Do you drink sugar-free drinks or otherwise use aspartame? Do you have an issue with frequent urges to urinate, or incontinence? Did you know that aspartame (and to some degree, most other artificial sweeteners) many times is the cause of these issues?
Before you resort to taking medications or having surgery, try giving up the aspartame for a week or so. Use Stevia, or even real sugar and see what happens. Aspartame irritates the bladder, causing it to spasm and making you feel like you have to urinate. The spasms also make you urinate more frequently. As little as one diet soda or packet of aspartame can cause issues in some people.
My mom has had an escalating problem for years. She also drank tons of tea with aspartame in it every day. A specialist told her that her bladder never developed fully & was too small. Another specialist wanted to put her on medication to control it and she refused. Before age 70, she was wearing a diaper to bed, had a 'potty chair' next to her bed because she couldn't make it to the bathroom in the morning and wore incontinence pads all the time because of leaking. She was constantly running to or looking for a bathroom. We couldn't go anywhere for long if there wasn't access to a bathroom.
I'd seen a Dr. Oz show that spoke about the subject and I told her she should quit using the sweetener and see if it worked. She scoffed at the suggestion, refusing to believe something so simple would cause such a huge problem. A year later, I saw a re-run of the show and realized I was having issues myself at age 50, that had started after being diagnosed with diabetes and switching to diet soda for my one soda fix of the day. I stopped drinking it and almost immediately I quit having to run to the bathroom all the time.
I told my mom - again, and asked her to try it. Like I told her, what would it hurt to use Stevia or real sugar for a week to see? So she did. Lo and behold, within a few days, her incontinence and frequent urges almost completely disappeared! She thought it was a miracle, I thought it was amazing. It didn't cure it completely, she still has to wear a pad at night and still has an occasional 'oops', but at age 74 she is pretty much free of the problem now!
About 7 years ago I was diagnosed with type2 diabetes, I searched for diet products to replace my regular sugared drinks. After a few years of drinking Diet Pepsi, I noticed that I was having bladder issues, frequent urination, bladder accidents, and pain in my back and lower stomach.
I went to my doctor. She did tests, sent me to a specialist who could find nothing wrong with my bladder. The specialist ask about my diet, and liquids, when I told him I was drinking diet with aspartame, he told me to keep off it for a couple weeks and see how I felt. I did as he ask and the bladder problems disappeared!
His conclusion was that I (like many people) am sensitive to aspartame and that it had build up in my system. I was relieved to know this. I didn't want to have bladder surgery! So just a warning for all you DIET SODA drinkers! Be ware!
As a common guideline, all artificial sweeteners should be avoided, simply due to the fact that they are MANUFACTURED. If sugar is an issue due to diabetes, then Stevia, which is natural is acceptable as a substitute. Presently, it is a bit costlier than sugar, but it does not tax the pancreas regarding breakdown. FYI, one of the families responsible for the development and marketing of one of those manufactured artificial sweeteners has an hard line family rule - there is to be zero consumption of artificial sweeteners - EVER.
