Humiliating at the very LEAST!!

MissAnjy

Okay, I just want to put this out there, see if anyone else has or has had a similar problem. Keep in mind, this is super embarassing & something I don't talk about (even to my husband). Don't hold it against me, lol If i see a massive decrease in my friends on MFP, i'll know why, HAHAHA

Anyways, 2 years ago, I had twins. I had major complications during my pregnancy & near the end, complained to the nurse about extreme pain in my pelvic region. My first-born twin (we foundout at birth) had been lodged in my pelvic bone & he was black and blue when born. Not only was he stuck there, but he was resting on my bladder (explains a lot of those problems as well ).

(here's where i drop the bomb)

Since the birth of my kids, I've noticed an errr ... problem ( i guess you could say ). You know the whole "sneeze while you're pregnant & pee your pants deal' ... i STILL have that problem. If I sneeze, I have to either a) sit or b) cross my legs tight
to stop my bladder. I have literally NO bladder control anymore. My son pressing on my bladder constantly (laying on it for months) has destroyed my bladder. The bigger problem is ... during jumping jacks, I will full on "pee my pants". This is MORTIFYING. Thankfully, i NEVER have to do these in public (and never would) but it's still so uncomfortable & embarassing that even when working out alone, I'll start crying. I feel so ashamed and like i've "done something wrong" when in reality, I know that It's not something I can control anymore. I can't do any sort of jumping whatsoever. Everytime I workout, I have to wear pads (thick ones) just for this reason. It's so humiliating.

This is not a matter of "i needed to pee before i worked out and didn't" etc. I pee 2-3 times before I work out. I pee immediately BEFORE I workout. If I emptied my bladder, stood up from the toiletd & started doing jumping jacks ... this same thing would happen. I've steered clear from jumping exercises for this reason but I'm currently doing the 30 day shred which has a lot of jumping jacks. How do i steer clear from this? if i did the jumping jacks without the "jumping" aspect, would it still be effective? I don't want to hinder my workout, but I also don't want to have my bladder completely gone & have this happen constantly. It's MORE than embarassing and I can't even believe i'm posting this because i feel dirty and weird

Sorry. I don't expect anyone else to have had this problem but if you have any suggestions, please advise.

MissAnjy

Oh, maybe i should mention. When it happens, I don't FEEL like i'm peeing my pants ... it actually feels like my bladder is falling out. It's kind of like when ladies have their period, you can feel it but you don't feel like you're "peeing" necessarily. Omg, i'm making this worse aren't i?

pamelasusan

I STILL cross my legs when I sneeze and my kids are 13 and 10. YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :ohwell:

I will be your friend :smooched:

LOVEsummer

I think there is medication that can help with this. I'm so sorry! I would certainly see a doctor and def practice Kegel exercises! Strengthen those muscles!

cassandra77

One word for you... KEGELS! And lots of'em!

imom2kne

Have you consulted a physician? It may not be an issue of muscle control, but displacement of your uterus. It can be 'lifted' to relieve the pressure on your bladder. You can try do kegels to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. It may not be much of an improvement, but hubby will notice the increased...um.....tone.:drinker:

tam8374

I can understand your humiliation. I personally have not had that much of a problem. But have you talked to a doctor? I know after the birth of both of my kids (single births each) that they recommend the Kiegel or Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvis floor. You can google them. I do these all the time and when I do them regularly I notice a different if I haven't done them in awhile.

I have the minor issure of "leaking a little" when I sneeze and when I am frequent with the exercises I don't have the issue. But your issue sounds more complicated.

You also may just need a bladder lift. I had a co worker who had similar problems. She went in and had a bladder lift and was find after that. Not sure how much of a procedure that was, she made it sound pretty simple.. but I am not sure.

Those are just my thoughts.

TheMaidOfAstolat

Hun...you aren't the only one. My daughter is 7 and will be 8 this year. I avoid anything that makes my jump like that in public...even jumping rope can do that to me sometimes. My daughter also rested on my bladder for the last few months of my pregnancy. I hate being sick because I know that at some point I may pee my pants....there is nothing that I could do any differently. Kegels help a bit...but not enough it seems. But it's worth a try.

HealthyEscape

The great thing about MFP is that you can post ANYTHING and people will reply. I don't know what it feels like to be going through what you are currently going through, but I do have some advice for you.

Since the jumping action is what sparks the "incident", instead of doing the jumping jacks, just do the boxing punches. Jillian reccommends that anyone with lower body problems do these since they still raise your heartrate, just low impact. This will still give your heart the workout, while leaving you dry and un-embarrassed.

Hope this helps?

BenEverJu

DO NOT BE EMBARRASSED! This happens more than you think. I am a nurse practitioner and part of my job is women's health. What you have is INCONTINENCE, meaning you can't control when you urinate. It sounds like you may have a mixed incontinence called stress/urge incontinence. There are solutions to this.

Anyway, start with your gynecologist. If there is one available in your area, he may be able to refer you to a uro-gynecologist, a specialist in this very problem.

Heads up and good luck!

rjulian20

i can't say that i relate to you mainly because i haven't birthed ANY children but i could definitely throw some suggestions your way! there are many different ways to exercise! have you tried pilates? it's more controlled movements and held positions than abrupt moving around. i have a dvd called "10 Minute Solutions: Pilates" ....i LOVE it & the reason i started trying different exercises is because i have an ENORMOUS chest area (if you get my hint haha!) i used to play soccer and softball and LOVED to run....but once God decided to bless me a little later in life than normal....it was so embarassing! i felt like every guy with a 10 mile radius was staring! the good thing about pilates is it targets your core and strengthens without much "effort" and by effort i mean jumping around and peeing your pants (which.....yay for you to step out of your comfort zone and talk about an insecurity. don't fret.....everybody has peed their pants at some point!!!) but you will feel the burn and work up a good sweat!

try it.....oh and have you tried keagle exercises? you know.....squeezing your girly muscles and butt muscles? it strengthens for more than just the issue you're having. GOOD LUCK, i hope this helped

yanicka

I gave birth vaginally to 6 kids and that problem always went away when my muscles became stronger. I think it might be time to talk to your doctor, there might be something wrong internally. I know women who had to have surgery for that exact problem.

yanicka

oups double post

Happyoceangirl

Okay, I just want to put this out there, see if anyone else has or has had a similar problem. Keep in mind, this is super embarassing & something I don't talk about (even to my husband). Don't hold it against me, lol If i see a massive decrease in my friends on MFP, i'll know why, HAHAHA

Anyways, 2 years ago, I had twins. I had major complications during my pregnancy & near the end, complained to the nurse about extreme pain in my pelvic region. My first-born twin (we foundout at birth) had been lodged in my pelvic bone & he was black and blue when born. Not only was he stuck there, but he was resting on my bladder (explains a lot of those problems as well ).

(here's where i drop the bomb)

Since the birth of my kids, I've noticed an errr ... problem ( i guess you could say ). You know the whole "sneeze while you're pregnant & pee your pants deal' ... i STILL have that problem. If I sneeze, I have to either a) sit or b) cross my legs tight
to stop my bladder. I have literally NO bladder control anymore. My son pressing on my bladder constantly (laying on it for months) has destroyed my bladder. The bigger problem is ... during jumping jacks, I will full on "pee my pants". This is MORTIFYING. Thankfully, i NEVER have to do these in public (and never would) but it's still so uncomfortable & embarassing that even when working out alone, I'll start crying. I feel so ashamed and like i've "done something wrong" when in reality, I know that It's not something I can control anymore. I can't do any sort of jumping whatsoever. Everytime I workout, I have to wear pads (thick ones) just for this reason. It's so humiliating.

This is not a matter of "i needed to pee before i worked out and didn't" etc. I pee 2-3 times before I work out. I pee immediately BEFORE I workout. If I emptied my bladder, stood up from the toiletd & started doing jumping jacks ... this same thing would happen. I've steered clear from jumping exercises for this reason but I'm currently doing the 30 day shred which has a lot of jumping jacks. How do i steer clear from this? if i did the jumping jacks without the "jumping" aspect, would it still be effective? I don't want to hinder my workout, but I also don't want to have my bladder completely gone & have this happen constantly. It's MORE than embarassing and I can't even believe i'm posting this because i feel dirty and weird

Sorry. I don't expect anyone else to have had this problem but if you have any suggestions, please advise.

Awww.... I had to respond because of your comments about feeling dirty and weird. You're NOT. You have a medical condition that is occurring through no fault of your own, and you're doing your best to live with it and be as healthy as you can be. That's really awesome.

I've experienced humiliation before due to medical / physical things that I honestly can't control... and have been to the point of tears because it gets so old and I feel like I'm truly worth less than other people because there's something "wrong with me". Finally I have learned that thinking like that keeps me feeling like a victim and, prevents me from trusting and valuing my body.

What has helped is to start speaking to myself as I would to my best friend. I wouldn't judge someone I care about like I dare judge myself. I'd be kind and compassionate, understanding, encouraging and supportive. I'd point out victories and strengths. I'd also crack jokes. Turns out, all these things have really helped. I hope this can be helpful to you.

Keep up all the good work and know that you're doing the best you can for your health. Don't give in to humiliation. Choose to see yourself as unique and strong, because you are. :flowerforyou:

amuhlou

I am in no way a physician, but I do know there's a condition when your bladder does actually "fall" due to a weakened lining of the vagina. There is a surgery to correct it.

Definitely consult a physician and DO NOT BE ASHAMED! Most women have some sort of bladder issues throughout their lives. I'll have spurts where I feel like I 'have to go' more often than I should but I try not to stress over it and Kegel exercises do seem to help.

courtney_love2001

You really need to see your doc about this. There are things that can be done! Most likely, your vaginal walls were weakened during childbirth, and this allows your bladder to slip down where it's not supposed to be. It's called stress incontinence. This can cause leakage. When you squat, can you feel something there that shouldn't be, like a bulge? Even if you don't have that your bladder probably shifts too far down when you go from laying to standing, and this causes incontinence like you describe.

What you should do: kegel exercises. It can strengthen your vaginal walls so you will not have to have the things suggested below:

There are things that can be done--an easy surgery can tie the vaginal walls back in their original spot so your bladder consequently stays in place as well. Very simple, not a major surgery. Takes no time at all. Another non-surgical option is a pessary. It's a plastic piece that is tailored just for you that goes into your vagina that physically holds the walls in place and prevents the bladder from shifting. It can be uncomfortable if it's not properly fitted, though. There are other options as well that I won't go into detail here...just search "stress incontinence treatment" in google.

Basically...go see your ob/gyn and get this taken care of! You should not have to be living with this :flowerforyou:

lukybug

I too have this same issue. All 3 of my kiddos laid on my bladder. Jumping jacks during the warm-up in Insanity is a constant battle. I feel your pain. Kegles do work to an extent on strengthening the muscles. However, I have a slight suspicion that your bladder may have fallen or your uterus may be putting pressure on the bladder. Either way, you should see your OB/Doctor regarding this. I'm sure there is a surgery that can fix it. My issue hasn't gotten to the point of completely emptying my bladder during the jacks, but I do dribble quite a bit. It does suck. Either way, don't let this stop you!

feetypajamas

Oh my. Yeah, add me to the list.

Two kids later and jumping, sometimes running, a really hard cough, etc will make me 'leak'. Heh. It sucks.

I don't have tons of advice for you, I just figured I'd pipe up and add myself into the "You aren't the only one!!" chorus.

Gonna go hide now... O.o

StaciO

You are not alone. I don't have that problem myself but I work in surgery. It can be fixed with medication, exercises and or surgery. You do not have to live with it. We perform sling surgeries all the time. It happens with pregnancy, weight gain and age. Most women just live with it until it get really bad because it is embarassing to talk about. Please, please see your doctor who can determine the best way to treat you.

LorinaLynn

Checking with your doctor was my first suggestion. My Mom had uterine and bladder prolapse and had to have things "tacked" back into place surgically.

And as others have said, there's medications that help with that. I don't know anything about it from the human aspect, but when I worked as a vet tech, it was a very common problem in female dogs* and the meds helped wonderfully.


* Please don't be offended! My parents used to complain so much when I related their medical conditions with those of pets. When I was talking to my Mom about her kidney failure, she said, "Oh, now you're going to treat me like a cat?" "No, Mom. I treat my cats like people."

It was really a shame how much better informed my vet kept his clients than the doctors kept my parents. From renal failure to diabetes. :grumble:

sweetiekayk

I think any woman that has had a baby can relate to some degree. Sneezing and coughing is the worst. I know someone who had triplets and had to have surgery to help with that problem. And she had a c-section. I've had 3 kids vaginally and kegals have helped alot but those big sneezes that just come out of nowhere are nightmares.

MissAnjy

thank you to everyone who has responded. I really appreciate all the kind things you've said. You've all made me feel better. I'm going to contact my OB and see what can be done. Thankyou.

MissAnjy

I think any woman that has had a baby can relate to some degree. Sneezing and coughing is the worst. I know someone who had triplets and had to have surgery to help with that problem. And she had a c-section. I've had 3 kids vaginally and kegals have helped alot but those big sneezes that just come out of nowhere are nightmares.

I also had mine by c-section

Nich0le

KEGELS KEGELS KEGELS!!!!!

I can't say enough how kegels have helped with this, anyone that has had a vaginal birth most likely has experienced this, or anyone with a significant amount of weght, I didn't notice until after my second and my doctor explained kegels to me and I still do them I figure a little kegel a day keeps the urine (and the smell) away.........

Kminor67

I agree with the majority... see your doctor. I actually have this problem sometimes when I sneeze or cough, but not when jumping. I would highly recommend Poise pads. They are made for urinary incontinence, and they are small and not noticeable. You should be able to wear them when you exercise and they won't be seen, but they will keep you dry. They are made for this... so more absorbent than maxipads. Good luck!

heyitsmekatie

I think it's pretty common for women to have similar issues after having babies. You might want to see a doctor though. I had a friend who had this kind of issue after she had a baby and the doctor told her they could repair the damage. Nothing to be embarassed about though!

jbug100

I can so relate. I avoid intense jumping like the plague! I do think that it has improved since I have lost weight (just another benefit of weight loss). Recently I had a bad respiratory illness, probably the flu with terrible uncontrolable coughing. At the end of a couple of weeks of coughing, I swear I was peeing my pants all day long! In the end, I broke down crying to my husband I was so frustrated and disgusted. I'm a nurse, and I've seen a lot of stuff in my day, so I sort of look at this as a battle scar from child birth And try not to get to embarrassed about it, and you shouldn't either. I've been able to find plenty of exercises that don't involve jumping, and I don't really miss the jumping quite honestly. It's good to know there are others out there with the same issues. Maybe we should start a kegel support group! Feel better, and thanks for your honest post.

godblessourhome

here is another thread on that - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/101722-this-subject-pisses-me-off-pun-intended. you are not alone!

aurorathunder

It's common after childbirth to still leak when you jump or sneeze. However, if you're full on peeing your pants I would see a doctor. You could have a prolapsed bladder. Kegels will help strengthen the area, but you might actually require surgery. A friend of mine had the surgery and it really wasn't a big deal and it's helped her greatly.

SparkleShine

It's common after childbirth to still leak when you jump or sneeze. However, if you're full on peeing your pants I would see a doctor. You could have a prolapsed bladder. Kegels will help strengthen the area, but you might actually require surgery. A friend of mine had the surgery and it really wasn't a big deal and it's helped her greatly.

Ditto!!!! I would definatly talk with your dr! *HUgs* sweetie!

TaneeisFitforLife

One word for you... KEGELS! And lots of'em!

I agree 100%! Try them....they are the easiest exercise you can do