Hi - I definitely don't think it's (at least directly) related to MC. Bladder muscle is smooth (involuntary) muscle, which isn't affected by MC.

From my own personal experience, I have always had a "shy" bladder, and can't go in public restrooms, or usually anywhere at all except home, and a very few other places I know well and feel comfortable. I can't use the restrooms on planes, in restaurants, schools, etc. Fortunately, I have never had to go more than maybe 4 or 5 times a day, and was always able to wait if necessary, and only go 2-3 times, if I didn't feel comfortable.

As I am getting older, I am finding that the urethral sphincter musculature (the voluntary muscle that you control to start urine flow) isn't quite as strong as it always was - then again, because I am home all the time now, I don't need to exercise that level of control, so I guess I've let it get weaker.

What I'm saying is that if you do have an irritable or weak bladder, it's not likely that it's the MC. If it is the sphincter muscle, if anything, it would make sense for it to cause a delay in release (if the muscle spasmed), but not to create frequency or urgency issues - at least to my way of thinking. Hopefully Jan will give us her input. Lois

Type of Myotonia: Myotonia Congenita, Becker's type

Country: USA

I haven't had a cup of tea since yesterday lunchtime and already my bladder is so much better. Amazing what caffeine does to the system.

Country: uk

Sheri,

Jenna and Lois gave you some good information and I'll add a few more comments.

As you already found out caffeine is a major stimulant of smooth muscle contraction. I'm like Lois...I can go a whole day without using the restroom but I never drink anything containing caffeine. Several years ago I had a temp job as an office manager and realized after three months I had never even seen the inside of the ladies' restroom!

The other thing that is very important for women is strengthening the muscles that support the pelvic floor. We're especially prone to problems after having children. I'll paste in a link to WebMD which explains Kegel exercises - you may already be aware of this but it does make a huge difference if you'll do them on a daily basis.

Overactive Bladder

It can also be helpful to take magnesium. I'll paste in a few paragraphs from an article below related to that. Apparently in an unrelated study women were given magnesium to help with leg cramps, particularly calves, and reported that they also had a decrease in urinary symptoms like frequency, spasms and incontinence. This prompted some further research.

MC can indirectly affect bladder control if the constant firing of the muscles depletes more magnesium than you are replenishing with diet or supplements (caffeine also depletes magnesium). I don't recommend magnesium hydroxide which was used in the study...magnesium citrate or magnesium asporotate are much more absorbable.

Jan


Report from the American Urogynecologic Society, 2002:

Some surprising data were presented by Dr. Ralph Chesson of LSU Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.[12] He presented research from Iran University of Medical Sciences. (The study's authors, Drs. Ganj, Saneifard, and Shokoohi, were unable to attend the meeting.) These investigators examined whether magnesium hydroxide is an effective treatment for urge incontinence. Sixty women were enrolled in a double-blind randomized trial of 350 mg magnesium hydroxide twice daily vs placebo. Outcomes were measured at 1 month and included urodynamic measures and urinary diaries. These investigators found that improvement in symptoms was reported by 40% of women treated with magnesium hydroxide vs 17% of those receiving placebo (P < .01). Diaries suggested a significant decrease in frequency, nocturia, and incontinence frequency. Women receiving magnesium hydroxide reported no adverse events. These data are fascinating because they suggest that this very inexpensive, over-the-counter medication may be effective for symptoms of urge incontinence.

Type of Myotonia: Thomsen's MC

Country: US