Bladder > Bladder Problems

Bladder Problems

The first and most important point to remember is that everyone with a bladder problem can be helped and many can be completely cured.

If you have been diagnosed with incontinence problems, you can search the drop down menus below to find out more information about your specific condition or problem. If you have not been diagnosed by a health professional, the following questions about your symptoms should help you find the information you are looking for.

Do you have a sudden urge to go to the loo or are unable to hold on and reach the toilet in time? You may have Urgency or Urge Incontinence.

Do you find you need to go to the loo very often and more than 8 times a day? This may be Frequency.

Do you often need to get up during the night? You may have Nocturia.

Do you wet the bed at night? You may have Nocturnal Enuresis.

If you have one or more of the above symptoms, you may have Mixed Urinary Incontinence.

Many of these symptoms can be caused by a condition called Overactive Bladder.

Do you leak when you laugh, cough, sneeze or exercise? You may have Stress Urinary Incontinence, called SUI for short and often referred to as Bladder Weakness or weak bladder.

Do you sometimes dribble urine without noticing or need to strain to pass urine? You may have Overflow Incontinence.

Please choose the appropriate condition or symptom from the drop down menus below and remember many bladder problems are common in both men and women, whilst some are related to the anatomical differences between men and women.

Once you have a clearer idea of what your problem may be or if you have been diagnosed you can visit our treatment and product sections to see what your options are for managing your symptoms or condition. Information dealing with the more practical and emotional side of coping with bladder problems can be found by visiting the Info and Advice section.

All the information provided by B&BF is intended as a general guide only and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own GP or any other health professional. We therefore recommend that you make an appointment with your GP or other health professional for a medical assessment and diagnosis.

How to approach your GP about your bladder problems

It is never too late to get help with your bladder problems. If your problem affects the quality of your day-to-day life, (for example; by making it hard for you to travel freely, making it necessary for you to identify every accessible toilet around the area you want to visit in town, making social occasions difficult to attend, getting in the way of your work, and so on), you should certainly seek help. Generally your first contact should be your GP; but it is possible to consult your local continence advisor without referral. Please visit our Continence Clinic Database facility within our Specialist Services section to find out where your nearest clinic is or call our general enquiries line on 01536 533255 for details.

At your first meeting with a healthcare professional about your continence problems, you will be asked to explain your bladder functions in some detail; this helps to identify and start to diagnose your problems. It is useful to keep a bladder diary for a week or so before your appointment to record things such as how many times you go to the toilet, any accidents you have and what you eat or drink.

When you visit the doctor, talk about your symptoms; try and explain if you are feeling any pain, and explain the sensations you feel when you go to the toilet. Do you have problems with urgency? Do you need to go to the toilet often? Do you make it to the toilet in time?

It might also be helpful to tell your doctor about how your problems affect your quality of life. Does your problem affect your relationships and social life, for instance do you have to carry spare underwear around with you? Have your problems affected your work or career? Have your problems affected your mental health and self esteem? Do you feel depressed because of your problems?

If you have any questions to ask your doctor or continence advisor, try and write them down before your appointment and bring them with you. Write down any answers that you are given in your appointment. It is also worth considering bringing a friend or companion along, to give you courage, to help you remember what was said and done, and to act as a chaperone during any physical examination that the doctor has to make.

Your doctor will want to know the history of your problems and will also want a detailed explanation of your symptoms. Your doctor may then want to perform a physical examination to help evaluate your problems.

If your problems have been going on for a long time, and especially if you have been having treatments and investigations for various other medical problems over a period of time, then it is certainly worth making a list of the main events in your entire medical history. Write down when and how you first suffered each symptom, what was diagnosed (if you know) and what was done; investigations, medication etc each time. Keep each entry short and concise, and consider handing over a copy to the doctor at the start of the consultation. This will save you both a lot of time and will help to ensure that nothing significant is forgotten.

Tests that your doctor/nurse may recommend you have done

Remember to ask your GP or nurse what any test involves and how it can help.

Urinalysis - this test needs a sample of urine to find out if there is any infection, or any blood in your urine

Bladder diary - this takes various forms but usually your doctor or nurse will ask you to record when you pass urine and how much, if you are incontinent or if you have urgency over a period of three days. You can find an example of a completed bladder diary, instructions and a blank copy for you to download and complete yourself by visiting our Treatment section.

Residual urine - this is to find out if there is any urine left in your bladder after you have gone to the toilet. If you have problems emptying your bladder the doctor will check residual urine using an ultrasound machine to take a scan of your bladder. Another way to check is to insert a catheter into the bladder through the urethra, this can be uncomfortable.

Internal examination - the doctor / continence advisor puts their fingers into the vagina (for women) or back passage (for men) and asks you to squeeze your muscles. This can show how strong the pelvic floor muscles are. For men, this can detect if the prostate gland is enlarged.

Cystometry - this test can help find out the cause of bladder problems (women should not need this test before non-surgical treatments). It involves putting a thin catheter (a small, soft plastic tube) into the bladder through the urethra and another into the rectum through the anus. This can be a bit uncomfortable but the catheter is removed as soon as the test is over, this test is only carried out in special hospital units.

Further Help and Advice

If you would prefer to talk this through with a specialist continence nurse before you make an appointment with your GP or continence clinic, please phone our Helpline on 0845 345 0165.

B&BF's Helpline is totally confidential, please visit our Helpline page if you would like more information on this service.

You can also purchase one of our Just Can't Wait toilet cards from our Resources section. These cards are designed to help you gain access to toilets when you're out and about, perhaps shopping or socialising. Although the card does not guarantee you access to a toilet, most places you visit will be willing to help you.

You can also obtain the Radar key which is part of the National Key Scheme. This key offers disabled people independent access to locked public toilets around the country. Toilets fitted with National Key Scheme (NKS) locks can now be found in shopping centres, pubs, cafes, department stores, bus and train stations and many other locations in most parts of the country. Please click here to be directed to the Radar website for more information.