July 17, 2024
Welcome to The Climb, your weekly journey with Lifecycle Sherpa, where we explore Parkinson’s Disease, its symptoms, treatments, tips, techniques, and build a supportive and knowledgeable community.
This week’s trail leads us to… Incontinence.
Question: What is it? Why does it happen? What can I do to manage it?
Answer: Bowel and bladder accidents and inability to hold bowel movements and urine. Mild symptoms are common in early stages. Full incontinence occurs mostly in late stages.
Nocturia (nighttime urination), urinary urge, urinary frequency, urinary retention are also symptoms and changes which can occur.
This occurs as a result of degeneration of autonomic (involuntary) bladder neurons, motor areas, and higher control areas, as well as of the brain which inhibits urination and leads to bladder dysfunction.
Tip: Here are THREE:
1) Medications and/or Botox (speak to your doctor for details)
2) Try out a bladder program. Go to the toilet to urinate every 2 hours when you are awake, even if you don’t feel like you have to go. You should not have to eliminate more often than that so try not to go in between those times.
3) Limit liquids before bedtime
Expert Tip: If you continue to have a problem with this, I recommend reaching out for a referral to a pelvic floor specialist.
We always encourage feedback, as it helps us enhance our community. Feel free to reach out regarding future topics you want to learn about, or how we can improve your experience.
See you next week!