Overactive Annoyance (OAB) and Daily Frustration (BPH)

Summary

Overactive Annoyance OAB and Daily Frustration BPH shares struggles with bladder and prostate issues at hiveaid.org—seeking relief, resilience, and renewed hope.

Overactive Annoyance. The dilemma of having an overactive bladder is the constant urge to urinate. This is no doubt very unsettling and frustrating. Your spirit is disheartened. You have no control over this aspect of your body. You feel imprisoned because you now must structure your life around your bladder. You count your blessings because you know that things are a lot worse. But, you also know that things are a lot better.

Where is all the liquid coming from? You ask yourself because you moderate your liquid intake as a measure to lessen your need to use the toilet. Yet, even with an aggressive reduction in liquid intake, the urge to urinate is ever constant. So where is all the liquid coming from if you are not actively putting it into your system?

Liquid gets into the body in a straightforward and obvious way—by drinking it. Additionally, there is moisture in the air that is absorbed into the skin. Also, certain types of foods may produce more liquid waste than other types of food. According to the Kidney & Urology Foundation of America, INC., “Adults remove about a quart and a half of urine each day.” You can read more at NORD.

The article that is given by the Kidney & Urology Foundation of America, INC. provides some good insights into how the urinary system works. Though, understanding how the urinary system is meant to work does not lessen the annoyance. It does not make it less irritating to get up multiple times a night. It is still a significant annoyance. This is a significant nuisance when having to use the john. Combining an overactive bladder with an enlarged prostate creates a situation. It’s certainly an area where you do not want to be.

My overactive bladder (OAB) trouble came about after a serious on-the-job accident. My enlarged prostate (Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)) is simply due to aging. In either case, I hate them both. They have taken control of my life. I have taken medications to combat this twin assault on my quality of life. These include prescription drugs and over-the-counter herbal supplements. They have thus far been to no avail.

All the medications from the VA Hospital and over-the-counter purchases have failed. They did not control my overactive bladder (OAB) or reduce my enlarged prostate (BPH). What should I do next?

I learned of exercises that can be done to retrain the bladder and for a while I did them. I suppose I should return to these exercises. Taking medications and dietary supplements to regain control of my urinary functions has not produced any positive results at all.

I don’t ask for much. I would be happy with just four straight hours of uninterrupted sleep. I want to make it through a day without feeling the constant need to urinate. I have some bad habits that I need to remove. I have read these habits to be no-no’s for urinary health. My irritation and frustration with my unruly bladder and enlarged prostate fuel some of these bad habits. In turn, those bad habits fuel my constant urinary discomfort.

So, finding working alternatives to medications that will improve my urinary system is what I am searching for. Doing bladder exercises is a practical approach to gaining control of my bladder. But, I am a little lazy about exercising, which hampers my progress. So, what do I do? I can’t go to bed and think about a solution to my health problem. I must get up every fifteen or twenty minutes to pee during the day. I get up even more often at night.

When I hold out for very long, the strong urge to pee overwhelms me. It seems as if I am going to splinter the toilet into pieces when I get into the bathroom. Unfortunately, because of my BPH, my urination comes in arduous spurts. These spurts last for more time than is proper to get such a natural task done.

When I got home after my accident this difficulty to flush my bladder in a normal steady stream almost made me want to cry because of how laborious this simple act was, especially for a body that was twisted and broken and racked in pain from the injuries. However, I never once cried, I just toughed it out until what I had to do was finished for a few moments before I had to start the agony all over again.

I hate my condition. Yet, I count my blessings because, despite its difficulty and exhaustion, I can pee under my own power. I have no undue problems with incontinence. I do not have to use any type of specialized medical equipment to help me expel body waste. Still, peeing the way that I do is excessive. It needs to be brought under manageable checks and balances.

Well, I am going to have to end this. I have been fighting the urge all the while, and I can’t put it off any longer. Now, don’t call me by my given name. Just call me pissy Maccabee. Or urinary tract will travel all the time.