How to approach your GP about 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. Call our general enquiries line on 01536 533255 for details of your nearest Continence Advisory Service.

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 - 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.