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say it won’t guarantee dryness 100 percent of the time. “They will still have good days and bad days,” said Moorman. “If you were using 10 pads a day, now you may only be using three.” But even that, she said, represents a significant improvement in a woman’s quality of life. BEFORE RESORTING TO SURGERY,
PHOTO BY ARCHANA PYATI
This urodynamics machine in Anita Pillai-Allen, M.D.’s office is among the diagnostic tools used to assess patients with incontinence.
and physically tense state. “I encourage positive self-talk,” she said. “They have such a negative self-perception, so I get them to tell themselves: ‘I deserve to be dry. I deserve to not have to wear mini pads during the day. I deserve to sleep through the night.’”
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TERRI MERRYMAN SAID SHE STARTED
to feel depressed the longer she held herself back from participating in activities with her family. Women may isolate themselves and feel embarrassed by having to be near a bathroom at all times or by odor caused by leaks. Incontinence can also be detrimental to a woman’s sex life with her partner. Beyond sex, Moorman said, what’s most devastating to her patients—especially baby boomers and younger generations—is stopping their exercise routine or curbing their social activity. “There are [also] old ladies who stop going to church. They’re afraid they’re going to wet themselves and won’t make it to the bathroom.” More and more, these women are exploring their options instead of suffering in silence—like Merryman, whose surgery last year changed her life forever. “I was so happy I did it,” she said. “It’s such a relief to know I can go places with my husband and my kids and not have to worry about stopping every 10 minutes.”
LLiving iving E Exactly xactly Like L ike Jesus J esus B Baptist aptist C Church hurch Reverend Rickey Nelson Jones, Esq., Pastor Worship Address: Russett Community Center 3500 Russett Common, Laurel, Maryland 20726-5067 Sunday Service: 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Ph: 301-362-7458 Website:www.leljbc.org
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doctors use a variety of diagnostic tools to understand a woman’s specific case of incontinence. Urodynamic testing determines how well the bladder and urethra are functioning. One test involves patients voiding into special equipment that measures the amount of urine and the rate at which it flows out of the body, while another requires insertion of a catheter into the urethra to examine the bladder. Burkhardt Zorn, M.D., a urologist with CHZ Urology in Clinton, suggests sticking to a schedule for going to the bathroom, a technique he calls “timed voiding,” and retraining the bladder to hold urine for longer than what might initially feel comfortable. Physical therapy for the pelvic floor is another popular nonsurgical treatment for incontinence. A woman consciously contracts and releases pelvic floor muscles, exercises named after California gynecologist Arnold Kegel. Physical therapist Schill asks patients to practice Kegels while connected via vaginal and abdominal sensors to a biofeedback machine. The machine measures how strong their muscle contractions are, and the results are displayed as peaks and valleys on a screen. “When it comes to the pelvic floor, we can’t see what’s happening on the inside, so this is a great way for us to see what’s happening without having to do an internal exam every time they come in,” she said. In addition to Kegels, patients practice lunges and squats to strengthen hip, back and abdominal muscles. Schill also recommends deep breathing from the diaphragm to help relax patients, many of whom are in an emotionally fragile
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Summer 2012 | Gazette Health 17