CRISIS
#326959 - 03/21/08 07:49 AM
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i just started a new sales job that i love, however, im on the road a lot and maintaining a consistent healthy diet is very challenging especially when im at the mercy of other people. my first week in the field was problematic since i was constantly in meetings and was only able to squeeze in 2 meals per day. im already very skinny as is, but this scenario caused me to loose some weight while i was in the field and i became self conscious about my appearance.
Furthermore, i have had a history of prostate problems and now for some reason i have this chronic urge to urinate which was exacerbated by my change in schedule/diet. This was the most frustrating..i need to stay focused and attentive when im working and having to pee every 15 minutes was making me miserable. for example..me an another rep were performing a product demo and i had to really pay attention. but i couldnt cause my bladder was gonna explode. so i went to the bathroom then came back...15 min later i had to pee again....my doc thinks this problem is functional since all my tests came back negative..i personally think it has something to do with the years of straining while having a BM...it may have weakened my pelvic muscles or something and as a result messed up my bladder ot prostate.
Can anyone offer some suggestions on how i can deal with these issues while im on the road? i get the occasional urge to just quit my job because its so bad, but i wont do that...gotta make this new career and lifestyle work for me
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Jason, have you seen a Urologist? Urinary problems are they're specialty.
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ive been to many
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Frequent need to urinate is another symptom of IBS. And you're right it could also be partly related to years of straining. It doesn't help if you are prevented from going to the bathroom when you are on the road becasue this can lead to urinary/kidney infection.
If the docs are totally sure it is functional you might be advised to try and hold it for a little bit longer every time you feel the need to urinate therefore training your bladder to hang on. I had a similar problem where the docs couldn't find anything wrong with me. I could only hold it for 15 minutes and so i gradually started making myself wait 20 inutes, then 25 minutes etc to build up slowly. I was constantly clock watching but it helped. I was advised not to urinate before leaving the house "just in case" becasue this encourages your body to want to urinate when you don't really need to. I didn't like this idea becasue i was sure i would burst on my way to work but it never happend.
I was also advised to cut down salt intake and not to leave it more than 4 hours to urinate (e.g. if you're going to be on the road for 4 hours shedule in a bathroom break). I can now hold for three hours which is a pretty average time.
Finally, some people have found that the IBS hypnosis has helped with urination frequency so you might want to try this route. It only takes 30 minutes max every day so even the busiest person can find 30 minutes. I wish you luck.
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Pelvic muscle issues can be a problem with IBS (and other conditions). However, there is physical therapy for it available (I have done this).
I don't know if you have any pain when your bladder is full? I have something called Interstitial Cystitis, which often causes pain with a full bladder, but doesn't have to include pain. It took me basically diagnosing myself and going to three different urologists before getting an official diagnosis. Acidic foods (coffee, tea, anything citrus, tomatoes) can be big irritants for the bladder if you have IC. IC is much more rare than IBS, but I just wanted to throw it out there for something to look at.
It sounds like the urologists you've been to haven't been able to help you? I know there are meds out there to help with urgency. You could try asking your doctor about this and about looking at your pelvic muscles to see if that may be an issue.
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Lisa
IBS-A, Interstitial Cystitis, Migraines
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Re: CRISIS
#327015 - 03/21/08 05:42 PM
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Sand
Reged: 12/13/04
Posts: 4490
Loc: West Orange, NJ (IBS-D)
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The other posters have addressed the urinary problems. As for not getting enough to eat, try carrying snacks with you. They don't have to be big. If you can tolerate soy (which is said to be good for prostate problems, although I can't cite any studies that support this) you could carry Luna Bars. You can also try pretzels (my go-to snack when I'm traveling) or try making Heather's Honey Snack Mix or a banana. You don't need to eat a lot at once, just sneak a bite or two in between meetings.
Also - although it sounds contradictory - try making sure you get a good amount of fluid. I don't know if it works the same for men, but my experience has been that if I get dehydrated I'm more likely to to have urinary problems. Apparently the more concentrated urine can be quite irritating.
HTH.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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