What can I do about urinary incontinence?
Family Health
St. Joseph’s/Candler has a dedicated practice and experts to diagnose and treat pelvic floor conditions
Maybe you were enjoying a good laugh with friends at lunch and it happened. Or, maybe you sneezed walking the grocery aisles and it happened there.
Urinary leakage is a common problem that affects millions of Americans. If you suffer from urinary incontinence, we want you to know that you are not alone, and we’re here to help.
At St. Joseph’s/Candler, we have a dedicated practice called the Pelvic Floor & Continence Center that offers diagnosis, evaluation and therapy for all kinds of pelvic, urinary and bowel disorders. Longtime St. Joseph’s/Candler Nurse Practitioner Carol Barbee is the current nurse practitioner with the practice.
“Pelvic floor complaints and concerns are highly personal. It takes a lot to go to your doctor and say, ‘I’m having this problem,” Barbee says. “We know it can be embarrassing. Here, we try to meet you where you are. I’m going to treat every single person the way I want my mom to be treated, the way I want her to be managed, and how I want her to be talked to and handled.”
About urinary incontinence
Urinary incontinence (UI) is one of the more common conditions we treat at the Pelvic Floor & Continence Center. UI is the loss of urine control. It can range from a slight loss of urine to severe, frequent episodes.
UI is not a normal part of aging, but it is common in older people because as we age our muscles that control the bladder can weaken. Pregnancy, obesity or injury can also cause UI, and it doesn’t just occur in women; men can experience UI as well.
UI not only affects you physically, but many who suffer from UI stop doing activities with their family and friends or rarely leave their house out of fear of embarrassment from a UI incident, Barbee says.
“People might have social isolation because they don’t want to leave their home. They may plan the simplest tasks around the fact that they might have to use the bathroom,” Barbee says. “There’s hope. Talk to your physician. Don’t feel like you are the only person who’s had this condition.”
The Pelvic Floor & Continence Center offers a variety of services such as testing to determine what is causing the problem and pelvic floor physical therapy with certified pelvic floor physical therapists.
Related Article: Pelvic pain? Physical therapy can help with that.
You don’t have to live in isolation and let UI control your quality of life. Talk to your physician and ask for a referral for the Pelvic Floor & Continence Center. You can also request a referral at our office online or by calling us at 912-819-4870.
“The biggest thing is that there is help and hope. There is somebody who can help you so you can get back to what you love,” Barbee says. “The procedures and therapies and what we can do to help people is life changing.”