#102887 - 09/09/0803:16 PMNature Calls With Urgency
Anonymous
Unregistered
Getting older , 58 , Nature is clling more frequently durring the night and always with urgency it seems. Urinating several times a night, I could never make it to the bush to go.
Does anyone have a good sanitary idea as to my problem ? I'm sure I'm not alone.
If you are talking bms then, of course, this is a different problem.
I had loose bowels once on a backpack trip. I dug a hole outside and camped away from people. I was hiking alone. It was inconvenient but not as inconvenient as the alternative.
Same age as you; I have to get up once or twice a night, but nothing as severe as you describe. Do you take any diuretic or blood pressure medication? Does this only happen when you're hiking? (If so, you might want to talk to your doctor to see if he has any insight - temporary chemical imbalance, etc.)
I'm assuming that you don't have any poor habits that could bring this on, like not drinking during the day (becoming dehydrated), then making up for it in the evening.
There are the old standbys: no coffee, tea, alcohol, cocoa, or other diuretics after supper (or maybe even with supper, if you eat late); no drinking water just before bed; try to force yourself to go just before you turn in.
The pee bottle sounds like a reasonable solution to the problem. (If you use Lexan widemouth bottles for drinking, get a collapsible Nalgene Cantene to make it easy to tell which is which.)
As a last resort, could you use an adult diaper? (Having no experience with them, I can't offer any relevant information beyond the question.)
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Most of us older females don't want to admit it, but this can be a big problem for us. The causes are usually different than in men, but the results are the same--several fast exits from the tent in the middle of the night.
For women, there are two kinds of "incontinence": One is stress incontinence, often brought on by coughing or sneezing. It's due to relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles due to childbearing or just plain inactivity, and can be cured over time by doing lots of "Kegel" exercises (tightening of the pelvic floor muscles). The other is urge incontinence (celebrated in TV ads as "overactive bladder") in which the bladder, for some reason, decides on its own to contract. With this type, no matter how many Kegels you do, when those bladder muscles decide to contract, things happen. Yes, there are well-advertised drugs for it, but one of the complications is severe dehydration during exercise, so I won't take them. Instead, I wear pads. I haven't found that avoiding liquids in the late afternoon and evening helps very much, although I try not to drink a lot then. Avoiding anything with a diuretic tendency--coffee, tea, chocolate-- in the evening does help. But no matter what I do, I'm usually out of the tent every hour for the first two hours of the night and every two hours after that. Taking cranberry extract capsules does help a little. So, interestingly, does putting an electrolyte drink powder (Gookinaid) in my drinking water.
Men, I understand, should seek medical help for urinary problems because of the small possibility of prostate cancer. We females, though, other than keeping up with our Kegel exercises, have a choice of taking the drugs with their attendant complications or learning to live with this condition.
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
We females, though, other than keeping up with our Kegel exercises, have a choice of taking the drugs with their attendant complications or learning to live with this condition.
Or in my case, having surgery to get rid of the meatloaf-sized uterine fibroids pressing down on my bladder! (getting older is SO much fun) I'm now back to my previous cast-iron bladder state.
Men can also just have enlarged prostates, which will cause more frequent need to pee. I'd also recommend that you get this checked out if you haven't already; there are drugs you can take that will reduce the frequency.
I'm not quite yet in your age category, but I've kept a pee bottle with me at night since my 20's. - and just dump it out in the morning and rinse it out. A 750 ml gatorade bottle or something like that. Perfectly sanitary. While it may sound strange, those of us who have spent a lot of time out in very cold conditions take a more practical approach of "why freeze?" - and at that point, the heck with it, even in nicer condiitons. It's easy in a tent. It's somewhat more challenging to use in a hammock, but possible <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Well, I've also been known to use a medium ziploc freezer bag, but for me that's easy. I couldn't comment on how I'd manage if I couldn't write my name in the snow with pee <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
You might want to think about starting on saw palmetto extract to help with what I assume to be BPH (Benign prostatic hyperplasia). The need to urinate frequently at night is one of the classic BPH symptoms and saw palmetto extract is a frequently recommended first step in relieving those symptoms. You should probably check with your physician before starting on saw palmetto; BPH symptoms and prostate cancer symptoms are often similar. You don't want to treat for the one and, in fact, have the other. Avodart and Flomax are two other (prescription) medications for relieving BPH symptoms. I have tried all the above with limited success. I don't think there is any medication that can reverse the aging process but getting old sure beats the alternative <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />.
Are you taking a diuretic (like Lasix/furosemide)? That might be the culprit. If so, see if your doc is OK with you taking it in the morning rather than at night, at least on backpacking trips. My mom was originally prescribed to take it morning and nighttime but a visiting nurse had her take it all in the morning (with doctor's approval) and now she does not have pee problems like before - you can imagine a slow-moving senior getting up with a very full, ready-to-empty bladder first thing in the morning! Waterfall city. Now she just has to go many times in the morning after taking her diuretic, which is much easier on her...and the floor.
Here is one that I learned at Philmont from my fellow old guys. Next time you buy one of those small bottles of fabric softener save the bottle. The pour spout in the lid can be pulled out leaving a lightweight, wide-mouth, leak proof bottle with a handle. You can use a carabiner to attach the bottle to your pack. They are solid in color already and are easily emptied.
phat "I've kept a pee bottle with me at night since my 20's. - and just dump it out in the morning and rinse it out. A 750 ml Gatorade bottle or something like that." __________________________________________________
First time my buddy used a gaiter aid bottle it froze. I told him he should have poured it out the door while it was hot. He thought that was disgusting so instead he had to actually put it in a pan of hot water for a long time to melt it sufficiently to pour it out so it could be reused. The ideal situation is a floor-less pyramid tent, no need to even get out of your sleeping bag. Jim
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These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.
phat "I've kept a pee bottle with me at night since my 20's. - and just dump it out in the morning and rinse it out. A 750 ml Gatorade bottle or something like that." __________________________________________________
First time my buddy used a gaiter aid bottle it froze. I told him he should have poured it out the door while it was hot. He thought that was disgusting so instead he had to actually put it in a pan of hot water for a long time to melt it sufficiently to pour it out so it could be reused. The ideal situation is a floor-less pyramid tent, no need to even get out of your sleeping bag. Jim
I actually have to get up every nite when nature calls. While camping I at least walk a few feet from where I sleep. And if in a floorless tent. I would still at least us a bottle. I guess you could wear a depends adult diaper and just change it in the morning. LOL
Saw Palmetto might definitely help with the problem of urgency, especially if it is caused from BPH, but check with your doctor first as there could be a drug-interaction with the Saw Palmetto. Diabetes is another cause of frequent urination and should also be ruled out. Like someone said earlier, if you are on a diuretic, this could be the culprit. Oz
"Pee bottles"--that's where you guys have the advantage! All my attempts at "going" in a container in the tent (or elsewhere) have met with disaster!
Memories I have too... Did you notice the most horrible "urge" is always going along the worse weather condition? Like sound of fat raindrops on the tent fly, in the wee hours, when you're wriggling in your sleeping bag and trying desperately to delay the moment?
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