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There are many myths about incontinence, as incontinence is a subject most people are reluctant to talk about. The uncertainty and questions which incontinent people may have, remain unanswered without professional advice. Their limited knowledge and guesswork lead to many conclusions which are often wrong. Check whether you knew which of the below statements was true or false.
The popular belief that only the elderly suffer from urine loss most probably comes from the fact that this ailment is associated with aging of the organism. It’s true that many older people struggle with this problem, however it also concerns younger people. Incontinence accompanies many medical conditions which people suffer from, irrespective of their age and gender. Even a plain cold can cause urine loss episodes.
Incontinence is not a disease on its own, but it is an ailment accompanying different medical conditions. It is sometimes the case that urine loss is one of the symptoms of a disease, and disappears after treating it. Sometimes it is caused by a temporary change of the organism’s condition (e.g. pregnancy, a cold). Incontinence is spoken of as an ailment and people talk about possible treatment, so it often happens that a person who visits a doctor with this problem is surprised that the therapy doesn’t only involve the treatment of the incontinence. The doctor tries to find the origin of the problem and tries to choose treatment which aims at treating the condition which causes the incontinence. World Health Organization (WHO) recognised incontinence as a social disease, i.e. a chronic ailment which is widely spread in society, making the everyday life of people affected by the condition difficult. See what the risk factors of urinary incontinence are.
According to the statistics women experience urinary incontinence more frequently (especially light incontinence). It is caused by the anatomical differences between men and women. One can assume that every fourth woman and every eight man will experience incontinence at a different stage of their life. In order to learn more about urinary incontinence in women go to the Women zone, and visit the Men zone to learn about incontinence in men.
It really depends on the kind of the product whether it is easy or difficult to put it on. It also depends on the skills and experience of the person putting them on. In the case of bladder control pads or disposable absorbent underwear, putting them on is really easy. Other products require more care in order to put them on properly. In order to prevent leakages and ensure the user’s comfort one has to remember the rules of proper diapering. Employing a special technique of fixing the absorbent products on the body will make it easy to do. Click here, to see the techniques of fixing the absorbent products on the body.
Many people wonder how their body functions and what their internal organs look like. The answers are often far from the truth when people are asked about bladder capacity. Sometimes people with incontinence look for very absorbent all-in-one diapers thinking that their bladder can hold a few litres of urine. You can carry out a small experiment in order to prove that this is practically impossible. THE EXPERIMENT: Take a plastic bag and fill it with 3 litres of water – how big does the bag get? Is it possible for a human’s bladder to be that big? Certainly not.
People with incontinence often withdraw from social life, don’t travel, or even stay at home for the whole time being afraid to go outside, because they are embarrassed about their ailment. They are also afraid that they won’t make it to the toilet in time, or they won’t be able to find one in an area that is new to them, which may lead to an uncomfortable experience. Being incontinent doesn’t absolutely mean that the person experiencing urine loss shouldn’t enjoy life. We encourage people with urinary incontinence to live an active life, do fun things including travel. There are bladder control pads on the market which are wrapped individually, so it is easy to put a few pieces in one’s handbag or hand luggage. The variety of available absorbent products enables one to enjoy life, travel and socialise without being afraid of unpleasant episodes of leaks. See the Seni absorbent product offer which will help you to spend your time actively despite urinary incontinence.
By exercising one’s pelvic floor muscles regularly using Kegel exercises it is possible to improve one’s control over the bladder. These exercises teach how to use the muscles around the urethra in a more conscious way – these muscles are controlled with one’s will what is really important in cases such as laughing, sneezing or coughing. The other benefit of these exercises is the strengthening of the pelvic floor muscles, shoring up those which control the urethra closing system. It is of utmost importance for people with stress incontinence. You can start exercising at any age – these exercises can be done by people with limited mobility, too. These exercises bring results already after just a few weeks.
Nowadays keeping your skin clean is a standard. There are many specialist skin care products available on the market – using them makes keeping the hygiene and your skin care regime easier and more effective. With incontinence, it is really important to ensure that the skin around ones private parts is dry, and free from irritation caused by exposure to irritant factors. What is more, it is important to ensure freshness and reduce the unpleasant odour. The proper use of modern care products, like the ones from the Seni Care range, makes it possible to maintain hygiene in incontinence.
Urine loss is natural in children, however, it should pass with age. Urine loss, especially night bedwetting is not something to worry about if the child is less than 5 years old, however, it shouldn’t be ignored. Incontinence in the case of some children doesn’t disappear – this may be connected with various dysfunctions. Bedwetting is most common, however, some children lose urine during the day as well. This may be caused by a delay in the nervous system development or by weakened muscles. If a child experiences urine loss it is important to provide it with appropriate protection, i.e. supply it with absorbent products – baby diapers or smallest size adult diapers. It is crucial to ensure the child’s mental comfort – children who wet themselves often feel uncomfortable about it, find it difficult to handle their embarrassment and are afraid of others’ reactions. It is important to remember that it’s not the child’s fault that it wets itself, so one should not make it feel guilty about it – it is worth explaining to the child what the nature of the problem is and show support.
Pregnancy is quite a burden for a woman’s organism. The hormonal changes and the growing placenta influence the urinary system functioning and urinary incontinence may appear. After giving birth the pelvic muscles are loosened and do not function properly so during childbed urine loss episodes may still happen. Childbed usually takes 6–8 weeks during which the organism should come back to its normal state. With the body coming back to shape the ailments connected with pregnancy, including urinary incontinence, start to disappear. Doing Kegel exercises speeds up the process of regeneration.
It is true that incontinent bedridden people are exposed to chafes and bedsores, but that can be avoided. Constant exposure of the skin to pressure, high temperature and constant wetness increase the chance of skin conditions. Proper care, frequent repositioning and using breathable absorbent products help avoid unpleasant skin problems. Keeping a bedridden person’s skin in good condition requires employing preventive treatment and putting some effort in the task, but is possible. Learn more about bedsore preventive treatment here.