Bladder control question

[Eaglevoice]

Hi,

So I have an issue and I'm worried that it might take more than kegel exercises to fix it. Though I'll admit, I haven't been doing kegel exercises very often. I'm not currently pregnant, my children are 6 and 4. When I sit on the toilet and urinate, after I am finished, I tense up my pelvic floor muscles and push with my abdominal muscles at the same time and I am able to expel quite a bit more urine. So even when I think I am done urinating, I do this and there is always more hiding in there. In the past few months, I have had a couple of bouts with food poisoning/stomach flu. And when I vomit I urinate uncontrollably! Just the other night, I had just finished urinating when I got the urge to throw up. And as I vomited so much more urine came out, and I had honestly just finished. So I literally have to vomit with a towel under me now because I expel so much urine. I'm wondering why there is so much urine left in my bladder after I finish going to the bathroom and why can I make it come out when I tense my pelvic floor muscles and push? And is this really something that I can fix with Kegels or could it be something more serious? My grandmother had to have surgery to fix her bladder issues a few years ago and I'm afraid I'm heading in that same direction. Oh, I don't normally urninate when I sneeze, but I do when I'm jumping, like when I play volleyball or take a zumba dance class. But it's normally only a little bit then.

Thanks so much!

Jenn

[crystleyz42]

I'm interested to hear the expert reply, but I'll chime in with a non-drug, non-surgical, resource to consider - biofeedback therapy.  My mother is an RN and biofeedback therapist (and former patient herself) who administers this sort of treatment; patients are screened for medical conditions before treatment begins and usually they have very good success provided patents adhere to the therapy and practice.  It's kind of like PT for your bladder.

See if you can find a practioner in your area that offers something similar to this: http://www.womancarepc.com/services/bladder_control_center/biofeedback/

[drjkf]

I would highly recommend that you seek out a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor physical therapy.  A pelvic floor physical therapist will be able to assess all the muscles, ligaments, and overall structure of your pelvic floor and bladder / uterine area.  While kegel exercises can be helpful in some cases, if there is a muscular or ligament imbalance, kegels can actually enhance the imbalance and further exacerbate the problem.  If you see a gynecologist or midwife for your annual exams, as her who she recommends in your area for assessment of pelvic floor and bladder issues.  It definitely sounds like your bladder is not emptying fully, and an assessment of the issue is indicated.