Over Active Bladder

Over Active Bladder

Over Active Bladder or OAB, as it is commonly referred to, is a term that you will usually hear or read about when the topic of discussion is urinary incontinence.  Whenever you see a commercial on TV for a drug that is used to treat urinary incontinence, you will usually hear about an “over active bladder” (OAB).

Just what is an OAB?  It’s a term assigned to a common condition that affects a very large population…in fact, millions of men and women. OAB is not a disease, but is simply the term used to describe a group of urinary symptoms, the most common of which is a sudden urge to urinate. The urge usually comes on unexpectedly with little warning and is more or less uncontrollable. The reaction to such an urge is finding a restroom quickly. Another common symptom of an OAB is having to go to the bathroom several times during the day and at night.

Most of the time, an OAB is the result of bladder muscles contracting more frequently than normal. Bladder muscle contraction can be caused by many factors amongst which are urinary tract infections (UTI), side effects from drugs, pregnancy, illnesses such as Parkinson’s, MS, MD, MS and other neurological diseases. With men, an OAB is a common sign of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), which in non medical terms is an enlarged prostate gland.  When the prostate gland becomes enlarged, it exerts pressure on the tube (urethra) that carries urine from the bladder to exit…this pressure results in an urge to urinate

In addition to having an urge to go, an OAB can be accompanied by unavoidable urine leakage.  When unavoidable leaking of urine occurs, an individual is considered to have “incontinence”.  If your personal condition reaches the point of incontinence, it becomes necessary to take action.

I strongly suggest that you quiz yourself to determine if there’s a possibility you have OAB. The five most relative questions to answer are given below.  Be honest with yourself, when answering these five questions.
(To better clarify each question, I have offered further details below each question.)

  1. Do you have to visit the bathroom more than 7-9 times during the day?
    If you’re visiting the bathroom more frequently, and you’re noticing that some of those visits result in only several drops of urine, you may have OAB.
  2. Are you having to rush to get to the bathroom for fear of an accident?
    If rushing to the bathroom to urinate and finding that the result is a small amount of leakage, there’s a good possibility that you have an OAB accompanied by urge incontinence.
  3. Do you have to go to the bathroom more than 3 to 4 times during the night?
    This is a symptom of nocturia and is another sign of an OAB especially for men.  When men have to get up several times during the night, it usually relates to an enlarged prostate gland or BPH as discussed above.  Men can expect to see signs of BPH at age 50 and beyond.
  4. When you’re away from home or at a social affair…for example, at a wedding or at the theater…do you find yourself scouting out the nearest restroom?
    If you find yourself doing just that, you can be pretty certain that it’s another sign of an OAB or urge incontinence.
  5. Are you avoiding to do things that you really enjoy doing for fear of having an accident?
    If so…what’s happening is that you are actually changing your normal life style around the fear of a potential accident.  Although this is likely another sign of an OAB, you should never succumb to a regression in lifestyle…that would be defeatism. which is absolutely unnecessary.

For those who find that they are, indeed, confronted with an OAB syndrome and/or urge incontinence, don’t fret, because there are several first-steps you can take that might work well for you. First and most important is that you learn how to recognize the symptoms of your personal incontinence condition. Once you understand your personal symptoms, you will be in a position to know whether or not what you are trying is working…remember…helping yourself is a trial-and-error process.

Most everyone who encounters OAB symptoms initially opt to trying absorption products such as liners or pads.  These products are readily available in retail stores.  Incontinence Specialists may be available to answer your questions and make suggestions as to what products are best for your particular condition.

For first time buyers, I strongly recommend trying the product before you buy the product.  This is good advice, especially for first time buyers.  By testing a product, you will be able to determine if it’s the correct choice for your level of incontinence.  Careway Wellness Center offers an excellent free sample program for its Tenafree-samples  products.  Simply call us at 800-292-4343  and speak with one of our incontinence specialists  who will assist you in selecting free samples, which will be forwarded to your home.  Once you receive the sample product, try it in the privacy of your own home before deciding to make a purchase. This way you can identify if it’s the right product for your level of incontinence.  You can also request a free sample of Tena products by  emailing us, or if you live in the vicinity of our retail store, just drop in and select it from our free sample basket.

If your choice is a Tena product, we certainly want to be sure you buy it at the very best price.  Our entire Tena line of products is always on sale.  What’s more, you will be able to receive additional savings, on top of our discounted prices, by joining our extremely popular Tena Club.  We have a passion for the Tena Club because it’s so easy to join and it helps our customers save lots of money.  In addition to our regular discounted prices, you’ll get an additional 10% OFF your Tena purchases if you are a member of the Tena ClubThis  can add up to be a substantial annual savings.  The Tena Club is a unique program with members throughout the entire United States.  Membership is absolutely FREE and registering to become a member of the Tena Club is quick and easy. Below, you will find a video that walks you through the process on how you can become a member of the Tena Club.  You can also call us directly at 1-800-292-4343 and ask one of our incontinence specialist to sign you up for the Tena Club.  It’s so easy to do! 

 

Until next week…

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