Video
Dr Pixie V/O:
48 Year old Pamela has a condition that millions of women will sympothize with.
Pamela V/O:
I feel as if I smell all the time. I tend to wear dark jeans, ‘cause the dark trousers and that, it don’t show and I don’t feel it’s ever gonna get any better, it can only get worse.
Dr Pixie:
It’s embbarrassing, but she’s summoned the courage to break her silence.
Pamela:
I’ve problems with me waterworks, should we say, and sometimes there’s just a dribble, but sometimes it’s a proper full-blown wee. [nervous laugh]
Dr Christian:
Talk me through what you feel; if you get pains, if you get-
Pamela:
No, I don’t get any pain, I just don’t get any warning. Well I would just be sitting, talking to you like this, and all of a sudden I would be like [gestures]
Dr Christian:
So you don’t even feel like you need to go to the loo?
Pamela:
No
Dr Christian:
There isn’t that little bit of pressure in your bladder?
Pamela:
No
Dr Christian:
How often do you wet yourself?
Pamela:
Probably every day. I would say every day.
Dr Christian:
Gosh, so this really affects your life.
Pamela:
Yes, yeah.
Dr Pixie V/O:
Pamela’s problems makes the things the rest of us take for granted impossible.
Pamela V/O:
I tend to stay local if I’m going for a drink. When I was out, er, for a night out, the queue was too long for the toilet and I waited and waited and I was soaked by the time I got there. I feel a bit ashamed, I think, when I have an accident. I’m only in me fourties and I didn’t expect this would happen already, you know. I just want to cry.
Dr Pixie V/O:
Too embarrassed to talk, Pamela just learned to live with it.
Dr Christian:
How long have you left it for?
Pamela:
Oh, well, me oldest daughter’s 26, so… [nervous laugh]
Dr Christian:
Why has it been going on for so long?
Pamela:
I don’t know. It’s because you don’t talk about it, I guess. It is very embarrassing.
Dr Christain:
What you’re describing is, er, actually a very common condition and it’s probably really undiagnosed because women don’t come forward to the doctor’s ‘cause they’re embarrassed.
Pamela:
Right.
Dr Christian:
There’s two main types of incontinence: one is when you pee yourself when you don’t want to-
Pamela:
Right, yeah
Dr Christian:
stress incontinence. What you’re describing is something called urge incontinence, which is when you feel that urge, you absolutely have to go and you can’t really do anything about it. But, the good news is, we can do something about it and it’s definately
Pamela:
Good
Dr Christian:
I think we should think about a treatment using botox for you. You know botox?
Pamela:
You get it in your forehead, yeah.
Dr Christian:
You get it in your forehead. How does that sound?
Pamela:
Strange
Dr Christian:
Does it?
Pamela:
Scary
Dr Christian:
Scary? Not a bad thing if it’s sorting this out, is it? Alright. Does that sound reasonable?
Pamela:
Great, thank you very much.
Dr Pixie V/O
Before Pamela can be treated, a surgeon needs to run some tests to confirm the diagnosis.
Surgeon:
If you’re ready we’ll, we’ll start there. Can you just do a small cough for me please. Well I can see very clearly that there’s a big pressurize in the bladder and that’s all, er, because your bladder is contracting. I think we’ve got our diagnosis.
These are really very high bladder pressures, which are literally off the graph here. You’re probably in the worst 10 percent or so of patients that I’ve seen with this disorder. So, on that basis, I think you’ll do very well with botox.
Pamela:
Good
Dr Pixie V/O:
Botox might be better known for smoothing wrinkles but it’s also used to relax muscles in conditions like cerebral palsy, stroke, and, as in Pamela’s case, overactive bladders.
Surgeon:
We’ll just check that the bladder’s alright, it looks fine on that side, fine on that side. So lets put the sheath down the scope and into the bladder so we’ll see it coming out of the tithe scope any second now.
OK, needle out please, Jane. Thank you. Little air bubble. Lets make sure we avoid the, er, crucial areas and, er, particularly blood vessels. OK. Could you inject the first 1 mil please?
Dr Pixie V/O:
The idea is is that injecting botox staright into the muscle will relax the bladder’s constant urge to wee.
Surgeon:
And again, please. Good. Well done. 200 units of botox in there nicely, er, spread around the contractile parts of the bladder, so yeah, very pleased.
Dr Pixie V/O:
Four weeks after her surgery, Pamela’s bursting to give Dr Jessen the news.
Dr Christian:
Pamela, hi, how are you?
Dr Pixie V/O:
So, did the botox smooth things over?
Dr Christian:
The big million dollar question is: has it worked?
Pamela:
It’s worked wonderfully.
Dr Christian:
Really?
Pamela:
Oh, I can have three cups of tea now and I don’t wanna go to the toilet. It’s great.
Dr Christian:
And you haven’t had one accident then since?
Pamela:
No, not one.
Dr christian:
Gosh, that’s fantastic. Are you happy?
Pamela:
I’m great, yes, it’s wonderful, yes.
Dr Christian:
Has it changed your life?
Pamela:
Yes. It’s not on me mind all the time about if I go shopping how, how far before the next toilet and things like that, so-
Dr Christian:
You look a different lady. You look very happy. You’re not sitting there worrying about when you’re gonna have to rush off to the loo! You’re still in dark trousers-
Pamela:
Well, yes, it’s the winter. I’ll get white ones for the summer.
Dr Christian:
Oh, you will wear white ones, will you? Gosh, that’s a huge difference then, isn’t it?
Pamela:
Yes, yes, it’s wonderful.
Dr Christian:
So are you happy?
Pamela:
I’m over the moon, yes.
Dr Christian:
Enjoy your summer now. Wear your white trousers and don’t worry about where the loos are, go shopping for hours and hours and drink gallons of tea! It’s good for you.
Pamela:
Yeah.
Dr Christian:
Thank you very much for coming out to see me. I really appreciate it. Nice to see you.
Pamela:
Thanks very much.
Dr christian:
Bye-bye, bye.
I would say to the millions of women that will be out there with the same problem don’t hide away about it, don’t be embarrassed ‘cause there are things we can do, even if it’s not the same treatment as Pamela had, there are plenty of other options that you can try. You won’t know if they work unless you try them.
Consultation: Urinary Incontinence
Dr Jessen meets a woman whose problem bladder is ruling her life, but luckily there’s a solution, though not for the faint hearted.
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am 26 years old and always getting pelvic infections like every 3 months they give me the same antibiotics all the time i always finnish my course but it keeps coming bk i have 3 children and it gets me down i am always in pain with it is there anything else i can try thanks x
After urinating, I have emptied my bladder, I wipe myself stand up pull clothes up and leave the toilet. Then sometimes a "bubble" bursts and I wet myself and at other times I do the same thing and I sit down and again I wet myself. I also find I need to go more at night when I am sleeping,Is this a sign of diabetes? The only symptom is the wetting myself, I am overweight but exercising and dieting to lose it. I have had children and turned 40 recently and started having frequent UTI after 2 bad bouts of Pneumonia. How can I stop wetting myself after just having been to the loo? I do the pelvic exercises already. Please help as I feel like I am constantly in wet clothing and I am getting very depressed as when I go to the Drs all they tell me is to lose weight which I am trying to do already. Thank you
I'm nearly 17 and since I can remember I have been wetting myself whenever i laugh quite heavilly, It could happen even after I have emptied my bladder and then laugh. It's so embarrassing and happens so regularly! what can i do!?
im 22, my vagina leaks urine all the time im so embarassed i dont know what it is its got wors over time ive left it for years ive had tests but they cant seem to find anything wrong, somebody hheellpp... maybe its a fistular? anyone else got this problem? im scared it will affect me having children, i would be very grateful for help x
My father has a similar problem and has suffered for nearly 10 years now. He has constantly had appointments and an operation at the local hospital urology department but no joy. The patches were also perscribed but no difference. As soon as my farther feels the urge to pee, as soon as he stands up his bladder gives way. Could the botox treatment to relax the bladder muscles work for males too? He is 60 years old and is extemely debilitating for him and has had an major affect on the family.
I have had an over active bladder for a long tome now , i have had some treatments ....a patch to stop my bladder contracting worked quite well for a while but i think i would benifit from the weighted appliance shown on a recent episode ....any one know where i can get one ????
just type in aquaflex pelvic floor cones into google and there are a load to buy online. they are between 22.00 - 25.00 just shop around for the cheapest. ive just ordered them now from seeing the show the wkend. hope that helps.x
Yeah, I wee when I laugh sometimes, and my mum said it's really normal, apart from she's had 3 children and I'm only 15. It's really embarrassing, because no one else at my school seems to have this problem and it's really dragging my self-confidence down.
I have the same problem and I'm 14. It really drags me down and lowers my self confidence. Please help! :(
i have for some time been wetting the bed and i lose a lot of fluid ihave on going health problems such as diebetes type2 angina pain in my legs dizzyness wieght problem am 26 stone itake up to 15 tablets aday my health is poor ineed help with this problem iam 58 years old
hi i'm 45years old and i only have to cough and i urinate and when i run and play with my sons i also urinate my bladder never feels full. i can go upto 4hrs before goin to the toilet can you please advice me on what to do many thanks.
I suffer from urge incontinence. On the programme on 13th March the consultant recommended, giving up smoking, caffeine and also taking medication. What is the name of the medication and how does it work?
Hi, as you mentioned - I have similar symptoms - stress and urge incontinence, I believe. I gave up caffeine which helped initially and was also prescribed Vesicare (5mg) by my urology consultant. Not sure if your gp can prescribe, may need a referral first to a urology specialist and going forward, you will be able to obtain your repeat prescriptions from your gp. All the best. :)
