Bladder and continents. 2 words that strike fear in the Hearts of many of us who have MS. MS can cause problems with Bladder incontinence when lesions strike specific areas of our central nervous system The result can be Bladder Incontinence. Until recently there were a few tried and true methods to deal with this mess. Some people swore by doing Kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles in the bladder. Others took supplements to do the same thing in a different route. But many of us turn to the use of incontinence underwear and pads.
My 1st mistake here was to attempt to use the dispoable underwear and pads offered at the local retailers. Oh these work just fine for some people but not for those of us whose MS causes the bladder to suddenly and totally purge its entire contents. I spent several years fighting this and being embarrassed when my super heavy pads simply could not contain my urine output. I got very creative at using my jackets and sweaters to hide the wet stains on my pants. As the laundry piled up with sometimes 4 and 5 changes a day in clean clothes , my wallet also seemed to spring a leak as these items were rather expensive, especially when you required 5 and 6 changes a day.
For those of you who found a way, I salute you. For the rest of us it seemed we were doomed to be embarrassed as if we were a two-year-old In the process of potty training.
A caregiver of mine told me a client of hers had used just about every incontinence underwear on the market and it found that some of the ones you bought online were a lot better and cheaper than the ones at the stores. I settled on Tenna extra heavy duty and it cut down on the leaks and was significantly cheaper, but I was still incontinent. One problem solved and 1 problem to go.
My neurologist then stepped in and sent me to a urologist that's specialized in incontinence.
The solution she suggested was to inject Botox into my bladder. ( I know, what a waste. If I want to use botox I want it on my face right!) After a barage of test, some that weren't very pleasant, it was decided I was an excellent candidate for botox. How could botox decrease my incontinence of my bladder, I asked the the doctor. Here is what she had to say
Botox injected in the bladder helps by:
1. It helps to relax the bladder and by doing so increases the bladder's size so you can hold more urine and have to pee less frequently. Much like it does to the wrinkles on your face it helps to relax the face muscles and plump the skin thus getting rid of the wrinkles.
2. By relaxing the bladder it also cuts down on the frequent sudden urges to pee that are often uncontrollable.0 These are caused by spasms in the bladder and the rectum that causes the sudden urges.
I had the procedure done last Tuesday so about a week ago. The urologist told me what take about 2 weeks for the botox to become effective. Believe it or not I've already seen positive effects from the botox. There has been several days in the week that I haven't had to change my pullup once since it's stayec clean the entire day.
There is a follow up ultrasound about 2 weeks after the botox is injected into the bladder to make sure you are emptying your bladder completely. Of course we all know that if you retain urìne in the bladder it can cause UTIs. In addition sometimes the botox works too well and a person cannot empty their bladder because the botox simply ties the bladder up. In these cases then a Catheter must be inserted Into your bladder to help the bladder release the urine. Typically the urologist said the over active retaining of urine only last for a week or 2 until the botox's strength wains a bit and then normal bladder function returns. All of these risk factors are looked at and your success or failure rate of using botox is determined during the testing they do prior to the procedure.
The great news is everything is covered by medi care and you only have to have the new injections of botox into your bladder approximately every every 5 this 12 months. It varies of course from person to person and bladder to bladder. Oh and the last thing I forgot to mention is that the injections only feel like slight pressure or cramping because they numb the bladder prior to injecting the botox into it.
To this point overall I would rate botox a great success for my bladder. Of course everyone is different so speak to your neurologist/urologist to determine if it's a viable option for you. Knowledge is power. Never stop learning. Fancy 59.
Spouse of someone living with MS
Daily life living with MS
Living 2 years with MS
