Dear Diary…
I’m feeling irritated, overused, and under supported.
-Bladder
Ok, so what is a Bladder Diary? A bladder diary is a tool that is used by pelvic floor physical therapists to help identify trends, triggers, and patterns in urinary incontinence (accidental urine leakage). When you are experiencing accidental urine leakage, one of the first things that a pelvic floor physical therapist may ask you to do is fill out a bladder diary for 2-3 days. Think “nerdy spreadsheet” to track:
fluid intake (what did you drink, how much, and when)
food intake (what did you eat, how much, and when)
urine output (when did you pee, how much, and did you feel the “urge” to pee at that time)
accidental urine output (when did you leak, how much, and what were you doing when you had leakage)
For 24 hours on at least 2-3 days this information is recorded and brought back to the pelvic floor physical therapist to review. At Shift Physical Therapy we provide the Bladder Diary forms and spend time explaining what information should be put into the form so that you feel confident in tracking all of the information.
But WHY all the tracking?
When the homework is done, the physical therapist reviews it with you. This tool can really provide a lot of great insight about what may be causing the urinary leakage - is the leakage happening with exertion activities (common with stress incontinence) or are they happening on the way to the bathroom or when pulling into the driveway (common with urge incontinence)? How are foods and beverages affecting the lining of the bladder? Are there certain things that are “irritating” the bladder and we are noticing a pattern of leakage after certain foods or beverages? Is there not enough fluid going into the bladder each day? How often are you emptying the bladder - too often, not often enough?
So, the information put into the Bladder Diary can provide a lot of clues about your individual needs to improve your symptoms. It can be quite a task to track everything for a few days, but your pelvic floor physical therapist will definitely thank you and ultimately it will help you get the best individualized plan for improving your leakage symptoms!
If you’re experiencing urinary leakage, come see us at Shift Physical Therapy to help you gain back confidence and control of your bladder again. Let’s change your “Dear Diary”!
Dear Diary,
I am confident and in control of my urinary symptoms, and I am enjoying life without accidents!
-Bladder
