Nurse Maureen‘s Health Show Podcast
Welcome to Nurse Maureen's Health Show Podcast where we dive deep into all things health, wellness, and everything in between. Hosted by a passionate nurse with years of frontline experience, we bring you expert interviews, real-life stories, and the latest insights on staying healthy. Nothing is off limits as we delve into menopause, mental health, sexual health and more. Whether we’re breaking down medical myths, discussing cutting-edge treatments, or chatting with top health professionals, this show is your go-to for practical advice and inspiring conversations. Let’s get healthier, together!
Nurse Maureen‘s Health Show Podcast
Roy's Story: From Prostate Cancer to the Contino Device for Male Bladder Leaks
What if there was a simple, non-surgical solution to a problem that leaves many men feeling isolated and embarrassed? Join me, Maureen McGrath, as I shed light on male stress urinary incontinence, an issue that impacts countless lives yet remains shrouded in stigma. You'll hear the heartfelt journey of Roy, an active man whose life was dramatically improved by the innovative Contino urethral insert. This groundbreaking device has not only restored his confidence but also enabled him to reclaim his quality of life.
Navigating life post-prostate surgery comes with numerous challenges, from physical discomfort to emotional struggles. In this episode, we uncover how long-term incontinence can lead to significant lifestyle changes, depression, and even social withdrawal. I highlight practical management strategies, like breathable clothing and pads, and emphasize the importance of professional guidance and support. Discover how the Contino device became a beacon of hope, offering men an effective way to regain control and live more confidently. By raising awareness and providing valuable resources, we aim to empower those men affected by urinary incontinence after prostate cancer to take back their lives.
This podcast is brought to you by Life360 Innovations, creators of the Contino urethral insert, a non-surgical Health Canada licensed medical device for men with stress urinary incontinence. Contino is easy to use and blocks the flow of urine without the need for adult diapers or pads. More than just a medical device, the Contino care program connects you with experienced medical professionals and creates a personalized treatment plan that provides ongoing support so you can get back to life. Go to MyContinocom to see if Contino is right for you and book your free continence assessment. Get bladder leakage control with Contino and get back to living. Remember, go to Mycontinocom. That's M-Y-C-O-N-T-I-N-Ocom.
Speaker 1:Ladies, do you leak with cough, sneeze and or exercise? Did you know that leaking urine is never normal? Hi, it's Maureen McGrath, registered nurse and nurse continence advisor. It's time to stop letting bladder leaks hold you back, and time to say goodbye to bladder leaks and hello to Moxie Patch, a revolutionary new device to treat stress urinary incontinence. Moxie Patch is ultra discreet, effective, reusable and eco-friendly, empowering you to live life to the fullest, free from the worries and limitations of stress urinary incontinence. With Moxie Patch, you can choose freedom from the hassle of bulky pads and embrace life again. Stop letting bladder leaks hold you back. Say goodbye to embarrassing moments and hello to unstoppable confidence with Moxie Patch. For more information or to order your Moxie Patch, go to MoxiePatchcom today and discover a new level of confidence. Moxiepatchcom, because you deserve to feel confident. Moxie patch is also available at select retailers and on amazoncom.
Speaker 1:Welcome to another episode of my health show podcast. I'm Maureen McGrath, a registered nurse, nurse, continence advisor, sexual health educator, and I'm in clinical practice. I see patients with a myriad of symptoms and diagnoses, but I do a lot of work around continence or incontinence. One of the biggest myths is that only women leak urine. In part, the marketing is pink and the packaging is pink, and we talk about little old ladies leaking urine. And they're not the only ones that leak urine. In fact, young women leak urine as well and women going through menopause, but we never think about men leaking urine. But certainly if you are a man out there listening, you may have experienced this and you know it's oftentimes associated with stigma and shame and embarrassment and you might be afraid to tell anybody about it or speak to your doctor about it because it makes people feel older. And oftentimes men leak after particular procedures, like after prostate cancer, for example. They're so delighted that they have been treated for cancer, that they're cancer free, but then they're shocked when they delighted that they have been treated for cancer, that they're cancer-free, but then they're shocked when they realize that they might be living with stress urinary incontinence for a long time.
Speaker 1:Stress urinary incontinence happens when certain muscles and other tissues linked to urination weaken. These include the muscles that support the urethra, called the pelvic floor muscles, and the muscles that control the release of urine, known as the urinary sphincter, and so it may be more difficult for men to access care because they think there's no treatment options. For me, pads are my only option or diapers. They may be living a full life, playing golf and still working, and yet leaking urine, and this can lead to anxiety and depression and lack of exercise, and it can impact one's overall health. There is a new device that is available that I'm extremely excited about for men. It's a revolutionary device. It's called the Contino device and it's a urethral insert, and many men have been using this product, and so I'm delighted to have somebody who has been using this product, somebody who's very active, who suffered with urinary incontinence but found Contino and it basically changed his life, and he joins me on the line. Good evening, roy. How are you Just?
Speaker 2:fine, thank you.
Speaker 1:Wonderful. Thank you so much for joining the podcast and really sharing your story to help other men who suffer with this debilitating, or what can be a very debilitating condition. So if you wouldn't mind sharing with the listeners your story, your you know why you started leaking urine story why you started leaking urine.
Speaker 2:Well, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003, late 2003, and had surgery in 2004. And, much like you described, I was surprised to find that my life had been altered significantly with reference to incontinence and, from the surgery on forward, for the next 20 years to today, I found myself dealing with this issue and, yeah, it was a huge adjustment at the point of time.
Speaker 1:I can imagine, and how did it impact your life?
Speaker 2:Well, everything from you know. Cancer itself is a whole emotional game when you come to realize or have to face the fact that there's something in your body that has the ability to kill you. I was given perhaps four to five years, with a very aggressive form, but the after effect of the surgery, of course, was a whole new. If I can use the term sentence, incontinence is just it's embarrassing, it causes depression, it takes you to places of withdrawal, etc. Etc. How to hide, how to cover, and I did not have any particular medical support or counseling in terms of how to deal with that. So you just live it, and so everything from breathable clothing, trying to find types of clothing that could seal the leakage pads, et cetera, et cetera, and I survived that way for 18 and a half years, until 2023 when.
Speaker 2:I discovered that yeah.
Speaker 1:And you found the container device. So 18 and a half years of leaking urine, I mean has to be, and you mentioned it can lead to depression. How did it make you feel and did you stop doing certain activities as a result?
Speaker 2:Not too much. Yeah, I was at that time working in the construction industry as a private contractor. I am, by natural interest, very, very active. I do endurance competitions with my horses for the last 30 years, and so an endurance competition is anything from 25 to 100 mile race that will take you out on the trail for 20 to 24 hours.
Speaker 2:So you know the challenges were huge. It was either quit and do a complete lifestyle change and surrender, or find ways to survive and move forward, and so moving forward included counseling. I went through a divorce and separation within the first year of my surgery. All of those subjects were related to the issues that come as a result of the surgery.
Speaker 1:Wow, it sounds like you went through a tremendous amount during that time and then in 2023, you mentioned you found the Contino device, which you're using today successfully. How did you hear about the Contino device after all of those years and counseling and trying to find issues? It took you 18 and a half years. Well, contino hasn't been around for 18 and a half years.
Speaker 2:Hasn't been around for 18 and a half years.
Speaker 2:I'm not exactly sure when Contido actually started, but I was watching television one night and there was a time spot talking about incontinence and this new device, or I don't even know if it was called a new device, but certainly an opportunity to explore.
Speaker 2:It doesn't take me long to make a decision. And I made the call and spoke to Iris, my now good friend at Contino, and she was very professional, you know, just totally disarming in terms of the stigma et cetera that comes with this subject, and it was very easy to talk to her. And, you know, one thing led to another and I made the decision to take the necessary steps to understand how to get into the program and do the work that has to be done, and there is work to be done, and so part of it was a diary monitoring what kind of incontinence I had, how much fluid intake was there, et cetera, et cetera. So early on in the game, in my work and in my uh sport activities, dehydration is the enemy, and so the very first thing people do when they try to avoid uh intake of of liquids, uh to reduce the flow.
Speaker 2:That compounds the issue, because now urine gets stronger and odors are a problem and so on and so forth. But yeah, it was the television ad and the contact with the folks, the multiple folks at Contino, that just were so freeing in the ability to discuss without you know feeling. I don't know what the right word is, but it was just a freeing conversation that led us on the path that we're on today.
Speaker 1:Much relief. It sounds like it's incredible. I don't leak urine anymore when I cough, sneeze or exercise. I have my life back. Hi, it's Maureen McGrath, registered nurse and nurse continence advisor, and that's typically what my patients say after discovering the Moxie Patch, a revolutionary new device to treat stress urinary incontinence. Many of my patients are frustrated with bladder leaks and have tried everything from pads to Kegel exercises before finding Moxie Patch. Moxie Patch is a small external device that is ultra discdiscreet, effective, reusable and eco-friendly. It helps you to live life to the fullest, free from the worries and limitations of bladder leaks from stress urinary incontinence. For more information or to order your Moxie Patch, go to MoxiePatchcom today and discover a new level of confidence. That's MoxiePatchcom, because you deserve to feel secure. Moxie Patch is also available at select retailers and on Amazoncom.
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Speaker 2:Well, the process of getting there and understanding it myself involved a technician and a therapist person who does the measuring, the fitting, et cetera, et cetera. And the same conversation going to that subject was oh boy, this is going to be fun for a 60-year-old male and with a female therapist. But the same thing very professional, very open, very easy, and all of the concerns just evaporated. And so the device itself is an insert and a tool that you use to insert a lubricant and a tool that you use to insert a lubricant, and the objective of the with the insert, is to provide a method of containing the urine.
Speaker 2:I had some very interesting experiences. Initially. There was some discomfort and so on and so forth, and there is a little period of time, about a week or two, to actually get used to the idea that the device is there and then it becomes just part of the norm of existence. There's pros and cons, but most of them are pros and my success was such a bonus that I experienced a lot of great advantages, mostly that I could function even at very high levels of activity with the ability to contain. The surprise was that my bladder, it would seem, had retained its ability to be elastic.
Speaker 2:After 18 years of leakage there's really no pressure on the bladder because the urine just flows out. With the device in place, my bladder became actively gain. I found out I could go four, five, six hours without having to deal with elimination. And ultimately, as I'm sitting here today, I do not have a device in place and I can go four to six hours without a device in place and my bladder has retrained and, I'm guessing, reshaped to allow me to contain the urine in a natural form. And that was a huge bonus and I think even a surprise to some of the people at contino that I was having that degree of success that's amazing, but you're still using the device today sometimes.
Speaker 2:Oh yes, I will go two, three, four days without the device and then.
Speaker 2:I'll use it again. It seems like if you don't use it, the elasticity or the size of the containing in the bladder becomes naturally smaller again, and so it's a renewal. Now, when you get into the high stress or the stress incontinence subject, you know it's the misstepping or jumping off my horse or galloping down the trail. Those are extreme conditions under which the device functions, and it isn't always 100% successful, but certainly 70% to 80%. The problem is that the unexpected movements can still sometimes dislodge the device or there might still be some leakage, but I wouldn't be without it.
Speaker 1:Right, not everyone is horseback riding. That is an extreme.
Speaker 2:it is down a hill the natural process and horseback riding is that, uh, the, you know, the contact between the body and the saddle and or horse. Um, you know, it's a natural pumping action or a natural, uh, jolting action, so to, even though it's very comfortable, it just works like a pump. So that's the problem.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's incredible, but for the listeners it's just basically a device that's inserted and removed for you to void. It's left in place for three to four hours and then, once you need to void, take it out and void and reinsert it.
Speaker 2:Simply put, correct yeah.
Speaker 1:So I mean you mentioned it's 75 to 80%, which is a significant improvement. I would say, what is your life like now compared to what it was like for those 18 and a half years where you suffered with urinary incontinence?
Speaker 2:Well, you know, Pretty embarrassing to get off your horse and be soaking wet. Yeah, Pretty embarrassing to deal with the reality of odors, et cetera, et cetera. So all of that stuff has basically been now put into a place of much better management and I can function normally as I am right now without worrying about those issues. And you know it has changed everything from my social ability to, you know, go out to dinner and et cetera, et cetera, which in past years.
Speaker 2:A lot of times I would simply withdraw or say, no, I'm sorry, I can't go there, I don't want to go there, all that sort of stuff.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Right, it's much more more normal, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. It sounds like all of your troubles have been put out to pasture.
Speaker 2:Not all of them, but you know I'm going'm going to say you know I'm sitting here today. I shouldn't say I'm a hundred percent. Uh, you know, I think the control is 100 percent relative to the activity. When I say 70 to 80 percent, the more active you are, the more, uh, the more the challenges we present, right.
Speaker 1:But at least you can be more active. A lot of people stop activity altogether, which is so detrimental to health, especially as people age and we're aging every day. But at least you can be more active.
Speaker 2:The other huge side effect which I suspect is measurable in the context of the medical profession. But dehydration is the enemy at all levels. Your whole body function, your mental, your attitude. So the natural process is to not intake the fluid you think you're not going to discharge as much. But that dehydration is the enemy at all levels, especially if you're physically active.
Speaker 1:Exactly, absolutely. What would you say to other men who are listening to the podcast, who have gone down many different avenues, have not found a treatment that works for them? What would you say to them? And they're experiencing stress, urinary incontinence. What would you say to them about the Contino device?
Speaker 2:There are two things, and the first off is that I had no, absolutely no physical sign. I'm an annual physical inspection, medical inspection guy and all my physical exams showed no indication of any problem with my prostate. And it was a friend who had serious issues who said to me get your PSA test. And it was the PSA test that came back four times higher than it should have been. And then the biopsies, et cetera, et cetera. So, first of all, get the PSA test, because it'll take you down if you're too late. Secondly, if you're going there one way or the other, if you are doing the seed implants, et cetera, et cetera. Seed implants et cetera, et cetera.
Speaker 2:You know the other options aside from surgery. Incontinence is going to be part of the conversation, so go for it. Do the contact with the continual people. To my knowledge, it is the only other solution other than just living with it pads, et cetera, et cetera and all of that. So there is no downside. You know there's nothing in there that's going to hurt you, bite you, et cetera, et cetera. So find out and make it work for you. That's the best I can give you is go for it.
Speaker 1:That is fantastic advice. I really appreciate you coming on the program and sharing your story and I'm so happy for you that your quality of life has improved with the Contino device.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm closer to normal than I was 20 years ago. I can tell you that.
Speaker 1:And that is so great. And here you are, 20 years older, and making that statement Yep, and that is so great.
Speaker 2:And here you are, 20 years older and making that statement. Yep, I'm going to celebrate my 81st in September. Wow, I'm still doing 25, 50 and 75 mile races with my horse and I work 16 hour days. Life is for living and just don't quit.
Speaker 1:That is amazing. You're an inspiration to a lot of people listening out there who think that they've been put out to pasture just because they are of a certain age. Roy, thank you so much. I really appreciate you sharing your story.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me Appreciate it.
Speaker 1:You're so welcome and thank you to you for tuning into this special edition of the Health Show podcast. I really appreciate it. This is a subject that we don't talk about enough that men can experience urinary incontinence, especially after prostate surgery, and when they hear about it, what I hear about from my patients is they hear about the treatments for prostate cancer. They hear that they are going to be cured, that there's treatment available, but they may leak urine or have erection function issues and they just kind of don't think about those and they don't realize how debilitating those things can be until they experience it themselves. So I would check out the Contino device. It's a great option for people who are experiencing stress, urinary incontinence or men who are experiencing, I should say, urinary incontinence, because it's often not talked about and we definitely need to talk more about urinary incontinence and how to control bladder leakage with the Contino device. The website is mycontinocom. I'm Maureen McGrath, registered nurse, nurse, continence advisor. Feel free to email me any questions or text the show. Thanks so much for tuning in. Thanks so much for tuning in. I'm Maureen McGrath and you have been listening to the Sunday Night Health Show podcast. If you want to hear this podcast or any other segment. Again, feel free to go to iTunes, spotify or Google Play or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. You can always email me nursetalk at hotmailcom or text the show 604-765-9287. That's 604-765-9287. Or head on over to my website for more information. Maureenmcgrathcom, it's been my pleasure to spend this time with you.
Speaker 1:This podcast is brought to you by Life360 Innovations, creators of the Contino urethral insert, a non-surgical Health Canada licensed medical device for men with stress urinary incontinence. Contino is easy to use and blocks the flow of urine without the need for adult diapers or pads. More than just a medical device, the Contino care program connects you with experienced medical professionals and creates a personalized treatment plan that provides ongoing support so you can get back to life. Go to MyContinocom to see if Contino is right for you and book your free continence assessment. Get bladder leakage control with Contino and get back to living. Remember, go to MyContinocom. That's M-Y-C-O-N-T-I-N-Ocom.
Speaker 1:Ladies, do you leak urine with cough, sneeze and or exercise? Leaking urine is never normal. Hi, I'm Maureen McGrath, registered nurse and nurse continence advisor. Ladies, it's time to stop letting bladder leaks hold you back. Say goodbye to embarrassing moments and hello to Moxie Patch, the revolutionary solution for stress urinary incontinence. Moxie Patch is ultra-discreet, effective, reusable and eco-friendly, empowering you to live life to the fullest without worries or limitations. So, ladies, ditch the bulky pads and embrace freedom with Moxie Patch. Experience unstoppable confidence today. For more information or to order your moxie patch, visit moxiepatchcom. That's moxiepatchcom, because you deserve to feel great again. Moxie patch is also available online at select retailers and on amazoncom. Get your moxie patch today. You'll be glad you did.