Your favoured hospital in Ahmedabad will examine you to make sure there is no illness or blood in your urine if you experience impulses to urinate. Additionally, your healthcare professional should confirm that you're completely emptying your bladder after urinating.
The Clues
Your healthcare professional will search for any signs that could also point to contributing issues. Most likely, your appointment will consist of a:
- Medical background.
- Physical examination, which in women may involve a pelvic and rectal examination.
- A sample of urine to check for anomalies, blood traces, or infections.
- A focused neurological examination that could reveal reflex or sensory disorders.
Tests Of Bladder Function
Your provider recommends urodynamic tests to evaluate the efficiency of your bladder's operation and its capacity to empty completely and steadily. A specialist referral is typically required for these tests, though testing may not be required to establish a diagnosis or start therapy. Among the urodynamic tests are:
- Measuring Urine Left In The Bladder: If there is any reason to worry about your capacity to empty your bladder when you urinate, this test is crucial. Post-void residual pee, or leftover urine in the bladder, might mimic the symptoms of an overactive bladder. Your doctor can ask for an ultrasound scan of your bladder to determine how much urine is still there after you've voided. The ultrasound scan shows how much urine is still in your bladder after urinating by converting sound waves into a picture. Occasionally, a catheter—a tiny tube—is inserted into your bladder through the urethra to remove any leftover urine so that it may be quantified.
- Measuring Urine Flow Rate: You can be asked to pee into a gadget (a uroflowmeter) to record the volume and pace of your voiding. Urine is measured by a uroflowmeter, which then plots the results to show variations in your flow rate.
- Testing Bladder Pressures: Cystometry is a test that gauges the pressure in the area around your bladder as it fills. During this test, your doctor will gradually fill your bladder with warm fluid using a thin tube called a catheter. A second catheter with a pressure-measuring sensor is inserted into the vagina or, in the case of women, the rectum. The sensor indicates the amount of pressure required for your bladder to empty. This process can determine whether your bladder is rigid and unable to hold pee at low pressure, or if you have involuntary muscular contractions.
Along with discussing the findings of any testing, your doctor will recommend a course of action.
Treatment
To ease the symptoms of an overactive bladder, a mix of therapy approaches can be the most effective strategy.
Behavioural Therapies
The best course of action for controlling an overactive bladder is to use behavioral therapies. They frequently work well and have no negative side effects. Behavioral treatments could consist of:
- Biofeedback: You're attached to electrical sensors during biofeedback, which enables you to measure and collect data about your body. The biofeedback sensors educate you on how to make little physical adjustments, such as strengthening your pelvic muscles, to help you better control your urges to act impulsively.
- Intermittent Catheterization: Using a catheter on occasion to fully empty your bladder helps your bladder undertake tasks it is unable to perform on its own if you have trouble emptying it. Find out from your doctor if this strategy is appropriate for you.
Medications
The muscles and tissues in the urethra and vaginal region can be strengthened with vaginal estrogen therapy after menopause. Vaginal estrogen, which is available as a ring, cream, suppository, or pill, can greatly lessen the symptoms of an overactive bladder.
Urine incontinence episodes can be lessened and the symptoms of an overactive bladder can be relieved with the use of medications that relax the bladder. Among these medications are:
- Tetracycline (Detrol)
- Oxybutynin is available as a tablet (Ditropan XL), gel (Gelnique), or skin patch (Oxytrol).
- Trospium
- Vesicare's Solifenacin
- Fesoterodine (Toviaz)
- Myrbetriq (Mirabegron)
The majority of these medications frequently cause dry mouth and eyes as side effects, yet quenching your thirst with water can make your overactive bladder symptoms worse. Another possible side effect that could exacerbate your bladder issues is constipation. These drugs' extended-release versions, such as the skin patch or gel, might have fewer adverse effects.
Conclusion
To treat dry mouth, your doctor could advise you to use eyedrops to keep your eyes moist and to sip small amounts of water, chew sugar-free gum, or suck on a piece of candy without added sugar. For chronic dry mouth, over-the-counter medications like Biotene products can be beneficial. Your doctor may advise using stool softeners or recommending a diet high in fiber to prevent constipation.
