Incontinence advice please

NainCC

Can anyone tell me how long they took to see improvement from doing pelvic floor exercises? I was referred to the local women's physio department and have been using the Squeezy app for about 9 months, doing the exercises pretty faithfully. I'd hoped to get results by now but can't say there's much difference.

I also wonder whether pelvic floor exercises work for everyone. Most information suggests that incontinence is not “normal” and can be dealt with by the exercises. However, the widespread availability and advertising of Tena and similar products would suggest that the problem is very common.

My own experience started over 20 years ago when I mentioned issue to GP and was referred to physiotherapist. I had weekly sessions for about 6 weeks with the aid of electronic device. Helped a bit, but not cured. I did the exercises as often as I remembered, but more recently GP referred me to gynaecologist. That resulted in a variety of tests, confirming that it was stress incontinence, and another physiotherapy appointment. This physio gave me the electronic gadget to use at home. Again, there seemed to be a slight improvement but not a complete cure. I then bought the electronic pelvic stimulator and persisted with twice daily sessions for about 3 months, as well as doing the exercises in between.
I gave up after that and just use the pads! The Aldi ones are pretty good. Sometimes I think I’ve improved but then get a cold and the coughing seems to undo any progress?

I recommend Modibodi knickers. Quite expensive but you no longer need pads thus saving money and environmentally friendly. They are very comfortable and absorbent.
I have also used the Innovo shorts which exercise your pelvic floor while you are sitting browsing GN.

Good luck Jane43. I'm sure they will work for you.

Sparklefizz

Goodness, I wouldn't contemplate surgery, especially after the mesh scandal, without really working at pelvic floor exercises first. And as others have said, trampolining is very bad for our pelvic floors, especially after the menopause.

I had 2 prolapses, front and back, and have reversed them by following the pelvic exercises shown in a DVD from www.hab-it.com which my osteopath recommended. Easy to do exercises, and I never even had to move on to the advanced ones, plus the exercises have helped my lower back so I don't need to visit the osteopath nowadays either.

Thank you for that link Sparklefizz, I have purchased the exercises and hopefully they will improve things for me more than the pelvic floor exercises I have been doing.

Fennel

I was reading up about this recently and it also mentioned that local estriol/estradiol eg Vagifem can also help to strengthen the muscles in that area.

That is true Fennel. I have a prolapse and was prescribed Estriol in pessary form, it did improve things but even though it was applied topically I stopped applying it after I had breast cancer. I have had two Mammograms since with no problems identified so I am going to ask for it again.

Can anyone tell me how long they took to see improvement from doing pelvic floor exercises? I was referred to the local women's physio department and have been using the Squeezy app for about 9 months, doing the exercises pretty faithfully. I'd hoped to get results by now but can't say there's much difference.

If the leakage is as you say only slight and only if you cough, sneeze, or hiccough then pelvic floor exercises should solve the problem.

My advice would be to try them for some time before considering surgery.

If you find web-sites confusing, any physiotherapist, nurse or midwife can tell you how to do the exercises.

After abdominal surgery, I was told that if I found it difficult to feel whether I was clinching the opening of my vagina, not to worry.

If you squeeze your buttocks together as if you are trying to prevent passing wind, your vagina and the neck of your bladder automatically follow suit.

Five minutes of exercise a day should help.

Other helpful advice is to wee at regular intervals and to make sure that you empty your bladder completely each time (sit a couple of seconds longer than you think you need to before getting off the toilet again) and to avoid becoming constipated.

Usually, incontinence is caused solely by the muscles in the pelvic floor having become too slack, but obviously, if you haven't done so, you should see your G.P.

In my case an ovarian cyst was causing the trouble! Hope it is only your pelvic floor.

greeneyedgirl ?

janeainsworth thanks for the link to the funny but educational YouTube “standup”. A fun and clever way to bring incontinence info to a wider audience, both men and women. Have passed it on to quite a few friends, who love it.

I know that mesh tape surgery has had very bad press in recent years, and I don't know if it is even available now. I just have to chip in and say I had a very positive experience. I had quite bad stress incontinence and had mesh tape surgery 11 years ago when I was 50.
I have had no side effects and absolutely no stress incontinence since then.

sparklefizz Tasha Mulligan is on Vimeo and you can stream her videos on there.

I get terrible key in door syndrome so always wear tena ladies. Also use Replens moisturiser because vaginal atrophy was making the problem worse. Drink decaff tea and coffee a lot of the time. And also find that being cold in that area makes things worse so if I'm wearing warm clothes and tena lady the problem isn't as bad [which is probably just a barmy theory I have].

I was reading up about this recently and it also mentioned that local estriol/estradiol eg Vagifem can also help to strengthen the muscles in that area.

Alexa

Pelvic floor exercises best unless you have a prolapsed womb in which case plastic surgery.

Start right now this second. Sit at your keyboard or stand or wherever you are , and squeeze as if trying to not pee. Keep squeeze going for 1/2 minute. Relax. Repeat.Relax. Repeat.

Those are just the basics. The DVD I mentioned above gives a number of different exercises to support what she calls "the pelvic basket", which is why, in my view, I have had a lot of success in doing them.

Pelvic floor exercises best unless you have a prolapsed womb in which case plastic surgery.

Start right now this second. Sit at your keyboard or stand or wherever you are , and squeeze as if trying to not pee. Keep squeeze going for 1/2 minute. Relax. Repeat.Relax. Repeat.

It sounds to me that the advice of a Continence Nurse is required here to help you through the range of options that may be open to you after she has fully assessed the nature of your difficulty. You would probably need to get a referral through your GP. In my last management role in the NHS one of the teams I managed were the Specialist Continence Nurses whose skills and expertise were excellent and who helped many many people either back to full continence or to a management plan of which surgery is only one of many options.

I definitely agree that you should seek specialist physio advice to begin with. Some local NHS trusts have a self-referral facility (mine does, and waiting list not too long) but if you want to search for a private one, use the physio's own professional body: www.csp.org.uk/

I agree that pelvic floor exercise are a good idea, but not all such incontinence is about poor pelvic floor muscles. A specialist physio can advise - although in the meantime pelvic floor exercises can do nothing but good.

And I would add that although 'Kegel' is a recognised international term, I prefer to say 'pelvic floor muscles' as it describes them better, and doesn't use the name of the man who 'discovered' them!

Firstly, get rid of trampoline, highy dangerous item in many ways. Secondly, pelvic floor exerices. Thirdly, use Tena type pads (Supermarkets own pads are much cheaper) can give you a feeling of security.

Goodness, I wouldn't contemplate surgery, especially after the mesh scandal, without really working at pelvic floor exercises first. And as others have said, trampolining is very bad for our pelvic floors, especially after the menopause.

I had 2 prolapses, front and back, and have reversed them by following the pelvic exercises shown in a DVD from www.hab-it.com which my osteopath recommended. Easy to do exercises, and I never even had to move on to the advanced ones, plus the exercises have helped my lower back so I don't need to visit the osteopath nowadays either.

After the scandal of mesh being used in surgery I would not advise anyone to go down that route,I had it done twice and it was not successful at all.
For the past 6 years I have gone every 12mths for Botox injections which have helped me no end I do not leak at all,I can feel when I need the surgery topping up as I start to have small leakage so I then arrange for an appointment to have the process repeated.

“KEGAL” exercises nor legal!

When I go to trampolining classes the young teacher always warns new people that it’s a problem even for her. Just put a a tena on and forget about it! Lots of legal exercises available on the internet will help strengthen the pelvic floor.

I am 83 , had 6 big babies ! Still doing my pelvic floor exercises and no leaks .
Don’t think trampoline is very good for older joints ?

Pelvic floor exercises really do help. The Australian physio Michelle kenway has appropriate exercises online. There are private women's health physios if you can afford it.
Trampoling is very bad for the pelvic floor.
I don't think mesh is used any more for surgical repair as it caused too many problems. Surgery does not completely solve the problem anyway.

patient.info/news-and-features/how-to-cope-if-you-really-do-pee-yourself-laughing

Article about the above video