For The Love Of..., Health and Wellness
My Daily Routine Revolves Around OAB
I am being compensated by Astellas Pharma US, Inc. for this post; however, the opinions expressed here are my own.
My days are definitely full of action, fun, work, excitement and more. I seriously don’t think any day ends with me saying “that was just an ordinary day.” Even things that may be perceived as boring, routine or less than exciting – nope, not at all. I always have a story.
Let’s walk through a “typical” day in my life:
- Monday through Friday I wake at 5:30 a.m. and take a while to get moving. This is my quiet time. I do some computer/blogging work, message some friends, and start to get the kids moving.
- While they begin to come out of their slumber state, I am doing dishes, starting laundry, taking the dog out, feeding her, getting their lunches ready and more.
- Once the kids have switched into a decent speed, I start getting myself ready for work and going through my routine.
- Between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. everyone has left the house for work and school.
- From 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. – I have already gone to the bathroom THREE times…
This bladder frequency and urgency issue has been my normal for a few years now. I am 50 and I saw this coming – my mother struggled with it from a young age. I assumed I was not going to be immune to overactive bladder (OAB).
I try very hard not to let it get in the way of my everyday living and fun (and work) but sometimes it does. We work and go to school all day – that isn’t a huge issue since I have an office position. But when I leave work I go pick up my daughter from school and head to the barn. I get to the barn as quickly as possible because inevitably, having to pee becomes an urgent situation – 40 minutes traveling wreaks havoc!
Once I’m at the barn, things get interesting. If I am going to ride one of our horses, the routine is bathroom, get a horse and tack it up, bathroom, ride, bathroom, untack and bathroom before heading home. The barn has 300 acres and almost 80 horses (we have 4) – and if one of the horses I need is in the lower field – I seriously need to figure out if it is important enough to ride that day! That’s a lot of walking with no bathroom access – just sayin’…
I know I am totally not alone though. StopStalling.com is a great resource with credible information to help everyone understand OAB. In a recent “Peehavior” survey of 2,854 women conducted by Astellas, almost half of the women reported they had used the men’s bathroom because the line for the women’s bathroom was too long1. Seriously, when will architects learn that there should be 3 restrooms for women compared to every 1 for men? This seems to be a struggle since the dawn of time… Eighty six percent of women have gone somewhere other than a bathroom1 – they had to go somewhere! Women age 55+ are more likely to not confide in anyone when it comes to frequent bathroom visits1.
This is definitely not affecting a small number of women. Approximately 46 million American adults 40 and older experience OAB symptoms at least sometimes.2 Many people with OAB plan their daily activities around their frequent urge to urinate3 – I know I do!
Check out StopStalling.com and learn more about OAB as a condition as well as resources and tips for speaking with your doctor about managing OAB.
References:
- Astellas and Ipsos Public Affairs. Data on File.
- Coyne KS, Sexton CC, Vats V, Thompson C, Kopp ZS, Milsom I. National community prevalence of overactive bladder in the United States stratified by sex and age. Urology 2011;77(5):1081-7.
- Filipetto FA., Fulda KG, Holthusen AE, McKeithen TM, McFadden P. The patient perspective on overactive bladder: a mixed-methods needs assessment. BMC Family Practice 2014;15:96-101.
I am being compensated by Astellas Pharma US, Inc. for this post; however, the opinions expressed here are my own.
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