| Subject: |
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Don't know what to do |
| Name: |
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KLK |
| Date Posted: |
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Mar 22, 08 - 10:28 PM |
| IP Address: |
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70.112.139.211 |
| Email: |
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kaiserinkayz@gmail.com |
| Message: |
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I guess I'll start by saying that I'm a 28 year old married woman who was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis 5 years ago. During an exacerbation I had about 4 months ago I started to have real problems with my bladder.
I've had problems in the past with urgency as a result of MS. It's generally never been a serious problem in most cases though. It was easy enough to manage just by keeping an eye on where the bathrooms were whenever I was out and about and not much more came of it. Compared to the fatigue, muscle spasms, and blurry vision, it's never been that big of a deal.
Unfortunately, things have been entirely different since the last attack. I have little to no warning now about what my bladder is going to do. I've heard both from my doctor and others living with MS that this isn't uncommon by any means, I'm just upset that it came so fast.
I've seen a urologist about it, and was told that my particular problem is 'detrusor hyperactivity.' I was prescribed oxybutynin(detrol) and sent on my way. It didn't really make a big difference though, so I was switched to detrol about 3 weeks ago. It hasn't really helped my situation a whole lot either, and to top it off the side effects(especially the dizziness) aren't very fun. I'm going to go back to see the urologist soon, but I think my options are out as far as medication goes. I might be wrong though.
The real problem is that during all of this time I've been having a real issue making it to the toilet on time. My doctor told me that I should probably get some sort of protection if it's interfering with my life until I can get better treatment. I tried to just get by with pads at first, but it really didn't work out all that well. So after a talk with my spouse I swallowed my pride and bought some of the incontinence pants they have at the store.
Here's where my question comes in. They don't really work as well as I would like them to either. I can usually get by during the day if I change them very often, but they still leak sometimes. I still manage to make it to the bathroom most of the time though. It's never been enough to end up in a huge embarrassment, but it's definitely very stressful for me nonetheless.
Bedtime is a different story though, I've just been sleeping on top of a two folded towels. I can't manage to get up quick enough and the underwear leaks even if I wear it, so I just don't bother. This has been really embarrassing for me. While my husband has been very supportive, I can't help but feel like I'm being a burden to him at this rate.
What can I do until I can get some treatment? Doing the laundry everyday and constantly walking around worried about springing a leak is taking it's toll on me fast. Is there better underwear I could find(I'm using the Tena brand protective underwear)? Or something else to help manage it? I'm just really at a loss at this point. |
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