This may be the most important blog post I’ve written in my 3 years of blogging.
I’ve been giving this little speech verbally as many times as I can since having a conversation with a urologist recently. My friend, the amazing Aleasha, reminded me of this talk today and said I should write about it. So here goes.
I was there with an elderly relative who has been having some trouble with UTI’s. And in the elderly, especially, UTI’s can be deadly. As in, put you in the hospital for weeks, cause you to go septic, deadly.
We started chatting about women and their bladder health and what he said floored me:
Your bladder is like a sweater. Everytime you hold it when you need to urinate, you stretch out that sweater and eventually, it gets stretched to the point where it no longer works. And there’s nothing you can do to repair it. American women seem to have a real problem with excusing themselves to use the facilities. Every day I treat women who have had a lifetime of “holding it” and they are now in a place where they are having to catherterize themselves multiple times a day and are at serious risks from UTI’s. It’s dangerous and it’s unnecessary. I wish I could just get women to understand how dangerous it is. And it starts from the beginning. I wish every parent in America would stop telling their daughters to “hold it”. It has long term, lasting implications.
I am paraphrasing some I have no doubt, but this is basically what he said. I was stunned. After all, I’ve sat through dozens, no maybe HUNDREDS of meetings where I’ve had to go but didn’t want to be a disruption.
Or movies where I didn’t want to miss the ending.
Or long car trips where I didn’t want to inconvenience anyone with a “potty stop”.
Or days when I’m busy and cleaning the house and just can’t be bothered.
And then I found this little gem of an article that basically says the same thing.
BOTTOM LINE:
STOP HOLDING IT WHEN YOU HAVE TO PEE RIGHT NOW. OWN YOUR RIGHT TO TAKE THE 3 MINUTES AND EMPTY YOUR DAMN BLADDER OR WHEN YOU’RE OLD YOU WILL HAVE TO STICK A TUBE IN YOU TO GET ALL THE URINE OUT OR WORSE, GET CHRONIC UTI’s AND WIND UP VERY SICK AND MAYBE DEAD.
The end.
Jen
So if you are at the point of what seems t o be no end , I am now using vesicare for oab and drinking honey,braggs apple cider vinegar and do terra lemon oil first thing every morning along with Thera can xp what else can be done (& granted I do pray for a healing?
I would definitely see your urologist! there are some things they can do in younger women that aren’t recommended when you’re older. I’m just a blogger and have no medical background, so please check with a professional! And yes, always pray for healing!