WHEN IS A LEAK NOT A LEAK?

The short answer is never but you would be forgiven for thinking that little leaks or "LBL 's" are not really leaks, going by the media and advertising reports we have been bombarded with of late.
There have been some very high profile campaigns excusing you from worrying about those embarrassing little leaks and freeing you up to just wear a pad and forget it.

Well you may be able to do that....at first. But that annoying little leak will soon become a gush or a whole bladder full.

You will start to go just in case in order to keep your bladder empty - so it can't leak and let you down - and this will lead to a smaller bladder capacity
(can't hold as much), frequency and urgency which can lead to further leaks and a whole big mess.

So then you might be scared to go out, stop going to the gym or be the one at the back of the class so you can run out unnoticed to go to the loo halfway through the star jumps and all of a sudden you are no longer in LBL land but find yourself in full armour every time you leave the house.

All because you were told it is normal and the answer is a pad.

Now pads have their place in more extreme cases of urinary incontinence, but they are not the final answer to LBL - retraining your pelvic floor is and there is bucket loads of evidence for this (much better use of buckets than catching drips)

LBL can also be a sign of more serious medical conditions as outlined by my colleague Sue Croft in her recent blog  I'm Mad as Hell   it can indicate overflow incontinence, or a neurogenic bladder associated with diabetes or some neurological conditions such as MS and Parkinson's and may often be the first sign sign that something is wrong...but if you interpret that as "LBL , it is normal, just wear one of our pads" it  can potentially lead to permanent damage to the bladder by over stretching it like a balloon after which it may never be able to contract properly again.

SO when is a leak not a leak ? Never...unless it is a LEEK

until next time......if it is a leak, then don't ignore it!

Fiona