Incontinent? No need to suffer in silence
The condition is often regarded as a taboo subject, which has resulted in it being under-reported and under-diagnosed.
POLOKWANE – In light of World Continence Week which is observed from 15 to 22 June, a local urogynaecologist, Dr Dakalo Muavha, aims to create awareness beyond just the month of June.
Incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine or stool and it is a taboo subject, particularly in African cultures. Because of the stigma, the condition is often under-reported and under-diagnosed. There is also the misconception that women cannot suffer from incontinence, according to Muavha. This, he said, is untrue. “One third of all women have the lifetime risk of suffering from urinary incontinence.”
Sharon Kobe* (not her real name), a 34-year-old police officer, suffered from incontinence. She said the problem started after she gave birth in 2010. After five weeks, her stitches still hadn’t healed and she started to show signs of infection. She went on a course of antibiotics, thinking it was just an infection. “It was not something I felt comfortable speaking about and I hoped it would eventually go away once the stitched completely healed,” she said. As a result, she would spend lengthy amount of time in the lavatory cleaning herself up and her confidence took a knock.
After her third child, the problem worsened, causing constant pain and she consulted a gynaecologist. She was operated on to correct the problem but the operation didn’t go according to plan. Kobe soon found that now all faecal matter was discharged through her private parts. “At this point I slipped into a depression and I was in constant pain. My marriage started to suffer as a result and I became a shell of the person I used to be,” she said. She was booked for another operation but she decided not to go ahead with it because of the trauma as a result of the first surgery.
It was then that she was referred to Dr Muavha, one of only four certified urogynaecologists in the country, and she received specialised assistance.
Muavha explained that even children can suffer from urinary incontinence but it’s often excused, because of age.
“People need not suffer in silence, especially those who don’t belong to a medical aid scheme. There is help at the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital. Some treatments for the condition take as little as 15 minutes, but people are not aware of this,” he advised.
