Articles by: Elizabeth LaGro

Bowel Incontinence or Accidental Bowel Leakage (ABL)

bowel incontinence occurs in the digestive system

Bowel incontinence or ABL occurs when stool or gas unexpectedly leaks from your rectum.

Bowel incontinence, which may also be referred to as fecal incontinence, anal incontinence or Accidental Bowel Leakage (ABL), is when stool or gas unexpectedly leaks from your rectum. Sometimes you feel the urge to have a bowel movement, but can’t reach a bathroom in time.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health’s Bowel Control Awareness Campaign reports that more than 18 million Americans have bowel incontinence. As with urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence affects people of all ages, races, and both sexes. However, it is more common in women than in men, and it affects the elderly more often than younger adults (although it is not a normal part of aging).Continue reading→

Vaginal Weights or Cones for Women

build strength with vaginal weights

Just as you build strength lifting dumbbells, you can build strength in your pelvic floor using vaginal weights or cones.

Have you seen people exercise by lifting small weights over and over? This builds up muscles. Vaginal weights or cones are used the same way to help women do weight-lifting exercises for the pelvic floor.

Vaginal weights or cones are usually ordered through a catalog or website. They usually come as a set having several different weights. The vaginal weights are smooth and are made of plastic on the outside with a metal weight inside. They have a string to help you pull them back out when you are done with them (like a tampon). They are usually shaped like a V or cone.Continue reading→

Urostomy or Urinary Diversion

urostomy ileal conduit

A urostomy or urinary diversion may be a life saving surgery.

A urostomy, or urinary diversion, is a surgical opening that is created to drain urine from the body after the bladder has been removed or bypassed. The urostomy allows urine to flow out of the body and into a plastic pouch that is worn to collect the urine. This allows for the preservation of normal kidney function.

A urostomy may be performed when a person has had bladder cancer, trauma to the bladder, severe incontinence that does not respond to other therapies or treatments, painful bladder, congenital abnormalities, neurological conditions and diseases, spinal cord injury, chronic inflammation of the bladder, interstitial cystitis, surgery, or radiation damage.Continue reading→

External Urine Collection Devices for Men

male external catheters

Urine collection devices for men includes external (or condom) catheters.

Some external urine collection devices are designed just for men.  These include the condom or external catheter. Male external collection devices include disposable and reusable products.  Some are designed specifically for use during the day (while upright — walking or sitting).  Some male collection devices are designed specifically for use at night when lying down. There are a variety of different types of products, but all are management tools — none actually treats or cures incontinence.

 

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Surgeries for Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI)

sling surgery for stress urinary incontinence

Creating a “sling” is one surgical method for helping alleviate the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence.

Surgeries for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) usually involve creating a small hammock under the bladder neck or mid urethra to help support it. Depending on the specific type of surgery, the hammock can be constructed of tissue taken from another area of your own body, or a synthetic material. When your sphincter muscle clamps down on the urethra, it presses against this new “hammock” which provides resistance and clamps the urethra closed, helping to keep urine in.Continue reading→

Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) Surgery

surgeons perform pelvic organ prolapse surgery

Pelvic organ prolapse surgery should only be done by a highly qualified and skilled surgeon.

There are several different types of surgeries performed for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP). The kind of surgery used is dependent on the type of prolapse (bladder, womb or end of vagina, uterine, or bowel).  Sometimes, when the patient is experiencing stress urinary incontinence, the surgeon can perform an anti-incontinence surgery, (most likely a loose sling under the neck of the bladder) during the prolapse surgery for treatment of stress urinary incontinence.Continue reading→

Sacral Nerve Stimulation for Incontinence

sacral nerve stimulation

Sacral nerve stimulation involves the placement of an implant to stimulate the sacral nerve.

Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS), also called sacral neuromodulation, involves surgical implantation of a device that sends a low-voltage electrical current to the sacral nerve. The sacral nerve is located at the base of the spine that affects the bladder, bowel, and pelvic floor. The implant stimulates the sacral nerve and to alleviate fecal and/or urinary incontinence.  A hand-held device is used to stop the contraction of your sphincter muscles when you need to empty your bowels.Continue reading→

A Pessary for the Management of Urinary Incontinence in Women

pessary

A pessary may be used by a woman who is experiencing urinary incontinence and/or pelvic organ prolapse.

A pessary is a small device made of silicone, often shaped like a diaphragm or a cube, which is inserted into the vagina of a woman to help support her pelvic organs. Pessaries are used to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and urinary incontinence. Continue reading→

Bedwetting in Children (Nocturnal Enuresis)

mother child bedwetting

Mother checking her sleeping child who sometimes has bedwetting problems.

Nighttime bedwetting is called nocturnal enuresis or enuresis. Most children out grow bedwetting by the age of five, but many children at age seven (5% – 15%) continue to experience problems becoming continent – staying dry at night. Many of these children will stop bedwetting in their late childhood or teen years, but some will continue to experience enuresis into adulthood (0.5% – 1% in adults). Rarely, adults who did not previously experience enuresis will begin to experience bedwetting. A sudden onset of enuresis in adulthood can be a warning sign of serious health issues like diabetes, a urinary tract infection (UTI) or neurologic conditions and so a healthcare professional should be quickly consulted.Continue reading→