Michelle, your tips were very helpful! I have followed a plant based diet for many years and though I don't drink alcohol or carbonated beverages, over the past several months I'd gotten into the habit of eating a lot of citrus - perhaps two grapefruits and two oranges a day along with other fruit. I'd also developed a fancy for hot sauces containing chillis, habanero, and jalapenos, and used them - as well as pepper flakes - on a lot of my meals, since many include beans. Additionally, I'd returned to drinking coffee, mostly decaf, which I believed was "better." Well, I began experiencing marked bladder symptoms that made me really uncomfortable - to say the least - not to mention very concerned. Five days ago, I stopped using all of the above and the symptoms have improved dramatically. I encourage other viewers who are having overactive bladder symptoms to give your suggestions a serious try. There's nothing to lose and a lot of comfort and peace of mind to gain. Thanks again and keep up the fine work!
@@speedknight1378 maybe they don’t have notifications enabled and are unaware that they have something to reply too. Or, god forbid something happened to them… or they are just not very considerate 😊
Don't eat or drink at all, if you followed everything that is now considered " could be harmful" that's all that's left to do. Tomorrow it'll be water.
100% agree with everything except for white wine. White wine is normally much more acidic than rose or even red. And I find it causes me a bladder infection and I avoid it now completely!
I've found your videos very helpful. I did not realize carbonation was a problem. I drink a lot of lemon/lime seltzer, and non-alcoholic beer. I've cut out alcohol almost completely, and down to one decaf coffee in the morning. But I've been waking up every two hours to go to the bathroom for years, I can't even remember what it was like to sleep through the night. I drink a lot of herbal tea such as turmeric/ginger, lemon/ginger, and then blends like nettle/dandelion/licorice. Giving up the dark chocolate is tough. Plus my garden is FUUUULLLLLLL of tomatoes! Oy! I just went through 3 weeks antibiotic from a UTI - am using DMannose with cranberry, an Icelandic herb called angelica in a capsule called Sagapro, and also a probiotic particularly for the urinary tract. It is wonderful that someone like you is sharing this information in such a straight forward, honest, practical and kind way.
Michelle Kenway,you are such a good and sympathetic Physiotherapist,that every one must consult.I wish I was near you.I am suffering from Prostate problem.May God bless you.
Thank you very much for that, you are spot on! I don't drink coffee or alcohol but all the other things you've mentioned do irritate my bladder. It's really frustrating at times as I spend ages reading labels when food shopping 🙄and my food choices are very limited. I seldom eat out. I thought I was the odd one out...
Thank You! I suffer from bladder cancer.. I can confirm all these foods/ chemical's will irritate those tumors inside my bladder then I begin to bleed! Now I'm convinced that's been the problem all along! Also taking. Norwegian fish oil or eating Mackerel also helps allot!
My mom had 2 or 3 surgeries for this and it didnt help. I think her changing her eating habits would of helped her than the surgeries. I think the doctor just wanted money. All they said was dont drink coffee 😒.
Dont expect from such doctors. Urologist never speak with patients much. Give them just money. Walk out of their clinic within two minutes & after waiting outside for two hours. Same with diabetic foot doctors. Keep wallet ready to pay them
Wow! I didn’t know I ate so many foods that irritated my bladder. I switched to 85% chocolate so that I wouldn’t have as much sugar. So now I learned that is higher in caffeine. I just can’t win!
@@michellephysio Hi I'm suffering from this at present and i had a hospital scan about 3 weeks ago and when I went to the toilet they said my bladder fully emptied. I said so why do I find the need to go like twice an hour or every 2 hours I cant hold it longer than that without feeling uncomfortable. They did say the saw fibroids which may be a problem. I still have another appointment but that's not for months because of Covid. I was just wondering about the Caffeine I cut it out two weeks ago and all fizzy drinks but i havent noticed any difference apart from when i do go more comes out than normal but i still find i cant hold it longer than 2 hours 3 at a push. Is Caffeine really an issue if i cant see a difference?? Thank you:)
Arggg, the food list is the stuff that I normally eat. And....the spices are the ones I use weekly. Now I have to change a lot of options and substitute things.
This is all getting way too confusing. Have a glass of lemon and hot water every morning, it's so good for you. No, don't have lemon, it's too acidic. Pure dark chocolate, have a small bit every day, very good. No, the darker the chocolate the worse it is. Onions, garlic etc, good. No, onions bad. And on it goes.
I agree with this information . There are medications to help you go to the washroom so often . You may have an injury that contributes to an over active bladder . A small bladder . A urologist will help . 😊
Omg I just started eating dark chocolate the 100% all of a sudden I started having over active bladder and I didn't know why until now. Thank you so much for this information I guess I'm getting rid of my dark chocolate 🍫🙂.
I thought that dark chocolate was beneficial for Prostate problems? Now I’m not to eat it? Tomatoes are acidic, bad for the arthritis and the bladder, but good for the Prostate. Very confusing, I think I’ll just live on porridge oats without any dairy produce.
Hi Michelle , thanks so much for this video😭😭😭, I know you are more than just the messenger for this important subject..Coffee dark chocolate and fruit were basically my go to place😩, but reality is what we have to accept or maybe end up with a worse problem..Thanks for your time and knowledgable information, I appreciate what you do and respect the choices you put in front of us😘..
@Dermot McGlinchey you're most welcome! I really put a lot of thought into this, thank you for noticing. Appreciate your feedback and support. All the best!❤️🌺
This video was so informative as I have MS and an overactive bladder which has got worse over time. You have confirmed for me what intuitively I thought were irritants as well as a few more surprises such as green tea. Such a lot to change.....Thank you
Glad this helps you Cara - yes green tea is one of those hidden irritants, there are low caffeine varieties of green tea available (but none caffeine free that I know of ...yet)
This video was helpful. I have sensitive bladder and I have cut out all soft drinks, spices, most acidic fruits. I do consume dark chocolate in small amounts and kiwi fruit as well.
I quit drinking alcohol 5 years ago and haven't looked back since. My main issue is whenever I get a craving for sweet tea which has 85 grams of caffiene. I also smoke tobacco, which probably isn't a help either, but it's very hard to quit. I do have chronic gastritis and IBS type C, so a lot of high acidic foods I avoid without any second thoughts. I live off of Greek yogurt and healthy stuff like that, but I think, unfortunately, the sweet tea is going to have to be quit forever.
My favorite spices are cardamon, ginger and turmeric. Unfortunately they increase urgency. I'm suspecting that cinnamon does the same, so I significantly reduce my intake.
Thanks for this. At one point I was told that oxalate aggravated it and being vegetarian and a picky eater that was my entire diet. Wish I'd had this at the start of my issues. Wine and chocolate were hard to take!😀
That sounds really tough Beatrice, there's quite a bit of cross over too with high oxalates and bladder irritants - are you still on low oxalates? Can you tolerate carob?
Could you address the amount of these items that may be unhealthy. For example, a cup of tea a day versus five. A cut up tomato with eggs as opposed to a tomato salad? Or tomatoes sauce with pasta? ocasional use of say a jalapeño Chile versus hot Chile sauce? And what IS occasional? Thanks so much!
@Lunar Bloom You're very welcome! I'm glad to hear that you found the information helpful. Keep up the positive mindset, and I wish you all the best!🙏 ❤️
Great question Tudor - the issue is obviously the acidic content - low acid tomatoes are often well tolerated, the orange ones are delicious too. As far as citrus goes I wish I knew, maybe another viewer may have a suggestion on this ...
I imagine I can still drink water. May I have bread with my water? This has come on me quickly and I think something else may be wrong. I will see a doctor as soon as I can. I do not want to ignore something else that my be wrong.
I have a question, I suffer from irritation, but I follow an excellent diet plan, but is it also a secret habit that has something to do with it, but something I hope to respond quickly
Thank you Michelle for the information. I had to be careful of lemons and oranges because it would trigger my eczema so now I learn it can contribute to my overactive bladder. The coffee is hard I have one deccaf or low acid coffee in the morning so now I drink it only twice a week. I know Alcohol is out but I didn't know about tomatoes and spicy foods. I hope to conquer this condition. I was taking apple cider vinegar for weight loss so I will have to stop taking drinking ACV. Thanks again.
I eat whole food plant based vegan and recently started drinking coffee and have nocturia. I need to give it up. Am wondering what to have as a morning pleasure drink. I do not eat or drink junk food. Are cocoa nibs permitted? Darn just heard you say no to cacao nibs. Kombucha?
I started laughing almost as soon as you started talking. Coffee (God's gift to woman) Prosecco, chocolate, tomatoes, citrus fruits, mustard, spicy curries, need I go on? Thank you for the extensive list of almost everything I eat and love and was so happy you didn't hit any green vegetables or I'd never get out of the bathroom! Cheers, Freyja
I hope you know I really appreciated all you told us as I am one of many with an irritable bladder. I was laughing at myself because aside from the sugar substitutes and fuzzy drinks you laid out more than 60% of what I eat. Small wonder what I am doing as my own worst enemy.
I’ve had OAB for more than 13 years. And it seems I almost cured it just a month ago. Was trying different doctors. It took multiple years until they set a proper diagnosis. I tried electrical stimulation, Mirabegron, Solifenacin. Medication helped a bit, but after I stopped taking it, the symptoms got back to what had. In November here were my complains: * I went to a bathroom about 15 times a day (60ml - 130ml per one time) * 2-3 times during night * During mastrubation I had to make a break to pee * If I wanted to go to a bathroom then I had to do it ASAP. So in November another doctor recommended trying a Bladder training. As a main treatment. I adjusted it a bit my way and unbelievably I got my first results in 2 weeks: first time for maybe last 10 years I didn’t go to a bathroom at night. Then I started to go to the bathroom more rarely. Here is what I got now: * I go to a bathroom 5-7 times a day (200 - 300ml per one time) * Haven’t gone to a bathroom at night last 1 month * I can easily wait if I need So for some reason doctors didn’t recommend trying bladder training and hence I thought it wouldn’t help, so didn’t bother. ======== Here is my modification of the bladder training which helped me to get cured from Overactive bladder which I suffered from for about 13 years: With the help of pelvic floor physiotherapist learn how to achieve these things: How to understand that your pelvic floor muscles are contracted. The doctor might use “biofeedback” device to help you with this How to relax pelvic floor muscles Keep a bladder diary. Record how many millilitres you urinate every time you go to a bathroom. While at home you can have a plastic bottle at the toilet with the volume marks. While not at home you can use a zip-bag which you also have to mark. Like 50 ml, 100 ml, 150 ml and so on. Analyse the reason why you might want to urinate. Be aware that sometimes the reason is caused by some patterns. For example, here are some patterns that I have: when getting up from a chair/bed; when sitting with my legs bent underneath me; when coming back from outside to home; when feeling depressed; when taking shower; when pooping. Then every time you want to urinate ask yourself: “Why do I want to urinate? Is it caused by a pattern? If so, what can I change? Can I wait a bit more?“. F.e. if the urge is caused by a body position like when sitting with my legs bent underneath me, then take a position when pelvic floor muscles are not contracted. If the urge is caused by a pattern like when you get up from a chair, then recognize that it’s just a pattern and try to ignore the urge for some time. When you are already at the toilet and about to urinate. Do these steps: Try to analyse how badly you want to urinate. Is it 10/10 or 5/10? Do you feel that sometimes your stomach is a bit stretched when you want to urinate and sometimes the urge is just in the head? If the urge is not that intense, can you try to not to urinate and postpone it a little bit? Like 15 minutes? After you urinate, write down in the diary how many millilitres you urinated. Next time you at the toilet play a game: Based on your feelings and urge evaluation, try to guess how many millilitres you are going to urinate. This was the key technique for me. After some time you’ll learn to understand by your feelings/sensations how many mls you’re going to urinate. Use this prediction skill and when you feel that the volume is going to be below 200 ml, try to relax the pelvic floor muscles and just ignore the urge. Go to the bathroom only when you think it’s going to be above 200 ml. The only exception when you go to the bathroom to urinate and you feel it’s going to be less than 200 ml is before going to bed at night. During the night try not to go to the bathroom right away. Try to resist as much as you can, but don’t torture yourself. Just make a bit of effort. Don’t drink like 3 hours before bed. Try to see if reducing the coffee intake helps. Don’t bother with how often you go to urinate. For me if I drink a litre of cola then at the very beginning of the training I can urinate within a 15 minutes interval. That doesn’t matter. What matters is to be above 200 ml. The doctor advised me to try the bladder training for 1 month and if I don’t see any changes, then we can add the medication like Mirabegron to help following the training. After 2 weeks of the training I didn’t go to urinate at night. Probably that was the first time in the last 10 years. Then later I went to urinate less and less at night. Last month I didn’t urinate at night at all. Wish you all luck!
Hey Michelle, I understand food, bowel and stress are triggers for the bladder. Does sex irritate an overactive bladder too? Does it cause a flare with pain and urgency?
You are so funny when you say "Oooh that piece of chocolate needs some tidying up"!!! That is EXACTLY what my mum used to say when I was growing up in Australia!!!!!
@Chuck Sure thing! It's my pleasure to help. Thanks so much for your lovely comment and support. I'm so glad you find this helpful. You may also see the latest video I just uploaded ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ehzter47STk.html . Hope this helps ❤️
@balapa yes OAB can make life challenging. There are many treatments available for OAB, I hope that you can access treatment from a Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist to help you improve and manage your condition. I have quite a number of videos on OAB management in this playlist for more information ru-vid.com/group/PLqo18HBnle8xnlStA1AdkWAFUo4tmSW2u if you're unable to access Physiotherapy treatment plus your doctor can precribe medication to help too. I hope you're able to access some assistance as there is help available 🙏
Thanks a lot for all of your informative videos :) There are many herbal tea bag claims don't contain caffeine, eg Ginger, dandelion, licorice, lavender tea. These type of herbal tea are all acidic right and need to avoid right? Thank You.
@Miranda Wong not all teas are acidic. You can google low acidic teas, the more acidic tend to be fruit teas like rosehip or berry. I believe chamomile and dandelion to be low acid but check this online and use trial and error.
I am super sensitive to bladder irritants. Besides urgency, the more serious problem I have is waking up in the wee hours of the morning to empty my bladder...and I can't. I pee a drop here, a drop there. If I am fortunate, I can pee a weak stream for a short amount of time. I have to wait and keep trying. Another brief weak stream, wait, another weak stream, wait, and finally get a longer weak stream. I'm still not done, and have to do another two streams to be sure my bladder is empty. It can literally take me an hour and a half to empty my bladder. A trip to the ER and a catheter are likely in my future.
Hi Harold, do you have an enlarged prostate? Check with your doctor please - there are medications that can help with this condition if this is the case. All the best to you!
@@michellephysio I do have enlarged prostate - median lobe enlargement into the bladder. I am on Tamsulosin. I may have to get back on Finasteride. I have to severely limit my exposure to bladder irritants: no coffee, no tea, no alcohol, no spicy foods, no orange juice. I suspect MSG from Chinese takeout is also a factor.
The only one I found was trident sugar free cinnamon gum. Cinnamon irrates my bladder as a spice so I'm going to try to find pur gum it's free of......& spry gum
Thank you for this! Except alcohol, I am guilty of all of these especially coffee and multivitamin drinks like energy drinks! Obviously, I have to cut down on these.
Drink distilled water. Eat Beets. Pomegranate etc. U can do what u want but u be pee pee all day.when u go out 4 dinner ask 4 water. God Blessing in u and on u. 😘❤‼️
Hi Michelle, I have been diagnosed with Interstitial Cytitis (painful bladder syndrome) since 2014 that makes me wake up several times a night to pee large volumes (way more than I drink) and I do tend to avoid many of these foods, but my question is how do we ensure an adequate vitamin C intake with no citrus? I find vitamin C supplements cause even more irritation!
Great information and I love your accent. Thank you. Life is all about experimenting and considering what works. Keeping a food diary has helped me. I wonder if combining other ingredients with some of these foods lessens the irritation. There are certainly foods that help reduce OAB.
