www.incontinentsupport.org

I am getting tired with the inconsistency of my bladder. I have been dry for several days now, but still have the lurking fer that an accident will happen. It is getting annoying the fact that with my OAB somedays I barely need to pee and have no problems holding it in when I do although that has a lot to do with not drinking enough fluids. Some days like yesterday I need to go use the toilet almost every 30 minutes but I never feel like I am in danger of having an accident and feel like I could have waited longer and other days I seem to have barely any control and leak a good bit and my bladder just starts emptying within a minute of the urge to go starting. The issue is that I am never 100 % sure how my bladder will act on a given day. I'm never sure whether I should wear protection or not or how much protection I should wear. I hate wasting products that I have spent money on by wearing on days when I don't need them and also I prefer not to wear them anyways but when I don't wear their is the chance of a large accident in public which luckily hasn't happened yet but is always a fear of mine. Does anybody have any advice for dealing with this?

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

If you haven't already addressed this, you might try keeping a diary for a month or so, recording everything that you eat & drink, when you consume it, the quantity, and your frequency/urgency/output. I would even consider making a note of how you're feeling physically/emotionally, and also the outside/inside temperature as you go about your day. I can hear you groaning about the effort/inconvenience/how do I do that in public without arousing suspicion, yadda yadda yadda, but I think this type of record would provide you with insight as to how your environment/habits affect your bladder, and it can help you avoid choices that appear to trigger your OAB. Your doctor also may find the documentation useful for determining a treatment plan that is best suited for you.

As to wasting product, if you can use pull-ups, and if you keep your rectal and peri-anal area clean and you don't wet the pull-up or sweat profusely, you likely can wear it for 2-3 days. Tape-ons not so much. Of course I can't guarantee that your issues will end if you eliminate what appear to be your trigger(s), but you will likely have a better understanding of your bladder dysfunction.

W.

Yes I sure do! Quit trying to guess when or where you will have a serious leak and just wear protection. For your situation I would highly recommend using at least a good quality pull-up like an Abena or Northshore all the time. I've only had first hand experience with the Abena but it will reliably hold one or two "regular" wettings without a leak. I had this same dilemma with regard to wetting while sleeping so I think I know how you feel. For some reason I didn't always have the same wetting problems while sleeping that I had during the day and I initially tried to second guess when I might need nighttime protection. Well after a quite few wet sheets (fortunately I did have good mattress protection) the anxiety/stress was just too much and I started wearing serious protection (diapers+cotton pad+PUL pants) every night. WOW, what a relief! I immediately started to sleep better than I almost ever have! I know you don't want to "waste" a dry diaper or pull-up but trust me the peace of mind is worth every penny. You could always put one on then save it if not used, and use it one more time, but of course that just depends on personal preference.

I've tried keeping a diary I just tend to zone out and forget to do it. I think one of the reasons for my lesser days is I'm not drinking enough water and fluids and also doing a lot of physical activity because I've been having some issues with dehydration which isn't intentional but I think I subconsiously don't drink as much water trying to avoid accidents. I've used pull-ons and still do but I do tend to sweat profusely biking to classes in 90 degree weather makes it kind of unavoidable. My issue with pull-ons is in the rare occurence I have a full on flood where my bladder completely quits on me. Ive had issues with overflowing even quality pull ups. Thanks for the advice.



The one issue I have with the Abena pullups which I do use is that the one time where my bladder completely quit and flooded it it had a leak a small one but it still makes me nervous. I wish they made better products for people who are active their aren't really any great options available

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

I have almost exactly the same issues...some days hardly pee, other days not much control. It has been nearly 6 months post prostatectomy combined with a diverticulotomy, and it seems as though my incontinence is getting worse instead of better. I do kegel's, but they don't seem to help much. Plus, my stream is slow and angled. What does this mean? Since I had numerous tests with things being shoved up my penis prior to my surgery, could a stricture be the culprit? I did have some incontinence issues before my surgery. Will I be one of the small percentage (not sure I totally agree with their stats), that will always have some incontinence problems? Unpredictable for sure.

Hi dp66:
I hope you are using some kind of protection 24/7. I know it was a huge relief when I just stopped trying to second guess when I might leak/wet and just started wearing appropriate protections 24/7. Yes it can be a bit expensive but what is your peace of mind worth?

Greengold, your situation sounds almost exactly like mine was about 30 years ago: very unpredictable urge incontinence. I found the unpredictability and the occasional public accidents caused me so much anxiety that I decided to start wearing a diaper 24/7. That was an excellent decision for me. Knowing that my pants would stay dry on the outside enabled me to lead a much happier life free from the terrible anxiety I had been experiencing.

Padded. Yes I do wear some kind of protection 24/7...cloth at night, disposable tape, or padded brief with diaper cover during the day. I just hope that when I see my urologist in a couple of weeks for my 6 month post prostatectomy appointment, he will not try to push some other kind of treatment. Urologist at times seem to throw the guilt, why are you giving up conversation at you. If I'm comfortable managing as I am, what's wrong with that? I actually find wearing a diaper is more discreet and easier to manage than having to deal with some other appliance.

Dennis

The last week I have been pretty much dry and haven't had issues so hoping this will keep occuring I haven't done anything differently so I don't know. Hopefully I continue to be dry but if not then I'll wear protection

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

The idea with the diary is brilliant, really! You seem to only have minor leaking, sometimes dry - sometimes a few drops. You are very lucky in this regard as I, myself am double incontinent, so there is nothing to worry about. You should note everything you do, everything you eat, what you drink, your mood, you stress level - all of those things may have impact on your leaking, but you won't know what is really the cause or probably multiple causes that may accumulate and lead to the problem like leaking that you are currently experiencing. Getting on a good, clean and healthy diet is of utmost importance and really, starting healthy lifestyle has helped many already. I would also tell you to reduce pressure in your life, although I know just how hard it is to do, because we all have to work and cope with stuff that we can't really predict happening