea/coffee, fruit and vegetables, but for some people it may be OK. Bet you get a great deal of advice on this one!

[daisy]

I think 2.2 litres is a lot if that excludes tea/coffee, fruit and vegetables, but for some people it may be OK. Bet you get a great deal of advice on this one!

It does include a lot of decaff coffee...hey, I like the stuff! But that's my total fluid intake for the day. I'm not very good on the fruit and veg front to be honest, so there wouldn't be a lot to consider there...maybe 1 banana a day?
OH, and I like soup but didn't count that either; just stuff that went in a mug...

[protodoc]

Hi Daisy,
I'm a GP myself and this sounds like overactive bladder syndrome, see the following link:

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Over...r-Syndrome.htm

One non-drug option is as you have said cut down on stimulants (caffeine, alcohol etc), you already do your pelvic floor exercises but another commonly tried option is "bladder training" where you force yourself to hold out for as long as you can before going to the toilet. It is supposed to desensitise the bladder a bit I think.
Hope you find the website useful and good luck with it!
Mark

[daisy]

Thanks Mark. I'll go and have a look at the link in a mo.

What i really want to hear I suppose is that I don't have to stop running...

[protodoc]

Hopefully not, it must be the "jiggling" motion of running that exacerbates the problem, hopefully with bladder training that will settle. Also your history is intermittent so that is a good sign that you are likely to respond well.

[anthonykay]

Resurrecting a very old thread . . . I seem to be among the male minority who have Overactive Bladder syndrome (see https://patient.info/womens-health/l...r-syndrome-oab , as linked from post #4 on this thread), but only when out walking or cycling; I don't need to have a pee too often when I'm at home and, curiously, it's not a problem when I'm running. In fact, I usually know when I've been out for 1 hour on a cycle ride, because that's when I need to find a field entrance where I can go behind a hedge. The article on patient.info (linked above) doesn't mention physical activity as a cause.

On causes and treatments: my caffeine intake isn't huge (typically two mugs of tea and one of coffee in a day), and I would really miss my tea at breakfast time (the others could be cut out if necessary). The suggested "bladder training" wouldn't work for me because of another feature that isn't mentioned in the patient.info article: if I try to hold the pee, I soon start getting the urge to poo. And it's not just an urge: on one occasion on a walk, I did eventually stop to pee after holding it for a while, but as I started to pee, that was not the only excretion. A mistake never to be repeated.

[Mike T]

Does this have something to do with perineal irritation from your bike saddle, given that it does not occur when running?

It is my understanding that bladder training does not actually increase bladder capacity, but just lets you know how long you can put up with the misery until the inevitable happens.

As to caffeine, it is a weak diuretic and can directly stimulate the bladder - is it worth trying decaffeinated tea/coffee, if you have not already done so?

[anthonykay]

Does this have something to do with perineal irritation from your bike saddle, given that it does not occur when running?

It does occur while walking, but not while running, although I first noticed it while cycling. There does seem to be a psychological element to the condition (the bladder sending misleading messages to the brain), so here's a hypothesis (without any evidential basis!).

Maybe it was initially caused by perineal irritation (the saddles on both of my bikes feel comfortable, but that doesn't exclude the possibility of something going on down there without me noticing). There then arose an association in my mind between prolonged moderate exercise and bladder discomfort (the intensity of my cycling is usually similar to a brisk walk, and much less than the intensity of my running), so I started feeling it while walking. But when running, the brain is too distracted by the more intense exercise.

As to caffeine, it is a weak diuretic and can directly stimulate the bladder - is it worth trying decaffeinated tea/coffee, if you have not already done so?

I've never tried decaffeinated beverages, due to a bias (without evidence) that they don't taste as good. Maybe I ought to try.

[mr brightside]

I've never tried decaffeinated beverages, due to a bias (without evidence) that they don't taste as good. Maybe I ought to try.

De caff tea tastes like dirty dishwater