www.incontinentsupport.org

My bladder issues are inconsistent, I can one day have no issues with urgency or control, another day have to go every 15 minutes but have no control issues, and another day have barely any control. It gets frustrating although I have been managing decently well because I am awake for a few hours before I need to leave my apartment to head onto campus usually I decide whether I need to wear a diaper, a pull up, or no protection based on how my bladder is acting in the morning and up to today I haven't had any issues doing that but today I hadn't had any issues until my last class of the day when about mid way through it I suddenly got a super strong urge to go and within seconds had a small leak. I was wearing black sweatpants and it was pouring rain so I don't think it was noticeable. I also leaked some more while driving back to my apartment. This has me worried as obviously I don't want to have an accident without some sort of protection on but also I don't want to use protection when I'm going to be dry especially when I seem to have issues usually only one or two days a week. I was wondering if anybody else on here has dealt with similar issues? Or if anybody has any advice on how to manage this going forward?

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-full time graduate student with urge urinary incontinence due to an overactive bladder

Hi Greengold4

With inconsistent Incontinences I would recommend wearing at least a high quality pullup when ever you go out as you really can not tell 100% when your bladder will act up. Even on dry days its better to be protected then not as dry days can turn wet with out warning.

Wearing protection will also take the stress and worry away if you start to feel like you are not going to make it to the bathroom intime. your bladder has proven to you it’s unpredictable so why stress just wesr protection when out and about.

When my children were young, I had to have a mental map of every public restroom in the county. Or so it seemed. Now I need to keep that in mind for myself. It's a pain and seldom convenient. There are times where it is just socially awkward to have to excuse myself and run to the restroom, and perhaps find it out of order or in use. Wearing protection even on my drier days makes life easier.

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- Tom

My issues were inconsistent at first also. I had to wear a diaper every night to bed, but during the day I generally got by with a pad or nothing once I started taking meds. After a few weeks, the meds didn't seem to work as well and I had a big "flood" one evening and a smaller issue the next day. At that point I decided to go to diapers 24/7 and haven't looked back. The peace of mind I have knowing that I don't have to worry about leaks or floods far outweighs the negatives of wearing all the time.

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"When you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

I've considered posting about this subject myself since there's a lot about what's happening to me that I don't understand. The past week or so I wake up dry somewhat often. Regardless I still wear a high capacity diaper over night. As soon as I get up the flood happens anyway.
I had been wondering if it's common for this issue to be intermittent because, since this has been going on it lets up on occasion, but from what I've experienced, it always comes back. Usually with more urgency.
So thank you. I have another answer to what is happening to me.
My thoughts, or advice, about it would be just get used to 24/7. I know I can't trust myself to maintain control when I'm away from home so I just accept it. You are right though. Having time in the morning to get an idea how the day seems to be going helps.

I randomly wake up dry - once a week, once every couple weeks, etc. and even when wet, I will flood almost immediately after getting out of bed. Don't understand it either, but you are not alone with this issue.

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"When you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

Your issues seem to mirror mine. The inconsistency drives me crazy. I've learned to plan based on my functioning much like you. I do diapers and undiapered. Pull-ups don't fit me right. I also make sure to have a just in case supply. I wear khakis to work and black camo khakis on weekends. I have a spare camo in my car, and a spare khaki in my office. I also always keep a spare diaper in my office and my car, just in case my bladder starts acting up. They match what I typically wear, so no one notices if I change my clothes. You may look at getting a backpack with multiple pockets, one for your just in case moments and the other pocket for your school supplies.

I have noticed that my bladder tends to be affected by sleep, stress and diet. Heavy exercise seems to exarbate symptoms for me, so I have to make sure I don't push myself too hard.

Inconsistentcy drives me nuts too because overkilling protection (wearing when you don't need) is a pain and ultimately wastes product. Here are 2 stories to illustrate:

A few months ago I was a Eucharistic Minister at Mass and as I left my pew to get in the line of Ministers I suddenly had an incredible urge to go. I had no protection on (hadn't needed it for daytime in a long time) and barely made it to the bathroom. I get out of the bathroom and the rest of the ministers are in a panic because I'm not there. What to do? I wore a diaper for quite a few weeks afterwards to Mass but never had a problem like that again. Talk about a pain.

Thanksgiving this past week is another wonderful story (I'm being sarcastic). I've had a problem over the last year or so of needing to urinate when I hear water running or I'm washing my hands. But it's not an every incident occurrence. We hosted Thanksgiving and I had to wash my hands multiple times throughout the morning because I was touching raw meat, then the salt shaker, then raw meat, etc. I seriously felt the urge to go with every hand washing and was producing urine every time. it was really bad and I spent pretty much the entire day wearing protection.

i hope those who are fully incontinent never dismiss those who are periodically incontinent. Having no idea when your bladder will act up (esp. if long period between episodes) is not easy to deal with. It's discouraging, stressful, and expensive.

G