A bladder diary
A bladder diary is a record of your urine output and other useful information related to your voiding habits. Making a bladder diary prior to consultation will help your physician accurately diagnose your condition. Moreover, it provides detailed insight into the severity of your bladder weakness so that a suitable and effective plan of care can be easily developed.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has an excellent sample form of a bladder diary, which can be obtained online. This diary is an hourly record with two separate sheets for day and night. Each sheet contains six columns with the following headings: Time, Drinks (which is sub-divided into two columns: What kind? and How much?), Trips to the Bathroom (subdivided into two columns: How many times? and How much urine?), Accidental Leaks, Did you feel a strong urge to urinate?, and What were you doing at the time? You are also required to include the number of incontinence pads or pants you used for the day.
Here are some helpful tips for creating your own bladder diary:
•1. The longer you fill in your diary, the better-You need to fill in the diary for at least 3 days, but it is preferable if you fill it in for an entire week.
•2. You can estimate urine amounts as small, medium, or large- For more precise measurements, ask your physician for a graduated pan that fits under the rim of the toilet, making it easy to measure your urine.
•3. It is important to indicate when/how often you change your absorbent pad or pants, or your clothing.
•4. Don’t forget to describe your health and general well-being. For example, make note if you have pain, fever, or any other symptoms of illness- Remember that the more details you provide, the more accurate your diagnosis is likely to be.
•5. If you are a woman, never start your diary during your menstrual period, as you may change more frequently than you normally would.
A bladder diary can be a very useful tool in exploring the issue of incontinence, especially when done at a high level of compliance. The information obtained from your bladder diary can help your doctor determine the cause of your incontinence, as well as decide upon the most appropriate treatment for your condition.
If you would like more information about incontinence, feel free to download our free DryForLife Guide to Living With Incontinence.
More Reading On Incontinence Help
- Adult Continence: How it Works.
- Enuresis in Healthy Men and Women
- What Continence Supplies Do You Need?
- What is a Continence Assessment?
- Do You Need Continence Help?
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Tags: Bladder Weakness, Types of Incontinence, Urinary Incontinence
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