What Is Interstitial Cystitis/bladder Pain Syndrome
Interstitial cystitis /bladder pain syndrome is a chronic bladder health issue. It is a feeling of pain and pressure in the bladder area. Along with this pain are lower urinary tract symptoms which have lasted for more than 6 weeks, without having an infection or other clear causes.
Symptoms range from mild to severe. For some patients the symptoms may come and go, and for others they don’t go away. IC/BPS is not an infection, but it may feel like a bladder infection. Women with IC/BPS may feel pain when having sex. The more severe cases of IC/BPS can affect your life and your loved ones. Some people with IC/BPS have other health issues such as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and other pain syndromes.
The bladder and kidneys are part of the urinary system, the organs in our bodies that make, store, and pass urine. You have 2 kidneys that make urine. Then urine is stored in the bladder. The muscles in the lower part of your abdomen hold your bladder in place.
How the Urinary System Works
Can Vitamins Cause Frequent Urination
A nutrient-rich diet should be practiced. Consumption of fruits, vegetables, and probiotics with vitamin C can improve urinary distress. It has been noted that taking supplement Vitamin C, at high doses, can worsen symptoms more generally. It is linked to increased urination when vitamin D is lacking, according to studies.
Can Back Pain And Incontinence Be The Result Of Another Condition
Though rare, one disorder that could cause back pain and UI is cauda equina syndrome . CES affects the bundle of nerve roots at the end of your spinal cord. These nerve roots send and receive signals from your brain and control the lower half of your body and your pelvic organs.
When the nerve roots are compressed, the pressure cuts off sensation and control. The nerves that control your bladder and bowels are particularly susceptible to the loss of control caused by this disorder.
A ruptured disc may also put pressure on the nerve roots. This disc and the pressure on the nerve roots can lead to back pain.
And, a form of arthritis called ankylosing spondylitis may cause back pain. This condition causes inflammation in your spinal joints. The inflammation can lead to discomfort and chronic severe pain.
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Preventing Frequent Or Painful Urination
Whenever possible, physicians treat frequent or painful urination by determining what underlying problem is causing the symptoms, and treating that problem. For example:
- If diabetes is the cause of a persons frequent urination, the physician will work with the patient to control blood sugar to minimize the urinary issue.
- If a mans frequent urination is due to benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostatitis, the physician will treat that issue to relieve urinary symptoms.
- For women who have painful or frequent urination due to urinary tract infections, the physician will prescribe antibiotics or suggest other treatments to eliminate the infection.
Sometimes, behavioral treatments may also help alleviate symptoms of painful or frequent urination. These are activities the patient can do to minimize or eliminate symptoms for conditions such as OAB. Behavioral treatments might include:
What Is Frequent Or Painful Urination
Urination is the process of passing liquid waste from the body in the form of urine. For most people, the bladder holds urine until it is convenient for them to use the toilet. Urination is normally painless.
Most people urinate four to eight times a day depending on fluid intake. Frequent urination is when a person needs to urinate much more often, experiences an urgent need to urinate or when a person urinates more frequently than is normal for him or her.
Painful urination is more common in women than in men. In both men and women it results in pain, discomfort, burning or stinging. Pain may be felt at the spot where urine leaves the body or inside the body at the prostate , bladder or behind the pubic bone at the lower part of the pelvis.
Frequent urination or painful urination can indicate another physical problem and should be evaluated by a physician.
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Whats A Bladder Spasm
Have you heard of the term bladder spasm? If you have an overactive bladder or incontinence, its likely that you have experienced them.
Bladder spasms are when the bladder muscle squeezes suddenly, without warning, making you feel like you need to empty your bladder immediately. This is one of the hallmark symptoms of Overactive Bladder the urgent and frequent needs to urinate, and can sometimes also result in urge incontinence if youre unable to make it to the bathroom in time.
What To Expect At Your Office Visit
Your provider will perform a physical exam and ask questions such as:
- When did the problem start and has it changed over time?
- How often do you urinate each night and how much urine do you release each time?
- Do you ever have âaccidentsâ or bedwetting?
- What makes the problem worse or better?
- How much fluid do you drink before bedtime? Have you tried limiting fluids before bedtime?
- What other symptoms do you have? Do you have increased thirst, pain or burning on urination, fever, abdominal pain, or back pain?
- What medicines are you taking? Have you changed your diet?
- Do you drink caffeine and alcohol? If so, how much do you consume each day and when during the day?
- Have you had any bladder infections in the past?
- Do you have a family history of diabetes?
- Does nighttime urination interfere with your sleep?
Tests that may be performed include:
- Blood sugar
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Symptomatic Overlap In Overactive Bladder And Interstitial Cystitis/painful Bladder Syndrome
- BJU International
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How Is Bladder Pain Syndrome Treated
There is no cure for bladder pain syndrome. But your doctor will try different treatments to figure out how to improve your symptoms.
The first treatment many people try includes steps you can take at home. Sometimes, by changing what you eat, you can make your symptoms go away. But even when symptoms do go away, they may return days or years later.
If your symptoms do not get better, other treatments your doctor may suggest include:10
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Preventing And Fixing An Overactive Bladder
Prevention is always the best medicine. With this in mind, lets first talk about some lifestyle choices that lower your risk of an overactive bladder.
The most important factors to preventing OAB are maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular exercise. A healthy body optimizes the functioning of the urinary tract and other vital organs. Further, an active lifestyle is the best way to counteract diabetes and obesity. Other prevention measures include limiting alcohol and caffeine, quitting smoking, and managing any known medical conditions.
Now lets say youre struggling with a bit of OAB. Are there measures you can take to counteract it? Many signs point to yes. One noteworthy finding reported by Harvard University showed that 70 percent of women who used alternative remedies reported being satisfied with the treatment. These treatments might include supplements, herbs, and therapies.
While research is still a bit sparse , here are three that have shown promise.
How Is Ui Diagnosed
The only way to diagnose the underlying cause of both back pain and UI is to see your doctor and receive a full medical exam. The exam can help your doctor decide whether your symptoms are related to a separate condition that needs attention.
During the exam, its important you detail any symptoms, when you experience them, and how you relieve them.
After this initial diagnosis phase, your doctor may order several tests. These tests may include imaging tests like X-rays and blood work. The tests can eliminate causes for your symptoms.
If your doctor cant reach a diagnosis, they may refer you to a urologist or a back pain specialist.
Treatment for back pain and UI relies on finding an underlying cause. Once you and your doctor understand whats causing your symptoms, you can develop a plan to manage your symptoms.
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Causes And Treatments For A Dogs Weak Bladder
Causes
1) Your beloved pet is consuming more water than is normal. This often leads to a weak bladder and the need to urinate often. This is often a sign the dog may have medical issues such as diabetes, kidney failure, or hyperthyroidism.
2) If the dog has had recent urinary tract infections, this can cause the bladder to weaken. This may be a temporary problem once the infection is cured, especially in younger dogs.
3) In female dogs a decrease in hormones such as estrogen can result in a weak bladder sphincter causing the dog to urinate more than normal.
4) If your dog has suffered an injury or been diagnosed with a disease to the spinal cord this is possibly the cause. Also any injury to the lumbar area is another possible cause for the incontinence.
Treatments
1) If you suspect your dog might be suffering from one of these problems, there is a relatively easy procedure your local vet can perform as a way to pin down what the cause is. Have your vet do a urinalysis or urine culture at their office. In most cases this will be all that is needed to diagnose the problem properly. If this does not yield the results for correcting the problem, the vet can then do a radiograph and blood panel test to further narrow down the issue of why your dog in fact has a weak bladder.
3) There are several drugs that can be given if there is no specific cause found. According to an article on the Medi-Vet.com website:
What Behavioral Changes Can I Make To Help With Overactive Bladder
There are many techniques and changes to your typical behavior that you can try to help with an overactive bladder. These can include:
Keeping a log: During a typical day, write down your fluid intake, the number of times you urinate, the number of accidents and when they occur. Make a note about what happened when the accident happened, like when you:
- Cough.
- Laugh.
- Were unable to reach the bathroom in time.
Monitoring your diet: Eliminate or decrease foods or beverages that may worsen your bladder symptoms. These could include:
- Tea.
- Spicy and acidic foods and drinks.
- Foods and drinks that contain artificial sweeteners.
Maintaining bowel regularity: Constipation can place added pressure on the bladder and have a negative effect on your bladder function. By keeping healthy bowel habits, you may be able to avoid constipation and help to lessen bladder symptoms. The following are some suggestions for maintaining bowel regularity:
- Increase your fiber intake by eating foods like beans, pasta, oatmeal, bran cereal, whole wheat bread, and fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Every morning, take 2 tablespoons of this mixture: 1 cup apple sauce, 1 cup unprocessed wheat bran, and ¾ cup prune juice.
- Exercise regularly to maintain regular bowel movements.
Maintaining a healthy weight: Being overweight can add pressure on your bladder, which may contribute to bladder control problems. If you are overweight, weight loss can reduce the pressure on your bladder.
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Changes In Bladder Habits Or Symptoms Of Irritation
Bladder cancer can sometimes cause changes in urination, such as:
- Having to urinate more often than usual
- Pain or burning during urination
- Feeling as if you need to go right away, even when your bladder isn’t full
- Having trouble urinating or having a weak urine stream
- Having to get up to urinate many times during the night
These symptoms are more likely to be caused by a urinary tract infection , bladder stones, an overactive bladder, or an enlarged prostate . Still, its important to have them checked by a doctor so that the cause can be found and treated, if needed.
How Does Bladder Pain Syndrome Affect Pregnancy
Some women find that their bladder pain symptoms get better during pregnancy. Others find their symptoms get worse. During pregnancy, you need to urinate more often and are at higher risk for urinary tract infections and constipation. This can make symptoms worse for some women. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, especially water.
If you are thinking about becoming pregnant, talk to your doctor about your bladder pain syndrome and any medicines you might be taking. Some medicines and treatments are not safe to use during pregnancy.
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What Is Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder also known as overactive bladder syndrome, is a symptom-based clinical diagnosis. It is characterized by a sudden urge to urinate, urinary frequency and nocturia , with or without urge urinary incontinence 1). The urge may be difficult to stop, and overactive bladder may lead to the involuntary loss of urine 2).
Overactive bladder can have a significant effect on your quality of life, you may feel embarrassed, isolate yourself, or limit your work and social life. The good news is that a brief evaluation can determine whether theres a specific cause for your overactive bladder symptoms.
Overactive bladder syndrome affects 1217% of the population. Prevalence increases with age. The management of overactive bladder syndrome involves exclusion of underlying pathology. First line treatment includes lifestyle interventions, pelvic floor exercises, bladder training and antimuscarinic agents. Failure of conservative management necessitates second line therapies, which are more invasive and include botulinum toxin, neuromodulation or surgical interventions such as augmentation cystoplasty or urinary diversion.
Management of overactive bladder often begins with behavioral strategies, such as fluid schedules, timed voiding and bladder-holding techniques using your pelvic floor. If these initial efforts dont help enough with your overactive bladder symptoms, medications are available.
Figure 1. Urinary bladder location
Figure 2. Urinary bladder anatomy
When To See A Doctor
- Pain or cramping in your pelvic or lower abdominal area
- Pain or burning while urinating
- Urgent or frequent need to use the bathroom
- Leakage of urine
- Blood in your urine
If you have or think you are having bladder spasms, it is important that you see a doctor for a proper diagnosis. Your symptoms may be due to an infection that can be treated. In rare cases, bladder spasms may be a sign of a serious underlying condition.
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How Is Nocturia Treated
Nocturia is treated on a case-by-case basis under the direction of a physician. This treatment may contain lifestyle modifications, medication, or both.
Lifestyle modifications to improve nocturia include:
Nocturia Medication
Symptoms Of Interstitial Cystitis
The main symptoms of interstitial cystitis are:
- intense pelvic pain
- sudden strong urges to pee
- needing to pee more often than normal
- waking up several times during the night to go to the toilet
The pain may be worse when your bladder is full and may be temporarily relieved when you go to the toilet.
You might also find the pain is worse during periods or after having certain foods or drinks.
The symptoms will often come and go in phases. You may have episodes lasting days, weeks or months where your symptoms improve, followed by times when they’re worse.
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Should I Limit The Amount Of Fluids I Drink
No. Many people with bladder pain syndrome think they should drink less to relieve pain and reduce the number of times they go to the bathroom. But you need fluids, especially water, for good health. Getting enough fluids helps keep your kidneys and bladder healthy, prevent urinary tract infections, and prevent constipation, which may make your symptoms worse.9
What Causes Bedwetting In Children
Nighttime wetting is often related to slow physical development, a family history of bedwetting, or making too much urine at night. In many cases, there is more than one cause. Children almost never wet the bed on purposeand most children who wet the bed are physically and emotionally normal.
Sometimes a health condition can lead to bedwetting, such as diabetes or constipation.
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