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Recently a friend was telling me about a problem that she had gotten shortly after getting Covid-19, which I would describe as a Long Covid issue as she did not have the problem prior to having Covid-19.
So she told me that a month or two after getting over Covid-19 she started having symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB). She said that once the symptoms started, they seemed to be increasing steadily and getting worse. Her symptoms were that she had to frequently urinate as well as not being able to sleep through the night because of frequent trips to the bathroom.
She also mentioned that another symptom was cramping in her calves, which she had not previously had and the cramping was becoming an everyday thing. Another problem that she mentioned was that it was becoming difficult to go anywhere because she was afraid she might not make it to a restroom on time. She said the urge could come on so fast, that she sometimes had a hard time making it to the bathroom at home in time.
All of this was causing her anxiety and she felt like she was no longer wanting to go out and socialize with her friends and family. She said this was leading her to a depressed state and she was noticing that with each passing day the combination of everything was making her feel weaker. She further told me that she was no longer going for her swimming exercises because she feared she might have an accident in the pool. She said she was feeling desperate and the thought of going to her doctor with a long covid symptom and knowing that doctors do not yet have options for their patients with long covid symptoms, was making her feel more distressed. She then asked me what I thought and if there was anything I could recommend for her to take.
I was kind of at a loss for words after she had told me everything, because I was trying to process everything she had told me while also seeing how the frequent urge to urinate had totally changed her life, and not in a good way. It isn't like there are tons of known remedies for long covid symptoms. We reviewed recent research together regarding OAB post Covid-19. The research seemed to confirm that what she was experiencing was very likely a post Covid symptom as discussed here :
Here is a relevant quote from the article :
- New retrospective research adds to the limited literature on the novel condition known as COVID-associated cystitis (CAC).
- Patients with COVID-19 are at nearly 3 times greater risk of developing new or worsening OAB symptoms than those who haven't been infected.
- The likelihood of OAB symptoms may be higher in COVID-infected patients who have diabetes mellitus or are on chronic steroid therapy. '
In this next study they discuss how inevitably every form of incontinence has psychological consequences such as shame and insecurity, which is interesting because that was exactly what she was describing to me :
Here is a relevant quote from the article :
' Almost inevitably every form of incontinence has psychological consequences: shame and insecurity are often results of uncontrolled loss of urine. Among others, in the long term, they lead to the avoidance of social contacts and possibly to depression and isolation. '
I told her that studies are starting to show that a main issue that is being seen in many long covid symptoms is increased levels of oxidative stress that can further lead to inflammation. So I told her that I would suggest trying a potent antioxidant that is also a mild anti inflammatory with a very good safety profile and high tolerability because she would likely have to take a higher dose in order to be effective for her. She told me that she is very sensitive to many supplements and was concerned whether she would be able to tolerate a higher dose of any supplement.
I told her that all she could do was try and first see if she can tolerate it and then see if it would help with her OAB symptoms. I suggested that she try the Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract (GSPE) that I use because it is a potent antioxidant and is generally very tolerable by friends that I have recommended it to as well as myself at even higher dosing. She agreed to order it and start it as soon as it arrived. I told her the bottle recommends taking 3 capsules per day and I suggested the same. She told me she would keep me updated. This is the product she used :
She started texting after starting on the GSPE, and she said she was only taking two caps per day instead of the label recommended 3 caps per day. So she was taking an 800 mg dose per day.
- In her first text, she said she was able to go 4 1/2 hours of sleep before having to get up and go to the bathroom. She said that previously she had to get up 4 to 5 times a night.
- Her next text said she was feeling a little less urgency to urinate.
- The next text said that she was starting to feel like she was regaining bladder control and because of that was starting to think about possibly getting back to her swimming exercises soon.
- Her next text said she was able to sleep from 11:30 pm until 6:30 am without having to get up once to go to the bathroom.
- Her next text said that her urgency level is down by about 50%.
- The next text said, 'Good news, went to bed at 9:30 pm and slept through til 5:00 am.
- Her next text said I feel that I am about 95% back to normal.
- In her next text she said that her leg cramping seems to be diminishing also.
- Her next text said she is looking forward to returning to her swimming exercises.
- Her next text said that the depression, anxiety, shame, and fear of going out socially are almost nonexistent now.
- Her last text said she is feeling back to normal now!
It is worth pointing out that these texts were received over a period of a week.
Although I see this friend fairly often, she never brought this health issue up until she was feeling desperate and all I saw was that she was always in a rush to get home.
In any case, I hope that this will be helpful for others who may have had Covid-19 and then experienced exacerbated OAB symptoms or experienced OAB symptoms for the first time.
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