stress incontinence

Each time I have an exacerbation I suffer from stress incontinence due to the coughing. Am I alone in this or do any others have this problem? I have asthma and COPD - am fed up with this problem!

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Know exactly how you feel - thankyou tenalady without which my life would be a total misery at times like that.

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I was quite proud of my pelvic floor strength after having 4 kids you can imagine the punishment it took, but I could laugh or sneeze no problem. That was until the advent of asthma I still do the old pelvic floor exercises but like so many here I am forever grateful to Tena lady!

Bex

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Ladies - go and mention this to your GP! There are so many options to try to sort out this kind of situation - from advanced physiotherapy (not just the standard pelvic floor stuff that is taught in magazines etc) to much more involved stuff, there's no need to suffer it (unless you choose to because there's too much other stuff to be worried about besides!)

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Ok Cathy I will mention it to my GP next time I am there, it really had not occurred to me there was anything else I could do.

I had a lovely new female GP the other day when I went to go through my med changes, poor love 3rd day on the job and she gets me with the drugs list from hell (cost, awkwardness and weird dosages), needing an urgent referral to the GI people but not wanting it to be to the local hospital but the one further away where there is a resp consultant who knows his stuff and me is based she probably would have welcomed an easy to solve problem

Bex

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Slapped wrists all round then - I will try to remember to mention it next time Im there. I'm only really bad when I get a chest infection and unfortunately put it to the back of my mind whenever I feel better.

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Heh, no slapped wrists meant - I get a bit crusader-ish about this kind of thing, because it's one of the unspoken embarassments of female life - and so many women ""just put up with it"" because they think it's just the way things are, without realising - as Bex said - that there could be anything done about it. But there is - so it's definitely worth a mention

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HI Ladies

I agree with CathBear. I saw a continence nurse a couple of months ago. The initial consultation was a little embarrassing (but no more than having a smear), but following her advice, things are so much better.

When I had my kids, I was shown how to do pelvic floor exercises that concentrated on the front of the pelvic floor. This nurse showed me some that help the front and the back of the pelvic floot and they have made such a difference. We also looked at reducing caffinated drinks, and drinking more water and very importantly, how to fully empty the bladder fully each time you visit the toilet. It sounds very basic, but it has helped a lot. In fact (tmi?) hubby has noticed a difference too....

Go for it!

Kathy