Fecal Incontinence & Urinary Incontinence

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Incontinence, whether it affects the bladder or bowel, is far more prevalent than most people think.

In Europe alone, the number of people struggling to cope with loss of bowel control outnumbers those trying to manage diabetes.

There are even more people dealing with bladder weaknesses. And yet there is little information in the public domain and most people are too embarrassed to ask for help, especially if they are suffering from bowel incontinence.

One of the Last Taboos

WE HAVE TO TALK!

In today’s society, at least in the Western world there are certain things you don’t talk about. Worse, there are certain conditions which are only talked about when poking fun and often at the expense of the weaker and vulnerable members of society, including the elderly.

However, the very fact that afflicted people cannot talk about this condition makes it all the more damaging to the self-esteem of the sufferer.

We need to talk about loss of bladder and bowel control and related problems and make sure everyone knows that there is much that can be done to improve the quality of life to people suffering from both urinary and fecal incontinence.

Bladder Weakness

If you leak when you cough, sneeze, exercise or laugh, you may have a bladder weakness known as stress incontinence. If you have difficulties controlling your bladder and an involuntary leaking of urine when the bladder is full, you might be suffering from urge incontinence or be suffering from an overactive bladder. Many women suffer from bladder weaknesses after childbirth and this can become worse when estrogen levels drop after the menopause. There are many ways of treating these conditions and it is becoming less of a taboo subject, but it can still be very damaging to the self-confidence of the sufferer.

Men too suffer from lack of control and other bladder problems which can worsen with increasing age.

Night-time Problems

If you have to wake up more than twice during the night or even leak urine in your sleep, you might suffer from nocturnal enuresis.

If you can't empty your bladder completely or have a problem with the urine flow you could be suffering from post micturition dribble or urinary retention.

Bowel Weakness

If you are unable to control your bowel motions or pass wind involuntarily you are probably suffering from fecal incontinence, which can be caused by a variety of reasons, including injury to the sphincter muscle during childbirth or surgery, or disease or injury to the spine. Bowel incontinence is much more prevalent than you probably think and, if you do begin to talk about your condition, you might be surprised that others too will begin to share their difficulties about managing the problem.

Time for Action

Often people who suffer from either type of loss of control, but especially the fecal kind. avoid social events and eventually become depressed and isolated, unable even to ask for help from their doctors.

It is time to bring these conditions into the open so that people can ask for and obtain the help they need.

Over the coming weeks, we will develop pages about these debilitating conditions and what can be done to improve the situation for the many sufferers around the globe.

In the meantime we encourage you to use this forum to tell your story or ask for advice, anonymously, unless you prefer to disclose your identity.

Remember, this is not your fault and it is a problem shared by many others.

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