Bladder and Bowel Dysfunction

Bladder dysfunction and bowel dysfunction ask problems with urinating and spending stools. These may cause the unwanted passage of urine or stool, called urinary or fecal incontinence.

If you've got these sorts of bladder and bowel problems, you'll feel embarrassed at the thought of bringing them up together with your doctor or other health care provider. The conditions are often physically and emotionally difficult to affect , but you should not feel uncomfortable about lecture your health care provider. Health care providers are used to dealing with these issues and can help you manage the problem.

Causes of bladder and bowel dysfunction

For the bladder and bowel to function correctly, certain nerves in your body got to control the proper muscles, telling them when to contract and when to release so as to allow urine and feces to be eliminated once you want them to.

This happens when the nerves within the medulla spinalis send messages from the brain to the bladder and sphincter muscles to regulate the flow of urine. The muscles within the rectum and anus help control your bowels, and sphincter muscles control or release stool.

Urinary problems

A number of conditions may affect the nerves and muscles that control the bladder and bowel, leading to dysfunction and possible incontinence.

For the bladder, these conditions include:

Ø    Overactive bladder. As the name suggests, you may have to go much more frequently than you would like. This can include an urgent got to urinate or having to urinate up to eight times or more each day and twice in the dark .

Ø     Difficulty controlling sphincter muscles. If the nerves to those muscles are damaged, they'll not cooperate once you want to tighten or release them to pass urine.

Ø     Holding urine in too long (urine retention). Sometimes nerve damage means the bladder muscles aren't getting the chemical message that it is time for you to travel . If the urine stays in the bladder too long, pressure may build up and lead to infection or damage of the bladder or kidneys.

Bowel problems

Fecal incontinence means you'll not make it to the toilet once you have a movement , otherwise you may "leak" a touch once you pass gas.

Conditions that raise the danger for fecal incontinence include:

Ø  Diarrhea

Ø  Constipation

Ø  Damage to the nervous system from disease or injury

Ø  Poor health

Ø  Vaginal childbirth

Ø  Rectal prolapse (when the rectum protrudes into the anus)

Ø  Rectocele (when the rectum pushes into the vagina)

Other conditions

These are other health issues which will contribute to bladder and/or bowel dysfunction:

Ø  Medication side effects

Ø  Stress

Ø  Multiple sclerosis

Ø  Stroke

Ø  Alzheimer's disease

Ø  Diabetes

Ø  Infections, including spinal cord or brain infections

Ø  Hemorrhoids

Ø  Problems with the pelvic floor

Ø  Digestive problems, such as constipation or diarrhea

Ø  Abnormalities that affect the urinary or digestive tract

Ø  Problems affecting the nerves that control the urinary or digestive tract

Managing bladder and bowel dysfunction

Depending on the character of your problem and your symptoms, your health care provider will work with you to make an idea of action. Here are some common treatments:

Ø     Changing your diet - Gradually increasing your fiber intake can help manage the diarrhea and constipation which will cause fecal incontinence. Drinking many fluids also can ease constipation, and restricting fluids sometimes can help manage overactive bladder or enuresis .

Ø     Exercises - Kegel exercises can strengthen the sphincter muscles and pelvic floor. This can provide better control and ease bladder and bowel dysfunction. Ask your doctor whether or not they might help in your case and, if so, the way to do them.

Ø     Medication - Some medications, including fiber supplements, can help control bowel dysfunction, and antidiarrheal medications can help manage diarrhea. Prescription medications are also available to help bladder muscles relax to promote better bladder control.

Ø     Training - Programs that "train" the bowels and bladder can offer you better control and manage dysfunction. This includes setting a daily schedule for using the rest room and attempting to urinate or have bowel movements at an equivalent time every day.

Ø     Electrical stimulation - This therapy can stimulate damaged nerves and promote better muscle control and control over urine and feces.

Ø     Surgery - In rare cases, you'll need surgery to repair damage to the muscles or nerves that are causing bladder or bowel dysfunction.

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