Life Without Leaks

It's hard to believe, but nearly half of all people who need adult diapers are able to afford them. That's a problem nobody in America should have. Aleece Fosnight, a board-certified physician assistant specializing in incontinence conditions and a medical advisor for Aeroflow Urology, tells us more about the diaper gap and what can be done about it. To visit Aeroflow Urology and learn m...

A lot of us can be intimidated by doctors, especially when it comes to talking about somethign as personal as incontinence. Today's guest is here to tell us that there's nothing to worry about. Shavya Kovela is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and the Clinicial Education Manager for Flyte Therapy, and she has some illuminating and encouraging insights for everyone who recognizes that they ne...

You've probably seen commercials talking about gut health, probiotics, prebiotics and all sorts of other things that are somehow related to your digestive system, but do you know what any of that actually is or why a healthy gut is so important? Today's guest is Donna Monthei, a registered dietitian and gut health expert with EverVital Nutrition, a company that helps people with chronic...

Mike Leventhal is straight up when he explains that there are three things all men eventually face: death, taxes and an enlarged prostate. He should know - as the Executive Director for the Tennessee affiliate of Men's Health Network, Mike has spent his career helping men improve their physical and mental well being. Today he talks with us about caring for your prostate as you get older and,...

Inflammatory Bowel Disease can be an incredible burden to bear - painful, embarrassing, isolating and, for many patients, as difficult to deal with mentally as it is to manage physically. Today's guest is Dr. Erin Forster, a gastroenterologist from the Medical University of South Carolina, and she's here to let you know that it doesn't have to be that way. IBD conditions - particula...

You may remember Gloria Kolb from a previous episode when she introduced us to Elitone, a wearable device that gently stimulates your pelvic floor muscles, prompting them to do your Kegel exercises for you with virtually zero effort. Gloria is back with us today to introduce her newest product, Elitone Urge, which has shown remarkable results addressing the symptoms of Overactive Bladder, helping...

Men aren't always very good when it comes to managing their own health - it's often the women in their lives who help them with everything from making doctors' appointments to taking their medications to becoming more proactive with their wellbeing. Today's guest is Mike Leventhal, Executive Director for the Tennessee affiliate of Men's Health Network, a national non-profi...

More than 33 million Americans have OAB, and if you’re one of them, you probably pay close attention to how much you drink. But what you may not realize is that it’s worth taking a look at your entire diet. That’s because there are certain foods that can aggravate your bladder while there are others that may actually help stop frequent urination. In this episode we discuss what you may want to put...

Today's guest is Tina Harris, the Vice President of Clinical Affairs for TenderHeart Health Outcomes. They're one of the nation's leading incontinence management providers, and they offer individualized care plans and superior incontinence products to help meet patients' specific incontinence needs. Their value-based incontinence program improves patient outcomes and reduces co...

Seven years. That's how long many patients live with leaks before they get the courage to see a doctor. And then when they do show up, the encounter can be so awkward and uncomfortable that they wind up not getting the help they need. Today's guest is Dr. Travis Bullock, a urologist in private practice in St. Louis. He shares some very sound advice for patients who might be uncertain or...

Getting a proper diagnosis and treatment for bowel disorders can be difficult enough for most anybody, but for people of color, there are a troubling number of additional challenges that must also be overcome. Today's guest is Melodie Narain-Blackwell , a serial entrepreneur and founder of Color of Gastrointestinal Illness , a nonprofit advocacy and support organization for members of minorit...

The most common form of cancer men experience begins in the prostate, but it's a disease that is often misunderstood. For example, many men are surprised to learn that prostate cancer can be slow to develop, and for a good number of patients, the best course of action is to monitor the progress of the disease rather than to immediately jump into surgery or radiation. For others, though, a mor...

D'andre Hardy developed a severe case of Crohn's colitis at age 12 and spent years struggling with her condition. She tried countless management strategies, took dozens of different medications, and ultimately chose to undergo an ostomy procedure to help regain control of her life. It was that experience that led to her founding the Seen Society, an organization dedicated to revising the...

Did you know that one out of two people with incontinence will isolate themselves at home because they don't have enough absorbent products? That startling and unfortunate situation - that too many adults simply can't afford the basic necessities to care for themselves - is called The Diaper Divide. This is something we can all do something about. Today's guest is Aleece Fosnight, a...

Today we're joined by Carolyn Hampton, a patient who had such severe overactive bladder that she was going to the bathroom urgently every hour of the day and night. Medication only did so much for her, but she found real, lasting relief through the InterStim system, a tiny implanted device that helped improve the communication between her brain and her bladder. Listen to learn more about what...

A lot of men who are facing the prospect of prostate removal due to cancer have no idea that incontinence is an almost inevitable result of the procedure. For most men, leaking resolves itself in a few months to a year, but for some men, it can persist. Sexual dysfunction is another common side effect that many men need to navigate post-surgery. Today we're talking with Dr. Peter Hill, a chir...

On today's episode of Life Without Leaks, we talk with Dr. Michael Chancellor, a board certified urologist, professor, scientist and researcher about cutting-edge treatments for Stress Urinary Incontinence. He's one of the principal developers of a new treatment for SUI that uses a patient's own stem cells to repair their anatomy. It's currently in Phase 3 trials with the FDA -...

Today's guest is Dr. Joshua Bleier, a colorectal surgeon and chair of the Department of Surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, who shares with us about a treatment that provides relief to an enormous number of patients with bowel incontinence. It's minimally invasive, performed in office, and in Dr. Bleier's experience, can deliver meaningful improvement to as many as 90%...

Today we talk with friend of the podcast Dr. Cary Fishburne about what may be the most difficult topic to discuss in all of incontinence: Bowel leakage. As uncomfortable as it can be to bring up, it's something that affects millions of people, and the good news is that physicians today have more treatment options than ever to help you address your symptoms and their underlying causes. For mor...

Pregnancy changes your body in amazing ways, but some of those changes are less welcome than others. On today's episode, Melissa Nassaney, physical therapist and founder of Full Circle Pelvic Health in Warwick, Rhode Island, talks about how pregnancy can affect the pelvic floor and what you can do to address those changes when they happen - and sometimes, even before.  For more information ab...

Nobody wants to talk about their leaks, but it's something that has to be done if you're going to get the treatment you deserve. In today's episode, Dr. Kathleen Kobashi, chair of the Department of Urology at Houston Methodist Hospital and a specialist in women's health and bladder control issues, gives us tips on how to overcome embarrassment and have a confident, comfortable...

Do you find yourself waking up more than once a night to use the bathroom? If you do, you may have something called nocturia, which is a condition that causes you to have to get out of bed to pee two or more times a night. In this episode, we discuss a whole range of things you can do to address your symptoms and get you a better night's rest. For more information about the National Associati...

Today's episode of Life Without Leaks is the second of two parts discussing incontinence and related health issues in men. Our guest is Aleece Fosnight, a board-certified physician assistant specializing in sexual medicine, women's health and urology, as well as a medical advisor for Aeroflow Urology. In this episode, Aleece discusses absorbent products for men as well as how to address...

Today's episode of Life Without Leaks is the first of two parts discussing incontinence and related health issues in men. Our guest is Aleece Fosnight, a board-certified physician assistant specializing in sexual medicine, women's health and urology, as well as a medical advisor for Aeroflow Urology. In this episode, Aleece discusses some of the most common types of incontinence that men...

As if incontinence wasn't difficult enough on its own, when you add in the cost of absorbent products, the condition can become doubly hard to live with. Today we're joined by Janet Firestone, the National Medicaid account executive for Tranquility, a leading manufacturer of high-quality, super absorbent incontinence care products. For more than 25 years, Janet has been working directly...