Peeing in the Street: Embarrassing Moments with Multiple Sclerosis

The #MSMoment I’d like to share happened several years ago, but I still remember it like it happened yesterday. I felt fortunate that nobody was around to witness it, but that didn’t make me feel any less embarrassed.

Every six months, I go to the dentist for a routine cleaning and checkup. That’s something we each should do on a regular basis, because it’s important for our overall health. On a beautiful spring day a few years ago, I left my appointment around noon. With no music lessons scheduled until 4 p.m., I had plenty of time to get some lunch, go to the post office, and stop at the grocery store on the way home.

After leaving the dentist’s office, I went to my car, opened the door, and sat in the driver’s seat. As I turned the ignition, thoughts of the bathroom flittered across my mind. I hadn’t noticed any urge to go to the bathroom until that very moment.

“Maybe I should have stopped at the restroom on the way out of the building?” I thought to myself. But then I would have had to ask for the bathroom key, go to the restroom, and take the key back to the dentist’s office, when all I wanted to do was get on with my day.

“I could go back in. Or maybe I’ll just wait until I get to the restaurant for lunch. That would work.”
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MS Moments: Urinary Incontinence in the Street

Exercise Helps Urinary Symptoms in MS

One of the most common physical dysfunctions in multiple sclerosis is urinary incontinence (UI) - the leakage of urine at inappropriate times. It is also common in the general population with an estimated 115 million people worldwide reporting UI in 2013, and more than 12.6 percent of the general population in the United States being diagnosed with UI.

An estimated 50-100 percent of people with MS will experience UI. Both men and women can experience UI, but it is more common in women. UI frequently involves pelvic floor muscles that attach to the bottom of the pelvic bones to form a bowl-like structure that lifts to support internal organs and control sphincter muscles.

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) include frequency, urgency, stress and urge incontinence as well as voiding or obstructive complications. Stress incontinence occurs when the pelvic floor muscles are too weak to stop urine from leaking when you cough, laugh, or sneeze. Urge incontinence, or overactive bladder (OAB), occurs when urine leakage is closely preceded by a powerful urge to pass urine. It’s often a “I gotta go, gotta go, gotta go NOW," type of situation. Functional incontinence involves leakage when you struggle to get to the bathroom in time.

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Want to Improve Urinary Incontinence Symptoms? Try Physical Therapy