Fifty Plus (50+) - Wife has incontenence(??) problem

After completing our first MTB race my wife had problems with bladder control. She went to see the MD and he diagnosed a bent neck of the bladder. He says it is common with older women and is aggravated with childbirth. What woriies me, can this be aggrevated with cycling. We are both VERY active cuyclists and has done at least 17000 km on our tandem the past three and a half years. She asked him the question and he said that cycling should not cause the problem. He also refferred her to a Specialist. She will go soon. He said the worts case remedy is surgery but in most cases medication and special exercises can cure the problem. Anybody out there with answers.

You might want to ask the Doc if a different riding position, i.e. recumbent, might help along with the meds and exercises. Maybe a change in riding position on yor current bike could help a little too. It isn't any fun if you have to go the surgery route.

'bent Brian

Too bad we men are not allowed to post on the "Women's Forum!"

Too bad we men are not allowed to post on the "Women's Forum!"

Why? Because a question like this can't be answered anywhere but there, right? :rolleyes:

As far as the incontinence problem, I don't have a lot of experience with being 50+ (since I'm not quite there yet), but I do know that cycling in general for me does make me have to go to the bathroom more frequently than normal during riding. I'm not sure why, but I always thought it was just because of the jarring nature of riding. All I do is make sure that I take stop breaks on longer rides. It really does help a lot. It's not quite the same thing as your wife's problem, but before I figured this out, I would have sudden sensations of really having to find a bathroom. But over time, I learned to identify when that would happen in my rides, and then I would make sure I was near a Starbucks or McDonald's, or at least have toliet paper on me so that if all else failed and I had to use the bushes, I can at least be partially hygenic.

If your wife is having leakage problems, there might not be much she can do but see a urologist, but if she can just get more frequent bathroom breaks, it could be the answer you're looking for.

Koffee

Why? Because a question like this can't be answered anywhere but there, right?

No, because youare likely to get much more interest in the question and better responses from a "women's forum" than from posting in a 50+ forum, where participation is about 95% men. That's why!

Seems reasonable to me.

No... anyone who sees this will answer if they feel like it. There is no additional likelihood that just because you post in the Women's cycling forum, you're going to get a response. There are threads in all forums that never get answered. But I guess because you think it has to do with a woman, every woman will just up and run for the thread and like the chatters we are, we'll solve the problem!

Totally bogus thinking, dude. It just doesn't happen this way.

Koffee

No... anyone who sees this will answer if they feel like it. There is no additional likelihood that just because you post in the Women's cycling forum, you're going to get a response. There are threads in all forums that never get answered. But I guess because you think it has to do with a woman, every woman will just up and run for the thread and like the chatters we are, we'll solve the problem!

Totally bogus thinking, dude. It just doesn't happen this way.

Koffee

Okay - an experiment.

Post the message in the women's forum and see how many responses you get there vs. how many legitimate responses in the 50+ forum.

Want to wager a bet? $10.00 sound ok?

No thanks. I don't start threads to prove a point.

No thanks. I don't start threads to prove a point.

I thought you wouldn't take the challenge! :eek:

And I never thought you'd actually think I'd let you dictate what I would or wouldn't do.

Sorry dude.

Now if you have any further discussion, let's take it to the PMs instead of hijacking a perfectly good thread.

Koffee

Well Well Well I did not want to start a fight but it seems that all you guys can do is to get into gender equality fights. I am sorry I disturbed you crazy yanks caught up in the midst of an election with two worthless people standing for president. At least we had mandela.

Cheers for now I am leaving this sorry forum

Okay - an experiment.

Post the message in the women's forum and see how many responses you get there vs. how many legitimate responses in the 50+ forum.

Want to wager a bet? $10.00 sound ok?


Why not have your wife logon and post it in the Women's Forum? After al it IS her bladder :)

Stacy

Why? Because a question like this can't be answered anywhere but there, right? :rolleyes:

As far as the incontinence problem, I don't have a lot of experience with being 50+ (since I'm not quite there yet), but I do know that cycling in general for me does make me have to go to the bathroom more frequently than normal during riding. I'm not sure why, but I always thought it was just because of the jarring nature of riding. All I do is make sure that I take stop breaks on longer rides. It really does help a lot. It's not quite the same thing as your wife's problem, but before I figured this out, I would have sudden sensations of really having to find a bathroom. But over time, I learned to identify when that would happen in my rides, and then I would make sure I was near a Starbucks or McDonald's, or at least have toliet paper on me so that if all else failed and I had to use the bushes, I can at least be partially hygenic.

If your wife is having leakage problems, there might not be much she can do but see a urologist, but if she can just get more frequent bathroom breaks, it could be the answer you're looking for.


Koffee

I'va also noticed an increased need to urinate since I started cycling and keep a mental note of all the restrooms along my route. Once possiblility I've considered is the position of my saddle ... my need for rest stops seemed to increase after I tilted it so the nose points slightly up, which might irritate more sensitive areas.

It would be interesting to know if cycling shorts or a change in her saddle helped alleviate the problem.

Stacy

Why not have your wife logon and post it in the Women's Forum? After al it IS her bladder :)

Stacy

Well, if you had read the thread, you might discover that it is NOT my wife we were discussing, but oldietandem's wife. If my wife had a bladder problem she would be pleased to log on, but she doesn't. :eek:

I guess we'll never know, He's gone... Sorry dude!

Looked like a woman's issue to me. Koffee, why so combative?

Well, if you had read the thread, you might discover that it is NOT my wife we were discussing, but oldietandem's wife. If my wife had a bladder problem she would be pleased to log on, but she doesn't. :eek:

Sorry about the mix up and my apologies to your wife.

Granted I have no idea whether Ooldietandem's wife asked him to post here but, I'd be a bit bothered if my spouse began posting messages of this nature on a public forum. And, I don't understand why this might be better fitted for the Women's Forum if oldietandem doesn't have access.

Stacy

Sorry about the mix up and my apologies to your wife.

Granted I have no idea whether Ooldietandem's wife asked him to post here but, I'd be a bit bothered if my spouse began posting messages of this nature on a public forum. And, I don't understand why this might be better fitted for the Women's Forum if oldietandem doesn't have access.

Stacy

As I see it, the purposes of forums is to have a central place where people of the same interests join together, particularly as the BFN gets larger and larger. I used to read all the posts on all the forums - that is impossible for me now.

I have monitored the 50+ forum carefully. Generally, there are 8 or fewer folks viewing at any one time, and those folks are almost entirely males with 3 exceptions. Therefore, it is most unlikely that many women would see a post about urinary incontinence on the 50+ forum, leaving but a few responses, as we have seen already.

However, it would be my guess (I have no clue how many women access the women's forum, as it is a secret) that a lot of women would see such a post on the women's forum, and provide a broader range of responses, which oldietandem could then forward to his wife.

Makes sense to me, otherwise, why do we have forums?

There are multiple causes of urine loss with stress and /or biking and not all are resolved with surgery. To find the cause she would need to see a gynecologic-urologist and have appropriate testing. In my experience further cycling does not aggravate the condition,in fact urine loss is seen more often with the less active individual. Keep cycling!

At last... Grape doctor, thanx for your reply. After all the warmongering and politics spiteed out above I now feel safe to write again. What you say was what the doctor also felt. The problem is "gone" for now and I think it was due to the very bad road surface we experienced during the race. She "panicked" and went to the MD. She WILL still go to the Urologist to make sure as her mother has the same problem. As for being a public forum... I do not really care because I write under a handle, although I do contribute often under my "other" handle. Chances that I will ever see any of you guys are remote! In Africa close to the Tropics the going sometimes get tough.... and Stacy, the Red Sox won... you should be happy for them. Lotek you know me as the Boertjie who works in Rivonia.... must I send you a biltong recipe for those Texas beef. On Saturday we have the Curry Cup Rugby final.... being a Blue Bull I hope we win and not the Free State. Se ya all!!!!

Oldietandem
Sorry bout all the politicizing its what we do here, yah?

The other moniker threw me there for a moment. Ya I have a recipie for
biltong, texas beef may be good but its no where near kudu.
(also plans for a biltong dryer)
hey, I may be in Rivonia again (well sandton again) so I might see ya!

Baie dankie,
Marty

Look forward to meet.

Regards

.... and Stacy, the Red Sox won... you should be happy for them.
And Hell is about to freeze over.
I'm a New Yorker, Why should that make me happy :o

Stacy

Sorry Stacy, thought you were form Boston. Do you know what a Blue Bull is. It is the name of our prime rugby team. They are based in Pretoria. We have our Curry Cup final, the prime interprovincial rugby tournament in South Africa on Saturday. The same situation/scenario looms for us where the "underdogs" Free State (Cheetahs), read Yankees, may win. But it is all a game and I suppose we will carry our tired bodys, with hoarsely shouted throats to work on Monday and hope that next time around it will be bigger, better faster and more spectacular!!!!!

Sorry Stacy, thought you were form Boston. Do you know what a Blue Bull is. It is the name of our prime rugby team. They are based in Pretoria. We have our Curry Cup final, the prime interprovincial rugby tournament in South Africa on Saturday. The same situation/scenario looms for us where the "underdogs" Free State (Cheetahs), read Yankees, may win. But it is all a game and I suppose we will carry our tired bodys, with hoarsely shouted throats to work on Monday and hope that next time around it will be bigger, better faster and more spectacular!!!!!

Yankees underdogs? No way! This is one of the few years the Yankees won't win the World Series.
That's OK with me thought... after all how many ticket tape parades can you have?

If Boston does win the series, it will be the first time since 1918 , so let 'em have a little glory. Who knows when they'll get it again? :p

Stacy

The Blue Bulls won and have retained the Currie Cup for the next year. Celebration fires burned high in Pretoria on Saturday. Good luck with your team in .... is it the World Series... I am not a baseball fan as it does not feature in South Africa at all.

It is pretty much as the doctor has informed her. There are some small muscle movements she can learn-that help pull the the bladder up-and strengthen it. Some of the medications help a bit, too. There is a surgical procedure to assist in rearranging where the bladder is. This is still a big surgery. In the meantime, to deal with a very annoying problem, please have her try a change in the fluids she drinks. For example, coffee, tea --none before the start of the ride. If coughing and sneezing are creating some leaks-there are small pads women can wear now--that are easily changed. Stress incontinence is pretty embaressing. Trying to void on a schedule is a good idea, too. Holding it in, can just fatigue the muscles, and incontinence result. If she is taking medication for high blood pressure, that induces voiding as it works, arrange for a different time to take the medicine-but by all means-do not stop taking the medication to avoid the bladder issue. The specialist should be able to give her decent suggestions for the nature of her condition--whether she is a good candidate for the surgery--or if medication and bladder strength training will abate the problem.

Ping Stacy!!!!

Happy now that your team won!!!!!!. Our won as well and the cup is ours untill next year!!!!!

Big H