Stress Incontinence

Stress Incontinence

Stress incontinence occurs when urine leaks out of the bladder due to physical activity, coughing, sneezing, or laughing. It is not confined to leaky old ladies but can occur in men and women, and in the young as well as the old.

Control of the urge to urinate generally occurs before the age of seven. Children older than seven that still suffer from incontinence should see their doctor to rule out any condition that may be causing this.

Deterioration in bladder control, such as stress incontinence, usually occurs in women, particularly after childbirth; but may also occur from chronic coughing from as poorly controlled asthma or smoking, heavy lifting, constipation, obesity, and advancing age, as our muscle control becomes less efficient. It may also arise from surgery to the prostate gland in men.

The bladder can hold up to about 500ml of liquid, and this remains in the bladder until the valve, or sphincter, relaxes and allows the passage of urine at unintended times.

The cause of incontinence should always be determined by your doctor. This embarrassing condition affects many, and treatment options generally offer good control of urine flow to normalise activities and improve bladder control.

Women with stress incontinence are generally advised to do pelvic floor exercises to strengthen the muscles supporting the bladder. It is advisable for women to undertake these simple exercises at all stages of their life. Other exercise regimes to strengthen this area include Yoga and Pilates.

Talk to your community pharmacist, they can give you advice on exercises to help relieve this condition, discuss some potential causes, aids and treatments for you, and ensure you are referred to your doctor to seek help to relieve this condition.

Swallowing difficulties (dysphagia)

Causes of swallowing difficulties

Swallowing difficulties can happen at any age. There are a wide range of causes for them, including:

some medicines, such as antipsychotics
heartburn and acid reflux
cancer, such as mouth or throat cancers
nervous system or brain disorders
muscle disorders
blockages or structural issues with your mouth, throat or oesophagus.

Symptoms of swallowing difficulties

Symptoms of swallowing difficulties may include:

coughing or choking when eating or drinking
bringing food back up, may be through your nose
the feeling that food is stuck in your throat
having issues chewing your food
problems with dribbling.

Swallowing difficulties can cause weight loss, dehydration and chest infections.

Diagnosing swallowing difficulties

Let your healthcare provider know if you have swallowing difficulties. They will ask you about your symptoms and check if any other health conditions you have may be the cause.

Your healthcare provider may refer you to a specialist for tests. These may include a:

gastroscopy—a camera is passed down through your mouth to look at your throat and stomach
swallowing study—your throat and stomach are x-rayed as you swallow small amounts of food.

Treating swallowing difficulties

How your swallowing difficulties are treated depends on the cause and how severe it is. Treatments may include:

medicines to treat acid reflux
swallowing therapy with a speech and language therapist
making changes to what you eat and drink, such as softer foods and using thickener in drinks
using special spoons, plates and cups
surgery to widen your oesophagus.
using special medication lubricants eg Gloup to help make it easier to swallow tablets etc. For more information click here.

Self care for swallowing difficulties

As well as seeing your healthcare provider, the following tips may help you to get food or liquids into your stomach.

Sit upright in a chair—at a table is best.
Have regular small meals instead of the main large meals.
Eat or drink small mouthfuls at a time.
If your voice is gurgly when you eat or drink, give a small cough to make sure your airway is clear.
Wet food will be easier to swallow as dry food can catch in your throat.
If your food has 2 consistencies, such as fruit in juice and cereal in milk, try to mix it into 1 consistency, or eat the solid and liquid portions separately.
Concentrate on eating and avoid talking.
Hot, ice-cold or fizzy liquids are easier to swallow than room temperature liquids.
If you are told to have thickened liquids, avoid ice-cream and jelly as they thin before swallowing.
Drink from the top half of you cup to avoid tipping your head back.

Have a look at our range of Gloup medication lubricants here which can help with difficulties swallowing tablets...

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