URINARY BLADDER, BOWEL, & SEXUAL PROBLEMS

The medical management of urinary bladder disorders in MS has been discussed under MS complications management on this site. Please review under “management”.

In this area is for me to give MS patients an advise on how to reduce bladder and bowel symptoms and try to live close to normal life.

Any bladder or bowel problems please contact your own doctor, continence team, MS specialist nurses, or your neurologist to make sure that the medical side is looked at and managed the right way.

For bladder symptoms of frequency, hesitations, inability to empty the bladder, or frequent waking up from your sleep at night to empty the bladder . . . . please make sure that:

1. You don’t drink a lot of coffee, tea, coke, or Pepsi cola. They do contain caffeine, and caffeine does stimulate the urine excretion via the kidneys and that increases the tendency to empty your bladder. Decaffeinated drinks might be an option.
2. Make sure that you have your last drink of any sort at least two hours before you go to bed if possible.
3. Try always to empty your bladder before you go to bed even if you don’t feel the desire to do so. If you are intermittent self catheterising, please catheterise yourself before you go to bed.
4. If you are diabetic, make sure that your diabetes is controlled.
5. If you take water tablets for any other reason, please take them the earliest thing in the morning.
6. Consider cranberry juice drinking to relief some bladder symptoms including frequency.

Bowel problems in MS

Constipations, irritable bowels, and incontinence are the commonest bowel problems in MS sufferers. Always check with your doctor before any other measures.

For constipations, the lack of mobility reduces bowel actions and may contribute to constipation. Insufficient fluids, constipating drugs, and constipating foods… please be aware.

Make changes in your life style in particular with the connection of eating habits and food types. For bowel incontinence, please don’t keep quiet on it. It can be embarrassing, and it can be demoralising. Ask your doctor to refer you to a colo-rectal surgeon for assessment and management options.

Sexual problems in MS

You need to be aware that sexual problems are not uncommon in MS. More likely men to be affected than women. Erectile problems and premature ejaculation can be the most of them.

Always seek medical advise and please don’t keep quiet on it. You can live without it, but please see it part of happy life.

There is nothing better than openness between partners. You must talk openly with your other half about it, and the other half must show a very good understanding. Relaxed relationships, foreplay, romancing, and choosing the right time… all of those things can be very helpful. Early morning attempts can be helpful for men.

For ladies, the MS sexual problems are less frequent than in men, but they can be more difficult to sort out as they are hidden and can very easily be overseen or not noticed at all by the other half. 

A woman can very easily hide her sexual insufficiency, and she cane even easily “fake” her satisfaction during fore play or even during sexual intercourse. The more she fakes, the more she hides; and the more she hides, the more she loses her confidence and she can then get depressed.

My sincere advise to any woman with MS who has no sexual desires to chose the right moment and to talk about that with her partner… open talks with a desire to get it fixed. There should be no “shyness” in this matter between loving partners. This subject and any related matters should be talked about openly, frankly, and with no fear or anxiety with the partner. On the other hand – and this is very important – the male partner must, must, must listen with care and full attention to his lady. He needs to encourage her to talk openly and frankly about her sexual insufficiency, and must promise her to be a good listener and a good understanding.   A clever man is that who lets his lady to get rid of her shyness, fear, and anxiety to make her feel worthy, and beloved. A clever and romantic man is that person who enables his partner to get over her negative feelings about her sexuality and convert them into creative, motivating, and optimistic positive feelings.  That cordial support from a man to his lady partner will help her build up confidence, and share with him her worried and hidden anxieties. Both partners must think together for ways on how then can keep their relations very strong and deeply warm to one another.