Bladder issues with multiple sclerosis

Bladder issues with multiple sclerosis

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I’ve blogged on this issue before but I wanted to revisit it again. I HAVE BLADDER ISSUES. I can have both hesitancy and incontinence. However my incontinence is more that I get the feeling I have to go to the bathroom and have a very short amount of time to get there.  What happens, and this I’ll never understand, is as I get closer to the bathroom that’s when my bladder starts to release, thus the accident. I wanted to bring this issue up again is for a two reasons. First, because it’s an embarrassing issue and people who have it need to know they are not alone. Second, because I started taking my medicine again for it and it’s made such a difference.

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I was taking on average 12-14 prescription pills a day.  These were all to treat various MS symptoms. Without them I wouldn’t have been able to get through the day. When I finally stopped working I found that I didn’t need to medicate myself daily to function. Not pushing my body past its limits relieved some of my MS symptoms. I stopped taking many prescriptions. One was Toviaz.

Toviaz is a Bladder relaxant.
It can treat overactive bladder symptoms such as loss of bladder control (incontinence) or frequent need to urinate.

At first, I didn’t really have any problems with stopping it. I’d have some small issues that but I was mostly home. When I’d go on a trip, I’d notice that I’d have to stop frequently to make bathroom breaks. Everyone was very supportive, as usual stopping, at least once an hour or more. But it was a lot. It added so much extra time to the traveling plus the amount of steps it would take to get to the bathroom were either exhausting. By the time I got to the bathroom, sometimes the release would start. At the time I wasn’t traveling, but my sister moved 3 hours away. I needed to do something. I talk to my doctor and he agreed, I NEVER should have stopped that one drug.

I restarted taking Toviaz consistently a little over a month ago. It has made such a HUGE difference. First,  I’ve had no accidents, WHOOP WHOOP. Second, I don’t have the urgency, THANK GOD. We’ve had two separate drives at 3 hour intervals and we’ve stopped twice for my mom, but not because I was the issue. I still plan accordingly and watch my fluid intake before I leave, but I know it’s the medicine. It does create the hesitancy side effect for me but I’d sooner deal with that then incontinence any day. Once again I’m glad I was honest and had the embarrassing talk with my doctor because as I said, I not the only one with this issue and there is help.

6 thoughts on “Bladder issues with multiple sclerosis

  1. Hi A Day in the Life,
    I met you at Danny’s Meet and Greet. I came to meet and greet you. I’m Janice. I offer blogging tips to bloggers. For example, I recently wrote how to get 842 page views to your blog in less than 1 day. May I leave a link? http://www.mostlyblogging.com/get-842-page-views-to-your-blog/
    Maybe you can check out my blog if you need a blogging tip or two.
    In response to what you wrote, It’s wonderful you provide support for MS patients here.
    Nice to meet you.
    Janice

    1. I’m coping your link in my blog today because one thing in your link caught my eye and yesterday I had 2,216 hits on my blog.

      1. Hi,
        1.I am so happy to hear. Thanks for writing to tell me. What was it?
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        1. I also did subscribe to your blog. Thought I did the first time you wrote. Don’t know what happened.

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