megram - Index

megram - 55NovOttawa - Index

Get help for
incontinence
and reclaim
your life.
What do you do?
Your friend just called to invite
you to the movie. Do you go – or
stay home? Is it worth the risk?
After all, the movie might be two
hours long. What if you don’t make
it to the restroom on time?
You’re out of bread and it’s time
to stock up on fresh fruit and laundry
soap. There’s only one problem:
A trip to the grocery store can be
perilous. Getting there is fine and, if
you’re quick about it, there shouldn’t
be trouble when you’re wheeling
the cart up and down the aisles. But
lifting those bags of groceries from
the checkout counter back into the
grocery cart and lifting them again,
in and out of the car, can be nervewracking.
You might leak urine. And,
worse yet, what if you sneeze?
When you suffer from urinary
incontinence (UI), even the simplest
everyday chores and activities
carry with them the potential for
embarrassment. Should you have a
glass of wine at dinner in the
restaurant? Where’s the nearest
restroom? Should you even risk
going out for dinner?
Believe it or not, right here in
Canada, each and every day over
3.3 million Canadians grapple with
those sorts of questions – and
with that sort of uncertainty and
distress.
Maybe you can’t go running or
you don’t want to risk working out
at the gym.
Perhaps playing with the grandkids
is out of the question and car
trips are also impossible.
Some people give up on having
sex because they don’t want to
grapple with the possibility of
humiliation during physical intimacy.
Others may avoid new relationships
altogether. Why risk it? Why
put yourself through the trauma of
excuses and explanations?
In some cases, even employment
is problematic – for people
November/December 2008 • 24 • Fifty-Five Plus Magazine
who don’t seek help.
That’s the crux of the whole
continence issue. And it’s the real
problem with incontinence in
Canada.
Problem solved!
Incontinence is
always manageable,
treatable or curable.
People don’t talk enough about
it. They don’t know there are countless
other people in the same situation
and that there are many effective
treatment options available.
Well, now you know. There is
help.
And you can get out of the
house and have a life.
The first thing you need to realize
is that incontinence is not a normal
part of aging. It does not automatically
come with the territory.
As you grow older, your body does
undergo changes that may contribute
to incontinence. For women
the loss of estrogen and for men the
enlargement of the prostate can
have an impact. However, incontinence
is a symptom of something
else going on in your body.Although
UI itself is not a disease, you do
need to talk with your healthcare
provider – ASAP – to make sure it’s
not a sign of something serious. Ask
if he or she has expertise and experience
in evaluating and treating
incontinence. If not, get a referral.
By talking about your specific
symptoms, health history and background
with an expert, you can rule
out a serious underlying condition,
identify the type of UI and learn
about treatment options to meet
your needs. For details about incontinence
and what to do about it,
call the Canadian Continence
Foundation at 1 800 265-9575 and
check www.continence-fdn.ca.