Incontinence Products Through Insurance
Urinary incontinence can steal sleep, cause stress, and keep you from living your fullest life. It may be common, but it does not have to be your normal. It may be embarrassing, at first, to discuss your incontinence issues with your doctor, but the reward of a diagnosis and treatment plan will be worth the few moments of embarrassment. We promise! The list of treatment options extends past the above list, and finding the right treatment option for you can significantly improve your quality of life. If you have diabetes and are dealing with incontinence, a simple trip to the urologist could give you your confidence back.
We also recognize that managing incontinence can be expensive, but with our help, you may be able to receive continence care products through insurance. Check your eligibility through our qualify form to get started, and we will take care of the rest. Its that easy!
*Information provided on the Aeroflow Urology blog is not intended as a substitute to medical advice or care from a healthcare professional. Aeroflow recommends consulting your healthcare provider if you are experiencing medical issues relating to incontinence.
Type 2 Diabetes Is Marked By High Blood Sugar
More than 34 million people in the United States have type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . But one-fourth of those people dont know they have the condition.
Getting your annual physical, which typically involves testing your fasting blood sugar levels, is a great first-line screening for type 2 diabetes, no matter how healthy you think your blood sugar levels are, says Dawn Turner, RD, CDCES, a diabetes educator at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva, Illinois. If your physician finds your levels to be high, theyll evaluate your A1C, which is a two- to three-month average of your blood sugar levels. That said, based on your family history, age, and overall health, your doctor may go ahead and include an A1C test in your yearly workup.
To stay fully on top of your metabolic health, you need to listen to what your body is telling you. Because type 2 diabetes affects every cell in the body, the condition can cause a wide range of symptoms, says Fernando Ovalle, MD, the director of the multidisciplinary diabetes clinic at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. No two people with type 2 diabetes experience the condition in the exact same way, and the number of symptoms, as well as their severity, fluctuate from person to person. Dr. Ovalle notes that most symptoms of type 2 diabetes come on and progress gradually.
Tea And Frequent Urination
If you think to yourself, “Tea makes me pee,” well, you’re not alone. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are some foods that may irritate the bladder, including teas. Not only does tea irritate the bladder, but many teas even contain diuretic compounds that are likely to make you urinate more.
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What Is Frequent Urination
Inconvenient and disruptive to your daily life, frequent urination is when you need to urinate many times throughout a 24-hour period. This is a symptom of many different conditions and can have a wide variety of solutions. At some points in your life, like during pregnancy, you may need to pee more frequently. This can be a normal symptom of something like pregnancy and it usually passes after birth. However, frequent urination can be linked to other health issues that arent normal parts of life and dont fade over time. It can be a symptom of more serious conditions like diabetes, overactive bladder syndrome, UTIs or prostate problems. Needing to urinate frequently can even disturb your sleep. That full bladder that keeps waking you up in the middle of an otherwise good nights sleep is a condition called nocturia.
In many cases, your healthcare provider can help relieve this symptom by treating the underlying condition.
Too Much Alcohol Or Caffeine
They can act as a diuretic and flush more water out of you. They also curb your bodyâs production of vasopressin, a hormone that normally tells your kidneys to release more water to your body instead of sending it straight to your bladder. Itâs a good idea to sip water along with your cocktail, beer, or wine. While the effects of caffeine can be serious, it takes a lot more coffee to have the same effect as alcohol.
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Recognising The Symptoms Of Polyuria
The most common sign of polyuria is producing abnormally large volumes of urine at regular intervals throughout the day and at night.
If you are concerned about the amount you urinate and think you may have polyuria, you should make a note each day of how much you drink how often you urinate and how much urine you produce every time you go to the toilet.
Modify Your Diet Before Calling Your Doctor
Bergamo says if youre having some of these subtle symptoms try a low-carb diet of protein and green leafy vegetables. Avoid sugary drinks and drink at least 2 liters of water for a few days to see if these symptoms get better.
Subtle symptoms could be just that youre eating too many carbs and your body cant handle it, Bergamo says. It doesnt necessarily mean you have diabetes, but its a wake-up call that maybe youre headed that way.
If you have any symptoms that are frightening such as sudden numbness, weakness or chest pains, call your doctor immediately.
Are you concerned about diabetes? Talk to your doctor about having your blood glucose levels tested. Need a doctor? Find one near you.
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The Causes Of High Blood Sugar
In general, higher than normal blood glucose levels can be caused by:
- not taking your diabetes medicine when you’re supposed to or not taking the right amounts
- eating more food than your meal plan allows
- not getting enough exercise
- having an illness, like the flu
- taking other kinds of medicines that affect how your diabetes medicines work
Keeping blood sugar levels close to normal can be hard sometimes, and nobody’s perfect. Grown-ups can help you stay in balance if you have diabetes. Sometimes blood sugar levels can be high because you’re growing and your doctor needs to make some changes in your diabetes treatment plan.
Urinating More At Night
Drinking too much fluid during the evening can cause you to urinate more often during the night. Caffeine and alcohol after dinner can also lead to this problem. Other common causes of urination at night include: Infection of the bladder or urinary tract Drinking a lot of alcohol, caffeine, or other fluids before bedtime Enlarged prostate gland Pregnancy Other conditions that can lead to the problem include: Chronic kidney failure Diabetes Heart failure High blood calcium level Certain medicines, including water pills Waking often during the night to urinate can also be linked to obstructive sleep apnea and other sleeping disorders. Nocturia may go away when the sleeping problem is under control.Continue reading > >
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What Should I Do If I Think Im Experiencing Type 1 Diabetes
If you find you are suddenly urinating more frequentlyespecially if its accompanied by other symptomsits important to see your doctor. As we mentioned above the dehydration that results from polyuria, or excessive urination, can lead to kidney problemsor even diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be life-threatening.
Diuretic Effects And Blood Sugar Levels
According to Drs. David Jacoby and Robert Youngson, sugar is a natural diuretic. This means that eating sugar reduces the amount of water that your body reabsorbs from your kidneys, thus causing you to pee more. Eating a lot of sugar can also cause you to pee more by boosting your blood sugar levels. Although your kidneys usually are able to reabsorb sugar when producing urine, high blood sugar levels can overwhelm your kidneys. This results in sugars entering your urine, drawing in more water and increasing the amount that you pee.
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How To Manage Diabetes And Incontinence
It is no secret that diabetes is on the rise in the United States. With 1.5 million new diagnoses each year, diabetes has a widespread effect on Americans. You may also know that individuals who have been diagnosed with one condition, such as diabetes, are often at a higher risk for developing other secondary conditions. Although often overlooked, diabetes is no exception, and the secondary condition can often be incontinence.
What Is Diabetic Kidney Disease
Diabetic Kidney Disease, or DKA, is the type of kidney disease that is caused by diabetes mellitus. You may hear DKA referred to by other names, such as Chronic Kidney Disease, or Diabetic Nephropathy. Its all the same thing. Check out our article here to learn more about Diabetes and Renal Failure.
As the leading cause of kidney disease, one fourth of people with diabetes have kidney or renal disease. Years of high blood sugars damage the kidneys, and the filtration system doesnt work properly. As the blood vessels in the kidneys become damaged, blood flow to the kidneys is compromised. Kidney damage puts a strain on the heart, and other organs.
Will you see changes in your urine with DKA?
This is when you can see changes in your urine, related to the state of your kidneys. You could see a marked decrease in the amount of urine that is made, dark amber urine, and other symptoms.
Kidney disease with diabetes is not inevitable, and there are ways that people with diabetes can protect their kidneys from damage, and prevent DKA.
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The Color Of Your Urine
Different medications, foods, illnesses , and other factors can affect the color of your urine. The color of your urine can give you important clues as to whats going on inside your body. There are other properties of urine that can make it easier for doctors and medical providers to determine whats going on inside. Our urine is the end result of all the metabolic processes that go on in our bodies, so it provides a valuable diagnostic source.
The amount of fluid in the body affects the color of urine. The more dehydrated the person is, the darker the urine can look. The more hydrated that the person is, the lighter in color that it may appear.
What does normal urine look like?
The normal look of urine ranges from pale yellow and clear, to a darker yellow. When red blood cells are destroyed, they breakdown into urobilin, which is a waste product from these cells. These waste products form a pigment, urochrome, which gives normal urine the characteristic yellowish color.
Hydration vs. dehydration
When urine barely has a yellow color, a person may be too hydrated. Urine that is basically colorless during a urine drug screen indicates an attempt to overhydrate, and cover up the presence of illegal drugs. Conversely, when urine has a dark yellow, or amber color, the person is likely dehydrated. In a person who takes diuretics, such as Lasix, the urine may also be pale in color.
What Is Hyperglycemia
Hyperglycemia is the medical word for high blood sugar levels. The hormone insulin is supposed to control the level of glucose in the blood. But someone with diabetes doesn’t make enough insulin or the insulin doesn’t work properly so too much sugar can get into the blood and make the person sick.
If you have high blood sugar levels, you may need treatment to lower your blood sugar. Your parents and your diabetes health care team will tell you what your blood sugar levels should be and what to do if they get too high.
Managing diabetes is like a three-way balancing act because you have to watch:
All three need to be balanced. If any one of these is off, blood sugar levels can be, too. Your parents and doctor can help you with this balancing act.
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Your Health Care Team
If you have diabetes and also have urology-related health problems, you may work with a primary care doctor , endocrinologist and a urologist .
It’s important to work with your doctors to make a plan to keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range and to arrange for an A1C test. This plan may involve a blend of lifestyle changes, oral medications and insulin. You should also feel empowered to talk to your doctors about sexual function and bladder control concerns, as your provider may not always ask about these “quality of life” issues.
The Cause Of Diabetic Bladder
Diabetes, especially when poorly controlled, can lead to neuropathy, which refers to the general malfunctions or diseases of the nerve. Excess glucose can inflame nerves and other tissues, which can cause nerve dysfunction, leading to the sensations of burning, stinging, numbness, tingling, and pain . It is the neuropathy of the bladder, otherwise known as neurogenic bladder, that makes the bladder dysfunctions. When the cause of the neurogenic bladder is specifically diabetes, it can also be called diabetic bladder.
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You Have Prostate Problems
An enlarged prostate can press against the urethra and block the flow of urine, which can cause the bladder wall to become irritable, says Dr. Nandi. The bladder can begin to contract even when it contains small amounts of urine, and that can lead to more frequent urination, he explains.
If men suffer from benign prostatic hyperplasia, there is a need to urinate more frequently, especially at night. This condition is called nocturia, and it is defined as having to urinate eight or more times a night, he explains. Plus, when the prostate is enlarged, it puts added pressure on the urethra and bladder, which causes an inability to hold urine, but also difficulty with peeing at ease, he explains. Learn more about your prostate health.
When To Call For Help
If you see any of the above symptoms in your child or teen, call your pediatrician. Increased urination and odorless, pale urine should always be red flags as they may signal water imbalance.
Children with DI are also at an increased risk for dehydration if they dont replenish the loss of water, so they need to be observed for signs of dehydration, such as dry mouth, sluggishness, muscle weakness, dizziness, few or no tears when crying, rapid heart beat, fever, lack of sweating and extreme thirst.
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Bladder Conditions And Urinary Tract Infections
“Diabetes can affect the function and structure of the lower urinary tract, which in turn may play a role in patients with diabetes having more UTIs, overactive or underactive bladder, and problems with urination,” says Michael J. Kennelly, MD, Professor of Urology and Obstetrics & Gynecology at Carolinas Medical Center.
Over time, people with diabetes may lose sensory function. This can make it hard to know that you have to go to the bathroom. As a result, people may wait too long to go to the bathroom, or if the urine stays in the bladder too long, it may raise your chance for getting a bladder or kidney infection.
Bladder Training And Exercises
Other treatments address frequent urination rather than an underlying cause. These include the below.
- Kegel exercises: These regular daily exercises, which people often perform during pregnancy, can strengthen the muscles of the pelvis and urethra and support the bladder. For best results, perform Kegel exercises 1020 times per set, three times a day, for at least 48 weeks.
- Biofeedback therapy: A person combines this treatment with Kegel exercises to enable them to become more aware of how their body functions. This increased awareness can help them improve the control of their pelvic muscles.
- Bladder training: This involves training the bladder to hold urine longer.
- Monitoring fluid intake: This may reveal that drinking a lot at certain times is the main cause of frequent urination.
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Blurred Vision Could Be A Result Of Rapid Blood Sugar Changes
Blurred vision can occur when there are rapid changes in blood sugar from low to high or high to low and the eye muscles have not yet adapted to it, Dr. Einhorn says.
The lens of the eye is a flexible membrane suspended by muscles that change the shape of the lens to focus the eye. In a high-sugar environment, such as with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes, the lens loses some of its ability to bend, he explains, and the muscles of the eye have to work harder to focus.
The good news: Caught early, diabetes-related vision changes can return to normal after about six week of healthy blood sugar levels, Turner says. Caught in time, vision may take about six weeks to return to normal.
When Should I See A Doctor About My Sexual Or Bladder Problems
See a health care professional for problems with sex or your bladder. These problems could be a sign that you need to manage your diabetes differently. You may find it embarrassing and difficult to talk about these things. However, remember that health care professionals are trained to speak with people about every kind of health problem. Everyone deserves to have healthy relationships and enjoy the activities they love.
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